Never Apart

Riding Again

4 months later*

This was my first day riding again. It should have been perfect, like at the end of the movie where everyone turns out okay and everyone has their happy ending. Well it wasn't. I should have been riding my horse in my arena but that just wasn't the case in this movie.

I am riding this stupid mare mom is making me lease. She is a 17.1 hand white Percheron named Rosie. She is a therapeutic riding horse I apparently 'need until I get better'. I am riding at Lavender Creek Stables. It is a therapeutic riding stables. I am tacked up and ready to ride. Sarah, my instructor, is sitting on the blue mounting block in the freshly painted indoor arena. I mount my skyscraper of a horse and get on. "Okay, Amy. Sit down in the saddle and keep your heels down as far as possible." I roll my eyes but do as I am told. "Okay, posting trot. Make sure you are deep in the saddle and keep stretching down in your heels as you sit." I do as told but then Rosie swings her neck foward and sideways throwing me off the saddle. I am face first in arena sand. "Okay Amy, what happened?"

"I fell. What does it look like?" My mom chimes in,

"Amy! Don't be mean!" Mom always seems to be there to correct me but never when I actually need her.

"Sorry, I lost my balance because of Rosie swinging her neck." I look at the devious mare who is now looking at me with a face as to say Haha! I made you fall off! Sarah goes and grabs her.

"You don't have to blame everything on the horse, Amy. She is just a sweet little mare. Aren't you, Rosie?" Rosie nuzzles her and then makes a mean face at me. I grab her black reins from Sarah and get back up. I walk around and get calmer before trotting again. I trot around a couple times and then dismount. "That was great Amy! You did awesome! Now all we have to do is work on your balance."

"Okay, thank you!" A half hour later, I am in the car headed home. Thank goodness for summer break! My phone buzzes.

It's Lauren: Want to go for a trail ride?

I text back: Sure! Sounds fun. Meet you in an hour?

Lauren: Great! Meet you at your house :)

We stop in the driveway. Vinny is playing with Sundancer and Starlight.

"Okay mom, I'm going for a trailride with Lauren in an hour."

"Okay honey! Have fun!"

"We will!" In the last couple weeks, Sundancer and Starlight have finally started to settle in. I've recovered pretty well. Vinny is happy as ever to be home. He and Sundancer are really good parents to Starlight, who is getting bigger and bigger every day! She is almost a solid 14.0 hh!

I tack him up and quickly see Lauren come in on Ty. She waves quickly and smiles. "You ready to go?" "Definitely!"
Today was yet another warm, hazy, June day in CA. My breathing is in sync with Vinny's hoof beats. It was truly the perfect day. We took them back to where we found Starlight and did what we had intended to do, but hadn't done. We galloped on the beach, made a log jump; and jumped it, and just simply had fun! I couldn't remember the last time I smiled.
I got home at dusk. I took Vinny's tack off and hung it up nicely. I took him out and bathed him. The white soapy suds dwelled around the top of his bay coat. I rinsed him off and put him in his stall. I gave Starlight, Sundancer, and Vinny their hay and grain.
When I got in the house, mom and dad were sitting quietly on the couch. "What's wrong?"
"Honey, we have to talk."