Rider Overcomes Hearing Loss
|  Video
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| Jacob Kaucher |
| 7/29/2010 |
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| Riders at Thursday`s Morgan Horse Show at the State Fair have countless reasons for hopping on a horse. For Morgan Leapaldt of Leeds, N.D., she rides in part to escape the stresses of being almost fully deaf. “It`s such a relief. It`s a weight off the shoulders. Just relax and ride a horse. Just have fun,” said Leapaldt. Just have fun and do your best is the mantra Leapaldt follows with her horse and in life in general. She has ridden horses since early childhood, competing at shows for the last six years. “I just love riding horses. It`s so much fun,” said Leapaldt, smile shining from ear to ear. Leapaldt wasn`t born deaf, but she`s never known a time when she could fully hear either. “She lost her hearing at seven months of age. She had salmonella food poisoning,” said her father Bryan Leapaldt. After attending the school for the deaf in Devils Lake since the age of three she entered Leeds High School four years ago. And by using the same dedication, hard work and goal-setting she honed on horses, Morgan excelled in the classroom. She finished as co-valedictorian and will attend Minnesota State University in Moorhead in the fall. “You have to be proud as a parent any time they do it. But, especially with the challenges she`s overcome. She`s had to work a little harder than the average kid to get where she`s at,” said Bryan. And so, although she`d like to win Thursday’s show, Leapaldt rides for the fun. It provides much more than taking home top prize. Success for her is not just limited to competition. |
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