From the front page of the Lebanon Daily News. 9/15/09

Ann Safstrom of Cleona holds a picture of herself riding a horse, a photo she said was taken when she was 8 or 9 years old. (LEBANON DAILY NEWS - BRAD RHEN)

ANNVILLE - When she was 6 years old, Ann Safstrom asked her dad if he would buy her a horse if she could spell "horse."
Soon after, her dad bought a horse, but Safstrom said she doesn't know if it was because of her spelling.
"We got one right after that," she said. "We got Thunder. I think he probably was going to do that anyway, but I thought I had something to do with it."
And, more than 50 years later, Safstrom is still riding strong at age 59.
She competed when she was younger, but she doesn't anymore. Now she just rides for fun at Jerry Frankhouser's barn in Reinholds
Safstrom's daughter, Sarah, also rides. She too got into riding at a young age and now also takes lessons with Frankhouser.
"She's the fourth generation of my family that's involved with horses," Safstrom said.
Safstrom's grandparents, Charles "Motz" and Nellie Erdman, were part of the group that helped found Quentin Riding Club in 1934. During World War II, they held the bonds to the club to keep it from folding, and sold them back to the members after the war.
Two sisters and a brother are also involved in horses.
"I don't know - there's just something wonderful about being around horses and being able to ride them," she said. "I think once you get involved with horses, there's just nothing else like it. There's always that love that just stays with you."
When she gets on a horse these days, however, Safstrom said she can tell she's getting older.
 
"But the love of it is still there," she said. "It's a challenge each time you ride to see if you can find the connection with the horse. I've ridden a lot of horses ... and it's a challenge. But it's very rewarding when you can find the key, when you can figure out what it is that you need to do to work together. It's very satisfying."
In February, she broke three ribs and punctured a lung in a fall. She said she was able to get right back up on the horse after recovering.
"It's just a way of life," she said. "I think there were a lot of people who were surprised, but it's a part of who I am. It's what I do and what I love."
Despite the fall, she has no plans to stop riding anytime soon.
"I think they'll probably have to drag me out," she said. "Hopefully I'll be able to hang in there for a while yet. As you get older, you don't do things quite as recklessly as you did when you were younger. I think it's good exercise, and it's a good way for people to stay in shape."
She has been a member of the Quentin Riding Club her whole life and still goes there frequently. She said the club has changed quite a bit over the years.
"They still have all the horse shows," she said. "They don't have as many horses boarded at the club right now as they have in the past. It's changed and evolved, and they're trying to hang on. It's a tough time with the economy and everything, but they're doing well.
Safstrom works as a secretary in Lebanon Valley College's music department. She's been at the college for 20 years, 15 in the music department.
She lives in Cleona with her husband of 31 years, John.