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After spending 20 years away from horses, a rider from Region 1 shares her journey returning to the saddle and how the dressage community, and a little grey Mustang, welcomed her with open arms.
By Beth Papada
I grew up obsessed with horses from birth, and my obsession has never gone away! I am a 41-year-old rider from Delran, New Jersey, and my journey with dressage begins with my partner, Sailor’s Warning, a.k.a. Brody.
I lease Brody from my trainer (and very good friend!!), Megan Offermann, at Red Sky Ranch in Columbus, New Jersey. He is a six-year-old grey Mustang gelding from California. Megan adopted Brody from the Devil’s Garden herd management area (HMA) in 2022 and introduced him to domestic life. She has done an amazing job with him, turning him into the most amazing riding horse! He is a puppy dog and just the sweetest. He was an ambassador for Mustang adoptions at the horse exposition in Harrisburg this year and was a fan favorite on “Breed Row.” Not only does he compete in dressage, but he totes around the little ones in their lessons, including my 7-year-old daughter.
I’ve always had a thing for the greys since I was a kid, so when I first saw Brody, I was hooked. But I hadn’t been on the back of a horse in about 20 years. My riding journey began just before my seventh birthday when my parents gifted me my first riding lesson (not having any idea what they were starting!). I was instantly hooked, and as the years went by, it turned into my mom dropping me off at the barn at dawn and picking me up as the sun was setting.
When it was time to go to college, I had to make a choice between college athletics and riding. While I don’t regret this choice, I wish I had made time for both. Fast forward 20 years, and I got to take my own daughter to her first riding lesson; being back in a barn felt like being home again.
I definitely was not the same person that rode back in the day, though – a lot had changed. I was not that athletic girl who could eat anything and run around like a maniac in any sport and hold her own. Six weeks after having my daughter, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cervical cancer that had spread all through my body up to my neck. I began my treatment journey not long after that.
After four years of chemotherapy, radiation, and numerous surgeries, I could finally kick cancer to the curb, but it took a toll on my body. I was out of shape, overweight, and exhausted. Just as I started up my last few rounds of treatment, my daughter was starting her riding journey, and boy, was it a welcome relief to walk into a barn full of happy horses and ponies.
A couple of months after my last surgery and treatment in 2022, Megan offered up the idea of hopping back on a horse. I don’t think I realized how excited I was until I was up on the back of another resident of Red Sky Ranch, Sporty. A few rides on Sporty, and I felt like the old me.
Brody was just beginning his journey as a show horse with Megan, and she felt comfortable enough to let me ride him. He did his first show with her, and a month later, I did my first-ever dressage test on him. It definitely was not the prettiest, but it felt so good, and I was officially hooked on dressage.
For Christmas that year, my husband made my dream come true and leased Brody for me. It has been a learning experience for both of us, but having Megan guiding us together has been amazing.
I competed in one show as a kid, and to be completely honest, I hated it. I had never felt so out of place. I loved horses and just being around them, and the show world was not like that. When I started riding again, I hadn’t thought about competing, but my daughter was doing dressage schooling shows with Megan, so I would help out when needed and just enjoyed being around the horses.
As a kid, I rode both Western and English, so restarting, I had a choice of either. I chose English, just because that was what I was more comfortable with, but Megan introduced me to Western dressage as well, and it is so amazing to see it grow.
She competes in rated shows with Brody through Basic Level in Western and Training Level in English. It has been so fun to watch. Once I had a year of dressage under my belt, I took a chance this year and rode my first western test. Next year, I have a goal of competing consistently in both!
Megan set my first goal for me at my first dressage show because I was a wreck: “Stay in, stay on.” Unfortunately, being so green, Brody had a knack for trying to leave the ring at any opening those first few months, hence the “stay in” goal. We accomplished that goal for both tests! The littlest goal can help you get through the nerves.
Anytime I rode a new test, or the wind was creating havoc, or Brody was having a toddler day, that’s the mantra I would live by. It would take my mind off my nerves and make me focus on little steps. I do set bigger goals for each test or something to focus on doing better, but every time I prepare to enter the ring, I say to myself, “Stay in, stay on,” just to loosen myself up.
I set a goal this year to achieve a score of 70% in a dressage test. Last year, I was consistently in the mid-60s, so I knew it would be a stretch, but something I could definitely shoot for. Just last week, Brody and I achieved that goal! Next up on the goal list will be to complete a Training Level test and move up to that level next year.
Brody is such a special horse. Not only has he helped me get back into the horse world, but he has a knack for making me smile when I wasn’t feeling the greatest. Shortly after my husband leased him for me, I was hospitalized (not riding-related) for a few days and unable to ride for about a month. Coming out just to groom Brody and hang out with our barn family helped accelerate my healing.
He’s got a goofy personality, but gives the best hugs, just when you need them. He’s had his toddler (and now teenager) moments, but they have helped me grow as a rider as well. Watching Megan bring him along from a wild horse to a show horse has been unbelievable. Her patience and skills are second to none. But she has also allowed me and her other students to share in the journeys of Brody and the newest Mustangs she adopted.
One big thing I think we all could do better with, but especially in the horse show world, is never judging a book by its cover. I most certainly did not look like those riders you saw at Devon or the Olympics. I am 5’2” and not at all slim. It was intimidating at first for me – walking into these shows, not really knowing what to expect. But it feels different now, mostly because of the farm family I am a part of, but also because of the strangers I encountered.
There are obviously still the classic “mean girls” out there, but it is not the norm anymore, and I am thankful for that and the places we show creating these welcoming environments. Big, small, young, old – it shouldn’t matter why they are competing where they are. It could be someone like me, finally living out their childhood dream alongside their daughter, or some parent, using this as a release from the grind of parenthood and work. Maybe they borrowed an old show coat, breeches, or polo, but whatever they did, they made it work.
The first time I heard a stranger wish me good luck before my ride, or congratulate me on a ride, was an instant lift – and it’s contagious. I make sure to acknowledge everyone (or at least try) in the warm-up area or in passing after a test. You do not know what they are going through, or what they did to get here – you might be the reason for their first smile that day.
The dressage world has been so welcoming. Obviously, the horse world, in general, is expensive. But starting up in dressage has been different. I have felt so welcome and not out of place. Megan gave me that little shove to get back in the saddle, and a little more push to try showing again. I couldn’t be more thankful for the environment she creates at her little farm and her friendship.
It is definitely eye-opening, but now, little grey Mustangs can compete with warmbloods and off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs), and do well! It’s fantastic to see small farms, large farms, individuals, children, and adults all getting to compete and feel good about what they are doing. Fulfilling dreams and accomplishing goals. Instead of people looking down on you, you walk out of the ring to a complete stranger saying, “Great ride!!”; “Cute pony!”; or “Love that color pad!”
Yes, it is a competition, but in the end, most of us are just kids in adult bodies living out our dreams.
