Horse people have long used the Chronicle’s forums to discuss ideas, recommendations and current issues in the industry. In keeping with our amateur-themed issue in the Dec. 15 issue of the Chronicle, we highlighted one thread on the forums in particular: titled “Can we have an adult re-rider support group?” it serves as an sanctuary for adult “re-riders”—amateurs who are tackling the sport after some time out of the saddle.
Re-riders from around the country help one another overcome issues that have bogged them down, whether it’s a confidence problem or health setback, for eventers to hunters to dressage riders to the casual trail rider. Meet some of the most active and consistent users of this thread, and how it’s helped them get back to their favorite place: fully confident on the back of a horse.
Tracy Gallagher
Photo courtesy of Tracy Gallagher
Better known by her username SpacyTracy on the forums, Gallagher started the re-rider thread in 2011, introducing herself as a mother with a full-time job getting a leg up on a green, off-the-track Thoroughbred after years off from riding.
“I’m a capable rider, but have lost so much coordination and that instinct of what to do, that I’m basically starting over,” she wrote. “I know what I want, but I feel like I don’t have the time, and I don’t have the ability! I would love to know that I’m not the only one going through this!”
Hailing from Lehigh Valley, Pa., Gallagher sparked the interest of dozens of users who found solace through re-riders.
“It got me through some tough times in my life and all of these virtual friends helped me get through and just keep at it!” said Gallagher, 34, who has had Crohn’s disease for about 12 years, and also keeps three horses in her backyard.
“I think we all set too high of an expectation to be a perfect rider, a perfect wife, a perfect mother; ride four times a week with a trainer, hit the show circuit on the weekends,” she said. “I’ve finally learned to not try to keep up with anyone but me. I took the pressure off having to ride, and I just ride when I want.”
Nan LoBue
Photo by Liz Crawley Photography
LoBue, of Statesboro, Ga., better known as Dewey online, is one of the most steadfast members of the group, consistently welcoming newcomers and interacting with regulars.
The 58-year-old college professor rides Appendix Quarter Horse, Sky, three times a week at Evermore Farm in Brooklet, Ga., having trained the mare from the ground up.
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“I feel comfortable sharing pictures and details about my riding life (and my regular life!) I’d never post on the forum at large,” said LoBue. “The re-riders are very non-judgmental, and they are genuinely interested in all the little ups and downs everyone who rides experiences. When someone has surgery or her horse goes lame, the other re-riders really care. When someone has a small victory, like making it around a course at a show or riding through a spook, the other re-riders rejoice with her.
“We have a wonderful group—young people in their 20s all the way to oldsters like me,” she continued. “Some are beginners, others have a lot of experience. One new member rides once a week and can’t afford to lease or own; another member imported a lovely warmblood and shows on the A circuit. The re-riders ride lesson horses, OTTBs, Appendix Quarter Horses, American Saddlebreds, Morgans, ponies, warmbloods. We’re from all over the U.S. and Canada—and we have one new member from Australia. What keeps us together is our mutual love for horses, respect for one another, and most of all, friendship.”
Denise Gonzalez and Nancy Preisser
Denise Gonzalez (left) and Nancy Preisser. Photo by Jerry Gonzalez
Gonzalez (left) met up with her neighbor in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Preisser, for a photo of the re-riders, who occasionally get together in person when geographically possible.
Gonzalez, 47, rides hunter/jumper mounts out of her Paradox Farm around her job as a court reporter. After two bad falls three years ago, she realized she needed some help mustering up the confidence to get back in the saddle.
“The group isn’t necessarily for only re-riders, but adult riders with fear or confidence issues,” she explained. “That seems to be the big connection with all of us riders on the thread.”
Denise Gonzalez
Preisser, 59, rides her Thoroughbred, Snickers, at the nearby Hunter’s Court Stable. A recent retiree from her day job, Preisser has found more time to ride this year and keeps three horses at home along with a big garden.
Her summary of the re-rider group? “No snark, just practical advice based on experience and peppered with some humor,” said Preisser, whose alias is pony4me. “I can share my insight and experience with them, and they are willing to do the same for me.”
Ann Thomas
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Ann Thomas riding Feronia. Photo by Benjamin Levy
This re-rider, who goes by quietann, hails from Andover, Mass. She boards her longtime mount, a Morgan named Feronia, and a Morgan filly, a 50th birthday present, at a small dressage barn where she rides five times a week. Although she has a part-time job, Thomas is held back from riding for a variety of reasons: arthritis in her hands, shoulders and hips; type 1 diabetes; and lasting aftereffects of a riding accident. After 25 years away, she’s saddling up again with the help of the re-riders.
“We have some very specific needs, especially in the area of anxiety, and are probably more picky about things like horse care than younger people,” she said of the re-riders. “We want to do things ‘right,’ and I think there are people in the business who take advantage of that by convincing us that their horse or saddle or gadget or whatever is the ‘right’ one.”
Bea Barry
Photo courtesy of Bea Barry
Bea Barry, also known as Tiger Horse, has a background in the hunters and jumpers but has recently taken up dressage with her Thoroughbred, Dodger, at Tower Hill Stables (Ill.).
“I work full-time, am a recent widow and have a daughter in college,” said Barry, 56, of Schaumburg, Ill. “Life can be challenging—my horse keeps me sane and focused. The re-rider group is a safe place to vent, to share successes, to communicate with like-minded people. I draw a lot of strength from the group and figure ‘Well, if so-and-so can do it, so can I!’ The strength and courage of some of these re-riders is truly remarkable. I’m so proud to be part of this group.”
Vanessa White
Photo by Danique Rowsell
“We are all kind of in the same boat, trying to find time to ride with our busy lives,” said White, 30, of Stratford, Prince Edward Island, Canada. “It’s nice to have a group of people who aren’t pros and can’t ride seven days a week to share experiences with.
“I get motivation and ideas from the posts on the thread,” added White, AKA vanessajean online. “I have struggled with fear issues and knowing that some of the other riders on the thread struggle with similar issues has helped me to try to push through it. I’m not alone and it’s nice to be able to chat with others going through the same thing.”
You can check out all the Chronicle discussion forums at www.chronicleforums.com—there are forums for each discipline, such as dressage, hunter/jumper and eventing as well as Around The Farm, The Menagerie, Horse Care, Sport Horse Breeding, Off Course and others.
