Making Every Day a Holiday by Doria Fleisher, Associate Director, Melwood Recreation Center
A Moment in Time (AMIT) is a riding program tucked fairly deep down in Southern Maryland. It’s not a fancy place. AMIT does not have Grand Prix-level horses, internationally renowned instructors or Olympic-level riders. What AMIT does have is Bobby Lindsley, more than fi fty horses and over 100 riders. More than just an owner, he teaches, trains, mentors, instructs, manages, feeds, fi xes and so much more. Bobby is my hero. I spent four years working with Bobby when I attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland, just 20 minutes down the road. T e College’s riding team is based out of AMIT, and Bobby ensures that all stu- dents, regardless of age, ability, fi nancial situation or transportation, have the ability to ride their way through college. When I graduated, I began working at the Melwood Recreation
Center, which is over an hour away from AMIT. Our Equestrian Program here at Melwood is much diff erent from AMIT. We have one horse for every fi ve of Bobby’s. During an average week, we serve half the number of riders that AMIT does. Our program includes riders with and without special needs. Because our program is so much smaller, when one of our horses is out of commission, it has a huge impact on our rid- ers. And this is just one of the reasons that Bobby is my hero.
In late March, as our Uni- Bobby Lindsley of A Moment in Time
fi ed Trail Riding Team was preparing for its culminating event, we had a pony go lame and his team of two riders was left without a mount. Bobby not only allowed us to come down and meet a substitute
pony; he then al- lowed us to bor- row that pony for three weeks so the riders could still participate on the team. Of course, the pony came with tack. Bobby wouldn’t imagine sending us away without everything we would need. But it gets even better. When Bobby realized that the pony’s Cog- gins was expired before we left AMIT, he called and arranged for Dr. Linda Miller to meet us on the side of the road to draw blood and run the test. At 9 p.m. at night, Dr. Miller of Token Oak Equine climbed into our trailer to draw blood, and take photos of the pony (who of course is a pinto!). Over the summer, at the start of one of our Advanced Camps, two of our mares had a spat in the fi eld and both came in lame the next day. Bobby to the rescue! No problem, don’t be silly—of course it won’t be an issue! We have two horses that would be perfect for you! And, of course, he tried to deliver them to us himself, but we wouldn’t let him do that. Needless to say, asking Bobby to take any compensation for leasing us the horses is also a fi ght. When I was growing up, my riding instructors were my heroes
and role models. T ey lived lives that I was desperate to emulate and they woke up every morning doing a job that seemed like my dream come true. I guess some things in life don’t change: Bobby Lindsley is still my hero, and when (if!) I grow up, I hope that I will be just like him.
Melwood camper Riley Carroll aboard Cody, one of the AMIT ponies on loan to the program
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. DECEMBER 2012 | THE EQUIERY | 13
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