How to Ride as an Adult Amateur

Starting or restarting an equestrian career as an adult can be daunting, but educational resources and like-minded communities are available to help.

By US Equestrian Staff

Many adult amateur equestrians start riding as children but take long breaks from riding due to changing life circumstances. One of these riders is Bonnie Hayflick, 67, who started riding horses at age nine but shifted her focus to her media career when she was in her 20s. When Hayflick started riding again, she trained with Michelle McGee at New Heights Equestrian in Hastings, Fla.

“It was almost like learning all over again, and Michelle knew that I had a tremendous love for horses. She was patient, and so were the young ladies who rode at the barn. They all helped Miss Bonnie,” Hayflick said. “It was a wonderful ride.”

Adult amateur hunter rider Sarah Mahoney also described herself as a “lifelong equestrian,” competing in pony hunter classes as a child. Once Mahoney went to college, though, volleyball became her primary sport.

“I played Division II volleyball at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., and about 10 years later, I picked up riding again,” Mahoney said. “Being a Division II athlete, I thought this would be easy; I wasn’t totally out of shape. But (riding) uses a different set of muscles than playing volleyball, so it took a while for me to find my groove again. I’ve been lucky to have a lot of good people on my side to help me that way.”

Many equestrians, especially adult amateurs, have full-time jobs alongside their equestrian careers. Mahoney is a graphic designer and creative lead for EQ Media. Hayflick, now retired, worked in public relations. Dressage rider Charlotte Jorst owns, manages, and designs clothing for Kastel Denmark, a clothing company that provides clothing for golfers and equestrians.

“I ride in the morning. Typically, I sit on my first horse at 8 a.m., and then by 1 or 2 p.m., I’m done. Then, I go home and do all my emails and run the business,” Jorst said. “I like being busy.”

Still, this busy schedule comes with challenges.

“Balancing work and finding time to go ride is a little difficult,” Mahoney said.

Balancing work and riding are not the only challenges adult amateur equestrians face. Many have cited difficulties finding a social role in the horse world and making friends.

“At the beginning, you kind of feel like an impostor. You always feel out of shape. I was competing against people that I had only read about. So, in the beginning, I had a very tough time, because I thought I could not possibly be very good,” Jorst explained.

“As a pony kid, you fall in wherever you’re planted. But as an adult, you know, it’s a little harder to make friends,” Mahoney added. “It’s a little harder to do all the things that younger kids do.”

To combat these social issues, Mahoney created the blog Adult Ammy Strong to give adult amateur equestrians a place to find community and share their stories.

“It’s kind of taken off more than I thought it would. I thought it would just be me telling my story to nobody, the vast void of the Internet, but it really seems to strike home with a lot of people, which I find fantastic,” Mahoney said.

“People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Oh, I love your blog.’ It’s been a great connector. I have a lot of friends that I technically haven’t even met in person, all just from sharing our struggles and celebrations of being an adult amateur.”

As Jorst mentioned, another difficulty adult amateur riders encounter is that they are often riding and competing with adults who have been riding their whole lives. However, Jorst, who started riding at age 49, said it is possible to learn quickly and develop riding skills.

“I got my horse in 2013, and in 2016, I was at the World Cup finals,” she said. “In three years, I really learned a lot. It’s amazing what you can do if you really put your mind to it.”

Hayflick was jumping small cross rails with her mount Velvet, owned by McGee.

“Everybody cheered for me because they knew that I had taken such a long break, and how much I loved this,” Hayflick said. “They were like, ‘Oh my gosh, Miss Bonnie, you’re jumping!’”

What does the future look like for these riders? Hayflick explained that she is taking a break from riding in order to strengthen her lower back, but she hopes to return to the sport she loves.

“Even as a walk/trot student, it’s still tough for a near 70-year-old lady who took such a long break,” Hayflick said. “I called Michelle and told her that, and she said, ‘Anytime you want to come to the barn and groom, hug your horses, be with us, watch lessons, water, feed, come on. You’re part of our barn family.’ I’m very fortunate to have that.”

Other riders’ goals are more personal and competition-centered.“My end-all-be-all goal is just to celebrate being an adult amateur and doing all the things that I dreamed of doing as a kid.” –Sarah Mahoney

“I’m going to try to qualify for World Cup Finals again this year on my new horse, Zhaplin,” Jorst said. “I’m going to be at the CDIs in Wellington, in Ocala, and I’m trying to go to Europe next year, maybe do Aachen with Zhaplin. That would be really fun. I think I’m going to have a great year.”

“Over the summer I sold my mare Quessel IF, now known as Soliel with her new owner, and imported a 5-year-old KWPN gelding named On Brand or ‘Ollie’ in the barn,” Mahoney said. “While we are still figuring out each other, I have goals for the NAL Adult Hunter Finals, maybe do some Ariat Adult Medal classes and I am super excited about the USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships for 2025.

“But really, my end-all-be-all goal is just to celebrate being an adult amateur and doing all the things that I dreamed of doing as a kid,” she said.

When asked what advice she would give adults who are looking to get into riding, Mahoney said, “Go for it.”

“Whether you’re a first-time rider or you’re a re-rider like I was, just jump into it. It’s the best way to meet like-minded people,” Mahoney said. “There are so many other adults out there that are going through the same thing, whether your horse is lame and you can’t figure out why, or you just had a really bad ride, or you had a great ride, adult amateurs are going to be there to lean on, to be your friend.”

“My End-All-Be-All Goal Is Just To Celebrate Being an Adult Amateur and Doing All The Things That I Dreamed of Doing as a Kid” - Sarah Mahoney

Jorst agreed, saying that “you just need to start.”

“Once you start, then you kind of solve the problems on the way,” Jorst said. “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”

Hayflick elaborated that social networks such as Facebook were instrumental in finding her community. The Facebook group St. Johns County Horse Community, she said, helped her connect with older equestrians in her locality. These groups have also given more exposure to how accessible the equestrian world can be, even for those with physical limitations.

“There are a lot of stories out there, I’m finding, about women who are my age who have this dream. Even if, physically, you can’t ride, or you want to get into it slowly, ask people if you can just be in their environment and start with basic horsemanship classes,” Hayflick said. “This was a bucket list dream come true for me, and I was so happy with my once-a-week lessons and barn work participation.”

Photos: Devyn Trethewey/US Equestrian, Bill Gregory, PhotoMoto Mom/ Sharon Dunne