It was like any other day at Centenary College Equestrian Center. I was in the barn getting ready for my lesson, which I was really excited about. On Thursday October 10, 2013, I was looking forward to riding a blanket Appaloosa pony named Aspen. I heard from my friends that he can be fast at the trot though. I did not let that bother me because I am very determined and strong-willed when I am faced with something new and interesting.

When it was my turn to mount in the ring, I thought to myself, “I can do this. I am a very experienced rider as well as determined to get anything done.” Once I mounted, I felt fine walking around the ring once for the warm-up. Then after the warm-up, we trotted going to the left. At the trot, Aspen was quick but I could still control his speed. When I could feel him picking up speed at the trot, I gave and took with the reins to slow him down. He finally did a controlled trot for me down the long side. Finally, I rewarded him by patting his neck.

After we were finished trotting, it was time to canter. This is when the lesson takes a turn for the worse. When it was my turn to canter, I made Aspen do a forward trot, squeezing with my lower leg. Then at the corner of the ring, I moved my outside leg behind the girth and made a clucking noise with my tongue. Instantly, he went in to the canter. Going to the right, he was fine and I was keeping my seat, going with him. But tracking to the left was different.

When I was going to the left, something happened. Starting out trotting I was doing really well. But then, when I came to the corner I tried to step Aspen up to the canter the same way as going to the left. I did two different things after asking for the canter, in this direction. One mistake I made was, my reins were too long. Then I panicked once I had realized it. After I tried to collect my reins back up, I made a noise because I panicked, which scared Aspen. The last mistake I made was, I bounced on his back which irritated him. Finally, he sent me flying through the air and I landed on my right hip and then rolled onto my left side.

After the fall, I was really scared to ride again. It scared me because I was nervous that it would happen again. In the end, my friend was there for me to lean on. She helped me get my confidence back to try again, but on a different pony. After that ride I was sore, but it felt great to get back on and ride again. Riding will always be a part of me that nobody can take away. That experience taught me, “When you fall off, you have to get right back up. Don’t be scared.” You cannot give up when doing something you love and are passionate about. Keep trying because you will succeed and maybe learn a lesson like I have in this experience.