United States Eventing Association

Sometimes just making it to a lesson as an adult amateur requires alignment of the stars. Keeping a horse sound and fit, keeping yourself sound and fit, juggling job and family commitments… the list of hurdles to jump in order to be successful in eventing goes on and on.

Kimberly Storm is one of many adult amateur eventers who is making it all work. Next week, she will compete in the Novice Amateur division at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing Championships, presented by VTO Saddlery, with her 9-year-old German Warmblood gelding Bucky O’Hanlian.

Storm is also deaf.

In fact, the “A” level Pony Club graduate of Queen Creek, Arizona was born deaf but has always been involved in training and competing event horses. Previously, she ran her own business as a professional riding instructor for a decade and has competed through Intermediate.

Frederic Bouland, one of Storm’s instructors, confirmed that once she sets her mind to something, she can’t be stopped.

“Kim is a very determined lady,” said Bouland, of Phoenix, Arizona. “The first time we worked together, she came with her side saddle. She wanted to compete at Coconino Horse Trials that way. She did!”

Her sense of determination was evident even at five years old when she would steal away with her mother’s Appaloosa until her parents were sufficiently convinced to buy her a pony of her own. Storm’s riding career began on a Shetland pony named Furry.

She has never settled for allowing her hearing impairment – or anything else - to impair her riding education. Even though she cannot hear, she has attended clinics with some of the top horsemen in the country including Bruce Davidson, Sr., Jack LeGoff, and David O’Connor. Since she can read lips and communicate both orally and in American Sign Language, she is typically able to understand what the instructor is saying. But it has not always been easy.

“Sometimes in a group environment or with certain instructors with accents, [I don’t understand what they are saying] which leaves me behind on my learning scale,” Storm said. “It did affect my riding because of a lack of proper training and fully detailed explanations. In fact, I have reeducated myself about Classical Dressage properly and correctly over the past ten years. I sure wished someone had taken the time to teach me that 30 years ago!”

Storm credits Valerie Crail for helping her discover the finer points of dressage, which has greatly contributed to Storm’s success with her AEC ride, Bucky. She also made a point to educate herself by reading, watching clinics, and watching training videos.

“There is video training and YouTube, but it’s hard to learn if the videos are not captioned,” she explained. “I usually have my instructor explain it to me in person, but captioning benefits everyone.”

Since many important announcements are made over a PA system at horse shows, Storm counts on modern technology and a supportive eventing community to help her out.

“At competitions, radio communications and PA systems are still at my disadvantages. Thankfully, with today's technologies like www.eventingscores.com, [I can stay] updated on show times and schedules. I have obtained wonderful friends in the eventing community including competition officials who take the time to relay messages and information to me. Bless them!”

The pair kicked off the year with a win in the Beginner Novice at Galway Downs and have yet to place lower than the top ten at Novice. Storm has owned Bucky since he was born and has developed him from an unbroken 3-year-old to a winning event horse.

“My parents, children, friends, and I have raised him since he was conceived,” she recalled. “I had a late start on him at three years old. I had been riding his half-sister, International Fame, and he was on the backburner for few years.”

Storm’s attitude is as inspirational as her story, and she encourages deaf individuals who want to ride to reach out.

“Life isn’t over if you lose your hearing. It affects what we do but it’s not the end of the world,” she said. “My message is that if you lose your ability to hear, you can still ride horses and manage with all the technology that’s out there. Now we have video phones, texting, emails; there’s such a multitude of technology now.

“I’m looking forward to competing against the best of the best at AEC. The people that come are the best in America, and I want to do the best I can. It elevates me to compete against the best. I’m looking forward to meeting all the people, [especially those] that don’t realize that I am deaf. I want to show people that my deafness doesn’t prevent me from competing.”