PIPER KLEMM, PH.D.
I was recently discussing my riding with someone I’d just met. As we got chatting about the sport and how timid (read: terrified) I can be in the saddle, she said, “Wow. You must really love it if you’re that scared and do it anyway.”
Sometimes people frame things up just perfectly for us. I should not be ashamed that I’m afraid—I should be happy that, even with all my fear, I love this so much that I do it anyway. That I can’t stop doing it.
As you get into reading this issue, you’ll read the stories of people who love horses as much as I do. People who love this sport, who show up, who show up again, and who keep making this sport a priority as their lives, bodies, and realities change, as will happen to all of us.
Everybody that rides is a good body. We are all welcome here. And anyone who loves this sport enough to face all the adversity and commitment associated with it—welcome to The Plaid Horse family. We hope you share your experience with your family, your loved ones, and your new friends.
See you at the ring!
Piper and her horse MTM Sandwich kick off their winter circuit at the Desert International Horse Park in January.
Photos by Sara Shier Photography
*This story was originally published in the March 2022 issue of The Plaid Horse. Click here to read it now and subscribe for issues delivered straight to your door!
