“You have got to be kidding me,” I said to myself, staring at the huge horse in the stall in front of me. Why would I get paired with this horse? This horse was made for giants. Sure, I was tall for a girl but I definitely wasn’t tall enough for this horse. I stared at the big, gray horse against the far wall of the stall. I could hear the clap of his teeth as he crushed the grains in his mouth –an easy task. No way, no how. And Bandit? What kind of name is Bandit anyway? Does he steal things? I shook my head at him from the safety of the barn aisle.
The sound of other stall doors opening and closing died down as the rest of the campers entered their stalls and got to the task of meeting and grooming their horses. I remained where I was, grooming box in hand. It was just fifteen minutes ago that I was learning what all of these brushes were called, how to use them, and, even more importantly, how to interact around a horse. I knew not to go under a horse, but Bandit was tall enough that this looked like a viable option. That idea scared me. I shouldn’t be able to fit under a horse’s belly without playing a challenging game of limbo. I had also learned that if you had to pass behind a horse, you should pass as close to the horse’s back legs as possible so, if they were to kick, you would not get hurt as badly in the process. Something about that just wasn’t encouraging.
Bandit continued to stand there big and gray, eating his breakfast. I stood in the aisle blonde, small, and terrified wondering why my parents let my older sister, Lauren, talk them into this. I remained there, scared of all of the possibilities, until one of the counselors approached me. “What’s wrong?” She asked, peeking her head into Bandit’s stall.
I was never one to say I was afraid. I was the girl who would put on a brave face and just do it, but this was something different. “He’s just so big,” I said, continuing to stare at him.
“Yeah, he is,” the counselor nodded in agreement as she pulled her dark hair into a ponytail. “But he’s a gentle giant. Trust me. He’s literally the sweetest horse in here.”
I looked at her and back to Bandit. How was that possible?
Read the rest on my horsey blog, Beyond the Saddle! (Psssttt! Share your horse story with me here to have a chance at being featured on Beyond the Saddle)
