Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - 42

Hometown HEROES
By Amber Lanier Nagle
Beth Clymer
nurtures horses,
youths
B
eth Clymer has dedicated her life to helping
both youths and horses thrive and reach their
full potential.
From the fi rst moment Clymer gazed into the
deep, knowing eyes of a horse, she was hooked. As
soon as she had a driver's license, she drove herself
to a local barn near her hometown of Lilburn and
began working with horses and learning to ride.
While attending Georgia State University in
Atlanta, she helped form an equestrian club, and
after college, Clymer managed stables in Alpharetta
and off ered lessons to youths.
She became somewhat of a horse magnet-attracting horses from
various backgrounds and situations, loving them and retraining them to
fi ll new roles. For example, Clymer adopted a retired racehorse in 2016,
rehabbed him from an injury and trained him to compete with her in
dressage, show jumping and cross-country events.
" I think horses are a lot like us, " she says. " Th ey want to have a purpose,
and I try to fi nd that with them. "
Just before the COVID-19 outbreak, Clymer felt pulled in another
direction. Her mother had been a nurse for 40 years, and the " horse girl "
was retrained to become a health care professional. In 2020, during the
darkest days of the pandemic, she worked as a nurse extern in the intensive
care unit at Northside Hospital Atlanta.
After work, Clymer traded her scrubs for jeans and riding boots. She
found working with horses to be therapeutic after diffi cult shifts at the
hospital and knew she had to get back to sharing that experience-and the
mental tranquility that comes from working with equines-with others.
" Th at same year, I founded Firefl y Farm [in Chattahoochee Hills], "
says Clymer, a member of GreyStone Power Corp. in Hiram. " My goal is to
provide aff ordable access to horseback riding for youths in my community
and foster a love of horses in young riders while nurturing the horses and
giving them the best lives possible. "
Today, she cares for six horses (two are leased to her) and a donkey
and works with 10 to 15 student riders. She sees her work with youths and
horses as a way of giving back to the world.
" It's also a way for me to preserve the tradition of horsemanship-an
activity that seems to be less popular today, " she says. " And by teaching, I
learn and grow, too. I get as much out of this as my students do. "
Clymer's lessons go beyond equestrian-related skills. Her students
learn to care for and respect animals, form close relationships with others,
support one another, practice empathy and develop patience and
confi dence.
42 Georgia Magazine September 2024
Top: Beth Clymer, center in riding hat, poses with some of
her Firefl y Farm students. Above: Clymer cares for one of
her horses and her donkey.
" Th ey will carry these skills with them throughout
their lives, " she says.
Parents rave about their children's experiences
working with Clymer and the horses.
" It's a loving and uplifting environment-a safe
place for [my daughter] Isla and the other young
people to talk about problems and situations and
learn to support one another while working with the
horses, " says Rachael McNally of Palmetto, whose
11-year-old daughter takes lessons at Firefl y Farm.
" Isla has realized how strong and smart she is,
and she's learned that if she falls off her horse, she
shouldn't get discouraged; she should just brush
herself off and climb back on. I think that's a great
life lesson. "
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer based in
Adairsville.
MARIBETH WANSLEY
FIREFLY FARM

Georgia Magazine - September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2024

Contents
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - 4
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - 5
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - 6
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Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - 8
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Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - September 2024 - Cover4
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