Passion | Purpose | Progress: Practicing Law as a “Practicing” Equestrian

How One JLA Member has Dared to Dream in the Equestrian and Legal Fields

By: Jillian Bliss

When I was a baby, my parents divorced after my dad left my mom for a new family he started without our knowledge. My mom never took this as an opportunity to feel sorry for herself or our situation; rather, she got a job and saved money to help set me up for success. With enough begging, I convinced my mom to use some of this money to enroll me in horse riding lessons. At only six years old, I found my passion. Dreamer, the first horse I rode, taught me all the basics. A few years later, I

“I was devastated, but despite the heartbreak, there was no way I could stop riding.”

advanced to a jumper named Windsor, who took me from trotting around a circle to cantering over jumps. At 16, I got my first horse, a Thoroughbred named Sterling, which also meant getting a job to afford his expenses. Unfortunately, these expenses began adding up after he was diagnosed with cancer. With Sterling’s compromised health, I retired him, and found myself “jumping around” from borrowed horse to borrowed horse for riding lessons. One of these horses was a beautiful gray gelding named Harry. He was well-mannered, tried his heart out, and was absolutely stunning. After getting to know Harry’s owner, I had to ask what on earth she did for a living to afford a horse like him: she was a lawyer and she owned three other wonderful horses just like Harry. The idea of entering the legal profession stuck with me. I’ve always been strong in my convictions and interested in activities that leave a positive impact on others. If practicing law helped me utilize these qualities and afford beautiful horses, it was something I had to consider. In college, I took a work-study job in campus career services and, at one point, was asked to create a brochure about law school. As a journalism major, I realized the research and writing skills I employed at my campus paper weren’t unlike those required to practice law. I found my purpose. Of course, in college I couldn’t afford a horse like Harry, but on my work-study paycheck I could afford something smaller. I purchased a miniature horse named Ollie and, a year later, another named Dare. Throughout undergrad, these two provided all the stress relief a “big” horse could, helping me to progress to law school.

Ollie and Dare also helped me progress as an equestrian. Because I could not ride them, I rode at a stable near SMU Law. There I met Rocky and his sidekick Lightning – two horses few others fancied, as Rocky had the tendency to slip into breed-specific gaits, and Lightning, a pony meant to teach kids’ lessons, hated children. Training as a jumper with Rocky, I channeled my law school anxiety into focus and precision in going as fast as possible over fences. Though I didn’t train with Lightning, learning his quirks taught me what every child needs in a pony. When Victor, a Welsh pony, was gifted to me in 2015, I knew the amount of training I’d need to dedicate to him so he could perform perfectly for kids. In 2017, I graduated law school and took a job but went back to the barn regularly just to ride Rocky. April 15, 2018, was supposed to be one of those rides. The stable hosted a show and we decided to compete after winning a champion and reserve champion title the previous year. During the competition, Rocky and I jumped as usual when, suddenly, he started choking up blood. Thirty minutes later Rocky was gone, dying in my arms of an aortic aneurysm. I was devastated but, despite the heartbreak, I did not stop riding. With my next paycheck, I purchased a baby horse named Donnie. A Saddlebred like Rocky, Donnie is now four years old and we’ll compete in our first show this fall. During the week, I practice property law, focusing on litigation, at the law firm of Braun & Gresham but, every Saturday, Donnie and I ride together. No matter your lifestyle or calling, stories like mine aren’t unique among the women of The Junior League of Austin. As the League pursues passion, purpose, and progress this year, I wish every member the chance to excel in their journey, as well.

My four-year-old American Saddlebred, Winsdown Trump Card, who I’ll show in the hunt seat division of American Saddlebred Horse Association competitions this fall.