BY LIZ FISHER
Two sisters, one amazing horse
When my 9-year-old daughter, the oldest in the family, came to me six years ago and asked to take horseback riding lessons, my mama heart leapt for joy. She and I were burned out of dance and were ready for a break from slick-backed buns, heavy makeup, and hours of dress rehearsals and recitals.
Horses were my passion as a kid, and the idea of entering back into that world that I had departed so many years ago was thrilling. I quickly signed her up for lessons at a nearby barn where she and I both caught “the bug.”
Enter 2020, the year that changed everything for the world and especially for our family. We walked through the tragic loss of my sister early in 2020, which resulted in the adoption of her son and two daughters, and our family with 3 kids turned into a family with 6. Shortly thereafter, COVID shut down the world.
Isolated, grieving, and figuring out our new family dynamic, we found great solace in the one activity we were able to continue—spending time with the horses. Around this time, a barn close to home offered an introductory camp called “Pony Passions,” and after being home from school and activities, all four of my girls begged to join.
All of a sudden, we went from one horse-crazy daughter to four! In the course of a year, horses became a central part of our world and an incredible support to our journey of healing. The girls have had many incredible experiences with lesson ponies, purchases, leases, and opportunities to ride for others. They’ve built confidence, amazing friendships, learned horsemanship and sportsmanship, and the value of hard work, as they care for their mounts in and out of the saddle.
A few years later, we were at a crossroads. Our family was in the midst of starting a new business, the oldest girls were entering high school, and had set equestrian goals for themselves that would require showing increasingly at rated shows. We had leases ending in the fall, and had decisions to make about next steps for their partnerships.
As we looked at the budget needed to get two horses that could perform at their level, the care, maintenance, and show costs, we quickly realized it was not going to be possible. The girls were at similar levels, and the idea of sharing came up.
Out of the gate, their trainer and I discussed many challenges to this strategy. The girls were two very different sizes, with one being tall and long-legged, and the other petite and just coming off ponies. They were also very different riders, with one suited more to a slower push ride, and the other a more forward-thinking ride. We were concerned about how they would do when the time came that they were competing in the same division, and how this could impact their confidence. Finally, we knew that the horse could not be asked to do double the work, especially at this level, and we would have to figure out how to maintain the appropriate level of work for the horse, but also find opportunities for the girls to practice and maintain their strength in the saddle.
Still, we began the search.
Finding this diamond in the rough horse was no small feat, but our trainer set out to do just that in September of 2024. We tried countless horses, patiently waiting for the perfect one to come around.
During the waiting and searching season, the girls had many opportunities to continue improving their riding. They joined our barn’s IEA team and were able to gain experience riding many different horses and make many new friendships. They were given opportunities to ride and show our trainer’s horses or sales horses. Our trainer was also able to find a short-term borrow situation for medal finals season. As it turned out, this period without their own personal horse was beneficial to boost their experience with a wider range of mounts, and give them a lighter season of responsibility as they adjusted to high school.
After the holidays, our trainer planned a trip to try a horse that was for sale and seemed like a good prospect. He was a large bay gelding jumper who was being recommended for a career change to the hunters.
From the moment I saw each girl take him around the ring, it was evident that he was the one. Though they each came with their own riding styles, skills, and habits, he was kind, forgiving, and gentle, and checked all of the boxes to get them to the next level. While some had previously been wary of leasing a horse to be shared, this sales agent knew and trusted our trainer would not overwork him. We were able to work out a deal and bring this amazing boy home.
A year later, we are so incredibly grateful that this horse came into our lives and that our trainer continued to diligently search to find him. The girls have managed shows by focusing on different things – one typically performing in the age group equitation or a couple of medals, and the other competing in a hunter division on the weekend. At local shows, each girl will typically show one day, and they take turns doing special classes like Derbies.
Each show, their trainer and I work together looking at the ring schedule and what each rider needs to work on to choose the best class strategy for that particular show. For instance, one daughter typically competes in equitation, but when moving up in height, we agreed it would be better for the new height to be experienced in the hunter ring first. So for a couple of shows, they switched focus, and the hunter-leaning sister tackled the equitation with great success, and vice-versa!
The girls share the responsibility of caring for and exercising their horse between lessons, which has allowed them more flexibility during the school year to balance their heavy schoolwork loads. They’ve each had thrilling successes, but each has also made mistakes and had disappointing rounds. Because of this and the experiences they have both had on the same horse, the girls can compare notes on handling situations and improving for the next time.
This is a sweet season of sharing for these sisters as they still strive to reach their goals, with the same partner. We’ve learned in our equestrian journey that sometimes we need to get creative, be patient, and that a few months’ gap is not going to totally derail riding goals. In fact, it could be just the time to work on other areas, like strengthening versatility through riding a larger mix of horses.
As our trainer always says and I have come to believe, “These things always have a way of working themselves out.”
Liz Fisher is a proud horse show mom to three riders and an equally proud supporter of three non-horsey kids who prefer dirt bikes and basketball. Her days are filled with driving, cheering, cleaning, and repeating herself…a lot! Despite the chaos, she is deeply grateful for a life full of blessings and uses writing as a way to reflect, slow down, and capture the moments in between.
