Have you ever had one of those moments when you’re watching your child and realize they are about to fall into danger and you’re physically too far away to catch and swoop them up into safety?  I have, but luckily all ended well by the grace of the universe…well and my daughter’s ability to embrace the situation with determination instead of fear.

My daughter was six at the time and it was just another ordinary day of riding lessons at the barn for her.  She was such a tiny thing; the horse so large compared to her little being. It made me a tad nervous however, she was a natural and always exhibited control with the horse she trained on (Jaguar was his name) so I heeded her trainer’s advice, suppressed my doting-mom fears and just let my baby ride.

Every week she rode and I watched in awe as my little girl gained strength, skill and confidence to ride that big ol’ horse.  Rising up to the challenges her trainer threw her way, my daughter never failed to smile and muscle through her lessons.

On this particular day I decided to bring my camera so I could capture some images of my little darlin’ in all her horse riding glory (alphabet/crayon decor helmet and all).  I remember how particularly well she rode that day.  She was beaming with pride as she and her trainer decided to push it up a notch and turn a routine trot into a full-on gallop.

And then in a blink of an eye, a fraction of a second and barely a push of the shutter button things took a turn for the worse.  A fox had run out in front of Jaguar and spooked him.  I didn’t see the fox through the viewfinder of my camera however I saw the mood of that horse change faster than I could throw the camera down to the ground (you’ll notice that particular picture is slightly blurry and the last one in the series).  In utter horror I watched a spooked Jaguar buck like a freak show with my little baby hanging on for dear life on his back.  The camera hit the gravel as both the trainer and I scrambled after Jaguar to save my daughter.  And all I could think about was my daughter getting tossed and broken into a million pieces.

And this is when Jaguar got spooked…

At the same time while on a very bumpy and unpredictable ride (to say the least) my daughter surprisingly stayed remarkably calm and focused.  She was determined NOT to get tossed.  And through it all not a scream, cry or even a faint peep was heard from her.

By the time we finally got Jaguar under control my daughter was literally halfway off the horse, sideways!!!!  Seriously it was like something you’d see on a “Three Stooges” skit. She had been hanging on like that throughout the entire incident. Jaguar’s bucking was so strong and sudden that his first buck had knocked her off the saddle …it was quite a scene.

I know she had to have been frightened but her courage, strength and determination is what got her through safely.  I don’t know if words could ever explain the horror I felt as I watched my daughter manage such a dangerous situation without being able to help her…there was nothing I could do about her fate until I was able to get Jaguar under control.

But the horror I felt was overshadowed by my daughter’s courage.  You see, after we got her off Jaguar (doing my best to hide the fact I was on the verge of puking) I asked my daughter if she was okay and she bravely said “yes mom, I’m fine” and then I asked her “do you want to get back on that horse?” without hesitation her reply was “yep!”  “Okay girl, get back on that horse and finish your lesson”.  Not really what I wanted but if she was brave enough to get back on I surely had to be brave enough to let her.

I learned a valuable lesson that day and so did she.  From time-to-time you may find in life that you’re caught on a bucking horse…a freak-show bucking horse (metaphorically speaking). And when that happens you have the choice of giving in out of fear (and falling off of course), or you can hang on for dear life with determination and focus to make it through in one piece. You have the choice to embrace the situation as an opportunity to exercise your strength and courage…and if you do you might just end up surprising yourself in what you are truly capable of doing!