Emme R...
Homeschool
Tears stung my eyes as I savored the last horsey hug I would get for two long years. I breathed in the earthy scent of hay and horses, trying to imprint them onto my olfactory senses. Unfortunately, this is how military life is: getting attached and then suddenly having to move on, always too quickly. Every speck of mud, pair of dusty boots, and horsehair clinging to my clothing served as a melancholy reminder of our imminent parting. The next thing I knew, I was on a plane to an unknown land. Japan is famous for mountain climbing, baseball, and sumo wrestling—but not its equestrian scene. I got the sinking feeling that I wouldn’t have any opportunities to be immersed in an equine elysium. For a long time, I was right, since all the riding clubs I researched were way out of my league. I wallowed in my disappointment for a while until I stumbled upon a stable two years later. Though I had found a place to continue riding, a barn family didn’t appear overnight, but soon I found a few people I enjoyed working with. The move to greener pastures proved to be good for my personal development, even if it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Not only did it force me to persevere and find my passion in a foreign land, it also allowed me to get to know and forge unbreakable bonds with some of the most spirited horses I’d ever met, an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.