I believe in horseback riding. The pounding of my heart after a tremendous barrel run. Feeling like I’m flying when loping bareback. Then that slight fear because I almost fell off my horse. That feeling in my legs when I get off of my horse after I’ve had a long and arduous ride, a.k.a. the best feeling in the world. Completely forgetting all of my problems when I step onto the saddle.
It had been another one of those days. The days when nothing seems to go right. First I had woken up late (I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before). Then, I had a test in nearly every class. Including a unit test in math, an FRQ in AP Human Geography, a quiz in biology, and another quiz in government. My only saving grace was that it was Friday and after school I got to see my horse and ride.
My horse’s name is Shotzi. She is a brown and white paint with a black and white mane and tail. I’ve had her for about three years and she is the absolute love of my life. Even though she will spook at nothing (I joke that she can see dead people and hear voices). Or the fact that she is terrible to try to deworm. When I ride none of that matters. All that is important is what we are doing in that moment. I’m not thinking about the homework that I need to work on; or about that project that I have procrastinated on and
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I jumped into the car with my mom driving and my little sister in the front seat. With every rotation of the tires, as I got closer and closer to my horse, I could feel the tension in my shoulders release bit by bit. By the time I actually stepped into the saddle all of my worries and fears had flown away like the fallen leaves on a windy night. I immediately forgot about everything bad that had happened earlier. From waking up late to the tests that I definitely did not study for as much as I should have. All that existed in the next hour (or so) was me and my horse. From perfecting our barrel turns to just loping around and around and
...ould hear the creeks soothing sound, the doves calling as dusk approached. The beautiful sound of wild turkeys gobbling in the spring. All the faces of my loved ones came flooding back to me. I couldn't wait to get home!
Today when I woke, I was expecting my son to be asleep. That wasn't the case. Today was his first race. Now here we were, at the track, race about to start, everyone was lined up ready to run. *bang* The starting gun went off. Like a bolt of lightning, everything came flashing back to me.
The sound of my alarm buzzed while I struggled to get out of bed. I wiped my eyes and got out of bed. My mind was packed with thoughts and emotions. That day was a very special day for me. I had prepared for that day for months if not years. Just thinking about it, made me nervous. It was tryout day for the high school golf team. Even though I was on varsity since freshman year, I was still nervous because there was always the possibility that you can get booted if your performance is sub-par. After staring at the wall for a solid minute, I shook myself out of the trance I was in and continued with my routine. Minutes passed, and I was ready to go to school. I loaded my car up with my clubs and started for school. I had a hard time keeping
Most equestrians will agree that the most relaxing place to be is out in nature, with just you and your horse, with no worries in the world. The wooded cross country course and the rolling wheat field are a tranquil and quiet place to spend quality time learning about and enjoying your horse. The cross country course provides a motivating factor for eventers like no other. The wheat fields have a meditation-like feel with the quiet rustling of the plants in the soft wind.
I took the reins in my hands, placed my left foot on the stirrup, swung my right leg over, mounted the horse and took position on the saddle. With a slight movement of the reins and a gentle nudge, I slowly guided my horse to the field. For the next 15 minutes, we exhibited the requisite movements for dressage (a competitive form of training to develop obedience, flexibility and balance in a horse) with flawless coordination, culminating in a National Gold.
A calm crisp breeze circled my body as I sat emerged in my thoughts, hopes, and memories. The rough bark on which I sat reminded me of the rough road many people have traveled, only to end with something no one in human form can contemplate.
It was the middle of the night when my mother got a phone call. The car ride was silent, my father had a blank stare and my mother was silently crying. I had no idea where we were headed but I knew this empty feeling in my stomach would not go away. Walking through the long bright hallways, passing through an endless amount of doors, we had finally arrived. As we
We heard that some people we know wanted to sell there one horses named Blue. We started to ask the people about him and they invited us over to ride him. We trailered Blue to an arena and rode him around. He was good at being ridden for not being ridden for 5 years. The people said that the person that had him before showed him at the world horse show, show jumping and some other big name horse shows.
Blood rushed through my veins and my heart began to race as the powerful equine athlete beneath me was preparing to run into the arena. Fifteen seconds and three barrels later, my heartbeat began to slow down, tears flooding my eyes, as Lulu’s first run in two years had commenced. After years of rehabilitation, dedication and patience, Lulu was back at it, doing her job. She came out of the arena as if she were on top of the world; her head held high, looking for her reward (a horse treat)! Lulu’s return to competition after lameness, along with many hours spent at horse farms and veterinary clinics, has given me an appreciation for the veterinary field and the discipline and dedication it takes to keep animals healthy and performing at
For the rest of the night I continued to think about just how much I have evoluted from being my mom's mini me to my own person to being ok with who I was this skiing trip has really changed me. When it was time to eat dinner, I meet my family at the eating lodge. I was so hungry after skiing down that ski slope so many times. Even though I was a little bit disillusioned with how good I was I knew I was proud of myself and that's all that had mattered right now. I just enjoyed every moment of it
Dr. D is a cardiothoracic surgeon. He was my hero. He may well still be, even though he is a throw-back to the days when I was more concerned about science than symbolism.
When i mounted my horse, i lay all my day’s worries behind
There is, literally, a rainbow of colors horses come in. Some of the most common colors are bay (brown with black legs, mane, and tail), brown, chestnut (a subdued golden red color), black, and gray (darkish white). Some of the less common are palomino, liver chestnut (dark chestnut), bright chestnut (a very bright golden red color), pinto (piebald being black and white and skewbald being brown or tan and white), dun (tan with black legs, mane, and t...
At first I did not know why or how it happened, I just was not afraid anymore. I did not get bored, I did not get sick, and I did not have to painfully wait to use the bathroom. What was once a time of fear and unease turned to a time of tranquility and delight. I was excited to drive my car, and I felt good while driving. Maybe it was because the music I was listening to calmed me. Perhaps it was the beautiful sights I saw outside my window. It could have been because it was a time when I got to leave my troubles behind me and relax. It may have been that I was driving the car rather someone else, or it could have been a combination of all of these things. All I knew was that I had a 35-minute drive to school everyday, and I enjoyed it.
After a quick breakfast, I pulled some of my gear together and headed out. The car ride of two hours seemed only a few moments as I struggled to reinstate order in my chaotic consciousness and focus my mind on the day before me. My thoughts drifted to the indistinct shadows of my memory.