A champion doctor

Editor's note: The following piece was published in the most recent edition of Firelands Health's Feel Better with Firelands publication. Published two times a year, it features patient stories, interesting facts about Firelands Health and also provides information on new services. We know her as Dr. Roxanne Rogers, a family medicine physician with Firelands Physician Group, practicing in Huron. But in the world of competitive horse shows, she is known as a champion. She has won multiple national championships in various divisions with two of her three horses. "I began competing very young, at age 5 or 6," Rogers said. "I started showing horses at the 4-H level for fun. In my early teens, I got more serious. Wanting to compete higher, I began working with a trainer." Rogers grew up on a small horse farm in lower Michigan. "We always had three or four horses at any one given time. Horses have always been a part of my life." Her family remains in Michigan, and her busy medical practice does not allow her the time to manage a farm, so she boards her horses. Her mom is also a horse enthusiast and has a horse she shares with Rogers, who shows the horse for her mom. The horse is formally known as Roselyn's Mr. Sandman, otherwise known as Spirit, and is boarded in Oberlin, Ohio. Additionally, Rogers has two horses in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "I board the horses where I think they will be most successful," Rogers said. "The horses are with specialized trainers who I trust and work with the horses daily following specific training programs." Thanks to her trainers, Rogers states, "When I get to my horses, I can enjoy my time with them, practice and show them off." Rogers rides at least twice a week. Spirit, the horse in Oberlin, is easier to visit and ride more frequently. Nevertheless, she rides and practices with her two horses in Indiana for a full Saturday about every other week. In Indiana, she has Force, short for Millennium Force, a tribute to her Sandusky connections. The baby of her horse trio is Junior, too young to show yet. Rogers travels to shows and competitions scattered about the Midwest, such as Columbus, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Massachusetts. "I have so many amazing friends in the horse world. Every time I attend a horse show, I hang out with some of my closest friends," Rogers said. "Plus it is special time spent with my mother, who often joins me at shows." Her constant companion, Russell, an English bulldog, who accompanies her daily to the office, also travels to the horse shows with her. "I got Russell at a horse show years ago, and he is very at home around horses," Rogers said. All three of Rogers' horses are Morgans, an extremely versatile breed. Rogers shows western dressage and ranch riding with Spirit. Force is an English horse Rogers shows driving and saddle seat, a form of English riding. Driving is an equestrian sport involving carriage driving, a discipline in which the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse. Every October, Rogers participates in the national championships in Oklahoma City. Last year, she won the Grand National World Champion in Amateur Pleasure Driving with Force, the highest level a Morgan horse can accomplish. Rogers also became a World Champion in Western Dressage and the Reserve World Champion in ranch riding with Spirit. Although modestly so, she might be most proud of having been recognized by her equestrian peers as one of the country's top amateur exhibitors of the year. "My two worlds have some commonalities," Rogers said. "Being a physician and working with horses both take a lot of dedication, focus and constant learning. It is important for everyone to have something outside of work to enjoy that allows them to relax. I love what I do as a doctor, but my horse life helps me be a better doctor by giving me balance in life and a sense of peace and calm. I feel so blessed to have this passion."