Kathleen Bonner

Kathleen is helping her daughter in a horse show

I have just returned from delivering dinner to my hero. She had an accident and my mom and I wanted to give back a little of what she has been able to share with me over the years. Kathleen Bonner is my riding instructor. She fell from a horse and broke her arm just below her shoulder, but as we left her house, she promised we would both get our horse fix this Saturday. It is hard to think that she will be back in the barn just a little over a week after she left the hospital.

The first time I met Kathleen I was nine years old and attending pony week at free lunch farm. She was my teacher, and I remember instantly bonding with her. She was someone that introduced me to horse back riding, which turned out to be a passion of mine. I looked up to her as someone I wanted to emulate. Through the years I have come to find she is one of the strongest female figures in my life. Kathleen Bonner is my hero. To some people Ms. Bonner may seem like a fun and charismatic person, but to me she is a strong, loving and devoted teacher.

I admire so many of her qualities. As I have worked with Ms. Bonner, we have developed an understanding of each other. She has allowed me to help with some of her responsibilities around the farm. By showing me she believes in me enough to share her work, she has given me confidence in both riding as well as instructing. When I don't feel confident in my abilities, she finds the right words to say to push me to achieve my goals and believe in myself. Riding horses is guaranteeing that you may fall at some point. When I have fallen, Ms. Bonner has literally picked me up. When she does this she also picks up my spirit. She encourages me to get right back on the horse. This is so important as a riding student to not be discouraged; this is what makes her so important to me. Our relationship has developed so much that we have common ground to find humor in so many things together. We are able to laugh with each other all of the time.

When Kathleen was six years old she started to beg her parents constantly to sign her up for riding lessons because she loved horses so much. Her parents finally let her start riding at the age of nine. She rode horses until she was thirteen in Virginia Beach. When her father lost his job she had to stop riding and doing what she loved. When Kathleen was older, she left home to attend Mary Washington College, where she had a strong desire to begin riding again. She joined the school's riding team. Kathleen wanted to become a riding instructor, so she took classes to do so. She was also able to gain more riding time by working at Hazel Wild. She soon became certified to teach children, like me. I have had Kathleen as my riding instructor since I was nine. I started because I love horses so much. I am now helping Kathleen and I have learned a great deal from her.

I learned Kathleen horse story recently. It was a nice surprise to learn how similar our stories are. I also started learning to ride horses at the age of nine. I have continued to ride through my years and I plan to continue riding horses in college. No matter whom I ride with Kathleen is always in my ear encouraging me.