Yearning to Live

Caught

I ran down the backstretch. I could feel the breath of the horse behind me on my back. I felt Anna give me some of the rein back and I took it. I started to go faster but I couldn't, I needed more rein. Anna sensed this, and I was surprised when she let me loose.

I ran like never before, I ran away from that horse quickly. I started to lengthen my stride to cover more ground. I could still feel the horse behind me, he wasn't about to give up. I felt pain in my left leg, but I wasn't about to lose my lead. I changed my stride and pressed on. I could feel Anna worrying that I changed my stride and try to pull me up a bit. I decided not to listen to her, she gave me the rein, didn't she? I saw a pole flash by me. I toke my attention away from running for a split second.

But I lost my stride. As my left leg pounded on the ground, the track turned wicked. The track's sinking feeling was all too real. My leg sunk slightly into the dirt, caught, and twisted. I couldn't pull my leg out and I crashed. My leg bent in an awkward position when I landed. Pain shot through my leg, but my head remained light. Too light. My head spun for a moment. I felt hooves from other horses thunder past. Quickly, people surrounded me. I stayed where I was sides heaving still exhausted from the run. I saw Tom and Mady approach. Mady talked to the vet who knelt down next to me and checked me over. Tom walked over to me and cradled my head in his lap. He whispered something I couldn't hear, I closed my eyes. He rubbed me on the cheek and scratched me on the neck. He sat there, staring at me in worry. I heard the vet say that they needed to get me up. Tom stood up and I lifted my head up to look up. He encouraged me to get up, and I tried. Every muscle in my body screamed in pain and tiredness. I had enough strength to sit up, then I took that final step and I was up. Tom quickly attached a rope to me, but I stood still. My bad leg was up in the air, I couldn't bear to bring it down. The vet came over and knelt beside my leg, he tried to touch it but I just lifted it higher. When he insisted, I let it down a bit and he ran his hand along my leg. I sniffed his hand and out of the corner of my eye something caught my attention. Anna lay limp on the dirt. I nickered to her, I wanted to hear her talk. I lifted my head up to see over the cluster of people around her. I shifted my body insisting that I go over to Anna.
I saw her stir a bit and I pricked my ears toward her. I heard her moan and point to her leg and clutch her head. I thought miserably to myself, this is all my fault.