Well, if everyone else is fessing up…
Nearly 48 years ago (I’m proudly celebrating that landmark on the day we arrive at the WEF - apropos or what!), a daughter was born to two lovely but completely non-horsey city dwelling parents. Like some weird changeling child, my folks had no idea how they could have had a kid who was totally horse crazy. It certainly wasn’t in the genes for me to choose this sport…I’m barely 4’10" and “solidly” built. But nevertheless, from the time I was in fourth grade I found a way to ride. My daughter loves the “Abe Lincolnesque” style story of how each week I would walk miles to get to a publc barn in Brooklyn to rent a horse. As I got older, I was able to convince my folks to send me to “riding camps” in the summer as well. My folks were never really involved in this area of my life. In fact I think my mother made it to 3 horse shows in my life (just before my mother passed away she was still telling people riding was a phase I was going through…I’d been riding for 18 years at that point!). But to my folks credit they did support my addiction and finally at 16, after years of catch riding anything that was offered to me, I got my first horse. I did the Junior Hunters/Jumpers and the big equitation. In fact I may hold some kind of record for number of 2nds in the Medal and Maclay!
But I loved trying everything with horses and so after I got out of juniors my horsey career got really…“eclectic”! I evented in college, then moved out west for graduate school where I rode saddle seat - park horses. In fact I had an Appy that won the State Ch. in Park beating all the saddlebreds, morgans and arabs. I rode arabs and had two Top 10 finishes in Western Pleasure. Then I moved on to Quarter Horses, doing Reining, Working Cow Horse and Cutting.
Then comes a LOOOONNG break when I was heavily involved in my careeer and decided horses were just too expensive. I got back into one of my first loves, showing and breeding dogs. As a kid, before I got my horse, I showed dogs. During this phase of my life I became a fairly well known breeder/exhibitor and an AKC judge and discovered it was just as pricey to be really competitive in dogs as horses.
Fast forward to the birth of my daughter. My husband says I conditioned her from the womb to love horses. Okay…I’m not quite Skinner but there may be some truth to that. I started her with a really good trainer when she was 7 and made sure I gave her “all the advantages I never had” along the way in terms of consistently good coaches and quality equipment - although I drew the line at push button “packer ponies” who cost the same as a college education. She’s pretty much had to make all the ponies she’s had with adult support and supervision. My daughter at 13 is a better rider than I ever was/will be and I take a lot of pleasure in her accomplishments. Like the best broodmare, I’ve produced better than myself! Plus, I’ve managed to “breed” what most pony breeders wish for - a full time “pony jockey” who’s never going to outgrow the division! In fact, George Morris has recently taken her on as a student and will be working with her and her pony jumpers at West Palm (and NO we are NOT made of money and YES, he is a wonderful, insightful coach who is as quick to praise and support her as he is to correct her - so NO GEORGE BASHING AROUND ME!!) .
I used to tell people that my goal was to move to New England and raise ponies and I’m pretty close to achieving that dream. While I still work in Arts Administration, I have a whole mess of ponies, prospects and keepers, who my daughter and I train and show. We have a mother/daughter business locating hairy, scruffy beasts from small farms and breeders and turning them into A circuit show ponies. I’ve even finally bred my own pony who I hope to take to Devon on the line this year.
As for personal facts…have a terrific non-horsey husband who’s an actor/director, 5 dogs, a cat, 2 guinea pigs, 2 ferrets, 5 ponies and a Hanoverian.
So the moral of all this… I don’t know! I’m still in the middle of the story!!
I really admire someone that has the determination that you do to continue to ride & enjoy horses after such a terrible accident! I wish you the best of luck in your riding! 
SUZ