The other person who was one of my main influences at Heartland was Erin McCord. I'd always joke about how I wanted to grow up to be a mixture of Farrah and Erin. Erin had spent over a decade at the racetrack, and she was a 'been there, done that' kind of person. She definitely kicked my butt when I needed it. She taught me what the words 'hard work' and 'responsibility' really meant. I thought I already knew, but as it turns out, I didn't know what I didn't know.
One of the little things that this incredible woman taught me that had more to do with the lesson behind it, rather than the action itself was putting polo wraps on a horse. Coming from the racing industry, she had a lot of experience putting polo wraps on horses, and she would sit there and be firmly particular about how I put on polo wraps on any of the horses I worked with. At first it drove me up the wall, because I didn't see the point, but I now know that spending hours and hours getting the polo wraps on 'just right' taught me patience and how important it was to pay attention to detail, as well as exercise my non-existent emotional fitness at that point.
Erin was also one of my long time inspirations as a horsewoman. As a rider, she was infallible. She rode horses in a way that made it look like she was just gliding along-I was incredibly envious and I hope to one day hold a candle to her riding abilities.
She was dedicated to all things horse, and helped open up my perspective irrevocably. Horses weren't just about horsemanship and being an owner-it also entailed learning about their feet, the way their body worked, head to to and tail, and everything in between. Being an experienced horse person and having been in the racing industry for so many years, she had enough knowledge on horse physiology to choke a vet. Being near someone like this, I was able to soak up some of the information she had to share, and realize just how much I had yet to learn.
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