15-year-old Deaf equestrian cowboy: Athien Hernandez
Renca Dunn, Daily Moth Reporter: 15-year-old Athien Hernandez from Riverside, California, is a Deaf equestrian cowboy. Equestrian means a person riding on a horse and performing different things ranging from endurance riding, reining, show jumping, etc. It is a recreational and competitive sport.
(Video clip from CSDRiverside’s Instagram page introducing Athien Hernandez as an equestrian, a cowboy. Athien is seen riding a horse, making the horse spin in circles, and expertly spinning a rope in a lasso).
Note for Paul/Noah: Renca makes a signing error at the first part of the below part, after the IG Clip. Make sure to remove her “first error take”.
Athien is a sophomore at California School for the Deaf Riverside (CSDR) and he plays on the football team. Besides school and sports, his Saturdays are occupied with his role as an equestrian. Recently, Adrien’s story was featured in his local news.
(Video clip of a local news KTLA 5 coverage on Athien)
So, we reached out to Adrien to share his journey. In the interview, we will see Athien and his father, Kyle seated together.
Renca: I’m curious, did you grow up loving the equestrian sport or is this a new passion?
Athien: I grew up interested, yes. Ever since I was four years old, when I was just a little boy, I was fascinated. I would watch videos and I told my parents about my passion for it, and how I loved cows, horses, and even bulls. I’d watch videos and movies and shows about it. I was so passionate about it and always shared that with my parents.
Renca: Wow! So when did your passion start with equestrianism specifically, how old were you?
Athien: I would say 13 years old? I really got started at 13.
Kyle: That was when he started focusing on it “full-time”. He would go every Saturday at that point but throughout the years, he would ride from time to time.
Renca: What do you love most about equestrianism? What’s your favorite part?
Athien: One of my favorite parts is Charro riding, it’s a Mexican tradition. Horsemen will ride their horses in a ring really fast as they try to rope a horse. It’s a super fast-paced sport, trying to sling the rope onto the horse. I really enjoy that freedom and thrill. The second thing I like is colas, which is when you’re riding a horse next to a steer and you grab the steer’s tail to knock it down. You get points for it, and most points mean you win.
Renca: Are you a horse owner? Or do you go to a farm with horses?
Athien: I go to a farm and a horse is lent to me. And I feel really lucky to be able to do that.
Kyle: That’s one blessing for Athien, that he’s able to find people who are willing to let him borrow a horse. Most places won’t really do that, they prefer you bring your own horse. But he’s blessed in that way, he was able to find trainers to lend horses.
One of his trainers specializes in reining, and he owns several deaf horses. And this trainer actually prefers deaf horses, he says they’re more skilled than hearing horses.
Renca: Oh, interesting!
Kyle: Yeah, I find that interesting. The trainer is also a breeder, so there is a bloodline of deafness in their genetics. So they breed deaf horses.
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Renca: Now I’m curious, Kyle, as Athien’s father, how do you support your son through his equestrian journey?
Kyle: First of all, obviously I saw his intrigue for horses and the cowboy lifestyle. His mom and I have always encouraged him to learn the basics of the equestrian sport so he could work his way up. Of course, he has a lot of other barriers on top of being deaf. Also, he has a genetic syndrome, he has an additional Y chromosome, therefore he has some struggles with clapping, balance, and eye-hand coordination. Equestrianism has helped him thrive and helped his confidence, his balance, and his coordination. So overall it’s been a great experience for him.
Athien: Right.
Renca: Now Athien, imagine there are other Deaf people watching this who want to do the same thing as you do with the equestrian sport, what would your advice be for them?
Athien: My advice is that if you want to get started, you can communicate with hearing people to try it out and learn the ropes. Use gestures with them and you’ll understand each other. And if that doesn’t work, bring an interpreter to make things clearer. That’s how you could get started so that’s my advice, don’t worry about the communication! Don’t give up, keep going and you’ll make it through and gain some skills.
Renca: Absolutely. What’s your dream for the future, who do you hope to become?
Athien: My goal is to own my own farm. And on my own horses too. I also want to become a farrier, I would file horseshoes. I would love to teach kids, whether they’re deaf or hearing, we all can be together. I want to add something too, deaf people are always told that they can’t do this and that like you can’t play football or you can’t do art, you can’t ride horses, or take care of the bulls, etc. They just accept and give up, but the thing is, deaf can do it. You can join in, play, and try out whatever you like. There will always be things that don’t work out, but if you find something that fits what you like, you have to go for it. Find your skills and keep up with them. You’ll find success.
Kyle: I would like to add too, it’s important to invest in your children’s interests. It’s important to invest in that because they can really grow from it.
Thank you Athien and Kyle for your time. The family also mentioned that they are fundraising to support Adrien and his equestrian career. His upcoming competition will be in November with steer wrestling. We have added a GoFundMe link in this transcript if you would like to make a donation to support Athien. We want to wish Athien the best of luck!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deaf_horseman/