The Twins

Riding can make you smart!

Sarah Simmons

(8/2020) I’m going into 6th grade this fall. So I’ve been thinking about what I want to do when I’m finished school and what I want to be when I’m grown up. I think I want to be either a veterinarian or an equine biomedical engineer. A vet takes care of animals and I love all kind of animals, but especially horses. My twin sister and I have talked about having a veterinary practice together. I think that would be amazing. I’m also interested in working with horses that have had injuries or illnesses and that might benefit from prosthetics. This is something that a biomedical engineer can do.

My Mother talked to me some about what a biomedical engineer does. I used to think that engineers just designed buildings and bridges, but they design all kinds of things that make life better for people and animals. And she told me that her Dad, brother, several uncles, and a nephew are all engineers. And Mike, my riding coach, is also an engineer. I think it would be really great to design things that could help horses live a good life after they have been sick or injured.

Now, what does this have to do with riding, you might ask. Well, there’re a lot of ways that riding, at least the way Mike teaches me, can help me be a better student now and help me get ready for a job when I’m older. Riding teaches me to focus on details and also to look at the big picture (my sister wrote about the holistic view of riding recently). At my riding lessons I’m learning a lot about horse anatomy and how to solve problems. And finally, riding horses is teaching me to be confident and independent.

Right now I’m training for a horse show. I’ll be competing in a dressage event. Dressage is all about details. It’s a discipline in horseback riding that focuses on doing a set of movements in a very exact way. You have to move around the arena in a particular order, always making sure you stay in a very straight line or a close circle. When I think about it, dressage is a lot like math and science. There are lines and angles you have to pay attention to and you have to learn about your own anatomy and your horse’s as well. I think religion is also a part of dressage because I pray almost every night that I will do the best I can (and win a ribbon).

I’ve also learned that horseback riding isn’t just about riding a horse. It’s about taking care of the entire horse, everything that he needs: giving him a bath, feeding him, making sure he has water, grooming him, keeping his stall clean, and making sure he is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This reminds me of art and music classes. When I draw or play the saxophone, I focus not just on the lines and notes, but on the whole image I want to draw and the whole song I’m going to play. I think engineering must be like this too. Sometimes when I’m practicing dressage, I hear a song in my head that helps me keep focused on the beat of the horse’s movements.

Horseback riding has also helped me solve problems better. And this is especially important in school. We’re always having to solve problems, especially in math and science. You might not think that riding horses has anything to do with solving problems, but it really does.

Not long ago, one of Mike’s horses, Wesley, was limping a little. It wasn’t much, and I didn’t even notice it. But Mike did. And I watched Mike try to figure out what was wrong. He talked about several things it could be, from a rock in his hoof to a disease called Laminitis. He had me and my sister walk Wesley up and down the barn aisle and he watched how Wesley walked. Then he felt Wesley’s legs and hooves to see if they felt warm. All the while he explained to us what he was doing and what he was looking for. He then checked to see if Wesley had what is called a digital pulse in his hooves. When he found one, Mike let me feel it so I would know what it felt like.

He then talked to his wife (who was the stable manager for the Olympic Team), his vet and his blacksmith and before long, they were able to figure out what the problem was (Wesley had a abscess) and with that, Wesley was soon on the road to recovery.

And this reminds me that riding and taking care of horses has also taught me so much about horse anatomy and how horses behave. Mike even quizzes my sister and me sometimes. He’ll point to the horse’s leg and asks, "What’s this called?" One time I said "leg" and I learned very fast that there are many parts to a horse’s leg. There’s the knee, hock, cannon bone, pastern, fetlocks, the coronet band, hoof, heel, ergot…you get the idea. I’m developing a very good memory, which will be really useful in school and in my future career as a vet or engineer.

Finally, and maybe the most important things I’ve learned from horseback riding, is that it’s important to be independent and confident. Even though Mike is always right there with me when I ride, he wants me to learn to do things on my own, to be confident enough in what he’s taught me to be independent. And believe me, it takes confidence to be around thoroughbred horses. If you don’t think so, go stand beside a 16.2 hand horse (1 hand equals 4 inches, which Makes Wesley 66 inches tall). I’m only 59 inches tall so Mike’s horses are more than half a foot taller than me when their heads are down. And an average thoroughbred weighs about 1,000 pounds, which is 900 pounds more than me. So the horses I ride tower over me and weigh 10 times what I do but I’m able to get them to do what I want - at least most of the time.

When I first started riding, I have to admit that I was a little scared of the horses. And being on a runaway horse shook me a bit. But I’m not scared anymore. I’ve learned that as the rider, I’m in control. These huge animals have to do what I say. But I also know that being confident doesn’t mean treating the horses badly. In religion class at Mother Seton School, we learn to do unto others as we want done to us. And I think that this means being kind to horses as well as people.

I’m also learning to take care of the horses without being told what I need to do. If I ask Mike something, he often says, "Well, what do you think? If you want to ride, you need to learn to make some decisions." And he’s right. He’s taught me a lot about horses, how to take care of them, and how to ride. I still have a lot to learn, but I’ve learned enough to begin to do some things on my own. And that feels great. And it feels great that Mike trusts me too.

So, how are all these things I’m learning now going to help me when I start back to school later in August and eventually when I become a vet or an engineer? Both veterinarians and equine biomedical engineers have to see both the big picture, the whole horse and how the horse should be, but also the details about how to get the horse back to how he should be. This take good problem-solving skills and knowledge about horse anatomy. And these require independence, no one can do the work for you, and self-confidence, you have to believe in yourself.

Horseback riding really has made me smarter and is preparing me for school and for life. I’m using math and science when I ride, and art, music, and religion too. And I’m also improving my writing skills. Yes, I said writing. I know that I haven’t mentioned writing in this column, but if you are reading my columns, then you know that I’m writing a lot about riding. And the more you practice something, whether horseback riding or math and science, or writing, the better you become at it.

So, I’m very grateful to Mike for putting a lot of his time into helping me become a good rider and to my parents for all the time they spend taking me to riding lessons. And of course, I’m most thankful to Wesley, Kit, and Scotty for being such great horses and for being so patient with me. I promise to take care of you all when you get old and I’m a successful veterinarian or biomedical engineer.