By Elizabeth Redhead Kriston, MS/CCC-SLP
Sonny, a beautiful Arabian, had almost human like qualities that made one
think of a precocious child. He was intelligent and a little naughty. However,
in that moment, he seemed to have lost all of his humor. He was on a singular mission
that he could not be disengaged from completing. He approached me at ever
increasing speed as I contemplated what to do. Do I duck and cover? Do I veer
to the right? Do I veer to the left? Do I wet my pants?
Learn About Therapeutic Horseback Riding
http://www.pathintl.org/resources-education/faculty/27-resources/general/198-learn-about-therapeutic-riding
The events that got me in this very precarious position were altruistic which made it feel unjust. A few weeks prior, I had begun volunteering at a not-for-profit therapeutic horseback riding farm. My training was minimal but good enough to keep me safe in the event of any trouble that might occur within the arena surrounded by competent and experienced horse people. At this point, the things I knew about horse safety include:
The events that got me in this very precarious position were altruistic which made it feel unjust. A few weeks prior, I had begun volunteering at a not-for-profit therapeutic horseback riding farm. My training was minimal but good enough to keep me safe in the event of any trouble that might occur within the arena surrounded by competent and experienced horse people. At this point, the things I knew about horse safety include:
Horse
Safety Basics
- Never approach a horse so as to startle it, stay out of its blind spots.
- When walking behind a horse stay very close or very far so that it cannot kick you.
- When feeding a horse from your hand, keep your hand flat so it won’t chew off your fingers.
- Every horse has a unique personality, understanding it will help you interact best with it.
As you can
see, none of my horse safety knowledge addressed my current predicament. It was
clear, I should have asked more questions.
Find more horse safety tips here:
You must be wondering, “Why was she being charged by a horse?” That is a very good question. At the time, I fancied myself an amateur photographer. As a way to raise funds for the therapeutic program, I volunteered to take snapshots of the horses on the farm. We would assemble them into a calendar. The finished product would be sold to the community.
After taking numerous stagnant photos, I decided that what the calendar really needed was some action shots. Sonny was one of the most photogenic horses on the farm and he seemed the perfect specimen for our high speed photo shoot.
My plan was not well thought out. This became abundantly clear as I stood stationary, stupid with fear trying to decide what to do. As Sonny sped closer, my reality blurred. All I know for sure is that I was screaming, at least on the inside. I closed my eyes and trusted my instincts.
Time seemed to slow. I continued to hold the trigger on my camera as it snapped frame after frame of the approaching horse.
My memory relies completely on my other four senses as my eyes were squeezed shut. As I waited to be trampled, I felt the hot air of Sonny’s nostrils blow on my face followed by the thudding of his hoofs on the ground followed by the stench of horse sweat and fear (mine I think) followed by a split second of silence followed by the sparkling laughter of Gabby.
Gabby was the infectiously happy teenage daughter of the owner of the farm. She was the one who lead Sonny to the middle of that pasture as I waited many yards away with my SLR camera at the ready.
She was the one who smacked Sonny on his hindquarters sending him off with a shout at full speed straight at me and my rapidly clicking shutter. She was the one I blame, though I can’t be angry with her.
Gabby reached me and her peals of laughter calmed me. I began to laugh through my tears and shakes caused by the terror I experienced just a moment before.
Gabby, between laughs asked, “Why didn’t you make yourself big and raise your arms up?” She demonstrated by flapping her arms like the wings of a condor. “That would have made Sonny turn sooner,” she insisted. If only I had known. If only I had asked.
It is not as if this is the first time that I realized I should ask more questions. I am not sure why I do not ask what seems like obvious questions.
Perhaps I think I know more that I really do. Perhaps I think the answers should be apparent. Perhaps I believe the answers will reveal themselves in due time. Perhaps I do not know the questions to ask. Whatever the reason for not asking the questions in the past, after being nearly trampled by a horse, I feel that asking the questions really is a matter of life and death (in some situations), or at least could definitely make life go much more smoothly.
When I begin to presume to know more than I actually do, all I have to do is conjure up the image of Sonny racing toward me at full speed and me powerless to do anything to change his course.
That empowers me to change my current course and ask the question no matter how obvious the answer might seem. I have found that folks become impatient with my questions, but like a three year old, I feel the need to press on and ask “why, why, why” to the annoyance of all.
How To Ask Good Questions
No comments:
Post a Comment