Our Featured Adult Rider of the Month is Kim Harper-Given
While we know how important it is for our riders to stay home right now, we are definitely missing the sound of a barn full of riders getting ready for lessons and the feeling of family our Lancer community creates. That’s why we are continuing to feature our members every week so we can show our appreciation for everyone who makes Lancers a wonderful place to be. Our Featured Adult Rider for April is Kim Harper-Given!
Kim has been with Lancers for the last year and a half, starting in our Adult Beginner Course in 2018. It was Kim’s daughter who was first connected to Lancers as a junior rider during her childhood. After seeing a group of adult riders in a lesson one day, Kim realized that it is never too late to learn a new skill. She signed up for our waitlist and after waiting a few years, she finally had a space and has never looked back since!
Kim is one of several adult riders at Lancers who have started riding horses later in life. It can be challenging to take up something new, and every time Kim comes to a lesson she works on her own confidence as well as her riding skills. Communicating with such a large animal can be very intimidating, and seeing Kim’s confidence slowly overcome her hesitation with the help of the mutual care that is exchanged between horse and rider, has been truly heart-warming.
As a newer member, Kim is beginning to experience all that Lancers has to offer including all the volunteer opportunities for members. Last summer she volunteered during our August Cleanup, in which volunteers deep-clean, repair, and rejuvenate the barn while the horses are away at our Salmon River camp for two weeks.
As a rider and volunteer, Kim has already formed some fond memories of Lancers. Kim’s standout moment in her time with us so far was when she learned how to better transition down from an excited canter back to a trot. She explains, “one of my most memorable moments was when Scooby went into a full-speed canter and with Charlotte's very direct and clear directions, I brought Scooby back to a trot. I tell you I felt on top of the world that night.” Since then, Scooby has been one of her favourite Lancer horses, along with the very popular Ben!
With the barn closed down right now, Kim is making sure to keep in contact with her Lancer friends, enjoying online Zoom meetings with other A4 riders. As an educator, she is also teaching school online and recently used Scooby’s name to demonstrate how to write an acrostic poem to her grade four students. Lancers is always on her mind during this difficult time. She noted, “I would have to say that keeping happy and warmhearted memories and conversations about the horses is how I am now "being" at the barn.” Kim is looking forward to getting back to Lancers once social distancing restrictions have been lifted, so she can continue to work towards, as she says, “becoming the best adult rider [she] can become, no matter how long it takes.”
We look forward to the time when we can welcome Kim and all our other Lancers back to the barn. Kim always brings the strongest altruistic Lancer spirit with her and we look forward to many more years of having her with us!
