There is a stereotype in existence that suggests ‘horse girls’ are weird. I’m not entirely sure how or why this stereotype came to be, but I would like to refute it, and strongly; I do not think horse girls are weird, and if anything, I think they’re, usually, the complete opposite. Any kid that becomes involved with the horse world from a young age is taught endless life lessons of pretentious value, like responsibility, respect for animals, and independence, to name a few.
Both my sister and I rode and showed (competed) horses when we were younger. My sister rode Western and did so for about 15 years, whereas I rode English and did so for about six. I ended up resenting riding because I didn’t enjoy the mentality and shitty attitudes that were prevalent in the English classes when I was showing, and so I quit, although I wish I didn’t. I always envied my sister for riding Western, and if I could go back in time and do it again, I think I would hang up my britches and settle for a pair of chaps instead.
Because my sister and I, and my dad, all rode horses, you can bet your ass we all went to theatres to see ‘Seabiscuit’ when it premiered way back in ’03. I recalled thoroughly enjoying it, but because it had been so long since I had seen it, and also because my fiancé Blaine worked with horses, we decided to give it a watch the other night to refresh our memories of it.
It was like taking a trip down memory lane, both in regards to the plot and also my own memories from when I rode.
This is such an underrated movie, in my opinion. Tobey Maguire is fantastic in it, as are Elizabeth Banks, Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges, and it packs an emotional wallop as a result of its coverage of tremendous loss, grief, abandonment, abuse, strength, triumph and finding oneself. I forgot how much I like this movie, but was pleasantly reminded once more.
If you haven’t seen ‘Seabiscuit’, do yourself a favour and watch it. Have some Kleenex nearby.
ontheedgeofeverything 
