Spreading My Wings

If you want something bad enough, the universe has a funny way of putting it right in front of you. But sometimes, it requires you to be brave enough to grab it.

Springtime, just before my 17th birthday, I was scrolling through social media when a post stopped me in my tracks. Perrine Prevost, a renowned reining trainer in Belgium, was looking for a co-trainer and assistant.

My heart raced. This was it. This was the "next step" I had been dreaming of. But then reality hit: How on earth do I tell my parents? They had only just gotten used to the idea of me moving away from home at sixteen. And what about school? And my age, I was just 16 at that time.

The Video That Changed Everything

I didn’t let the doubt linger for long. Fueled by pure determination, I put together a video of my riding and wrote a letter to Perrine. I was honest: I told her that despite my young age, I had already moved away from home to pursue reining. I told her I was hungry to learn more—specifically about starting young horses and preparing them for the big stage.

I wasn’t a complete stranger to the grind of a professional barn. At fourteen, I had spent a summer at a high-end training stable in Germany with over 40 horses. While I was too young then to start the babies—mostly riding the 4 and 5-year-olds—I had seen the system. I had tasted the discipline it took to train at that level. Now, a few years older, I wanted the full experience: the starting, the futurity prep, and the intensity of international competition.

"Welcome for a Trial Week"

The reply came faster than I expected: "Welcome for a trial week!"

The excitement was immediately followed by a wave of "What now?" I was still sixteen. I had to figure out how to travel across Europe to live with a total stranger. Most importantly, I finally had to break the news to my parents.

I remember the moment I sat them down, ready to argue my case with everything I had. I expected resistance, worry, or at least a long list of reasons why it was a bad idea. I had listed all reasons I could remember from the time my middle brother moved to Chicago to play ice hockey. Why not me then?

Instead, to my absolute amazement, they looked at me and said: "What a brilliant opportunity. You should go."

Taking the Leap

Looking back, I realize that my parents didn’t just see a teenager wanting to go abroad; they saw a young professional who had already proven she was willing to work for her dreams. They knew that for me, "home" wasn't a specific building—it was wherever I could learn from the best horses and the best trainers.

With my parents' blessing and a suitcase full of riding gear, I prepared to spread my wings. Belgium was calling, and I was ready to step onto that next rung of the ladder.