Rachel Dahl: From Writing to Riding and Back

Those who know me know that I am a talker. Those who know my dad have certainly heard one of his favorite stories about how he found the solution to keeping me quiet. His secret? He simply bought me a horse magazine. He swore that the minute I had something horse-related to read in my hands, I didn’t make a peep for hours. Though I find this a little exaggerated, since surely I snuck in why he should buy me a pony every once in a while, I vividly remember how 2-hour-long commutes to my violin lessons and back were more about getting a new horse magazine and immersing myself in the equestrian world than about the violin. What my dad did by purchasing magazine after magazine was actually help me convince him to buy a horse, something he was rightfully resistant to. He was unintentionally teaching me to think smarter about how to ask for something. Instead of talking his ear off incessantly about wanting, or needing a horse, I was given a magazine. Picking up on this cue, I decided that the way to get through to my parents was through writing. I began to craft my thesis, back up my claims and acknowledge my parent’s concerns. I left a copy of ?”Why I Need a Horse” by Rachel Dahl’ on the computer keyboard and waited. Almost ten years later we have a family barn and more horses than we need. Becoming a summer intern at Practical Horseman has felt very full-circle to me. Ten years ago this very publication fueled the equestrian fire that is in me. Four years ago it was the reason I chose Mass Communications, specifically print journalism, as my major at the University of South Carolina. This past January it was the reason that, upon receiving an email inviting me to join the Practical Horseman team for two months, I was not able to drive to my apartment because I was too excited to focus. The excitement that I felt in January was reminiscent of the thrill of bringing Ace, my first pony and the product of my essay, home. It is a feeling of accomplishment of the past and enthusiasm for the future.

Rachel Dahl and Orion’s Diamond Ace | ? Laura Dahl?
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