On June 14th, 2021 many lives were forever changed when the life of Wendy M. Reitz was suddenly taken in a tragic accident. Wendy was a dear friend of mine and client at Next Level Horsemanship. We worked with Wendy and her horse Willow on many occasions to build a better partnership. Wendy always brought her smile and “A” game to the lessons and she was always mentoring other young riders to help pave the way for their enjoyment with horses. In lieu of flowers, Wendy’s family asked that donations be sent to Next Level Horsemanship to establish a fund for free lessons to assist “future generations of horse enthusiasts”. We are humbled to honor the memory of Wendy Reitz in this way and would like to acknowledge those receiving the gift on Wendy’s behalf by sharing here. We sincerely hope that the stories of the recipients of the Wendy Reitz Memorial Fund will inspire those who want to get started in horsemanship to do so, and encourage others to promote the hopes and dreams of future equestrians by giving their time, talent and resources to those in need.
First Recipient of the Wendy Reitz Memorial Fund:
Pictured is Soniya with American Mustang Java (owned by Dr. Patricia Dunn). Soniya had taken lessons with Next Level Horsemanship last in 2013. Since that time she had moved to Colorado and then to Boston. Soniya had not ridden but a few times due to work and logistical constraints. Soniya recently moved back to State College and decided to rekindle her relationship with horses by scheduling a lesson with Next Level Horsemanship. Soniya was sincerely moved when I told her that she would be our first recipient of Wendy’s gift. When asked what her goals were with horses she said she really just wanted “to make horses a part of her daily life”. Soniya wants to improve her skills to become more confident with horses and eventually lease or buy a horse of her own. Wendy’s horses were an integral part of her life and I know she would be thrilled to help Soniya have horses in her life. What a difference a horse CAN make in someone’s life – Wendy knew this and now Soniya will get to realize it too.