From NYC to Globally - How This Long Island Girl Took Her Love For Horses Around the World
When you let your heart lead the way, magic happens.
It was autumn of the year 2000. I was in my early twenties, newly graduated from college and ready to follow my passion. My stomach was doing flips, not only for the possibilities about to unfold…
But also as a full on empath, I was hyper-aware of the strange vibes from the passengers.
They were giving me side-eye glances on the train from Huntington to NYC. After all, I was fully dressed in my riding attire with tight breeches, tall boots, and my helmet in a large bag, just as requested by the manager on the phone. I’d ridden that same train line to countless adventures in my youth, with my parents, to wander my beloved city.
I had been one of those horse-crazy girls, who was blessed to take countless riding lessons at the Thomas School of Horsemanship in Melville, New York. After getting a degree in International Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, I thought I would shift gears and let myself off the hook for a few months, before pursuing a position related to my studies. I found a summer job at Tripp Lake Camp as a beginner riding instructor. After being completely immersed in teaching all summer, I was very hesitant to do anything else. I craved being with the horses and teaching others my passion.
After that summer, I went back to live with my parents on Long Island and had to find something to begin making money. I signed up with a temp agency to explore options. I was tasked as ‘receptionist-relief’ for Clinique, at the Trump Towers. I was offered a permanent position and, while flattered for a split second, I actually recoiled at the thought of continuing riding the elevators, sitting at random desks, and answering phones every day. I couldn’t have been further from my dream. I needed to take action. Fast.
I ended up calling different riding schools to see if they were hiring instructors. The Chelsea Piers Equestrian Center actually said yes.
When I arrived, the manager shook my hand, nodded, turned to one of the grooms, and said, “Go get Quebec ready.”
There were no questions and little instruction, except for being told to ride this chestnut mare around at the walk, trot, and canter. My senses were overloaded at first, as I took in the fact that through the windows on one side, I could see the Empire State Building and on the other was the Hudson River.
And there I was, riding around on this small framed mare, demonstrating that I could ride proficiently. After the ride, I followed the manager up to his office - complete with the view of the whole arena. He began telling me all about the position as if I had already been hired.
At some point, I asked, “But, don’t you want to see me teach?”
He shrugged and said, “You can ride, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
I later found out that Quebec was truly the ‘interviewer’ in this situation. She had a habit of ejecting her riders with a big rear up on her hind legs, if she didn’t approve of you. Phew.
I ended up with about 25-30 steady clients over the next eight months. It was an amazing experience. I taught the young ones from Fifth Avenue, ushered in by their nannies, how to balance on the fluffy ponies. I even got to work with some beginning jumping students. Showing city dwellers how to ride in harmony with the incredibly willing school horses at this facility was a dream come true.
As I was still living on Long Island, I would leave a few hours early, never knowing what the traffic would be like each day. Seeing me show up so early, so often, the manager began letting me exercise-ride the seasoned horses or school the younger, less experienced ones (or as equestrians call them: ‘greenies’). I was keen to continue learning, so I took lessons with as many of the other instructors as I could. I felt like Neo from the Matrix, soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
By the late spring, I was getting the feeling that it was time to move on, especially since I was ready for warmer climates.
In June of 2001, I ended up moving out to California, to be an assistant to a riding instructor near Sacramento. The adventures continued for my younger self, as I taught thousands of lessons over the years, moved to Southern California, then outside of Austin Texas, and now reside south of Atlanta, Georgia.
As I settled into this new home, it became clear that I would need to expand on a global scale with my teaching.
The year was 2018 and I was recovering from two leg surgeries, which activated my creativity button, as I physically couldn’t ride for over a year. I decided to begin building up my online community and offered remote riding lessons. At the time, it wasn’t very common, but now things have certainly shifted.
I had (and still do have) an insatiable desire to help as many equestrians as possible, especially with my unique approach to connecting with horses, inviting them to move with us, rather than demanding. I had actually dreamt of teaching remotely, back in 2010, before the technology was ready.
Now as I prepare for my days, I love watching my amazing pony and senior horse playing through my kitchen window. I then head into my office, fire up my computer, set up the webcam, and work with my current clients in Australia, Scotland, and all across the United States.
The confused looks now come from anyone I meet when I explain what I do.
I can teach riding remotely to anyone in the world with a decent internet connection. My clients can use their phone on a tripod with a tracking device that follows them (I can even take control and move their cameras from across the world!) and they wear a bluetooth speaker, clipped securely on, so they can hear me, as if I’m right in the arena with them. I also love that their horses can hear my voice. I like to praise their horse as well, so they can feel the energy of us both appreciating them. There’s magic to that level of gratitude during a lesson. It reminds us to take a step back and shake our heads in awe.
It’s an honor and a privilege that these incredible creatures even let us sit on them, let alone are willing to dance with their human caretaker who is striving to find balance in all aspects, with their horse.
Never would I have imagined that I would end up teaching clients around the world, on that fateful day on the train getting the ‘looks’ from the other passengers. Perhaps others will be more inspired to continue reaching for their dreams, speak up for what they want and to follow the nudges of their heart - even if their voice shakes a little.
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Beth Lauren Parrish, creator of Inspired Riding®, is a CHA Certified Level 3 Instructor for English & Western, Level 1 Equestrian Tai Chi Instructor, and Certified as a Hypnotherapist and Practitioner for RTT® (Rapid Transformational Therapy).
She has been teaching for over 23 years and has the tools to enhance her clients' transformations rapidly and profoundly.
For more information, kindly visit: https://www.inspiredriding.com
