Eleanor Larkin ’19

In the heart of Midland lies a program that extends far beyond just horsemanship; it’s a journey of self-discovery and skill-building that prepares individuals for life’s myriad challenges. This program has been transformative for me. Midland, and the horse program in particular, changes people. Though I don’t believe I could ever truly convey through words the impact that the horse program has had on my life, I’ll map out some of the soft and hard skills I’ve gained through my Midland Horse Program education. 

Dealing with Complexity & Adversity

This world is undeniably difficult to navigate, especially for young people working to build a future on a crumbling foundation of environmental, social, and political crises. At Midland, we don’t just learn to ride horses; we equip ourselves to deal with complexity and adversity. The horse program can provide students with the time and space to develop a unique set of skills to not only stay afloat but to build community, cultivate compassion for ourselves and others, and ultimately thrive. Through Midland’s natural horsemanship program, sensitivity, self-awareness, persistence, and the ability to be gentle while holding strong in my boundaries have become integral facets of my character beyond the riding arena. 

Understanding the “Why” 

The Midland horse program places an unparalleled emphasis on adhering to a set of values and knowing the “why” behind everything you do – an animal’s well-being and your communication with that animal depends on it. Knowing your values and living in accordance with them certainly build toward a purposeful and intentional life.

These are lessons that many must learn the hard way– and much later on in their life. It’s a rare privilege to have the medium of a well-equipped horse program upon which to cultivate and practice these life skills in a safe and thoughtful way. If you fall, you’ll be picked up. If your communication falters, your horse will tell you. These tenets taught passively and actively through the horse program provide an incredible head start. 

Putting Knowledge into Practice

These are just a few of the soft skills that Midland’s horse program has provided me with, but the hard skills are just as important and have forged pathways toward career exploration, financial security, and passing on the gift of knowledge. While working towards a psychotherapy and counseling degree I’ve also been working as a therapeutic riding instructor in my college town, teaching adaptive lessons to individuals with both physical and cognitive disabilities. This is a job that many would get a specific college degree for, but my horse program education and the pathways it forged after graduation shaped me into a desired candidate for this work, and the transition into the role felt harmonious. 

Being the person in charge on the property on any given workday, the skills I cultivated through Midland’s horse program have translated seamlessly: from running work crews on the ranch to knowing the importance of the last ten percent of the job. Since beginning this work, I’ve noticed my Midland Horse Program upbringing seeping into every corner of my teaching, from yelling “headache” before dropping a bale of hay, to the grave importance of proper tack fit; from how to properly sweep a barn aisle to how to center our time with horses around healing, radical presence, compassion, and a deep reverence. 

Focusing on the Impact

The Midland horse program’s unique approach, placing the reciprocal relationship between horse and human above the idea of the ends justifying the means, has shaped my work with vulnerable populations of people around horses. 

This approach to horses is not common, so it’s a gift to be able to carry this philosophy to other ranches and watch horses and riders transform. Within the first few weeks of my therapeutic riding work, I saw this in an adult rider whom I had never taught but who had been around the barn while I worked. She commented that through watching the way I interact with horses (and by reading my copy of Tom Dorrance’s True Unity, gifted to me by none other than Regina Butala), her relationship with her horse has shifted forever. In her simple words: “You changed us.” These are the immeasurable gifts that a Midland Horsemanship education can provide. It changes people. 

In sharing our Midland experience with others, we become catalysts for change.

Simple acts, such as the way we handle a horse’s hoof or prioritize unstructured quality time, have the power to shift someone’s axis of perspective and recenter it around the beauty of an intentional relationship, not only with horses but with work, land, community, and the world.