The Mare

Velvet

I fell off Little Tina. We were in the round pen, and we were cantering and I was making her stop and start and sometimes walk backward. Then somebody started shooting. Behind me Pat said, “What the hell?” and I got scared and Tina started moving too fast. I turned around in the saddle to ask why they were shooting, and the rein came loose in my hand, and then they shot again and Tina moved sideways hard, and I slide off her and I hit the ground; her back legs kicked up and I rolled over and prayed. But she just kind of moved off sideways and Pat was there saying, “You okay?” and I said, “Why are they shooting?” And she said it was idiots target shooting out of bounds, was I okay? And I was. So she told me to get Tina and get back on her. I didn’t think I could, but Tina let me. I walked to her and turned around like, Follow me, and she did. That’s when I took her bridle and took her back to the mounting block.