Constructing the Life I Want

I have found Bridle Up Hope to be one of the best places to see and experience. Working with your instructor, the horses, and other girls has been absolutely enlightening and empowering. I originally discovered Bridle Up Hope a few years ago when my mother was first introduced to it. From then, I already loved how it looked and what was said about this place. When my mother brought it up to me again a few years later, I was hesitant at first but quickly gained confidence in going to Bridle Up Hope.

My instructor is Michaela. She has been absolutely one of the best people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I love having the ability to talk to someone so comfortably and without judgment. I have gone through a lot of self-reconstruction and recognition because of having her as an instructor and having this opportunity. Before meeting Michaela, I had a lot of conflicting feelings about myself, life, and who I was growing up to be. I learned that having these emotions and thoughts is completely normal. It’s a process of baby steps to reach a goal you have set. One of these steps may be making a goal! I have developed a few goals over my program period with Michaela. One of the smaller goals I set was to build my confidence in myself, which at the time was something I had difficulty with. By doing something as simple as holding my head up, I made a big impact on later obstacles. I became much more confident in talking to others, both in school and outside of school. A larger goal I set was giving myself time to process certain feelings. I really struggled with bottling my emotions up, which made me miserable and sometimes brought others down as well. Every single achievement I made toward these goals, Michaela supported and praised me for; I felt accomplished and appreciated. Michaela was and will continue to be one of my greatest friends. I cannot express how proud and grateful I am to have had the pleasure of meeting this wonderful woman.

I have made several other amazing friends that are of the furry kind! Diego, in particular, helped me through a particularly hard time I was experiencing. I was angry, hurt, and confused. I tried my best to keep those emotions in the classroom; however, some still resided in the back of my mind. I was able to spend a little more time just grooming him that day. I still felt some discomfort, but immediately when I got onto his back, all those emotions just washed away. I felt relaxed, comfortable, and at peace. I was able to ride him bareback, which made the whole experience ten times more meaningful to me. Having this connection and trust that we were okay together made me feel unbelievably content with where I was and what we were doing. Something similar happened with Winston. This was during my first lesson at Bridle Up Hope, so I was a bit anxious and nervous but excited. After grooming and doing some groundwork, we had an instant understanding of each other. I relaxed and focused on him, and I believe he did the same with me. I have never felt such a strong connection with someone or something as I did with these two horses. All of the horses mean the absolute world to me; these two were just the ones I connected with the most.

Having these experiences with the horses, my instructor, and everyone else I have met while here at Bridle Up Hope has helped me so much with constructing my life for the better.

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