So What led to this blog?

Well, plot twist — I recently ate dirt. Not the fun, dramatic, dust-cloud kind you can laugh about five minutes later. Nope. I managed to collect myself a brain bleed (don’t worry, I’m fine-ish) and now I’m benched from the saddle for two weeks.

But here’s the thing about equestrians — we don’t do idle well. Sure, I can sweep a barn aisle with the best of them, but back-breaking work alone isn’t enough to keep me occupied. I need to learn. I need to soak it up, scribble it down, and stash away every golden nugget of wisdom until I’m cleared to climb back on a horse.

So that’s what this blog is. It’s me — Avera Ellurst, one very average, very determined dressage rider — dragging you along on this ridiculous, wonderful, occasionally disastrous journey. I’ll share what I’m learning while sitting in on lessons, what I wish someone had told me sooner, and what I’ll absolutely forget and need to relearn three times before it sticks.

And no, before you ask — I didn’t fall off my horse, Mochi. He’s a perfect, long-suffering Hanoverian angel who patiently puts up with my nonsense and continues to be the light of my entire life. He’s blameless in this story.

The dream is to learn as much as I can, work my butt off, and pass that knowledge on. Because there’s no reason it can’t — and won’t — be shared. We need fewer secrets and more solidarity in this sport.

So buckle up, friends. It’s going to be messy, it’s going to be humbling, and I guarantee it’ll be fun.