Today I decided to share something personal. I want to tell you a story of how I managed to get my first horse before I was thirteen and then how it was stolen from me a few months later. I hope no one has to go through something like this.

As I mentioned several times before, I started volunteering at a horse ranch one summer when I was twelve years old. I loved it there and I still have many good memories of the place. It was the only place where he really felt like he belonged and had friends. It was where I was taught to work hard and where I got my footing in horseback riding. Without that ranch, I would not be the person I am today. I try to focus on all the good times instead of the worst times.

Now, we’ll call the owner of the ranch Percy, and we’ll call his daughter Renee, for her privacy.

I still remember the night I received the Christmas present of all Christmas presents. It was December 7, 2003. I had just finished marching in the Christmas Parade for the school band and then Mom, Grandma, Grandpa and I were on our way to the ranch because tonight was a big celebration. The ranch had been in operation for five years and they also wanted to recognize and honor all the volunteers.

Everyone was there. Even the volunteers who only came a few times a month, plus everyone’s parents, interns, and other family and friends were all there. We were in a large tent and it was packed with just over a hundred people. About three-quarters of the way through the ceremony, Percy called all the volunteers up on stage to be recognized. Each of us was given matching jean jackets with our names on them and hat-shaped pins or bracelets.

When Percy finished the volunteer recognition, he asked me and a few other volunteers to stay on stage. She gave each of us a piggy bank. You see, none of us on stage had our own horse, so these piggy banks needed to be left in the lounge (where everyone hung out together) so people could leave some change to help us save up to buy our own. horses. One day. It was a very sweet gesture.

Then Percy takes me to the microphone to do a little individual acknowledgment of how much his daughter thought of me as a little sister. He told me to come out of the store and tell him what I saw. So I left. I had no idea what to expect.

Suddenly, here comes Renee from a nearby salon with a horse at her side. Around the horse’s neck was a huge red bow. She had given me a horse! Talk about every girl’s dream come true. It seemed so strange since he barely knew Renee, but it didn’t matter. I had my first horse. She was a bay mare, only two years old, without dressage, and her name was Matti.

A few months passed after I got my horse and she was really doing well with her training. One day, when I went out to the paddock to look for her, she was missing. When I went to the tack room to find out where she was, Percy and Renee were there. They had decided to take her back. I discovered that there were some untold expectations. My quiet personality was suddenly seen as rude and apparently I was also supposed to call Renee when she was riding so she would know about my progress. She told me that she had 30 days to change my personality and get my horse back.

I never saw Matti or Renee again. Percy ended up giving me another horse, Summer, when my mom threatened to bring in a lawyer. We didn’t have a case because there was no bill of sale, but my mom knew she had to do something for me. Not long after receiving Summer, I left with one of my friends and my mentor at a different boarding facility.

The whole incident taught me a lot. It has taken me years to get over the pain and betrayal I experienced. The moral of the story is that you should always be careful to get a bill of sale when buying a horse and even people you trust can stab you in the back. The other moral of the story is, don’t waste years of your life holding a grudge against someone. It’s hard to look past the pain, but it really is better to learn to forgive and forget.