In the horse industry, we are surrounded by people who mostly do exactly what we do…show horses. What we don’t hear about very often is where people come from and the careers they had before they become professional horsemen and women. Not all jobs are the prettiest, but sometimes those are the ones that teach the most about life. That is certainly the case for Adrienne (Cober) Dickerson.
Few people know that prior to being a horse trainer with her husband, Taft Dickerson, Adrienne, a Pennsylvania native, spent 13 years working for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections as a prison Correctional Officer and Purchasing Agent.
Adrienne’s journey began with an internship while in school to complete her Business degree. Through her father, Adrienne found a position at the Lewisburg Federal Prison in Pennsylvania. Her family was surprised that she worked with all male inmates but was very supportive of the career choice. She worked full-time in the prison from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and would train horses until late in the evening.
“You’re mostly working with people who have done drugs most of their lives or have very little education or work experience,” Adrienne told us. “You have to be very strong, and have very effective communicating skills. Giving direct orders and being able to stand your ground in very stressful situations definitely came with experience.”
There are never friendships formed, but Adrienne explained that the inmates and their supervisors learn from each other. After days, months, and years of working with the same people, the level of professionalism and mental toughness that you exude earns respect from the inmates.
“Inmates will try you just like a horse will…wanting to see how far they can stretch the limits, or if they can intimidate,” Adrienne explained.
The toughness Adrienne had to exhibit during her time as a correctional officer didn’t keep her from learning to connect with people. While Adrienne spent time with many people, a few people, in particular, stand out. One of them was just one year younger than Adrienne. He lived in the inner city of Philadelphia. His family consisted of repeat criminal offenders and he became involved with the wrong group of people while in high school.
Recently, this man contacted Adrienne years after being released from prison. In his note, he said:
“I see you still love horses. I want to say thank you for teaching values in life. I’ve been doing good since I left jail 16 years ago. I have a wife and kids now, my own business, and have a bachelor’s degree. I told when I left that I promised you I wasn’t commuting back into that type of place, jail is not for me. Well, I am a man of my word, and I wanted to say thank you again for believing in me.”
After so many years, Adrienne says she had no idea that she was able to impact anyone in this way. “It will always stick out in my mind because he was one of the first inmates that I had to work with. Makes me feel good knowing I might have helped changed one person’s life for the better.”
Adrienne described her work environment, and although it’s very different from what most people are used to, she has found ways to bring what she has learned into the horse world. “The prison system is very much like its own little functioning town within the walls. Every day was a different day. It was never the same. That relates to horse training as well…every day has new challenges.”
The same goes for a horse farm or any facility that requires all hands on deck. They function with their own system. When there are multiple horses and their owners under the guidance of a trainer, being able to articulate everyone’s needs is vitally important.
“While working for the PA DOC (Pennsylvania Department Of Corrections), I held one position called a Purchasing Agent. I was responsible for creating statewide contracts, and conducting bids for the department. That position, in particular, taught me a lot about being professional, and how to present yourself on that level. Communicating with statewide officials and vendors taught me how to keep the lines of communication open with clients and keeping everyone in the loop of what’s going on with their horse’s progress.”
Another duty that came with her purchasing agent job was to oversee inmates who had working positions within the prison. These inmates had a wide range of educational experience, some having none. This required another communication skill. Being able to describe jobs, and give directions to people that all require different explanations is a difficult task. This transfers into the horse world as well. Adrienne compared it to giving lessons. Different riders might need the same idea explained differently. Overlaying your own thought process in this way to multiple individuals is a skill and an important one in terms of having a successful program.
Now in Mount Airy North Carolina working with Donnie Dickerson Quarter Horses, Adrienne and Taft have a successful full-time horse training operation. Adrienne was recently rewarded with top-10 placings at the Congress and AQHA World Show this year. Even though her career in the prison is behind her, Adrienne carries with her the power of what she learned and the joy of knowing that there are people out there that she helped along the way.
“I am thankful for everything I have. You don’t realize how you take your everyday freedoms for granted until you’re under lock and key, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” says Adrienne.
