My name is Ian. I have done one AERC and one NATRC ride. I would have done more but my horse Santos got kicked by another horse so we had to find a new horse for me. The horse that we found is Fancy. Fancy has done limited distance, just like me. She is a chestnut Arab mare that I got from Dorothy Miller. I love Fancy because her attitude is kind and calm, and if the rider falls off she stays there. We found this out the hard way.

As a junior I am forced to wear a helmet. I think this is a good thing. Adults should also wear helmets. For example, on September 7 my mom was riding my new horse Fancy. She had an impression pad on to check to see if the saddle fit. Now she’s glad she wore her helmet for that ride which was only five minutes. While I was watching, my mom was heading straight for a tree. She hit her left knee and her head on the tree and got knocked out. Then she was falling off the saddle for about 10 feet and then landed head-first on the ground — hard-packed road base.

I was glad that my mom was wearing a helmet. As I was watching I stared in horror and there was nothing I could do. After my mom fell off, my horse ran off, then stopped and came back. Through it all my mom’s helmet stayed on, and she was only dazed for a couple of minutes. Even with the helmet on, she had to get seven stitches and had a slight concussion but it would have been more if she had not worn a helmet. She might not be here if she hadn’t had a helmet, and I would have watched her die on my brother’s birthday.

I have been helping my mom recover from two broken ribs and a small concussion. I have been helping with her chores around the house and the barn area. I can’t wait until my mom can start riding again so we can have more fun on the trail. Next year I want to ride more AERC and NATRC rides. I like them both for different reasons. I like AERC best because you don’t stop so much and you don’t have a minimum time, just a maximum.

The AERC ride I did this year was the Cooley Ranch Ride. It was really fun because the people were so kind, the food was great, and I met Dr. Jamie Kerr. When I volunteered at Tevis I met Dr. Kerr again, and he showed me a fake horse’s leg that showed the insides of a horse’s leg and foot. It was very cool. Dr. Kerr taught me how to tell hydration on a horse, and he let me vet a horse with him. I hope he’s at my next ride that I go to. I want to show him Fancy. See you at a ride.