That Trail Ride On Cheyenne At Back Bay | A Wonderful Horse Story

By: Holly Miller

As I walked into the stables, my adrenaline rose. I was so excited! Today was the day my trainer was taking me to the Back Bay for a trail ride. The Back Bay was a beautiful bay that came in from the Pacific Ocean. It was a nice getaway from the traffic and crowds. It looped in a circle and people could bike ride, run, walk, horseback ride, and walk their dogs. The best part of today’s ride was that I was going to ride the small, black pony named Cheyenne. Cheyenne was the small, black pony that everyone loved. Everyone thought she was so sweet and adorable.

We left for the Back Bay shortly after I arrived at the stables. Cheyenne and I were ready to go. We rode until we got to a small wooden bridge. After about 20 min., we decided to stop and take a break. After I had my feet firmly back in the stirrups, we were on our way again. However, right in front of me, were two other ponies. They saw us and cantered away. Cheyenne decided to follow. Cheyenne’s gait got faster and faster as she followed the ponies ahead of her. At this point, I had officially lost control of her. I sat there, unbalanced on her back, screaming “Ho!” and pulling back the reins. I felt scared and I unsure of myself at this time.

Behind me, I could hear my trainer, trying to give me instructions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep my balance any longer and fell off Cheyenne’s left side. I lay there for a second, still trying to take in what had just happened. I looked up and saw Cheyenne standing above me. I got up, amazed that Cheyenne had actually stopped. As I looked down, I noticed that blood was coming out of each elbow. I could also feel a pain in my back. I slowly stood up and took the reins off of Cheyenne’s neck. I walked her all the way back to the stables instead of getting back on. We arrived back at the stables and my mom was already waiting for me. I ran up to her and hugged her. I couldn’t wait to go home. As we drove home, I told my mom what had happened.

My next lesson came a week later. I got there, ready to ride again. I told my trainer that I wanted to ride Cheyenne. She seemed very surprised. She asked if I was sure and I told her that I was. She stopped and pointed to the chalkboard about 10 ft. away from us. I turned and read it. It said, “ We are sorry to announce that Cheyenne died yesterday.” I turned to my trainer and asked how. She told me that Cheyenne died of kidney failure. I was devastated!
I went on with my lesson that day, but riding just didn’t seem the same. To this day, I still remember Cheyenne and the lesson she taught me. The lesson I learned from this experience was that no matter how hard you fall off that horse; get back on because you never know what the near future could bring you. This is a very good example of the wrong way to learn this lesson. I didn’t get back on that day, but if I knew what was going to happen, I surely would have. So whether this lesson applies to you in your general life or specifically in horseback riding, I hope that you learned the lesson and moral of this story and will apply it to whatever you can. In my case, my love for horses and riding overpowered my fear of falling again and I realize now that is just a risk I will have to take.