Love, Ryder

Prologue

Authors Notes: Just quickly before you start this read, make sure you go and check my new book 7 Summer's Ago. It is a spin-off of the Love Ryder mini-series, it follows a similar storyline as this novel. Thank you for the support. Hope you enjoy them. 

It takes a lot of courage to get back on and do something that almost killed you. Every night I lay awake and dwell on it. It keeps me up; the thought of wanting to know what would have happened if I hadn't had the accident. My life would be completely different and I know that I know that if it didn't happen I would have been in Vegas competing at the Nation Finals. That was back in December 2019. A year after my accident I find myself sitting in a hotel room in Fort Worth, after the sign-in for the rodeo. My Mamma told me before I left Collinsville that I didn't have to do this, that I didn't have to go and compete at pro rodeos again. But I did have to, I needed to.

My whole life I thought that barrel racing was just something I did, but it's not, it's something I need to do and a part of me feels like it is in my blood to do it. That I was made to do it; born to do it. I started running barrels when I was five years old on a little paint pony called Milo, I had him until I was around nine. Then I started getting pretty good at barrels and my parents brought me my first barrel mare Spicy. She was a deep chestnut and I had her for twelve years; rode her for seven of those years. She taught me everything I know about running barrels, and now I am lucky enough to be riding her daughter.

That was before I got on Bird, a green mare from a ranch up north. She's why I haven't competed in so long.

 ∞

I remember cantering the green mare around the arena, she was frisky and not settling. It had rained that morning and there were puddles of water throughout the arena. I was trying to take the mare through her paces before I started her on the barrel pattern. The man that owned her had given her to me for three months to see if I could get her to run barrels. He said that there was potential in this little mare. For one thing, she was a little rocket but that was where it stopped, she was loco. The mare had that look in her eyes, you could see that she wanted to kill you, that she had a mean streak in her.

Once she began to listen I took her around the barrel pattern once, she wasn't the best but she was swift and agile on her feet. But then just like that, it all went wrong

We were cantering along the rail and a bunch of the yearlings on the other side started to run up and down the other side. The mare jerked her body in the opposite direction, I lost my stirrup as the mare bolted around the arena, I held onto the horn and the reins as tight as I possibly could. As soon as I thought I had her under control, the mare kicked her back legs up in the air with such violence it threw me off and I landed a few feet in front of the mare. She galloped off to the other end of the arena and just stood there. The last thing I saw was two of the ranch hands rushing over to me and then I blacked out.

∞

The doctor came into my hospital room and told me that I had shattered my shoulder blade, broken arm, three broken ribs and a broken collarbone. It wasn't the worst kind of injury that a person could have but it still wasn't good either. I couldn't work and I felt like I should have given up. But then I realised all the people that were in worse off situations, and that they probably had a better mindset than me.

After being in the hospital for three weeks I was able to go back to Collinsville Texas to live with my parents while I recovered properly.

I stayed with my parents for a month until I felt like I could go back to my place. My mother insisted that she drive me to the ranch, even though it was only just across town and I would have been fine.

Once I got back home everything started to feel better; my body, my mind and my soul. I started working Bird again and spending time with some of the younger foals that Spicy had left me. But I didn't start riding again for another six months, and when I did I realised how much I had missed it.

The feeling I got when I swung my leg over Bird was amazing, once I sat myself down in the saddle it was like I never left it and everything just came naturally. Bird was perfect to start riding again on, she was sound and nothing fazed her. Each day I would ride and do more and more, once I found my feet again I decided to tackle the barrel pattern.

Bird broke out of the little alleyway and straight into a gallop, I turned her to the right barrel first, just before we turned around it I sat and slowed her a little spinning around and galloping straight to the second barrel. I sat again and pulled a little and we took off to the last barrel and spun around it and burst around it and broke out home. I kicked her sides and tried catching air on the run home. She was brilliant, I scratched her neck and told her she was a good girl. I trotted her around the arena to cool down, her palomino coat was thick with sweat. I thank this horse for everything she has done for me, she helped me to get where I am now and I am excited to where she is going to take me.