Planting my boot carefully in the stirrup.
On the ball of my foot,
not too close to the toe
or my foot would slip out, but
not too close to the arch,
or my foot could get caught.
Perfect.

My miniature body fit perfectly
in her miniature saddle.
Our bodies proportion.
We were supposed to work together,
like the bees and the flowers.
Teammates.

Just missy and me.
Dad was out, plowing fields
Mom was out, riding on the trails.
It was our time to bond.
Alone.

The pasture engulfed the shadow gliding across the grass.
Walking to the beat of the sounds surrounding us.
The hum of the tractor down the road, and
hymns of the birds up in the trees.
I sighed of enjoyment
She snorted of her nose.
Pause.

Swatting her rear, she shifted her hooves.
My nerves went numb,
my view became sideways.
I leaped.
The ground was hard, but adrenaline muted the pain.
We both got back on our feet.
Confused.

Um no.
That’s not going to happen.
You follow my lead.
I choose when to go, when to stop, when to walk, when to trot.
Back to the stirrup, hoisting up, shifting back in the saddle,
Go.

Both coated with stubborn determination to get what we want.
Kicking her flank, my mind torn
between rage and anxiety for the future.
a stop
a snort
a roll
a leap

I’m done.
I wanted out.
The gate closed tightly from my Dad’s firm hands.
I couldn’t escape this four footed beast.
Rattling the gate, tears stung my eyes.
I turned around and
glared.

All I could do was stare at her.
She creeped up to me eyes wide open.
Like she was an innocent child who “accidently drew on the walls”
I didn’t buy it.
I saw her ornery little deceitful spirit.
I just wanted to be away from her.
But couldn’t.