By: Jenn Dlugos

When I was 12 years old, my friend Mary and I went horse-back riding for her birthday. Mary was a horse lover, and rode as often as she could. I was an animal lover in general, but I never rode a horse in my life. Always willing to try anything once, I was very excited about this new opportunity, yet unsure of what to except. I certainly didn’t expect to have the pleasure of meeting one of the noblest, kindest, and intelligent animals on the planet.

When we got to the stable, we were asked to choose our horses. Mary went to the side of the stables for the more experienced riders, and asked for the fastest one they had. I went to the side of the stable for beginning riders and scoured the area. All of the horses were beautiful, having silky coats in a rainbow of colors. My eyes fell on a beautiful reddish-brown horse that had patches of white. His eyes were a beautiful brown. As soon as he noticed I was staring at him, he came over to me and nudged me with his nose.

“You’re lucky.“ A stable hand said, “This one is pretty shy. He doesn’t approach people often.”

“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Well, his name is Lucky. We call him Apple Blossom though. He‘s got a thing for apples.”

I kind of smiled and said, “Don’t all horses?”
“Yeah, but he’s very territorial with his apple basket. He starts grunting anytime we go near it. That horse could eat apples every day. But, the real reason we call him Apple Blossom, is because when he really takes a liking for a person, he’ll take an apple out of his basket and place it in their hand.”

Completely enthralled by his story, I patted Apple Blossom’s soft mane and asked the stable hand if I could ride him. He saddled up the horse, and helped hoist my little 12-year old body on top. He took me to meet Mary, and the rest of riders who were going out on the riding path.

Apple Blossom was well suited for a beginner, as he was very kind and gentle. Many of the experienced riders were having a difficult time keeping their horses on their path. Apple Blossom however, just plowed on very carefully. Unlike the other horses, he kept clear from getting me too close to the tree branches, almost as if he knew this was my first time. Not to mention, I could swear that he looked back a couple times to make sure that I was all right.

When we got to the open part of the rider tracks, our guide gave the horses the cue to run. Apple Blossom, however, kept walking steadily. As all the other horses whizzed past me, the guide rode up along side of me.

“You gotta forgive this one, kid. I’ve only seen him run about half a dozen times since I’ve been here.” The guide rode off ahead, not getting too far away from me, but making sure the other riders were also in sight.

“Come on, Apple Blossom.” I whispered as I stroked him. “You can do it.”
I continued to pet him, while holding on tight. After a few minutes passed, Apple Blossom started to trot. It took everything I had to stay on the saddle as Apple Blossom trotted harder. Seconds after we zoomed past the guide, Apple Blossom started to run at full gallop. The wind ran through my long brown hair and the ground started to race under me. For a few seconds, it felt as if we weren’t even touching the ground at all. The ride was so smooth, I felt as if we were galloping amongst the clouds. He only stayed at full stride for a matter of minutes, but it felt like an eternity in heaven. I was still zooming from the high when I brought him back to the stable.

I gently got off Apple Blossom and led him back to the stable hand. I watched him go back into his stable. As soon as he got situated, I patted his nose and said goodbye. As I retreated, I heard the stable hand yell for me. I turned around and he pointed at Apple Blossom. There he was, staring at me, with an apple in his mouth. I took it from him, gave him a pat on the nose, and retreated.

When I returned the next summer, I discovered Apple Blossom was sold to an out-of-state stable. I never did see him again. However, it was him that taught me how noble and caring the animals are. Every summer vacation, Mary and I would return for her birthday, and every time I walk away with an even greater respect for horses. Though I haven’t visited for many years now, I will always cherish my memories, especially the very first day I learned to fly.