Don't Give Up

For the month of June, Saver of Memories is going to be full of equine-related posts!  I actually didn't plan this ahead of time; I just noticed that I had two different joint posts about horses coming out, and decided I would just have some fun and make it a monthly theme.

Because horses.

I'm going to kick off the month with a quick chat about bravery.  And yes, this ties in to horses.

Confession time: I'm afraid of horses.

Yes.  I, Julian Daventry, who has been riding for 10+ years, done countless riding adventures, ridden barely-trained horses, and is an avid horse lover...I am afraid of horses.

Well, kind of.  I'm afraid of falling.  Of getting hurt.  I'm afraid the horse will bolt, or will buck me off, or I'll in some way or other regret being on the back of a horse.

And it's not without reason.

I've had two horses that bucked frequently.  One that had no brakes and another that couldn't be still.  I've had a spooky horse and a horse that liked to spin his riders off.  I've worked through buddy sour issues, horses that wouldn't load, horses that kicked, horses that just plain were ornery.  And for a nervous, timid rider, these horses probably don't sound like a right fit.

But I didn't sell them.  I kept riding them.  I got back on after every fall (including those nasty spins).  I prayed before my rides (and prayed a lot during them, too.)  I pushed through my own fears.  My Dad encouraged me.  My sister helped me.  My friends cheered me on.

And you know what?

I just got braver.  And the horses got even better.

I worked through my problems.  Pepper stopped bucking.  Nugget calmed down.  Bree stopped spinning.  Cord relaxed.  Spirit became braver.  Suzie stopped freaking out.

Sometimes you have to just offer up a quick prayer and then buckle down and do the very thing you're worried about.  Get on that horse.  Go out and ride him.  

And yes, sometimes there will be bad days.  There are days when the horse gets spooked.  When the horse has extra energy to let loose.

But you keep riding.  And you keep moving on.  And you don't give up.

And one day you look back and realize just exactly how far you've come.  There may never be a moment when you realize something's clicked, but you will know that things have been much better then they were before.

And that's what bravery is.  It's saddling up and going out there even when you're afraid.