It can be easy to get discouraged when dealing with personal challenges. We tend to make all kinds of excuses for not going to the barn, rushing through chores, abdicating horse care to another or depriving ourselves of other moments to enjoy our horse.
Our daily grind can get in the way of what fuels our soul.
What would you do with your horse passion if you found yourself suddenly paralyzed? Diane Kastama decided to add wheels so she could continue. She competes world-wide at FEI events with combined driving (modeled after 3-day eventing).
As a former dressage rider, she tried going back to riding first, but kept falling off.
Now, she’s internationally recognized for her skills at a sport where she’s competing against able bodied riders. She’s won world championship medals, including individual silver and team bronze as well as a gold medal and more. Can you imagine being so determined and resilient to start a new discipline you’d never tried while confined to a wheel chair?
She drove her first horse in 1995 – after a paralyzing car accident. Then, began combined driving competition in 1999. By 2002 she was on the world stage competing at top levels.
Susan Ashbrook with Equine VIP did a recent interview with this remarkable woman. This video (just under 9 minutes) is so worth the watch. If you’re thinking your challenges are tough, imagine dealing with hers and maintaining such a positive attitude, then achieving world-wide competitor status.
Oh, and if you’re looking for some creative ideas on how you can design a job that keeps horses in the mix, we have a lot of free material in addition to some products you may like in our Inventing Your Horse Career section of this website.
