I find myself stopping to cry as I write because how do you write about someone who saved and changed your life. I never intended to work with Sierra. The horse I had been working with had died suddenly and I was devastated. We all remember our first horse, and how special they are to us. I have come to believe that it is the second horse that teaches us the most. And Sierra was the best second horse.
Sierra was a rescue and complicated like me. Sweet but sassy, caring but didn’t care, and peaceful yet chaotic. She was perfect in the most imperfect ways, which was such a relief as we were similar, her and I. Sierra knew how to respond in a way that I needed to hear. Sometimes that meant she completely ignored me in the field. It was her way of telling me it didn’t matter, and that I needed to let go in order to move forward. Too many times we would start off calm and connected, and then I would get lost in the thoughts running through my head. Sierra would take that opportunity to take off running too, in circles with her tail up in the air. We both had a tendency to get trapped in our heads, check out and go into autopilot. I had to learn to stay present if I wanted her to.
There were times that Sierra could be really sweet and responsive, or she could test you on the hardest things. Harder than calculus, maybe. Sierra taught me how to ground myself, if neither of us could be properly present then nothing would get done. When working with horses you need tools to relax, which is actually true in life as well. Sierra and I both needed to learn how to slow down, breathe, and listen with the intention to understand, not respond. Very different those two.
Sierra taught me how to be clear about what I wanted, and how to ask for it in ways that she could understand. It’s the lessons Linda is always talking about; the ones that stay with you for life. I worked with Sierra all throughout high school. I can’t imagine those years without her or The Pony Express. So many life lessons learned through the eyes of my horse.
I am now in my second year of college at Colorado State University. I am the social media officer of The Mountain Riders Horse Club and intend to be president one day. This winter, with Linda’s help I was accepted into a Japan abroad program for 20 days. Where I am today would not be possible if I hadn’t had the opportunity to participate in The Pony Express Equine Assisted Skills for Youth Program. I now know for certain what I want, and what I am striving for. So grateful to the horses and humans who gave me a leg up and onto my pathway forward. I know my journey has just begun.
