The Horseback Ride Dilemma by Natalie

The Horseback Ride Dilemma

By: Natalie

I took in the crisp mountain air. It smelled of pines, plants, and dust. Then I looked up at the sign that read: Horse Barn. My heart thumped hard inside of me. It felt as though it was trying to get out of a chamber. I was a bit scared, even though this was my second time horseback riding. That scared feeling seemed to throb and tingle inside of me, nonstop. I wasn't just scared I also excited; I was excited to see all the different sights on the trail, and excited to meet my horse. It felt like these two feelings were fighting inside of me. I tried to calm down a bit. I took the tip of my foot and drew squiggly lines in the dirt.

“Natalie!” someone cried. I twisted around facing a lady. Had I done something wrong? Was drawing in the dirt wrong? “Your horse is Rojo, let’s get you situated with him.” I took a deep breath, and calmed down again. The lady took me to a horse that had a beautiful main, and his fur was sleek and pretty.

Finally, everyone in my family was on their horses, and some others who I didn’t know. I touched Rojo’s penny brown and red fur. It was coarse, but sleek. The horses started to move in a perfect line, following each other. They were all following one horse, the leader, who had our guid riding on the horse. As the horses did the work, stepping on rocks and walking uphill and downhill, I enjoyed the scenery. It was beautiful looking at all the different plants and flowers, and seeing the sun peeking through the pine trees like it was bringing a brand new day in it’s hands. A bit of morning crisp air flew in my face. I shivered a little. The air was brisk, but there was still warmth from the sun, soaking into me like water soaking into a sponge. The woods were quiet but when I really listened, it was actually not so quiet. These sounds were not like the ordinary people talking or cars running, these sounds were filled with birds chirping, the wind blowing, squirrels jumping from tree to tree, and the sound of the clip clop of the horse hooves walking on gravel. Every animal, every thing in the woods was busy.  I felt calm and content. The woods was a beautiful and busy place.

When the ride was almost done I pulled up on the harness to let Rojo know that he was going a little fast. Something didn’t feel right when I pulled on the harness. Something was wrong! I pulled again, but Rojo kept going at the same speed. I shrugged. I must have been imagining. Then Rojo started to go even faster! I pulled on the reins hard. Rojo didn’t stop. He just kept going, I was scared he would bump into the other horse in front of me. I looked down at the harness again; I wasn’t imagining. As I looked down at the harness my heart started to thump just like when I was at the horse barn. It beat in my chest, fast and furious. I bit my lip. I had no control on this horse! The harness was broken. I couldn’t even look at the broken harness. What can I do? What can I do, I thought? You are okay; but saying this to myself didn’t help. I thought hard as fear spread through me, making me feel more scared every second. I bit down hard on my lip; so hard that it started to turn white. Then a spark of light seemed to go off in my brain. I looked back at my sister, who was smiling back at me. Then I thought of something! “My harness is broken!” I yelled at my sister. She started out looking surprised then took action. She nodded and told one of our guides. My heart thumped harder and harder, faster and faster. Then a guide finally came and took the harness in her hands. Then she tied it in a little knot, being careful not to hurt the horse.

“That should hold you till we get to the horse barn,” she exclaimed. I smiled as my heart slowed.

“Thank you,” I said feeling much better.

Later, when we were getting closer to the horse barn, a man yelled out, “ Hey look!” I twisted my head in a fast gesture to my left were the man was pointing. I saw little feathers poking out from a tree, then there were millions. They were wild turkeys! I looked at all of them strutting around. I smiled, a big bright smile. They were so beautiful! As we rode by the turkeys I could see the horse barn in the distance. It was shining in the sun. I stroked Rojo’s fur one last time and smiled, I guess this horseback ride wasn’t that bad; and I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t go.

I still remember that day well. That memory makes me understand something though. It reminds me that you have to have bad times to appreciate the good times. This was the lesson that sticks to that memory. I also know that I can’t let fear take hold of me. Fear can be a strong thing. It will try to rule you at times; but I learned that you have to try to be the one to overpower it. This memory had multiple lessons that were important for me to learn. Fright still tingles inside of me for a few fleeting seconds, but I know I’ve learned two valuable lessons that will always stick with me.