I was looking through a magazine and there was a Tee Shirt that said “She Believed She Could, So She Did.”

Believe has been my word for the last year.  A year ago when Fri tore her tendon, the vet said she was done.  I told her no she wasn’t, that I believed she would be okay.  I will never jump her again, but I’m okay with that.  That leg is fine now, but she hurt her good leg protecting her bad one, so now I’m waiting on that leg.  Certainly not as serious a problem.

We believe a lot of things, some that are not true.  We have to be careful as to who and what we will believe.

The first horse I fell in love with, was a prime example.  The first year when I was taking lessons there was this big black mare named Black Diamond.  It was love at first sight.  I spoke to my instructor about riding her and I was told she was not a beginners horse.  So I patiently took my lessons dreaming that someday I would ride this mare.  Six months later my dream had come through.  Looking back I don’t remember her being that hard to ride.  She was a doll.  I rode that horse every chance I got.  Riding her in a show and getting first place sealed the deal, I was in love.  But then it came time for me to start jumping and I was told she didn’t jump, that I had to ride other horses.  So I did, but still every chance I got, I rode Diamond.  I had ridden her up to the stone wall many times dreaming that I would be going over that wall with Diamond.  I believed she would do it for me.  Back then I didn’t ask why she couldn’t jump, I just listened to what the owner said.

I don’t know if I read it in a book, or my instructor told me, but I never forgot “Throw your heart over first, and you can jump anything.”  So one day when we were all running around having a great time, everyone was heading toward the wall.  I was caught up in the moment and when they all jumped the wall, so did Diamond and I.  I was in heaven.  Of course upon landing, I thought about what I had just done.  Someone turned around and asked if I had jumped it and of course I said yes.  When I told my instructor about it she was a little upset.  She couldn’t believe it, but she said we both could have gotten hurt.  But we didn’t, I Believed, I threw my heart over first.

Many times through the years I have done things because I believed we could.  Ravines played into a lot of the things that I did.  I look back now and think that somethings that I believed in bordered on insanity.  Walking across a ravine on two planks that was about a foot wide total, several times, that wasn’t too bright, but I had to get to the other side to stop hounds and that was the fastest way to get there.  Riding through a ditch, that the sides and the tree that was down over it, was up to my horse’s neck, but we jumped it, several times to lead another horse (who had more smarts) over it.

It’s like the movie Spirit.  Spirit believed he could fly and that he could jump the canyon, and he did.  The Indian boy was not so sure, but either way they were going to die so he took the chance.  Of course that was just a movie, not real life.

When you believe you lose the fear.  Is that a good thing?  I’m not sure, but it sure felt awesome.

Everyday when I go out to the barn I tell Zoey we are going to ride tomorrow.  We haven’t yet, but I “Believe” we will.  I also believe I will get caught-up on all the other things that I need to do, so I can ride.  It’s getting to the point that I’m just going to ride, the other stuff has to wait.  I’m no good to anyone when I don’t ride.

I believe others have had similar experiences, in which they believed they could do something that no one else believed they could do.  The love, trust connection between horse and rider can help us do amazing things.  If it’s not there you have nothing.

Do you believe?  Does your horse trust you that much?  Don’t try it if the magic isn’t there.  Oops translates into a ride to the hospital.