In memory of Harley:
Harley was everything one might expect of a remarkable horse: beautiful, kind, athletic, and smart. Yet I came to learn that an extraordinary horse is not defined by those qualities alone. There’s a saying: “Horses teach you a lot. Very little of it actually has to do with horses.” My years with Harley proved that to be true.
I imported him to the U.S. when he had just turned six and I was sixteen. He had been pushed too young in Europe, jumping big courses before he was ready, and I had been struggling to find the right horse. My trainer and I flew to Canada to try horses, and Harley wasn’t even on our list. His trainer happened to bring him along and asked if I wanted to try him. He was the opposite of what I thought I was looking for - green, unproven, and still figuring himself out. But as I started riding, it was clear: he was perfect for me.
Within months, we went from learning how to jump equitation courses together to qualifying for nearly every equitation medal final on the West Coast. We struggled, we grew, and we succeeded side by side. When we transitioned into the jumper ring, Harley revealed a whole new fire. My big, steady eq horse transformed into a fierce competitor - swift, sharp, and triumphant against the clock. Most weekends were spent on the road, competing and just having fun together.
One of my most meaningful memories with him is not of victory - it is of loyalty. At a competition, I made a mistake and took a bad fall. I lay in the arena unable to move, the wind knocked out of me. My trainer rushed in to lead Harley away so the medics could get to me, but Harley refused to leave my side. People tried again and again, but he would not budge. That loyalty is rare, even in a horse. Harley stayed with me because that’s who he was: a protector, a partner, a best friend.
Harley made me the luckiest rider. He taught me friendship, love, loyalty, grit, and shaped who I am today. He only had 13 years on this earth, but the impact he left on me, and on everyone who knew him is eternal.
