Becoming Brave
No. 3
Breakthrough
"We have a surprise for you," I still remember sitting on the stairs as my parents grinned. "You're going to horse camp!"
It had been two years since my accident, and because I'd gotten right back on and finished the ride strong, I was able to ride with little fear.
Little, but not none.
I got back on. But it didn't end there. I had to get right back on again. And again. And again. No matter how many times I faced my fear it didn't go away. It wouldn't, for a long time. I also had an intense fear of going too fast.
So yeah. I was still shy with Cal, but our other horses were fine - as long as I never went above a trot. My loving parents put me in lessons at a barn in my home town. This is where I fell in love. Not the love. Not with my boy. But I didn't know that yet. No, this is where I met Troni.
You know those sweet kids horses that are absolute saints? Mhmm. That was my girl. God bless her, she taught me to trust again.
I was obsessed with her, she was the star of every imaginary house game, and in real life I got to ride her every-other week. Horse camp meant I would get to be with her all day for four days in a row! I was beyond ecstatic. So when the hot summer came around we pulled up in our green mini van with my sack lunch in hand and I met the other kids. We all shared a love of "our" horses and became pretty great friends. We worked together cleaning stalls, played together with apple fights in the orchard, and rode together on trail rides (singing loudly). And it was on this trail something amazing happened.
We were all in a line like a mother duck and her ducklings, when the lead horse took off up a small hill. Up until now I would trot just fine, but canter? Forget it. But if you don't know this, horses are very herd-bound. Unless you are very in control and on top of things, they will literally just do whatever the horse in front of them does. And in this case that was run up the hill.
Without a moment to think, stop her, or regret it we were suddenly loping upward. We quickly crested the hill and eased back down into a walk. My friend Sabryna looked back at me as if to ask if I was okay. And to my surprise my lips were smiling from ear to ear.
Left to right: Sarah and Troni, Sabryna and Dani, Amy and Red.
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