Flash and I worked together in the Pennsylvania frost and summer humidity until we made it to (and placed in) our state 4-H horse show several years in a row. At this point, my family had invested in our own land and barn which required me to clean stalls before homeroom and do chores after last period. I spent a million hours on that farm cleaning tack, organizing the tack room, braiding horses, and sweeping cobwebs away.

For me, showing was never the ultimate goal. I loved everything else associated with horses, though. I loved teaching my horse new skills and helping other people fall in love with horses in lessons. For over 15 years, horses taught me responsibility, accountability, dedication, and passion. Now that I am in vet school, I spend more time learning about equine joint injections than I do about perfecting cavalettis, but the impact of horses on my character is permanent.