I started riding in my sixties and soon acquired my own horse, Casper. Casper was not the ideal choice for an older, beginning rider; but I had in essence rescued him from an unhappy life and was not about to give him up. Five years later, I was still a first level rider, my advancement having been impeded by health and behavioral issues on Casper’s part and by a spill and shoulder injury on mine. Periods of progress would be followed by prolonged impasses. It was during one of the impasses a few years ago that I started taking lessons from Katie Rocco. Katie's centered riding technique, her excellent communication skills, positive attitude, and compassion had an immediate impact on my riding. One of Katie's great strengths is her ability to read the horse, which means that the horse is not necessarily blamed for what goes wrong. Instead, Katie identifies the problem as it relates to both the horse and the rider. She corrects the immediate problem; then, more importantly, provides a long term solution to fix it. Her approach helps to overcome my occasional frustration with Casper. When Katie assures me that we will fix a problem, I believe her. Even when I am discouraged after a bad day, I still look forward to the progress I will make in my next lesson with Katie.