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Erin Reidy is one of our Year of Youth Ambassadors. She began her riding career in California, but her world was turned up-side down when she was told “we are moving to Singapore”. Erin had to leave behind her best friends, her home and her school, but it’s horses that spring to mind when she thinks of her journey so far. She’s found that riding in Singapore is very different to the way she was taught in America. Erin tells us more…

Riding is my life. During the summer I ride everyday, go on trail rides with my friends, spend countless hours with my pony and repeat that same routine every single week. Going just 1 week without riding was horrible, so when I moved to Singapore and didn’t get to ride for 4 weeks, it was devastating.  But it wasn’t like I was expecting to jump right in and be able to have my 3 lessons a week. Of course nothing is that simple.

When I rode in California, I was trained the German way. Which I enjoyed and always strived for more. Here I’m not really sure what their technique of riding is, because it sure isn’t the way I learned to ride.

My jumping lesson… oh that was one of the lessons I wish to never EVER have again in my life. I fell off, started feeling sick and crying. But I wasn’t crying because I was hurt. I was crying because I missed my old trainer, my old pony and my old riding group.

I had been riding at Rancho Del Lago for over 4 years and that was where my whole life opened up.  I found something I loved and being able to be around animals made riding the number one thing on the list of things I love to do. From then on riding was my life. Riding at weekend, drawing pictures of horses and reading all about them, but then just as I was about to learn canter half pass….Singapore happened.

I knew that from the start I was NOT going to give up riding, in fact I was going to get the best out of this and ride more! That’s great news to me, but maybe not the best for my mom’s wallet…if you know what I mean!

Singapore Polo Club, the current place I’m riding at. My current trainer Pedja. He is a man who makes you do what he says. A man who you constantly want to impress with your riding skills. Someone who you are excited when they complement you. Despite the sarcastic comments, he was still a very good horseback rider and trainer.

Riding is different here. You don’t have your hands wide and you don’t have your stirrups really short for jumping, also you walk if you even dare to adjust your stirrups. When I was first here, I felt like a alien entering a new world. Nothing was similar to the way I was taught.

The ponies here are so different than the ones back home. Back in California the ponies at Rancho Del Lago were calm and really safe, and here they like to buck. But I’m not saying that these “new” school ponies are a bad thing. They actually aren’t. Back home I know I was spoiled with the good horses, so here I’m not taking the ponies on as a bad pony I’m taking them on as a challenge. I know that the harder horse I ride in my life the better rider I become. If I ride one horse who knows how to do everything I’m not really learning I’m just adding aids and the horse does it easily. Here you really gotta work for it. Its not a walk in the meadow I’ll just say that.

When I am older I will look back at this and realize that this was a great adventure and something I will definitely not forget but for now I’m just going to see what this new riding experience throws at me. Maybe with this exposure to both German and this new style I will become a great rider. And hey! Maybe in 10 years or so I’ll be riding in the Olympics. Anything is possible!