In accordance with our mission to “help the visually impaired and blind community live more fulfilling lives through sports and recreation,” Foreseeable Future Foundation is pleased and proud to highlight one of our 2026 grant recipients, Blind Equestrian Community (BEC), a grassroots equestrian group focused on providing riding opportunities, camaraderie, and advocacy for blind and visually impaired horse enthusiasts around the United States.
Suzanne Ament, one of BEC’s founding members, shared that the organization began in its current form in 2022, and serves as a social hub for members to “meet, greet, and talk about horse topics” via Zoom, Facebook, and a web-based Membership listserv. Though focused on building community for blind and visually impaired riders, sighted folks are also welcome, and all members are passionate about advocating for inclusion in the equestrian space. One initiative called “The Riders’ Lounge” offers an opportunity for blind members to seek advice, share frustrations, and learn from each other in a trusting and empowering setting.
Ament herself lives with genetic blindness, and though she was born with her condition, she has experienced progressive loss of vision since childhood. Her perspective has afforded her insight into both those who have lost vision later in life and those with lifelong blindness. She and her fellow members are fiercely committed to a grassroots approach and are proud to organize BEC committees that are entirely peer-led.
Blind Equestrian Community evolved from her friendship with dressage trainer and coach Anna O’Brian, whose interest in blind riders fostered their initial collaboration in 2016. The two remained in touch and using social media, they found and welcomed more individuals who are enthusiastic about equestrian sport and making the sport accessible for blind riders. O’Brian hosted a successful riding clinic for blind riders in 2021 at Carlisle Academy in Maine for five participants including Ms. Ament. That event laid the foundation for BEC as it is today, and three of the original five remain involved in the group.
BEC was awarded grant funding for their July 2026 riding clinic “Riding in the Dark,” which took place in Phoenix, NY under the direction of renowned dressage coach Michelle Labarre, who is also legally blind. The funding, according to Ament, literally made the clinic possible for Michelle and seven other participants hailing from seven states, all of whom have riding experience. Also attending was a blind individual from New York who audited the clinic after expressing an interest in horses.
Over the course of three days, the group enjoyed private lessons, a group skill-building exercise and the chance to discuss strategies specific to blind riders. Ament noted that this was the first time many BEC members had met in person, and in addition to improving their horsemanship, everyone also benefitted immensely from the friendship and solidarity found in the gathering. Two participants had never attended a blind riders’ clinic before and were extremely grateful for the new experience. Ament emphasized that the magic of the clinic extended far beyond riding, offering joy and community to all, including one rider with recent vision loss who particularly appreciated the peer support. A sound system, made possible with the support of the Foreseeable Future Foundation grant, enabled those who could not see the arena to learn from each other’s lessons and hear Michelle’s instructions clearly.
Sheri Robinson, a first-time attendee who lost her vision at age 48, was at first overwhelmed, describing late in life blindness as “extremely difficult.” However, she called the chance to literally “get back on the horse” as “like coming home.” Robinson especially valued the friendship among riders and commended the instructors and volunteers for their warmth.
Ms. Ament noted that blind equestrian sport is often misperceived as dangerous or dismissed as impossible, when in reality, blind riders can be both safe and highly skilled. She called Foreseeable Future Foundation’s willingness to reject fear, and support BEC’s endeavors “powerful” and very appreciated. The group has big plans for future clinics and hopes to also produce a podcast educating blind people, trainers, and coaches about the possibilities that bloom when the blind community is encouraged to pursue the equestrian sport.
When asked what Foreseeable Future Foundation and its donors should know about their impact of their support, she expressed her sincere gratitude and reiterated that opportunities like the clinic are bigger than just riding.
Said Ament, “Even if none of us ever compete, the value we get from the riding… confidence, connection with a living being, developing skills, just having pure fun, and the interactions with each other–friendship, support, and again pure fun–are incredibly valuable.”