Scholarship Dreams

Hi. My name is Ashley.

I'm 13 years old, and in the 7th grade.I absolutely love horses, but I don't have one of my own. When I was in the 3rd grade, over the summer, my mom took me to a doctor because my back was curved. They took an x-ray of my back. They said it was a 22 degree curve, but the doctor said to go to another doctor in Louisville, KY. So, my mom took me to the other doctor. He took an X-ray of my back. He said it was an 54 degree curve. They put me in a back brace. I had it on for about 3 months. After the 3 months I had to take it off because it was getting too small for me. While the back brace was on my curvature went down to 43 degrees. After I had the brace off for about a month, the curve went up to 52 degrees. The doctor said that I would have to have surgery. They put 3 metal rods on my spine to straighten it. I thought that I would never be able to ride again. The doctor said I wouldn't be able to do anything for 1 year.

Luckly, when we went for a check up less than a year later, he said that I could ride horses. The summer after I was in 4th grade, I went on a camping trip, and I was allowed to ride horses on the trail. I was so happy.

Horses have done so much for me. At first I didn't want to go to college, but when I found out that you could get a equine scholarship I wanted to get a scholarship right thing and there. (But I am too young.) I want to have a career that has anything to do with horses. But I really like the dressage and cross country.

From another horse lover,

Ashley