"Why I Ride" READ AND LEAVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM PLEASE (this is a work in progress) Slide 1 and 2

I lived an incredibly safe and sheltered life before I started riding. The most dangerous thing I did was walk to and from Madison Elementary every day, I had never had a near death experience, and a small gash to my chin was the worst injury I had ever endured. One might say that my life was good, but most would probably agree that my life was downright boring. After moving to a rural neighborhood and celebrating my tenth birthday my parents finally granted my lifelong wish and began paying for me to take riding lessons at a local stable. During my third lesson I was thrown from the back of a two ton horse, had the wind knocked out of me, and almost had my face kicked in. The trauma of falling off alone would probably have been enough to cause any other girl to never want to look at another horse let alone get on one ever again. I on the other hand blamed myself for letting the horse spook and got right back on. This was the first time I was almost killed by a horse and the first time that I didn't care.

Since I began riding seven years ago I have been stepped on countless times, thrown once, been almost bucked off multiple times (by multiple horses), run away with once, and almost run over and killed once. I have sustained multiple bruises, sprained my shoulder and elbow a couple times, and knocked a few ribs out of place. I think I'm a better person because of it. You're probably thinking that I'm crazy and I very well might be, but considering all of the good experiences I've had with horses and all of the good that my interaction with horses has done for me I don't see any reason that I would ever want to quit riding.