Julie H Smith and Felix (OR)
Team #918: Julie H Smith and Felix
From: Beaverton, Oregon
Ages: 73 & 27
Combined Ages: 100
Test: Training Level Test 3
I began riding saddle seat equitation at age ten in my home state of Missouri. I have continued to ride on and off for the last 60 years, but with some significant gaps.
As a teenager, my Quarter Horse, Red, and I rode in local western pleasure competitions. Red was trained in cutting, so I gave that a whirl as well. College and work created a gap in my riding time. In my thirties, I decided to try my hand at eventing on Ben, my Appaloosa,
who I kept at the Lake Oswego Hunt Club in Oregon.
After several years of Novice Level eventing, Ben developed moon blindness and started to refuse jumps. So, dressage was our next act together. Ben died in 1993.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, and five years went by before I got back in the saddle -- this time on a Dutch Warmblood named Navador, who was a master teacher.
Finding a dressage horse for me to lease was always in my retirement plan. And, after kissing several frogs, Felix an Arabian/Quarter Horse, came along. The first time I rode him, I thought he was a dreamboat. Felix is retired; his owner trained him up to Prix St. Georges (PSG) level. He has been teaching me to improve my basic dressage skills ever since. And he loves the trails.
After leasing Felix for almost a year in 2024, I was diagnosed with MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome), a type of blood cancer, which may have been caused by my previous breast cancer treatments. While I eventually improved with the MDS treatments, in April 2025, I was diagnosed with the return of metastatic breast cancer in my colon, which was treated with surgery, medication, and I now have an ostomy bag.
Felix and his owner have stuck in there with me during these tumultuous times. Felix always knows when I need to slow down and catch my breath, and when a horsey hug is needed. Thank you, Felix, you have made this difficult time in my life better than you can imagine.
This Century Club ride is a celebration of resilience, healing, and the joyful companionship between horse and rider. And I’ve learned one can continue to ride with an ostomy!
