As I walked into the barn, I had mixed emotions.  One one hand, I was nervous to be around a thousand pound animal that could squash me like a bug.  On the other hand, I've always loved horses.  Ever since I was old enough to know what a horse was I've wanted to ride.  I look around the tidy barn and take in the smell of Main and Tail conditioner and leather.  Somehow, I already feel at home.  I spot my step-mom down the aisle taking a beautiful, Bay mare out of her stall.

     "She's beautiful," I say in awe.

     "This is Daisy," Amanda says,"I was just getting her out to groom.  Wanna help?"

That's when the nerves really kicked in.  I had never even layed a finger on a horse.  I had no idea what grooming even entailed!

     Amanda walks Daisy over to the cross-ties and knots her lead around it, keeping Daisy there.  She hands me an odd looking, round brush with rubber spikes on it.

     "This is a curry comb.  You run it all over her body in short, circular motions," Amanda explains while demonstrating. 

She hands me the comb and I start to mimic her actions.  She ran through the whole grooming process with me, as I follow her instructions.  Half way through grooming her, a harsh-faced older woman walked into the barn.  Her gray hair was attached to the nape of her head in an orderly bun and her face covered with overdone makeup that makes her look borderline scary.  She is a very neat, classy looking woman.  She greets Amanda and turns to me.

     "Jodi, this is Mia, my step-daughter.  Mia, this is Jodi, my old boss," Amanda explains.

We say our hellos and Amanda follows her into the tack room to 'check somthing.'  Now it's just me and Daisy.  I finish grooming her as Amanda said, and now am at a loss of what to do.  I start petting Daisy's neck and then slowly inch my way to laying my head on her back.  With every centimeter I start to trust Daisy a little more.  I'll just rest my head here until they get back.

     It was a nice summer day and the air with filled with happy whinnies and birds chirping their content chirps.  I could most definitley get used to this.  When Amanda returns, she unties Daist from the cross-ties.

     "How would you like to do a groundwork lesson with her," Amanda asks with a smile.

I'm a bit nervous, but I follow her into the arena anyways.  The arena is kinda stuffy and dusty, but it does it's job I suppose.  Amanda hand me Daisy's lead and explains what to do.

     "Walk her second way of the ring, which means counterclockwise.  Click you tongue between your teeth to get her to walk," Amanda instructs.

I follow her directions and take Daisy the length of the circular arena a few times.  I ease up and start to get more and more relaxed with every passing second. 

"Now turn her around and go first way of the ring.  Do that by clicking to her and turning her in a tight circle," Amanda says.

"I reckon first way of the ring is clockwise," I ask turning Daisy around.

Amanda nods and I follow her instructions, finishing up the lesson.

     When I got done with the lesson, It was nearing time to put her away.  I was practicing what Amanda had taught me when Jim, Jodi's lurching giant of a husband yelled to Amanda asking her to open the gate.  I knew that meant he was bringing the noisy tractor full of hay into the arena.  While Amanda was unlatching the gate, The metal chains were clashing into the gate with loud bangs.  Daisy's eyes got scarily wide and she started to spook.  She got very antsy and finnicky, pawing the ground roughly.  She stopped listening to commands, and I started to panic.  As I pondered ways to calm her down, doubt and the fear of being sqaushed filled my head.  I started to whisper to her softly, and that calmed her down enough for her to walk into the aisle of the barn.

     Once we were back in the comfort of the barn, relief washed over my like a blanket.  I had done it.  I actually handled the situation, and handled it right.  I had calmed her down without the slightest idea of how to.  I felt so proud!

"Great job," Amanda says as she walks up behind me, "you handled that like a pro!"

We put Daisy back in her stall and started back to work.  That tiny incident may not seem like much to you, just another day, but it was a much more important day for me.  Not only did I face some fears, but I was introduced to my passion.