Welcome to Sports Illustrated's “Change Agents,” where the biggest names in sports have a chance to spotlight someone in their life who has been personally meaningful to them—someone who they believe is the best example of an individual fighting for change and one who has inspired the athlete to do better and be better.
The following is adapted from an interview and has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Unlike most kids, the first thing I picked up wasn't a baseball or a football or a basketball. It was a rope—and they threw me right onto a horse.