Youth Feature: For the Love of Horses

Ethan Pregulman’s Journey into Horsemanship

Who can measure what draws children to horses and keeps them there? Could it be the giddy experience of sitting so high above the ground, or that soft, fluffy mane, or the magical connection enabling a human to communicate with an animal? If you ask Colorado teenager Ethan Pregulman, a high school junior in Denver, Colorado, he believes horseback riding teaches a young person regard for another living being, plus a sense of responsibility and respect.

“To me,” says Ethan, “riding is better than any team sport for building self-confidence.” And he should know. As a child whose parents turned to horses to help ease a case of juvenile anxiety, the therapy was life changing.

Seven years ago, as Ethan turned 9 years old, the Pregulmans sought help from a counselor who recommended a therapeutic riding program. Once their son got a taste of the freedom, sense of strength, and the feeling of independence that horses gave him, he wanted more. By the time he was in the sixth grade, he was gifted his first horse, a gentle Arabian mare, and pursued lessons at a stable outside of Denver. Those lessons with a trainer quickly turned to an interest in jumping—an aspect of equestrian sport that often provides the greatest test of horsemanship at any level.

Ethan’s amber-green eyes light up and he breaks into a radiant smile when talking about his passionate love of the sport. “I think the greatest connection to your horse comes through jumping,” he says. “You need to have total trust in the horse and it has to trust you. It’s the ultimate challenge for horse and rider.”

Following their son’s passion and commitment and its profound effect on his life at home and in school, parents John Pregulman and Amy Wasserman willingly helped Ethan find a horse more suitable for hisdreams—one that could compete over high fences. At the age of 14, Ethan met his forever horse, Dahlia. She’s a 16-year-old, seventeen-hand, elegant Swedish Warmblood—a bay mare with a faint white star on her forehead. Tall and lean with powerful haunches, she is muscular and energetic, just what Ethan needed—a horse he could grow with. According to Ethan, it was love at first sight.

“We get along super well” he says, his voice rising in appreciation. “I know just what she needs, and she understands me too. What I love about her most is that she is very trustworthy and I can always count on her to work her hardest and help me improve. Recently, I helped her get through an episode of colic. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious.” (Note: horses in Colorado are prone to colic more than anywhere in the United States due to the high altitude and shifting barometric pressure.) Ethan rides Dahlia easily in a light snaffle and Voltaire jumping saddle, a far cry from the Western saddle he used when he first began. “I like English saddles,” he confirms. “There’s more precision. You feel like you’re more in tune.”

Disciplined and committed, Ethan rides five days a week after school. The routine has helped him in another way: he’s become better at time management. He adds that it’s not just his time on the horse that he enjoys, but the total environment, even the way the barn smells. Says Ethan, “The other boarders and riders feel like a big extended family. I fit in.”

Ethan has the courage to compete and usually commits to two or three shows per year. Dahlia willingly trailers with his trainer. Both he and his family have attended horse shows as far away as Moffat Lake Equestrian Center in Iowa, a respected facility. Closer to home, he shows at the prestigious Colorado Horse Park in Parker.

Competition engages parents, and horse shows bring family members together; for most children this is a real plus. “I am super grateful for my parent’s support,” he adds. “They are totally behind me.”

And what about that childhood anxiety? Does Ethan ever have an off day where he feels worried or concerned? “Sure I do. But my mood always improves when I see my horse. She never harbors ill feelings. She’s always glad to see me.” That might be in part because Ethan feeds Dahlia peppermints as a treat, something she really likes. Or perhaps, it’s because he’s found the very best friend a teenage boy or girl could have.

See this article in the November/December 2023 online edition:

Colorado Horse Source Magazine’s November/December Issue 2023 IS HERE!