Falling For You

After Dakota and I had just gotten comfortable with our "waltz", we had our first fall together. It was my 2nd official fall after my first fall off of Cinnamon. But I had been waiting for this one- the one that Dakota and I would share. And it happened the exact way I always expected it would...she tripped! Over her own 2 front hooves! She fell face first and I had no choice but to be catapulted over the front of her. I immediately tried to stand up, but felt tension in my neck and was somewhat dazed. Luckily, another rider was in the ring next to us and came over and asked if I was ok. And surprisingly, I was. I wasn't scared. I didn't feel sick like I did the first time. In fact, I smiled. And the most surprising of all was Dakota's reaction to the fall. Most horses would take off and flee out of fear. Instead, she stood behind me. She nudged my elbow and arm with her muzzle. She was asking me, "Are you ok, mommy?" And there it was. The first acknowledgement- I actually love and trust my rider and owner. I had stood in her stall for hours and hours for this moment. For this moment of her making the decision, "ok, I will accept you into my life". And yes, maybe it took a brutal fall, but it was finally there...the trust. All I could do was smile. The other rider kept asking me questions and asking me if I was ok, and I think my answers shocked her. Especially after I realized I was dripping blood down my face.

Trust is one of those words that we hear so often used in society. It is so easy to lose and a long process of gaining in one another. I don't know why I expected any different from an animal with feelings and emotions. How is she different? Yes, her brain may not have the capacity ours does for memory and learning. But she has feelings. She feels the wind from miles away, she senses storms coming towards us before the radar detects it- so it was a no brainer that she could read me like an open book.

The other rider helped walk us back to the barn, and I immediately asked my trainer "Do we have a first aid kit?" She walked up and said, "What happened!?" as she knew blood was dripping down my face. But I didn't care! I was relieved! I smiled back saying, "Oh we just tripped, we're fine!" I cleaned up my wounds, and my trainer made me get back in the saddle. I said, "Ok...I'm up here....any more tricks we have to do to prove we are fine?!" I did it with no fear. All the anxiety, all the woe- it was completely gone. All the trust in the world had been handed to me by an animal- a flea bit gray quarter horse.