Justice Leslie Dean ENGL 106 Aria Halliday Literacy Narrative Draft 2 The Ride Youre going to think

Im crazy, but Ive had a thing for horses since before I was born. Its the truth. When my mom was pregnant with me, she rode horses in parades and shows, so horses have always been a part of my life. I remember when I was 4, I had a pony named Sunshine, and I loved that pony so much. What 4-year-old doesnt love a pony? However, one day my dad told me that my precious Sunshine ran away. My heart was broken. Why did my pony want to leave me? It turns out that my pony actually died. My dad shielded me from the truth so that I didnt have to deal with the horridness of death. My family always owned horses, whether it was just one horse or ten. Watching my parents taught me a lot about how to ride. Id study everything they would do. I observed them groom the horse, saddle the horse, mount and dismount, use the reins to tell the horse which way to go, cluck to speed it up, whoa to slow it down. My parents had beautiful relationships with these horses, which was something I envied. My parents had control when they rode. I learned that its not about how the horse acts, it is how the rider acts. If a horse appears to be behaving, that could just be a sign of a great rider. It might actually be an awful horse, but the rider knows how to handle it due to experience and control.

The more I rode horses, the easier I could handle them. The phrase practice makes perfect rang true as I learned to ride horses. I developed instincts of how to read a horse, and how to handle different situations. Not only did I learn good horsemanship, I also gained a love for the animals. Spending so much time with the horses built relationships. I felt in control when I rode. I felt like I had so much power, which was a feeling I didnt get from anything else. When I was in the third grade, something awful changed the way I felt about horses. I was riding my horse, Presto, that wasnt well trained and was also very stubborn. Presto got out of control, and ran away with me, bucking along the way. I held on as long as I could, and then was bucked off, landing in the gravel. I had never lost control of a horse like this. I felt like I couldnt trust horses anymore. That one horse tore down the relationships I had been building for years. I couldnt get back on a horse for a long time. I was scared. I didnt like the thought of losing control again. I would ride when my parents made me, but I felt like I was literally going to die. My fears hindered me from becoming an even greater rider. I couldnt bring myself to trust another horse. I had lost the feeling of control. I felt completely powerless when I sat on a horse. It felt like they could do anything to hurt or scare me. My fear slowly subsided. The more I rode, the less I was scared. It took about five years for me to be able to ride a horse with confidence again. The more you do something, the more comfortable you become with it. This was true in my case. It took longer to build that trust up again than it did the first time. About three years after my accident, my dad bought me a horse. She wasnt the prettiest thing, and to top it all off her name was Leroy. I figured she had to be some sort of weird horse, which made me trust her less. My dad convinced me to ride her, and I would have felt bad if I didnt since he bought her for me. I got on her and she was the best trained and most behaved horse I had ever been on. Leroy taught me to trust again. She never did

anything to lose my trust. I fell in love with her, and we built an irreplaceable friendship over the two years that I owned her. The most unfortunate thing happened though; Leroy got sick, and she died in my arms. She had become one of my best friends, and she was family. Losing her was so hard on me. I felt like I could never find another horse as good as her. I found some more decent horses, which I loved dearly, but it was hard to get that same relationship I had with Leroy. Then I realized that these horses had just as much a chance to be as great as Leroy. I had to build relationships with them, and my love for horses came back. Once I was over my fears, I realized that I had missed out on so much. I learned more and more about these amazing animals. I joined the 4-H Horse & Pony Club and it allowed me to ride with other people my age. I became skilled in western pleasure, in which you compete in an arena with other horses performing a walk, trot, and lope. The horse must remain under control on a loose rein, keeping a low head. The rider has to direct the horse with nearly invisible movements. Im now joining the Purdue Western Equestrian Team (PWET). Joining PWET is going to help me further my learning of horses. It will give me something to participate in while learning. Learning more about horses will help me feel more confident while riding. If I had not had an accident, I most likely wouldnt be able to handle horses like I can today. It tau ght me to pay closer attention to the horses behavior. Thanks to Presto, Leroy, and all the other horses along the way, I learned more than I would have without them, and I became more passionate about riding. My fears led to a deeper love and understanding of horses.