Each month, we will be profiling one of our Strides Student Members, so everyone can get to know each other a little! This month, let’s get to know Cindy from Pennsylvania, USA
How long have you been a member of Strides?
I joined Strides in June 2025 after enjoying the canter challenge.
What’s your favorite part of Strides?
My absolute favorite part of Strides is our community! We are so diverse and inclusive, united by our passion for horses and riding. As someone who NEVER ventured into social media, I have been completely awestruck by the support, commitment, and positivity of this group.
How has Strides helped you achieve your goals or work through challenges?
Strides has helped me in so many ways, it is difficult to be brief. Coming from a hunter/jumper background, and then, low level eventing, dressage has been the “great unknown” to me. Strides has been the beginning of my dressage education. The monthly content is so thoughtfully planned out from theory to groundwork to exercises in such a way that dressage is beginning to make sense (and inspire me). Within this framework, learning and utilizing groundwork has been especially helpful for working through challenges with my horses.
Tell us more about your horse:
I have 3 horses, all OTTBs. Tie (the gracefully greying black) is 26. He is semi-retired due to arthritis and other health issues, but still loves to work on his good days and can be a hot, challenging ride. At 16 hands, he looks like a pony next to the 17.2 hand brothers, Noah and Antonio, but he is the boss of my little herd. Noah (the chestnut) is 18 and working on a career change from jumping to dressage. He is generally a good guy but can be strong and opinionated. Antonio (the bay) was my “retirement present” to myself. He came to me off the track with less than 10 rides on him. He is super anxious, needs a lot of direction, and has been a real training challenge for me (who rides alone and has no trainer). Strides, supplemented by Amelia’s TSMC and GW courses, have given me needed tools to finally make some progress with him.
What’s your goal for the next year?
I have specific training goals for each horse, but my main focus in 2026 is working on me- my rider position and fitness. I feel like I have ignored this for many years and have lots of bad habits. I enrolled in the RPB course to help me with this.
What is something unique about you, your journey or your horse?
My personal journey with horses began when I was a kid with my beloved Welsh pony, Cracker Jack. Like so many of us, I hit the “pause button” on riding to focus on education, family, and career. Twenty plus years later, I am taking my daughter for riding lessons and her instructor takes one look at me “pining” over the fence and invites me to join her trail riding group. I hit the “play button” and found myself again. Within the year, we had a pony, a horse, and a trailer. Within 3 years, we had the farm. Another 20 plus years have now gone by. On reflection, I so regret those lost years when horses were not in my life. I would encourage everyone who is struggling to find balance between horses and their busy lives to not “pause” on horses. Horses are good for the soul, and riding, at least for me, is the one thing that completely occupies my mind and body, the perfect stress relief. Exactly what we need when life is overwhelming.
Final thoughts. Anything else you wish to share here!
I want to thank Amelia, her entire team, and all my fellow Strides members. I am grateful for how you enrich my life.
