Hello, I’m Wilene (Wy-lean); I have always had a passion to be with horses. I was able to start riding at 8; at age 11 I bought my own horse. I rode until my last year in college, during that time horses were my only passion in life.
Throughout my life with horses I learned the hard work that goes into riding, showing, and owning horses. I was part of the “old school” generation of riders; we learned everything from the ground up. We had the privilege of mucking stalls, feeding, grooming horses, and taking care of our tack, and riding while at the barn. Throughout that time we gained the knowledge to run our own stable of horses. The knowledge I picked up along the way allowed me to run my own stables lesson and show programs.
During my active show career I was successful at showing in Children’s and Junior Hunter Jumper Divisions as well as Equitation. I also qualified for the end of the year finals in Equitation Medal Classes. While in college I was an active show team member and assistant coach of the Purdue University Equestrian Team.
See the steeple in the background?
As life took me into another direction, I married and had children. For 20 years I never stopped having that nagging feeling of wanting to be involved with horses again. Finally at age 40 my husband and I bought a 10-acre lot and built a horse farm. Where I started my teaching career. In 2005 I received my certification from the American Riding Instructors Association or ARIA.
In the following five years I built a lesson program one horse and one student at a time which led us to operating a 20 horse lesson barn with 30 students weekly. During that time I founded and developed a non-profit called Ponies and Kids. For the next five years we provided Equine Assisted and Facilitated Learning and Pet Encounter Therapy to many children and adults. We were ranked a “top rated non profit” by Great Nonprofits. Please go to this site and read all about it. Read the many reviews by my students and parents.
Ponies and Kids is where I taught people “to learn to live, love, and grow with horses”. Unfortunately, due to the lack of funding we had to cease operations. We have ceased operations in good standings with all involved.
After selling the farm we moved to Indianapolis. I am inspired to share my passion, knowledge and experience with horses. This is a blog for anyone new to horses whether you are a parent of a young horse enthusiast or anyone with the passion to learn about horses. If you are new to horses in any way…..this is the blog for you!!!