Happy birthday, Edna!

Edna Groger loves riding. From the time she was in her forties she owned a horse and rode dressage.

When she was in her early eighties, Guillain-Barré syndrome robbed her of the ability to walk.

Groger turned 97 on April 19, and her most cherished wish was to ride. 

Groger has been coming to Lovesome Stables for equine therapy for many years. At first, her husband Elmer took her. He also rode, until one day he took a tumble and decided he'd had enough. He passed away in March, 2023 a couple of days before his 93rd birthday. 

Judy Williams, a former neighbor and equine therapist, worked with Groger in the stable's bright, spacious arena on April 17, the first time Edna had been able to go riding in many months.

Wearing new boots emblazoned with purple horses that she got for Christmas, Groger waited patiently for stable owner Jody Keeley to get the lines controlling the lift untangled.

"Watch her persona when she gets on the horse," instructed Keeley's husband Dave.

Once she was finally seated on Ellie's back, Groger couldn't stop beaming. She sat ramrod straight, head high.

"Her muscle memory is amazing," Williams commented.

Even though Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes the immune system to turn on the body's nervous system,  prevents her from walking on her own, Groger's legs are strong. In fact, she was able to keep her seat at a trot.

She credits her longevity to exercise.

"You couldn't walk through her basement for the exercise equipment," laughed her niece, Carol Bullock.

Her strength is still evident when she's on horseback. She endured a lengthy session on Ellie. They rode around barrels, wove through cones, sidled up to a mailbox to grab a couple of rings to place on the barrels and then did it all over again.

Early on they paused and Williams led Groger in a few minutes of horse yoga exercises, stretching, leaning and twisting. She performed the moves with ease.

After a while Williams asked, "Are you getting tired?"

Groger's face clouded. "No." After a pause, she smiled mischievously, "Are you?"

The ride ended with a small party. Groger never stopped smiling.