How Horses Helped One College Grad Get To The Finish Line
Sara Green’s college experience was filled with lots of ups and downs, but mostly downs.
Sara, 25, struggles with ADHD and anxiety. That coupled with life events she couldn’t change, meant earning her bachelor’s degree took a little longer than most. Add in the coronavirus pandemic, and her chance to walk across the stage to accept her diploma from Florida State University in front of family and friends was squashed. Instead, she’d graduate online.
But Sara was determined to make this final moment of her college experience special. So the eventer turned to what made her happiest – her horses – for help.
“It had been incredibly tough for me to finally get to graduation but it’s not in me to give up, so I kept going,” said Sara, who is from Tallahassee, Fla. “I knew I wanted to make my last time on campus special and have the photos reflect that.”
With the help of her trainer and a photographer friend, Sara trailered her off-track Thoroughbred gelding, D’Ario to FSU to pose for graduation photos in front of the most iconic halls and statues on campus.
The timing couldn’t have been better. In-person classes were cancelled because of the virus. A few other recent grads mingled on the otherwise quiet campus to take photos. Some brought their dogs or families. But they all gawked at Sara when she showed up with her horse.
“He’s such a cool cucumber that I knew he would be perfect,” Sara said about the 11-year-old D’Ario. “The moment he stepped off the trailer in the parking lot all he cared about was grass and where he could find it.”
Sara and D’Ario took photos in front of the memorable Westcott building and fountain, and distinctive “Unconquered” statue in front of the Doak Campbell football stadium.
“We were definitely on people’s Snapchat and Instagram stories, that’s for sure,” Sara joked. “A lot of people are from more urban areas so seeing a horse up close like that is kind of jolting. Some of the families that were there with their grads had small children who of course wanted to come say hi and D’Ario was more than willing to let them pet him.”
She added: “We only got one snide remark and that was, in all honesty, fair because D’Ario did make a mess. The girl was clearly not used to horse manure but as soon as I cleaned it up, she seemed to relax.”
But the experience was an important one for Sara.
“I’ve always been a horse girl,” she explained. “Horses help my mental health more than they can ever know. We took junior prom photos together and even high school graduation photos together so I knew I wanted them incorporated in this big moment of my life.”
On the day of her actual graduation, Sara gathered with friends, family and her riding instructor at a local restaurant to see her name flash across a computer screen during the virtual ceremony.
Now that Sara has her degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences and Emergency Management, she hopes to work for Homeland Security or FEMA one day soon. She currently works for the state government.
As for horses, she’ plans to compete at Beginner Novice with D’Ario next fall and move up to Third Level in dressage.
“It’s just getting my confidence and skills up there,” Sara described. “They’re a huge part of my life both within school and out.”
Photos by Scoute Barineau at LnB Photo.