Aidan's Story

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"I always liked horses as a kid. I played with horse figures, watched westerns on TV, and wanted to do everything the cowboys did. Being raised with dogs, I especially wanted to have a horse. I even told my mom that if she would just get me a horse, I would keep it in a crate so it would be safe and sound. When I was 4 years old, my mom found a western riding school that I could attend in San Antonio. An elderly cowboy took me under his wing since I was the very smallest kid in the whole riding club. Luckily, they had a saddle for my size and I quickly learned how to fetch my horse from the field, help get him ready, and ride. Summer camps at the horse club were my favorite because we got to go on trail rides. One day after a trail ride, the older kids were riding around the arena and jumping their horses.  I couldn’t resist!  While walking my horse around the arena, I gave him a kick and he trotted into line with the jumpers. We cleared the jump and I was thrown off.  When I landed on my feet, I raised my arms and shouted “VICTORY”!  My trainer said she got 10x more gray hair that day, and so did my mom. From those lessons forward, I have always loved horses and find an unspoken connection to them. They calm me and I feel at home and peaceful when riding or caring for horses. I want to always have horses in my life and I would really like to have a career with them. I hope to enter rodeos one day to team rope or bronc ride. I also want to own a ranch one day where I can take care of and raise horses, train them, and work with them to care for the cattle on some land."