Jay is the recipient of the Winter 2022 Platinum Stables Hunter Jumper Excellence Award, sponsored by the Rohr family.
The moment I first sat in a saddle changed my entire future in a matter of seconds. At the age of 6, I started my equestrian career with a 24-year-old Quarter Horse gelding who took good care of me. Over the years, I have grown and changed immensely as a rider. Unfortunately, I seem to have hit a standstill in my riding career and need a bit of assistance to achieve my goals.
I am a 17-year-old transgender male in the small town of Milton, WI. I was originally born in Upstate New York, where I lived until I was 10. My family then moved to Wisconsin due to my father being transferred to his current job. I’ve been at many different stables and have ridden a large variety of horses. I am currently riding with a local college student and doing small shows with her mother’s horse, Chewbakka Bahim, an Arabian gelding. We compete in small, local shows in hunter rail classes and western pleasure classes, along with halter and showmanship. My ultimate dream in the near future is to either find a Morgan or Arabian breed-specific stable to ride with or compete at a breed-circuit show. I would also like to successfully get over my anxiety about cantering English at shows.
My equestrian career has been a very bumpy one. I am officially diagnosed with anxiety, depression, sensory processing disorder, PTSD, BPD, and I am trying to have autism testing done. As one could imagine, these all greatly affect me in and out of the saddle. At 10 years old in my first horse show, I was riding with a saddleseat barn that did not teach safety in the saddle. In the ring, my right foot fell out of my stirrup at the trot, and I did not know what to do. I fell, broke my right humerus and was rushed to the ER in an ambulance in front of hundreds. This event has given me PTSD that comes up at competitions. At shows, I am very anxious and feel unstable riding in the ring. I’ve fallen other times at shows, all in an English saddle. This is where my strong fear of riding English in shows comes from.
Along with struggling with my mental health, being an LGBT+ rider in a conservative area is not easy. I am stared at, mocked, and sometimes even placed poorly due to my identity. I am currently vice president of my high school’s GSA to help other students and educate others about our community. Finally, where I am located, we do not have many Arabian or Morgan horse stables within a reasonable distance. There are some about an hour away, but my parents are my transportation and do not want to drive the distance. This means I am limited in stables to train and show with. I am currently unable to drive myself. My current trainer is wonderful, but as a college student with only 4 horses for lessons, she is limited in what she can help me accomplish. I feel I am ready to accomplish more and achieve my goals.
As an LGBT+ and mentally ill rider of over 10 years, my riding journey has been an interesting one. I have gained lots of knowledge and experience over the years with many different people. Receiving a scholarship would help me in many ways including paying fees, making new connections, and getting advice from other equestrians. I look forward to representing the LGBT+ community in my area and bettering my equestrian skills this upcoming show season.