Did you become interested in horses because your parents had them, or maybe you saw a friend riding? For brother-sister duo Chesney and SaDee Watkins, their introduction came from a South Texas horse trainer, and the two fell headlong into a sport their parents knew nothing about. But once they got a taste for allaround, these South Carolina-based kids were totally hooked on the horse show game. And they've got no plans of stopping.
THE START
The Watkins have four children: Elijah, 27, AnneDee, 16, Chesney, 13 and SaDee, 12. Chesney and SaDee are siblings adopted by the Watkins at birth. AnneDee has disabilities and was already enjoying equine-assisted therapy when the family lived in Virginia. But SaDee and Chesney had never ridden before.
"AnneDee was doing PATH therapy from 8 years old, and Chesney and SaDee would watch when they were little bitty," says their mom, JoDee Watkins. "One day Chesney said, 'I want to ride a horse.' And I was like, 'OK, I mean we're all going to be there, so get on a horse.' Then all three of them did lessons."
Chesney connected with horses on an emotional level as well.
"My favorite thing about horses is they help with anxiety and stress, and I just like riding horses," he says.
STEPPING UP
Their local equine therapy barn took the kids to a show for fun, and the Watkins siblings had a ball.
This story is from the March-April 2023 edition of Young Rider.
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This story is from the March-April 2023 edition of Young Rider.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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