My Defining Moment

Defining Moment

   

       For those who don’t know me already, my name is Nicole Brigant and I am an animal lover. I have a particular love for horses. I’ve been in lessons for 7 years and if I had my way, I’d either be a horse, or live on a ranch full of horses. As with all animals, there are personal risks to be around them, it’s just nature, you can fall off and break something, the rare time you can die, very rarely, but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh the risks. If you can find a real bond with a horse, you’ll have a friend for life.

 

      The moment in my life that I believe is defining was when I was almost trampled on by stampeding horses. Now it’s not as bad as it sounds, and  I wasn’t hurt at all. It happened at around spring last year. I was bringing in my horse from the paddock. He had decided to be at the farthest end possible, while leading him to the gate, the rest of the horses decided that they needed to gallop towards the gate. Since horses are herd animals, my horse went flying along with them. Unable to stop a horse with just a rope, it flew out of my hand leaving a bit of rope burn. If that wasn’t  enough the momentum of my horse threw me down onto the ground. Unfortunately the paddock was ridiculously hilly, you could sled down one hill and fly up the other. So within a split second I tumbled down the hill, when I came to a stop, hearing the horses, I immediately went into the smallest possible crouch position. Horse feet pounded the ground but since I didn’t look up at all, I have no idea if they were really close to me, or if one might’ve jumped over me. After the hoof pounding was drowned out, I got up, grass-stained and a bit shaken. I looked around, I was thrown halfway down the hill, and the horses were just waiting at the gate, looking perfectly innocent. Perfectly unharmed but still a little shaken up.

        

       After the initial shock was over, I had discovered that I had once been terrified of being run over by horses it was a strong fear. Yet after my experience, I found that I had unknowingly conquered that fear, well before the incident. And looking back through my memories, I found the same thing had happened to many of my fears. Once conquered, they were in someway tested, just to see if I really had got over them. Like being afraid of a horse standing on my foot. The exact day I got over it, two heavy horses decided to stand on the same foot. Again I was fine. The happy conclusion that I can draw from this, is that even if I am terrified of some dangerous situation, my instincts will kick in and protect me, so what things do I actually have to fear, that I won’t conquer?