I slammed against the muddy ground, my heart racing, sweat trickling down my temples.  I looked around quickly only to see several hooves stomping.  I am going to get crushed to death!, I thought…

Just before the nightmare began, I was sitting on the back of this big animal, riding along trails with my family. This was my first time horseback riding at 11 years old and I was not enjoying myself.  They had put me up front with the leader, and her horse was pressed up against mine through most of the trip, crushing my leg between their bodies.  I could not wait for it to be over.

The stables and the big sign that said Rainbow Ranch came into view, indicating that the ride was finally over.  I sighed in relief.  I wasn't too fond of being up on a horse; swaying back and forth, and feeling like I would tip over at any minute wasn't exactly my idea of fun. I looked down at my trembling hands.

“See, that wasn't so bad now was it, Joselyn?” my sister Tiana asked. 

I grunted in response to her ridiculous question. I will admit I was very hesitant before we went on this ride, as I was not the fan of horses that she is.  As we trotted up to the ranch, my mom, dad and sister went to different people to get help dismounting the horses. I asked politely if a woman could help me off my horse. “Excuse me?” I tried not to make my voice so shaky, “Do you mind helping me once you're done helping her?” I gestured to another girl being assisted by one of the workers.

“Yeah, in a sec!” She smiled and continued to help the other rider.

I nodded. As I waited, my horse -- named Skittles -- started to walk over to a big water trough. I thought it had been a long ride and it was best for the horse to refresh himself.  I let him have his drink as I looked down at him. His black mane draped down his shiny, equally black neck. I shivered.  It had been a cold and crisp afternoon, a nice autumn day in 2013.  The smell of the farm air filled my nose.     

Suddenly, I felt the horse shift its body; I looked down, startled at what I saw. Skittles started to lift his right leg, bringing it up over the edge of the tub and into the water. My heart started racing. I tugged lightly on the reins, trying to get him to stop and steer him back out of the water.  But he did not respond.  The next thing I knew, he began to jump around in the water, almost like a little kid splashing in a pool. I turned as pale as winter snow but my head felt as if it were on fire, sweating profusely.  In a panic, I thrashed around on the horse's back.  I could not even bring myself to call for help.  Despite my best efforts to hold on, I felt myself being lifted up out of the saddle as gravity took its toll.  I screamed as I hit the ground.  Skittles went in the opposite direction.  Quickly, I looked around only to see several hooves stomping: all the horses around the trough had become startled. 

So many thoughts raced through my mind.  One set of scuffing hooves appeared,  inches away from my face,  I felt that if didn't move, I would get trampled on and suffer more than a few broken bones.  My body ached from hitting the ground so hard and my hands were shaking immensely, but I didn't care -- I needed to get out of there. 

Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to think.  I tried to get up but I couldn't.  Instead, I crawled through the horse’s legs and stood up as soon as I found myself in the clear.  Terrified and crying, I ran into the safety of a woman's arms; she turned out to be one of the owners. I was in so much shock and frightened at that point, that I didn't care if she was a stranger or not.

“It's okay, you're okay,” she cooed as she held me close. 

My breathing started to slow down but I could still feel my heartbeat thudding rapidly. A tear rolled down my cheek. I shut my eyes tight, trying to take in everything that just had happened. 

I could hear my mother’s voice.  “That’s my daughter!” she said to the person helping her.  “I need to get over there!”  The next thing I knew,  My Mom was there.  She took me from the owner and guided me to the nearest bathroom.  I was covered in mud and tears.  My mother checked me over to make sure I was not hurt.  I only had soreness and a couple of bruises here and there. After she cleaned me up, we walked back outside. 

One of the other owners, a man, came over to us.  He explained that Skittles had a penchant of climbing into the trough and playing in the water.  I wished they had told me that before they put me on that horse!  The man was sincere, though, and apologized, asking if I was okay.  I nodded but didn’t say anything.  My Mom did most of the talking,  I just wanted to leave and go home.  That was one experience I did not want to repeat.  It will be a long time before I ever get on a horse again, but I learned that if I ever find myself in that kind of position again, not to panic.  By keeping calm, I will be able to handle any situation.