09/17/2026
âI found Bridle Up Hope: St. George right as I was finishing my first year of medical school, with a fried nervous system, a birthday around the corner, and most of my friends and family very far away. I signed up thinking I would learn to ride. I did not expect to find a place that felt so much like somewhere I needed to be.
Maybe that is why the timing of those seven weeks felt almost divine. We worked through The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleâ˘, and somehow each weekâs lesson had a way of showing up right when I needed it in my actual life. I would arrive at the barn having spent the week thinking about an idea, only to find myself experiencing some version of it on horseback.
The horses, of course, had their own ways of teaching me. Buddy had my heart almost immediately. There was something about his slightly nervous way of moving through the world that felt familiar. I spent much of the program getting to know Cherokee, while Houston was the one who eventually gave me my first lope. Each had such a distinct personality, and I loved learning who they were just as much as I loved learning how to ride with them.
Through all of it was Skye, who became my riding instructor, yoga teacher, photographer, sounding board, and fellow Heartland enthusiast all in one. There was always room in our lessons for whatever I happened to bring with me that day, whether that meant learning something new on a horse, talking about life, or just laughing.
That warmth makes even more sense once you see the family behind the St. George program. There is something really beautiful about watching a love of horses and people pass from mother to daughter, and then seeing them make that love expansive enough to include the rest of us too.
I came at a time when I was tired, a little far from home, and probably more in need of being cared for than I realized. For seven weeks, I had somewhere to go where I could get out of my head, learn something new, laugh a lot, and spend time with people and horses I grew to really love. I think I needed those mornings at the barn more than I knew when I signed up.â
â Womenâs Program Participant
