Moving Forward After Unwanted Change
"Hold onto the horn!"
Lucy barely heard him as sheer terror gripped her while this well-trained horse galloped at Pony Express speed through the snow toward the end of the fence. Her legs were shorter than the stirrups that flapped wildly against his sides. For a quarter mile, he jerked this way and that, plowing, jumping, and breaking through the crusty drifts. When the fence turned left, she surprisingly stayed with him as he made a sharp 90-degree turn. The herd was just ahead. Puffing like a steam engine, he came to a full stop. Her first solo ride was over, and Lucy let herself slip and fall into the snow.
Buck was probably just as frightened as Lucy, as he had just arrived at his new home. He hadn’t gotten to know the herd yet, and the girl on his back didn’t have a clue about how to reassure him. It may have been a dramatic introduction, but it didn’t stop them from becoming best friends.
Buck was patient with Lucy. He’d wait for her to wiggle her way up into the saddle. By summer, they were riding for miles along the edges of farmers' fields, powerline trails, and swimming in the nearby river.
Every pre-teen horse crazy-girl needs a horse like Buck, and Lucy made her father promise to never sell him.
During a windstorm, a piece of metal tore a gash in Buck’s front leg. Her father was going to let the wound heal on its own, but Lucy emptied $60 in coins out of her Black Velvet whisky canisters and insisted she’d pay for stiches.
By the time Buck was able to trot, Lucy was singing "Jingle Bells" as he pulled her in their one-horse open sleigh.
Manitoba winters can be harsh, and by the end of February, it can feel like spring will never come. When Lucy got off the bus, she immediately noticed Buck wasn’t with the rest of the horses.
Only her mom was home. Lucy demanded, “Where is he?!”
As gently as she could, her mom explained that another girl really needed a good horse like Buck.
“But HE PROMISED!”
The shock of the betrayal of trust pierced deep. Lucy didn’t understand that circumstances change, and sometimes promises are broken. There was nothing she could do. This was the end of a friendship and the start of silent distrust.
Buck had indeed done his job. He built Lucy’s confidence and showed her a world of adventure and wonder. By late spring, Lucy started a new friendship with Buck’s pasture mate, one that would last over twenty years.
May the magic of writing bring you closer to your horse!
If you’d like more ways to creatively connect with your horse, join the Imagine You with Horses newsletter.
We share all kinds of creative ways to deepen your heartfelt connection with horses.
Join Creativity with Horses
!