LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – This is the story of a girl and her horse – a touching sight that is quite common in bluegrass country.
But Wren Zimmerman and her horse Valentine are actually a very rare team.
When she was a teenager, Wren was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease, similar to macular degeneration. Wren’s eyesight was getting worse and worse, and by the time she was halfway through college she was legally blind.
The very fact that she learned to ride is impressive, but the fact that she decided to take up show jumping after her diagnosis is almost unthinkable.
“You find yourself taking everything for granted, and you’ve got to a point where you don’t know how much longer you could have your vision,” said Wren. “It was then that I realized that I had to realize this lifelong dream of riding and jumping.”
Your goal is to reach the highest level – Grand Prix – and to be among the best in the world.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” said Wren. “I’m a very competitive person and I don’t want to do it at a mediocre level. I want to be at the top. If I can, it can show other people that they can do it too.”
She is also determined to make jumping a para-Olympic event. But it’s not just a sport for wren, it’s a mission.
“I’m going to have people reaching out to me on social media or parents of kids who have just been diagnosed with retinal disease and they’re so devastated,” she said. “And then they hear my story and they have hope.”
One woman stands out in particular. After losing her sight, the woman wondered if life was worth living.
“She reached out to me and I basically talked her into it,” said Wren. “But for someone like him who is struggling to have people that he knows he can reach, that he’s not alone, going through this, I think that makes all the difference.”
Making a difference in a sport that is risky for everyone but liberating for wren.
“I feel great when I’m on this horse,” she said. “It is definitely freedom from disability and nothing compares to it.”
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