10:15 saturday night

"To girls like me, horses are not pets; they are not just something we do when we are bored; they are not something we can just forget about or leave just because someone tells us its useless and not a sport. We are the kind of people who skip parties and dances just to sit in our horse’s stall. We are the people who can tell all our secrets to a horse and be sure that they are listening and that they understand. When that horse who has stolen your heart looks you in the eye and you feel a chill run up your spine, and you know that you can trust them with your life. We are 120 pound girls who risk our lives trying to be in sync with a horse ten times our size. As Monica Dickens once said; ‘You and your horse. His strength and beauty. Your knowledge and patience and determination and understanding and love.’ That’s what fuses the two of you onto this marvelous partnership that makes you wonder, “What can heaven offer any better then what I have here on earth?” Horses allow us to be who we are without judgement, and teach us how to truly enjoy something, with all of our senses. To let us let go of reality, even just for a moment, and know we have someone who will always be there, and for once not care what other people say about us or think about us. This relationship isn’t like a dog or even a friend at school. It’s more. They become your family. We put our lives in their hands and gallop towards stationary longs just so, for once in our lives, we can fly. Feel that weightless feeling, that makes everything worthwhile. It gives a short, not-so-skinny, nerdy girl, who has never fit in a place where she can be herself, and that’s okay. For some, riding is a chore. For people like me, riding can change things, it can set us apart from the negative. And can set us free. Riding isn’t for everyone, you have to be willing to fall off, have days that nothing goes right, and work. Sure people have grooms, who do all the work and all you have to do is step in the stirrup for an hour every couple of days. But can you really ride? Do you know your horse’s ins and outs? My guess is no. It’s not for everyone. Some people learn to ride…Some people are born to."