The summer that I turned thirteen was wonderful! My friend (I’ll call her Maggie) and I would babysit all that we could to save up money and every two weeks we’d go horseback riding. This was way back when stables could let you go out alone – without a guide – and it was a lot of fun.

We’d been to the stable so often we got to know all of the horses by name. We’d get there early and ask for our favorites. Then we’d ride out and pretend so many different things on the trails. Ever played hide-and-seek on a horse? It adds an interesting twist.

We’d been going to the stable for a while when we topped a hill and looked out over rows of houses. One day we got a wild hair and rode down one of the streets. That’s how we discovered that we could get to a 7-11. That first time we didn’t have any extra money to get anything but you bet we had spare cash with us every time after. There was no hitching post so we’d take turns getting snacks, one going into the store while the other held the horses. Knowing that there was the chance that a horse’s metal shoes could slip on the concrete of the street, we always made a point of walking to and from the store. We never bought much and always had it gone by the time we got back to the trails.

One day after our ride, as we waited for Maggie’s mom to come pick us up, I watched a rider practicing in the arena. That’s how I learned to ride, by watching others. I watched her do figure eights at different speeds and back the horse through different patterns. I was startled when at one point the horse reared up suddenly - but the rider seemed perfectly calm. This happened a couple of times and I realized that the rider was commanding the horse to rear. Between the movement of her hands and the placement and pressure applied by her feet, she was asking the animal to rear and he did it! I watched carefully and made note of her commands – and of course I had to try it myself. Each ride after that, i'd ask the horse I was on to rear. some did and some did not. The only horse that I found who would perform the task regularly was Jake. Naturally he became my favorite.

It happened one day that I was riding Jake and we, of course, made our regular trip to the store. Another friend was with us so we were coming back three abreast down the street. We loved this time because the little kids would stop and stare, pointing and talking to each other in awestruck whispers. It made us feel important, like celebrities. On this particular day, we heard a car coming up behind us. The street was old and narrow with cars parked along both sides and three horses filled up the space in between. Maggie and I noted some spots up ahead where there were driveways and agreed that we would part at that point so that the car could pass. The driver, however, had other ideas.

It was a Volkswagen Beetle. A man was driving and a woman was in the seat next to him. It seems that he didn’t want to wait for us because he pulled fairly close to the horses heels and honked the horn.

All of the horses were startled and Maggie and our friend both bolted down the road. Jake started to follow but . . . . . I don’t know what I was thinking. Perhaps that’s the problem, I wasn’t thinking. As he stepped forward, I held him back – and asked him to rear. We went up and down and up and down and 'round and 'round and 'round – just inches from that bumper. Stupid really.

We'd gone up at least ten times when I glanced into the car. The woman had her hand on the dashboard and was pressing her body back into the seat. The man was leaning forward with a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel. The fear and panic on both faces was delicious to me.

I decided that they had had enough and pointed Jake toward the trails. Giving him a kick, I flew down the street away from the car – but not before expressing my opinion with the gesture of a single finger.

I was laughing hysterically when I reached my friends. Like the other spectators, they thought that Jake was totally out of control and were relieved to find that I was not only unhurt but thoroughly pleased with myself. We sat at the trail head for a few moments while Jake and I caught our breath and the car never moved from its spot. Eventually, we headed down the hill.

I often wonder how long the car sat there after we were out of sight – and how long it took to get those stains out of the seats!!


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