Bella Hadid has finally been able to return to the sport she loves – competitive horseback riding – for the first time since she was forced to give it up in 2016.
At the time, the 26-year-old model was battling Lyme disease and had to retire from the sport – and she was on her way to possibly going to the Olympics.
Bella – who recently celebrated her five-month sobriety – began horseback riding at the age of three. She grew up on a horse ranch in Beverly Hills and her mother, Yolanda Foster, was also a passionate rider.
In new snaps, she looks totally at home on her horse while out in Florida wearing a black jacket over a white shirt with tan pants and black boots.
She added a helmet for safety as she led her horse through the steps, including jumping over fences.
At it again: Bella Hadid was finally able to return to her beloved sport – competitive horseback riding – for the first time since she was forced to give it up in 2016
Lyme disease: At the time, the 26-year-old model was battling Lyme disease and had to retire from the sport — and she was on course to possibly go to the Olympics
Bella was a nationally ranked equestrian trying to make the 2016 Olympic team when she was sidelined with Lyme disease.
She was diagnosed with the tick-borne disease in 2012 and in the years since symptoms of the disease have left the runway queen bedridden, hospitalized and requiring regular IVs.
She has openly shared her journey on her social media over the years.
“Living with some chronic autoimmune diseases = always making time for my IVs,” she captioned a series of photos showing her IV setup in 2021.
“After 10 years of needles my tiny veins usually give out once before we get a good one,” she captioned a photo of her bandaged arms.
“It was really emotional for me,” she admitted to The Telegraph in 2017 of her diagnosis. “I thought I would ride horses for the rest of my life. But everything happens for a reason, that’s my motto now and I’m so happy to be where I am.”
She added, “Hopefully in a couple of years I can start riding again and buy a big barn upstate and my mom and I can ride whenever we want.”
Bella’s mother Yolanda also has Lyme disease.
Passion: Bella – who recently celebrated her five-month sobriety – began horseback riding at the age of three and her mother, Yolanda Foster, was also a passionate rider
Almost an Olympian: Bella was a nationally ranked equestrian trying to make the 2016 Olympic team when she was sidelined with Lyme disease
Jumping: She was diagnosed with the tick-borne disease in 2012, and in the years since symptoms of the disease have left the runway queen bedridden, hospitalized and requiring regular IVs
Sober: Earlier this week, the model announced that she has been sober for five months
Earlier this week, the model celebrated reaching five months of sobriety with a video she shared to her TikTok channel on Sunday.
In the clip, Bella spent time with her friends at what appeared to be a casino while taking in the sights.
The fashion industry personality has been open about cutting down on her alcohol consumption in the past.
In January 2022, the model opened up about having to limit her drinking during an interview with InStyle, where she expressed that she decided to stay home rather than go out when she felt her well-being was threatened were.
Back to what she loves: Now the model could give back the sport she loves
Classic: She wore a classic riding outfit as she trained her horse
“I’ve had my fair share of alcohol. I loved alcohol and it got to the point where even I started canceling nights out that I felt like I couldn’t control myself,” she recalled.
The model also noted that after being shown how alcohol affects her brain, she found it a lot “harder to pick up the glass.”
The model then shared that she’s starting to put less emphasis on going out and drinking.
She said, “There’s just this never-ending effect of essentially, you know, pain and stress over those few drinks that haven’t really done much, you know?”
Bella Donna: Hadid arrives at the grand opening of Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace on March 18th in Las Vegas