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jumps to the side and right when I think she’s going to run, she relaxes and keeps doing whatever we were doing before. I’d like to think she knows she has a job to keep me safe, and she sure does a great job of that.”

Erica said she would love to have the satisfaction of competing on her rescued Thoroughbred in the Paralympic Games. “Right now the possibilities are endless. If Polly’s the horse that I’m supposed to compete on, then it will happen that way. If not, I think the two of us will continue to go far together until then.”

Training and boarding costs are extremely high in the Wellington area, which is what inspired Erica to send out an email asking for help in raising money. Little did Erica know that she would have many angels willing to watch over her, including Laura Quin, the owner of Hampton Meadows Farm in White Fences. “I had met Laura in 2009 and knew she had a lot of contacts so I sent her an email,” Erica said. “That was probably the best move I could’ve made. Laura not only donated a Dressage saddle, bridle and other

tack, but she invited me to bring Polly to her farm to train. Laura has cut our costs to way less than half of what they would have been and has been a huge help in fnding sponsors to cover Polly’s hay and grain.”

Erica said many people have stepped up and offered one-time donations and several people are offering monthly support. “Georgina Bloomberg, who has always supported my goals, is

one of my monthly sponsors, along with Alexandra Duncan who is also working on her dressage training in Germany. Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue is also providing us with a sponsorship. We have also been fortunate enough to have all our hay provided at no cost by Dale and Debbie of Blue Monkey Hay and Heather Gavitt of Cyclone Hay.”

One of Erica’s biggest surprises, however, came from dressage rider and trainer Bethany Peslar of Everglades Dressage in Wellington. When Bethany heard about Erica’s dreams, she contacted the aspiring Olympian and offered her free lessons. “Training with Bethany has been amazing, and she is playing a huge part in the progress Polly and I are making. The fact that a rider and trainer of that level would be willing to give me weekly lessons at no cost is a huge deal to me,” Erica said. “She has really given me a lot of different tools to be able to work through different challenges that Polly and I come across and my riding has really improved. I love that Bethany is always so patient with me. It takes time at the beginning of the lesson for me to loosen up and work out of being so stiff, but she never counts that time as part of the one-hour lesson. Whenever I get frustrated, Bethany calmly works through it and we keep progressing. I’ve never had the money to be able to train with a higher level trainer like that, and the difference between a less expensive lesson and one of hers is just amazing.”

Erica said that whenever she thinks of all the people who are currently helping her, she hopes that if she is ever in the same situation she will be just as generous. Whether she realizes it or not, Erica’s long-range goals will have her doing just that – helping others. “I’ve always had a goal of starting my own therapeutic riding center, one specifcally for physically disabled riders. After reaching my goal of competing in the Paralympics, how cool would it be if other handicapped riders could get their start from someone who has worked to reach the top of the sport? My hope for the future is that I can show other disabled riders that they can go on to compete in an equestrian sport and do it well. All the experiences that I’ve had, and will continue to have in this chapter of my life, good or bad, will give me the tools to help future Para-Dressage riders succeed in achieving their own dreams.”

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