Jacquelynne is the Spring 2022 Dream and Scheme Horse Show Awardee, sponsored by Dreamers and Schemers.
My life began when I was nine years old: I rode a horse for the very first time at my current barn, Shady Lawn Ranch in Oakdale, Calif. Little did I know at the time that horse riding would have such a tremendous influence on life. Every minute spent around horses, learning, working, and growing allowed me to become the hard-working, ambitious, and dedicated person that I am today. The day I first put my foot in the stirrup was the day that marked the beginning of my transformational journey to who I am today.
I have been riding for almost 13 years and started riding because as a little girl, I had a dream of learning how to ride just like every other little girl who loved horses. Although I do not come from a horse-established background, I was very fortunate to find a barn that was close to home and affordable. From the beginning, I have always paid for all of my lessons. Shady Lawn Ranch may not be the prettiest barn with fancy horses and the ability to travel and show, but I learned so much about horses in and out of the saddle.
From the Shady Lawn Ranch riding program, I learned how to ride both western and english, but I am predominantly a western rider without a specific area of discipline due to my financial limitations preventing me from specializing. My goals as a rider have always been to continue improving my horsemanship skills, build more knowledge and understanding of the horse, and gain more experience in the horse world. Since I have excelled past the riding program at my home barn, it has been difficult trying to find other lesson barns that are affordable. In addition, as an individual who is a minority (Mexican and Chinese) and lacking coming from a horse–established background, it is even more difficult finding acceptance and understanding of my situation. I would love to have the ability to continue to support my riding and find another trainer who could help me further my riding skills and exposure.
My biggest goal was to be able to own my very own horse. That dream came true in the summer of 2021 when I had the greatest opportunity of my life. Before that time, I was working as closely as I could during the COVID lockdown and through school restrictions with a red mare at my community college. Although horse riding has greatly molded me, this specific red mare came into my life and has been my greatest catalyst. Never could I have fathomed the tremendous impact one horse would have on me until I met Candy.
Candy was a 15-year-old, unwanted, and very green mare with almost debilitating separation anxiety, but I felt deeply that there was much more to her. I had such a strong desire to buy her myself, but I knew my financial limitations would not allow me to keep a horse, especially when I was soon to transfer to a four-year college. Knowing how strongly I cared for Candy, my equine professor presented me with the best opportunity of my life. She said to me, “Buy Candy for five dollars, train her for the summer, and donate her back before transferring.”
Candy never went back to my community college. I worked with Candy almost every day, determined that I could train this worried horse to not only be ridden, but also find relaxation and trust. I quickly fell in love with this horse and was amazed by her skyrocketing progress during that summer. Yet the most amazing part of this opportunity was that somewhere in between training this horse, I was the one who learned the most. With immense help from following a world-renowned horse trainer, Warwick Schiller, I discovered how to understand myself more deeply through attunement, mindfulness, and awareness. With the great transformation that Candy led me to, I knew before the end that I did not want to give her back. Despite my circumstances, I worked hard to find a way to keep her, and luckily I did. I was able to lease Candy to two young girls, which allowed me to afford to keep her while attending college away from home.
However, my college education expenses come first. Although my parents admire my passion for horse riding, it is my responsibility to pursue my higher level of education in order to support my passion for my future self. Besides doing my best to keep myself in horses and scraping up enough to continue lessons when possible, paying for my college education is my number one priority. I am currently a junior at California State University of Fresno and majoring in Animal Science with an Equine Science emphasis. Since moving from Escalon to Fresno, the access to horse riding was scarce. Luckily, I am able to spend a lot of my time outside the classroom volunteering at the Fresno State Quarter Horse Unit. As I have proven myself as a volunteer, I have earned the Head Rider student employee position and will begin my employment in August 2022.
I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish and become. My short-term goal is in the Fall of 2022 I would like to financially support myself to board my horse, Candy, with me during my last year of college. It has been extremely difficult not having her with me when I owned her for only four months before moving to Fresno. Any other awarded funds and earned savings would go directly to the care expenses for Candy such as board, farrier, vaccinations, deworming, and annual teeth floating. My future aspirations are to continue improving my skills and knowledge, and hopefully, someday be able to take my horse to a local ranch show or gymkhana.