"As One"

  I sit quietly in the saddle, blankly staring between the ears of the round bay pony. This is our first show together, and we are both nervous. Her amber eyes are large, and her ears flit back and forth. A dog barks in the barn, wind rustles through the trees, a fellow show-pony whinnies...few details escape her attention. I, on the other hand, notice little of it. My thoughts fly...she is a young pony, inexperienced, I have only been riding her for one month...

  A cute gray pony trots out of the ring. That means it's our turn in ten minutes - three more horses to go. I go over the course of brightly painted jumps mentally. I can hear my trainer saying, 'If you ride it in your head before you ride it on your pony, you'll be much more prepared." Okay, breathe deeply. Ride it mentally. Take this turn wide, balance, balance, count her strides one, two, three, jump, land, balance, count one, two, three, four, jump...last jump, balance up to it, count, jump, land, steady her pace, we're done. Now I know where to be careful, where to keep her pace slow, where to push her for a longer stride to get that distance, that perfect take-off spot. My thoughts are calmer now, and the butterflies are gone. I can feel her muscles relax, the soft movement of her tongue as she plays with her bit. She, too, is ready.

  We walk into the ring. We are alone. For three minutes, only the round bay pony, the course, and I, exist. The steadiness of her walk and her trust in me give me strength. Good girl, I pat her, we can do this. She begins to trot and we make a preparatory circle. I ask her to canter, and she responds, quietly and smoothly gliding into the faster gait. Good, now we are having fun! The wind in my face, the steady beat of her hooves, the sound of her breathing...we are one, this is how it's supposed to feel! Straight ahead is our first obstacle, balance, balance, count her strides, one, two, three, jump, land, balance, count one, two, three, four, jump...here it is, our final jump, balance up to it, count, jump, land.