Each month, we will be profiling one of our Strides Student Members, so everyone can get to know each other a little! This month, we’ve chosen Rebekah Warbington, who is from Bend, Oregon, USA!
How long have you been a member of Strides? Since October 2022
What’s your favorite part of Strides? The virtual lessons! I love the monthly content, both the ridden exercises and the theory presented in the lectures and groundwork. It is so valuable, and I find myself returning to the modules all the time. The video reviews in Office Hours are extremely helpful also! Oh, and the online community too. I guess it’s all my favorite!
How has Strides helped you? This is a deep question! Obviously the exercises on Teachable help so much from a technical standpoint, but more than that, the whole Strides program has made such a difference in my confidence. When I joined it was a game-changer, since I didn’t have a trainer and hadn’t ridden seriously since my early 20s. (I am 64!) So it gave me a framework. But more importantly, what has happened through Strides and some of Amelia’s other intensives (30 Days to Round, the Training Scale Masterclass, etc) is that I gained a sense of accomplishment and self-worth, so that I was motivated to invest in my training. I now work with a trainer twice a week on my two five-year-olds, and have enough tools in the toolbox to work with three more of our horses on my own. With dressage there is always so much more to learn, but Strides makes improvement seem not only possible, but fun!
What kind of horses are your favorite? I love them all of course, but Friesians! My husband and I fell in love with the breed years ago, after we randomly took in an older Friesian mare in need of a home. She was so sweet, beautiful and easy-going that we imported three fillies from the Netherlands after she passed. One thing led to another, and we now own seven Friesians, with two more on the way this spring!
Having said all that, my heart horse was my Arab/Saddlebred cross who I did absolutely everything on when I was a kid, from hacking around to Eventing and Dressage.
What’s your goal for next year? My goals are to get two healthy foals on the ground in May, and then to resume training their moms! Don’t get me wrong, I am excited that my mares are pregnant, but it is hard to step away from riding them just when we are making such good progress with the help of Amelia, the Strides team and my trainer. So my next goal is to begin working more seriously with our 4-year-old gelding, 3-year-old filly and 19 year-old mare. Never a dull moment!
What is something unique about you, your journey or your horse? I thought returning to riding as an adult after years away would be unique, but this community has shown me that my journey is far from unusual!
So how about this; we have raised our two sons on a farm that is or has been home to Bactrian camels, llamas, dozens of peacocks, sheep, a giant tortoise, chickens, innumerable rescued dogs and cats, rehabed deer, ravens, kestrels, ostriches and Canada geese, and of course, Friesian horses! My husband just retired after over 40 years as a small and large animal veterinarian, and my sons are both professional snowboarders.
What achievement (with horses or not) you most proud of? I am proud of my boys and the remarkable men they have turned out to be. I think raising them in this menagerie and letting them know I had their back even when they chose unconventional career paths is one of my greatest achievements.
I am proud that I decided to jump back in the saddle at this age and stage, instead of taking up needlepoint or something! (No shade to needlepointers, it is a wonderful hobby I’m sure!)
What challenges have you overcome? I was shocked to receive a diagnosis of osteoporosis after a routine bone scan, so that gave me pause. But I have been proactive with physical therapy and am mindful of diet and lifestyle choices to support bone health, so I’m not letting it keep me off my horses or my snowboard!
Any final thoughts? I am so grateful for Strides and the supportive learning community that Amelia and her team have created. I don’t know where you all find the time and energy, but know that I and all of the other online students appreciate you!
