God, Grit, And The Making Of A Horse Girl

Over the past year my writings have been about what I am learning from horses. Their behavior, interactions and responses will mirror our own and if we pay attention, we can learn a lot about ourselves while in the pasture.

This winter though, I thought about my own personal transformation into a ‘horse girl’. I always shied away from calling myself that because I associate that term with women who grew up with horses. I had this vision of young girls climbing fences to mount their favorite pony and ride bareback and bitless through a field. I was not that girl, I started riding after I turned 50 so, clearly, I’m not a ‘horse girl’, I’m more of a ‘wannabe’. It would appear I need to give myself some credit with what I have learned and how I continue to learn. Self-talk matters.

Winters are rough in every part of the country. And, for some parts of the country winter really starts in late Fall and continues through early Spring. Here in Texas, we luck out because the weather will roll in and roll out rather quickly. However, the week or two when mother nature has a stronghold, it is rather tough. Towns aren’t equipped with snow removal, so most people simply stay home. Pipes frequently freeze and subsequently burst. We ‘hunker down’. But horse girls.. well they gear up. I have a bucket filled with ski clothes that came in handy in late January during our snowstorm, or should I say ice storm. My worry meter is triggered days leading into the storm. But being over 50 we have learned the best way to extinguish the worry is to plan. A week prior the girls and I began stuffing hay nets. Water heaters were placed in troughs and to varying electrical outlets to prevent surges or tripping circuits. Every trough was filled because water would be cut off at the source so that pipes wouldn’t freeze. We were able to use a vacant stall for storage of hay, feed, and bedding. And then comes the age old question- to blank or not to blanket. For the past couple of years this has caused me serious stress. Am I doing the right thing? Will he be warm throughout the night? Theo is only stalled during extreme cold weather. The rest of the time is in the pasture doing what horses do- seeking refuge in a group of trees or sometimes just standing in the middle of it all rejoicing in his freedom to do so. I go through a series of calming questions and statements. He is a horse. God made him perfectly. He is out of the cold rain. He is out of the cold wind: no blanket. During the day, in the sun, no blanket because as I learned during a briefing in Colorado on the 10 Mountain Division of WW2- the worst thing you can do is sweat, trapping the moisture in frigid temps can be deadly.

There are some things to note here: A few years ago, all these things would make me extremely anxious. Over time, listening and learning, I am becoming more confident in my decisions. More like…. ‘a horse girl’. Next comes what can only be earned, not learned, grit. By definition grit means, courage and resolve; strength of character’. This is why grit is earned; you must walk through the muck to get it. You must be resilient. And that led me to this conclusion: a horse girl is a combination of grit and resilience. And, both must be present, you can’t really have one without the other. Doesn’t mean you don’t become anxious. Doesn’t mean you don’t cry. Doesn’t mean you don’t walk away frustrated and exhausted. It does mean that no matter what, you walk back and do what needs to be done. You talk yourself through the frigid temps, the self-doubt, the ‘what else can go wrong’ moments and come out on the other side with a feeling of relief and an unspoken dedication to your horse that he absolutely feels. Trust was built because we went through the hard times together. I showed up for him. I am a horse girl.

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Kimberlee & Theo

Written by Kimberlee Delany

Life begins after 50, or when you decide to learn about horses! With a passion for animals and a quest for learning, it’s not surprising I began lessons after I turned 50.

With a BS in Psychology, I spent my career in technology, starting at the help desk and landing as a technical business advisor; doing all the techie steps that are needed in-between to cross that bridge.

Continuous improvement is the name of the game.

While growing in my career, I also started a fitness journey. Over the past twenty years, I have explored a variety of sports, from triathlons to Olympic weightlifting. I have competed in local events up and down the East Coast and, most recently, the Texas State Weightlifting Championship.

It all leads to this!

When you are around horses, you notice something, something within you is awakened. It doesn’t matter how old you are, there is something to uncover. In a quest for knowledge, and the sheer experience of discovering the mystery of ‘why I feel so at peace with horses’, I became certified in Equine Assisted Learning (EAL). Now, with a desire to share this amazing journey on how horses heal, I began journaling my experiences with horses and how they teach us about life.

This article is from the March 2026 issue of Equine Business Magazine