Natalie S.

17, Tennessee, USA

Image

young woman on a horse

Photograph by Christina Smith

I was born in Memphis and have grown up in Tennessee my whole life. I started riding horses when I was around eight and worked to pay for my lessons. One of my jobs now is training horses.

Training horses has taught me a lot about living the principles of the gospel. Rehabilitating horses takes a lot of time and hard work. One horse took six months to train until he was comfortable being ridden on. That took a lot of patience.

Sometimes I feel like I have so much going on in my life, and it’s hard. I balance friends, school, and family while also teaching horseback riding lessons, leading barn tours, and taking care of horses.

But I can feel the peace of the Spirit when I’m outside around the horses. I’m able to feel peace, hear the Spirit, and know what I need to do.