They walked her over around a bit and then Odette asked if anyone dared ride her. I didn’t think she really meant it, but I said “Me, me, please me”. They saddled her and up I got. I remember on the far end of the ring were a few jumps set up for Glycine, my dream horse.
I gathered the reins, and we started to walk. She was like a dream. Then I felt her tighten up a bit. “Go ahead and trot her and maybe try a canter if you dare” Odette shouted me. (Why “if you dare“?). I squeezed my legs and felt her tense up and quiver and I knew what was coming. All of a sudden, she collected herself and then expanded like a spring and we were gone.
I lost my stirrups and my reins, I grabbed her long mane and just held on with my knees and crouched down. From a long way away I could hear Odette yelling, "Just hold on, just hold on." I looked up and saw the jumps coming. I can still see her ears flattened, the jumps coming up, and her mane flying, hitting me in the face, stinging my eyes along with the sweat and tears…
I was terrified and exhilarated and then we were airborne, not once, not twice, but 4 times, over the 2 uprights and the in-and-out. I was flying and yet time was not moving. Nothing was. It was like being suspended in time and space, frozen in terror and joy. I wished it could have lasted forever, but then it was over.
We cantered around the ring, breathing hard, and I got my reins back and my stirrups. Then when I looked around I saw Odette and the class just staring at me. When I stopped her in front of Odette she said ‘Do you know how high those jumps were?” “No’. “‘5’, 5’2 and 5’4 (in meters). Oh and I forgot to tell you , Gilda was just retired from the steeple chasing track”.
We had a bond from then until the last time I saw her. From then on, she was the horse of a lifetime for me. I will never never forget her.
