The High Wire Act of a Horseless Rider

I long for my own horse in the unconscious, instinctive way I imagine many people long for children. And while I consider myself a serious, lifelong rider, I’ve never owned a horse, and I won’t be purchasing anytime soon: like many juniors and amateurs in this sport, neither my bank account nor my schedule is ready for the demands of an equine partner. My horselessness doesn’t lessen my desire to ride and learn, a difficult needle to thread in a sport so structured around ownership, but I’ve found a system that works for me, and surprising rewards from years of riding without a horse to call my own.

After I started riding at age of seven, I progressed through the local riding academies of suburban Boston, diligently taking my weekly lessons, attending horsey summer camps, and occasionally leasing a horse in the barn. I had a soul-deep envy of the riders my age with their own horses, which wasn’t in the cards for my family, but the continual draw of horses, any horses at all, kept me going back to the barn week after week...

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Article written by: Jessie Lochrie