I was FEARLESS as a kid. I would ride into Angeles National Forest alone on my pony and watch the sun come up and then race home to shower and get ready for school. I had no idea that fear existed.
Then I had a horse get bit by a black widow. That little voice inside of me said…Don't go, don't ride but I ignored it. I went anyway and got on a strange horse, in a strange place and knew immediately, something was drastically wrong.
The horse was on his tippy toes as soon as I was in the saddle and I could feel that he was about to explode. I was petting him on the neck and whispering, "It's OK" as I tried to get my feet out of the stirrups to get off. As soon as my right foot was clear of the stirrup, he RAN backwards until his feet hit the edge of the dirt road and it flipped us over onto a split rail fence and up against a tree. He couldn't get off of me.
I remember THINKING, this is it, I will not live to see another day. I remember FEELING, God's hands around me, sheltering me.
It was a Miracle. I had no injuries. Some bruises that were replicas of the pine cones we had rolled over, and a cut that ran from the top of my head to my tail bone straight down my spine where we had landed on the fence, thankfully not across the fence. But, my COURAGE was gone.
I continued to show horses and jumped no problem but could not leave the arena. I could no longer ride on the trail. I was FROZEN with FEAR.
Add in getting older and the fear of getting hurt and I was MISSING out on my Passion. We bought a ranch in Kentucky with access to AMAZING trails and that made all the difference. I made the decision to get my COURAGE BACK!
I am LOVING riding again! I am Confident Riding again! I am truly Blessed to be enjoying my horses again!
