Emily's Horse Story
Meet Emily
Hey there, my name is Emily Nicole Harris! I am 25 years old and I am the older sister in Sisters Horsing Around. If you ever have trouble telling me and Sarah apart, just remember that I am taller, am obsessed with the color purple, and that my hair is always curly (whether its in braids, locs, or some other protective style).
Even though I was the first to fall in love with horses, my journey to having one horse took a long time. Here is my horse story.
My First Horse Memory
My love for horses started early. Truthfully, I don’t really know how I came to even be interested in horses, all I know is I have loved them for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory about horses was when I was around 4 years old. It was a cold, wet, and dreary kind of day. Mama had to stop at this lady’s house to drop something off. When we got there Mama told me that the lady had a horse, I was super excited. The lady asked me if I wanted to see the horse and give it a carrot. I said yes ma’am. After getting carrots from the house we went to see the horse. It was a big black horse and he was friendly. I held out the carrot for him to eat, of course I held it the wrong way, with the pointed end out. The horse engulfed the carrot along with my fingers in his mouth. I jerked my hand back instantly. He scared me because he almost took my hand with the carrot in one big bite. But I was still excited to see this horse.
More Childhood Memories
I have another memory from when I was around 4 or 5 that happened before Sarah was born. My mom was shopping at a dollar store one evening and she saw a box full of stick horses, and she asked me if I wanted one. I already knew what a horse was by then and was in love with them. I enthusiastically said “yes ma’am!” There was a bay and a black stick horse and she asked me what color I wanted. I wanted the black one, and she bought it for me. That toy was a favorite of mine, and even though I don’t have it still, I have a lot of memories playing with it.
When I popped the question to my dad, I don’t know how old I was. I do know that Sarah wasn’t in the picture yet, so it happened before I was 6.5 years old. I asked my dad if I could have a horse and he said “No.” He was quite adamant about it too. I was a compliant child, so I didn’t ask again and dropped the subject entirely. Being told no did not dissuade me in the least though. I knew even from a young age that I would have to just bide my time until I was able to get a horse myself. So I set my mind to work on other things, such as cooking. My family was known for having good cooks, and I wanted to be one of them. I made sure I got my introduction in the cooking field early, so that I could come up in the ranks as chef. Over the years I grew proficient in my culinary skills, and it seemed as though I had completely forgotten about my love of horses. Or so my parents thought. Horses had my heart, I had my promise and I never forgot it.
My First Horse
I was 14, when my parents gifted Sarah a horse for her 8th birthday. I was actually “in” on the secret and was so happy for her. When she saw her new horse for the first time, she was so excited. She was on cloud nine! We put a fence up to create a pasture for the new horse, whose name was Allie. Then a month later, after all the preparations was done, our parents had her trailered to our place. It then became my job to care for Allie, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I did! Even though Sarah had a horse and I didn’t, I was determined not to lose hope on my dream. I began to pray and pray all the more, asking the Lord to give me a horse. After many years of praying, the Lord answered my prayers and I got my first horse at the age of 17. My promise to little-girl me came true and I was elated! I named my horse Amazing Grace because she was free and she was such an answer to prayer.
I wish I could say that it was all cupcakes and rainbows after that, but it wasn’t. When I started riding, I struggled a lot! I wasn’t gifted the way Sarah was, who was a natural. I had to work hard for every little victory. There were many times where I would read books and watch videos to figure out how to do things and then drill myself on what I had learned in between my lessons. I devoured every piece of riding information I could to get better. On top of all of that, I had a difficult horse. Equestrians say never to put a green rider with a green horse, and let me tell you, that was exactly what happened. I knew nothing of riding let alone training a horse, but the horse I had a host of issues. Amazing Grace was a former rescue horse, had bounced from family to family, had not been ridden in 2 years, was ring sour, could not be shown, was abused on the longe line, was quote “not that bright”, would not be able to be shown, had trust issues with women, and could only be a trail horse. Then to top that all off, she was a very anxious and nervous horse, which was a stark difference from calm and quiet Allie. Not to mention that I was secretly scared of her, but I wouldn’t let my parents see how scared she made me. There was a lot against us to start with, but I LOVED Amazing Grace and I was not about to let our shortcomings stop us from succeeding. I knew that Amazing Grace was smart and that with time she would disprove everything that was said about her. I had plenty of time too as Amazing Grace was my only horse for four years and in that time she made a complete turn around and became one of our most reliable horses.
The work that I did with Amazing Grace, really shaped how I approach training and riding other horses. Amazing Grace taught me that not every horse is the same, how to be flexible with my training methods, that things take time, and that with trust the sky is your limit. Also the way our first trainer taught us, shaped who I am as a rider today. Our first trainer wanted us to be independent riders, because she knew that she would not always be there to guide us. She wanted us to be able to handle ourselves even when she was not around. With the foundation she gave us, I have steadily built upon it by learning from multiple trainers to help make me a well-rounded horsewoman. I am still learning, and have a long way to go. Being largely self-taught is not an easy path, but it has been very rewarding.
Summary
At Sisters Horsing Around, I am co-founder, entrepreneur, web & graphics designer, technology & social media coordinator, strategist, video creator, and content curator. There is a TON to manage but I LOVE it!
I am also a rider, trainer, certified Open Horse Show Judge, and personal farrier. I ride and train in the western disciplines of Ranch Riding, Trail, Western Horsemanship, and Western Dressage. As for the English Disciplines, I’ve trained in hunter/jumper and Dressage, but I have put that on hold till a later date until I have a horse that is well suited for that. I am also gearing up to try some new disciplines with my horses, so stay tuned for that!
I have been a clinician for Eastern States Wild Horse and Burro Adoption event. I am serving as a United States Pony Clubs Inc Board of Governors member, and sit on the Diversity-Equity-Inclusion-Accessibility committee, the Governance committee, and the Development Committee. I have also served as Chair for the USPC’s National Youth Board in 2022. And I am a former approved Mustang Heritage Foundation TIP Trainer.
Other Interests
But now that you know my horse story, I am going to tell you about the rest of me.
I have a TON of interests! I am a multipotentialite. I am a total foodie. I LOVE to cook and have made it an unofficial goal to become well-versed in multiple cultural cuisines. I love to sing and listen to music, I practically sing everyday. Researching, reading and learning new things is my idea of fun and a way for me to relax. When I say I love researching, I mean that I LOVE researching! I am interested in a wide variety of topics. Currently, I am studying personality types, psychology, financial literacy, auto mechanics, cultural studies, several different languages, agriculture, natural health + nutrition, and fashion/style, among other things!
I am not much of a dog person, but I love German Shepherd Dogs. I own one and his name is Søren. I do love cats! Sarah has a pair of cats, Pippin and Peaches, and I absolutely love them! I also love goats, and would love to own cows, sheep, and pigs. I like to sew, do graphic design and design in general (interior, architectural, landscape, etc).
I am a Porphyrophile, which means lover of purple. Besides the color purple, I love warm, earthy, dark, or muted tones, hues, shades, and colors. And because I can’t stay away from horses that long, I have a little more to say about them. I have a lot of favorite breeds but my top favorite is the Friesian. I have a thing for Mustangs, truthfully, they stole my heart. I call myself the Wild Horse Lady, because I tend to keep them instead of finding new homes for them. I literally could have a mustang in every color and still want more (I’m obsessed with them)! I am a HUGE fan of different colored horses. I love me some chrome on a horse, actually make that a lot of chrome and I am practically drooling. So, yeah! Welcome to the world of Emily!
Parting Words
I am passionate about learning and I have wanted to learn everything there is to know about horses–every aspect, trait, characteristic, quirk, absolutely EVERYTHING! And that’s what I want to share with you! Through Sisters Horsing Around, I want to share with others the many wonders of the horse world. There is so much out there to do and learn. It’s just a giant smorgasbord that is awaiting us. All we need to do is just dive in! I would be so delighted to take you with me and Sarah on our journey exploring the equestrian world! So please stick around, and make sure you are subscribed to our Youtube channel!