Our Featured Adult Rider of the Month is Cindy Allen
Cindy began riding at Lancers in 2018 when she started our Adult Beginner course however, her road to Lancers began a number of years before. We are pleased to have Cindy with us and we have enjoyed seeing her get back in the saddle and develop as a rider!
Cindy grew up with a deep love for horses which meant her parents were accustomed to pulling over on the side of any road whenever she saw a horse. Despite reading books like Black Beauty and collecting horse figurines etc. she only ever rode horses sporadically, on trail rides and beaches. It wasn’t until her parents moved to New Delhi, India, when she was 18 that she started to ride regularly. The Delhi Riding Club was an outdoor equestrian school run by a retired Indian military cavalry man and twice a week for a year Cindy’s mother would navigate the complete insanity that was New Delhi traffic to drive her and her sister to the club where they would take lessons or go on hacks.
Cindy soon developed a close bond with Obed, a pure white ex-racing horse. She explained, “it was a magical year, and I learned to not only admire the horse’s physical beauty, but also the profound depths of their intelligence, emotions and consciousness. That was the last time I rode horses regularly until 2018”.
One of the first things that attracted Cindy to Halifax when she decided to move here from BC in 1998 was the horse riding school in the middle of the city. She took great joy in walking by whenever she could to pat the horses or watch the lessons. Although she is not sure why it took her so long, she finally called the Lancers’ office and put herself on the waitlist for the adult beginner course. Cindy explained, “It was one of the best decisions I have ever made”. “It took two years before they called, but I was finally in!”, she added.
Cindy arrived for her first lesson wracked with self-doubt about riding after a long hiatus but the beginners’ group instructor was respectful, patient and thorough. Cindy had never learned about grooming or tacking so she was excited to learn. Cindy elaborated, “along with the awesome instructors and barn monitors, what struck me as very cool about being in the Lancers barn in those early days, was being surrounded by a clutch of confident eight-year-olds who had zero fear of these huge animals. They ran with us in the ring to help us learn to trot; they reminded us how to clean the saddle we just used; and they always asked with genuine curiosity how our ride was. They were an inspiration. And if anybody ever wondered what this older woman was doing amongst them learning how to ride, there was never any indication”.
Cindy has enjoyed being a Lancer for two years and has ridden 10 different Lancer horses in the time. She has enjoyed them all, but has a special place in her heart for Bud, Chevy, and Alice. Every time she mounts a horse she is struck by how privileged she is to be spending time with them.
Finally, Cindy summarized the impact Lancers have on her life by explaining, “Riding and caring for a horse once a week, in an urban setting, is undeniably special. It means two rare hours I get to spend just on me. Those two hours lift me up mentally and physically, and set the mood for a great week ahead. I would like to keep riding and learning for as long as I can, and to contribute much more to this remarkable community. How lucky am I?”
We feel equally lucky to have Cindy with us!
