Right now I'm still riding Karen's horses, and I don't know if or when I'll actually have a horse of my own. For the moment, instead of buying a horse, I've celebrated my return to health by making a sizable donation to the Rutgers Equine Science Center. It's my way of saying thank you to the fabulous four-legged creatures that have helped make my new life possible.
My husband and I recently moved to a community in Crosswicks, N.J., where many residents have horses on small acreage. I may catch-ride some of my neighbor's horses. I also handle the point system for the CJHA, and the community of horse people I knOw through CJHA and Rutgers Equine Science Center makes for a wonderful supportive network.
Sometimes people ask if I wished I'd discovered the path to fitness when I was much younger. "Think how different your life would have been," they say. But in truth I consider myself fortunate to have had the experiences I did, and to have been heavy for so long. It taught me to have compassion for people who are struggling with difficult issues.
And, who knows? Without having been heavy, I might never have turned to horses. I'm happy with things just the way they are!
This article originally appeared in the January 2006 issue of Horse & Rider magazine. Pick up the January 2007 and November 2008 issues for updates from Sandy and more than 75 tips on riding your way to fitness.
