Eighteen year-old Ashley Sherman of Chuluota, Florida is one of the most impressive and inspirational individuals GoHorseShow has ever come across. While competing last week at the Novice East Championships in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a trainer standing on the rail told us about Ashley. We would have never known that she was riding in the Novice Youth Hunter Under Saddle finals basically one-handed until someone pointed it out.
Sherman was born with her right arm ending just above the elbow. Her mother, Susan, believes that there may have been a blood clot while her daughter was in her womb that caused her right arm to not form properly. Sherman jokingly blames her twin sister, Autumn, who also shows, for being in her way in their mother’s stomach.
As we talked to several other riders at the show, it was clear that
Ashley had quickly become an inspiration to many. She doesn’t have the word, “Can’t” in her vocabulary and the phrases, “I can do it,” and “No
excuses,” have never rung so true. If a young rider can make the finals
at the Novice East Championships in the showmanship and hunter under
saddle and also compete in the jumping and equitation with one arm,
then, there is no reason why others cannot achieve their goals as well.
“The advice I have for people who feel like they can’t, is that you
can,” Ashley states. “There is nothing standing in the way of you except
you and if you put in enough time and dedication you can make anything
happen. Don’t ever give up!”
So, how is Ashley able to ride so competitively with basically just one hand? Well, this innovative rider has adapted her reins where she attaches them around the base of her right arm. She controls the reins by moving her right shoulder forward and back. (pictured left)
“The biggest challenge is in the equitation where I have to try and keep my shoulders even and together,” Ashley says, who is a freshman majoring in Equine Business at Central Florida and eventually wants to run her own barn. “I also had to adapt when I am jumping quite a bit. We changed the reins, so, I use one arm to jump and that way I have a better release, and I don’t pull on the horse’s mouth over the fence. So, the horses I ride are trained to go off my leg and stay under me without being all over the place.”
Ashley continues, “Since I was born this way, I was able to easily adapt to riding and doing everyday activities,” says Sherman who has a sense of humor about her arm. “Some people have nicknamed me Nemo and I am a part of the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. I love to freak people out with my arm,” Ashley says laughing.
All kidding aside, Ashley and her partner, Black Tie Affair Tu (Lujen), a bay gelding by a son of Secretariat, have an impressive story. The 14 year-old bay gelding was given to Sherman because he was quite a handful and hard to ride.
“He has a huge scar from running through a fence and was being starved because his former owners were scared of him and couldn’t do anything with him,” Sherman explains. “I developed a special bond with him as he is an appendix and was very high spirited. He would rear up and flip over, and had some major issues but we seemed to get along well.”
Ashley and Lujen have mainly shown 4-H, and the Novice Championships was their first introduction to showing at a higher level at AQHA Shows. Ashley and Lujen made the finals in both the hunter under saddle and showmanship and beat out over 100 other exhibitors in both classes to make the finals. They receive help from Price Morgan of Williston, Florida and her mother who owns and runs a boarding barn.
Sherman credits her family, friends, and horses for helping her get to where she is today.
“Learning good sportsmanship is very important to a person’s character. I love showing AQHA and the Novice Championships was so much fun. Everyone there was really supportive of each other and treated people like family,” Ashley states. “What I like about showing is the constant reminder that there is always something more you can achieve, and the friends I’ve made in the show ring makes it all worthwhile.”
Photos © Price Morgan and GoHorseShow.com
