The cool night wind blew against my face as I walked into the field where my horse roamed free. As I walked, I looked up at the sky that was covered in dark, rumbling, storm clouds. Spring just started to come around, and the harsh spring rains were slowly coming in. I knew that I had to get my horse in the barn before it started to pour.

I walked over to my horse that was grazing near a small creek. He looked up at me as I got closer. He knew that it was time to go inside, but he never liked going into the barn. I called his name as a loud crash of thunder hit the air. I jumped from the sound and so did my horse. He kicked his legs up into the air and took off running in fear. I knew that I had to calm him down before he hurt himself. I carefully walked towards the frantic horse, trying not to spook him. He ran around the open field frantically as I called his name. I slowly and carefully raised up my hand to get his halter on, right as a big and bright flash of lightning hit the earth. My horse once again got spooked and ran off. The rain also started to come down in a heavy and harsh downpour. I sighed and slowly followed him, trying to make my way through the heavy rain. The rain felt like ice as it hit my skin. I shivered and kept walking towards my horse. The ground became slick and muddy with every step. I called my horse's name one more time, right as a huge crackle of thunder hit once again.

The horse ran in fear from the loud noise and the cold wind that howled. He charged right towards a fence. I carefully watched him, but I could barely see through the downpour of icy, heavy rain. I wanted to run after him, but if I did I would probably slip or just spook him more. Another bash of thunder hit the earth, shaking everything around me. The storm was only getting worse.

I looked back at my horse. I couldn’t see him anymore from the heavy downpour. Fear started to take over me. Where did he go? I thought to myself. He couldn’t have gone over the fence…right. More thoughts started to flow into my head as I slowly got closer to the fence. I could hear the horse whimpering in pain. That’s when I knew something was wrong.

I walked up to the fence and saw the rich black horse caught in the barbed wire fence. His leg was tightly wrapped in the sharp needles. I was in shock. I also started to panic. No this can’t be happening!  I thought to myself, as I climbed over the fence and crouched next to the horse’s bloody leg. Blood was everywhere. The horse cried some more and pulled his leg. The fence got tighter around his leg, and the horse screeched in pain. I had to do something, and I had to do it fast, but I didn’t know where to start or how not to hurt the horse even more. I put my hand on the soaked horse’s head and tried to calm him down. His fur was rough and wet with water, mud, and blood.

I stood next to my horse’s stall and looked at the jet black horse while he chewed on some oats. The vet was wrapping a smooth but rough looking bandage around the injured leg. I sighed. I knew that this was going to take a while to heal. That’s when I remembered. I have a competition next week! I started to freak out. I don’t have a horse to ride! Fear started to take over me. A million thoughts ran through my head. What am I going to do? 

I took a deep breath, calmed myself down, and looked back at the vet and my horse. The vet had completely wrapped up the injured leg in a tight bandage. I smirked as I thought that the bandages kinda looked like a mummy, but then frowned when I looked at the papers that the vet was holding. Oh dear… I thought to myself. That was the bill, and it’s not going to be cheap. He handed me the bill. I read it and my heart sank to my feet. $5,000! There was no way I could pay for this bill. Well, I could if I win the competition next week. There’s going to be a $10,000 prize, and that could definitely help me and my horse. I looked at the vet and weakly smiled. He looked back at me with a stern look and picked up his bag. I quietly watched him leave in his van and drive down the dirt road.

Where could I get a horse to ride? I thought to myself as I looked at the vet bill. I could get the money from the competition to pay the bill, but it’s going to be hard to do it without my horse… Thousands of thoughts flew through my head. I could use my father’s horse, or maybe I could use my brother’s. That’s when it hit me. My friend Liz! She has a horse similar to mine, but I have never ridden her horse before… and I don't know if she would even let me use her horse in the competition. Well, it’s worth a shot. I looked up from the paper and looked down at my horse. Our eyes met. I could see the pain in his eyes. I frowned and started to walk back to the house.

I walked into my room and fell onto my bed. I laid there and started to think. All you have to do is ask. You’ve been friends for years, she'll let you use her horse. What if she doesn’t let me? Fear started to take hold of me again. I shook my head and cleared my mind. You're panicking over nothing. It’s going to be fine. So I jumped up to my feet and walked out of my room. “Okay let’s do this!” I said as I walked outside, and pulled my bike out of the barn. I took a deep breath and got on my bike. Time to borrow a horse I guess, I thought as I rode down to my friend's house.

When I got to Liz’s house, I saw her riding in the arena. I walked up closer and watched her run around the arena and fly over some of the jumps. A smile spread across my face as I watched her. Liz was always a phenomenal rider. She has won hundreds of competitions and she is well known for it, too. Liz stopped her horse and looked at me. She smiled and walked over.

“Hey, Cathy!” Liz said as she jumped off her horse. “How’s your horse doing after that big rainstorm?” Liz said as she walked her horse up to the fence. She had a big smile on her face but I could still see the concern on her face as well.

“He's been better that's for sure.” I said as I started to walk around the side of the fence while I talked to Liz. Every step that I took I felt energized and happy. I grinned and tried to keep the upbeat walk going. “But he’ll be better soon. I just have to get the money to pay the bill.”

Liz slowly walked beside me while we talked. She started to look more happy then concerned about my current situation. “Well those bills are really expensive, and the only way you can get the money really fast is if you win that competition you are going to.”

My smile grew into a wide grin and I started to feel more confident about asking to borrow her horse. “Actually, speaking of the competition, I was going to ask you if I could borrow your horse.”  

“Well as much as I would love to let you borrow my horse you can’t. I’ve got a really big competition that’s coming up this Tuesday and I can not miss it.” Liz stopped and thought for a few seconds. “I can ask my cousin if you can ride his horse. He’s on vacation right now and he wouldn’t mind if you used his horse.”

I sighed, “No thanks. I guess I'll just ask my brother or dad.” Liz had a friendly cousin but his horse was really hard to ride. He would always try to buck you off if you didn’t do what he wants.

She slowed down to almost a stop and sighed, “I’m really sorry Cathy. I hope that you can win that competition and help your horse out.”

“Yeah me too. I guess I’ll let you practice,” I hugged her quickly and started to walk away. “Good luck at your competition on Tuesday.”

Liz said, “oh you already know that I've won.” She smiled and started riding around the arena again.

I was right. I won’t have a horse to ride for my competition. I started to panic again as thoughts went through my head. What if I can’t pay those bills...what will happen to my horse? More thoughts went through my head, and the fear started to consume me. I’m going to lose my horse. I wanted to cry, curl up into a ball, and shut the world out. I knew that there was nothing I could do. Maybe I can use my brother's horse. Even though he was mean and a pain to ride. I had to at least try and ride him. But what if he doesn't let me ride his horse then what am I going to do?

I got back home and walked into the kitchen and glanced at my mom. She was sitting in the dining room reading something. It was dead silent, then the room filled with the sweet and sour scent of lemonade. I first noticed the full pitcher of fresh lemonade on the kitchen counter. I walked over, grabbed a cup, and started to pour some lemonade. That’s when I noticed that Mom was looking at the vet bill. OH NO I thought. I started to feel a little uneasy as I looked at my mom. My hands started to shake a little, and I almost dropped the pitcher. Mom didn’t notice me at first but I couldn't tell if she was mad or happy. She didn’t smile or frown. Her eyes were filled with what looked like anger after she read the vet bill. Mom turned and looked at me, then all the anger turned into joy. I could tell that she was happy to see her daughter after a long day. I tried not to show any concern about the bill, or my current situation as I walked over to her.

“Hi mom…” I said, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and my hand started to get sweaty.

A bright and cheerful smile spread across her face. “Hi Cathy. You were at Liz’s house right.”

I nodded and sat down next to her. “I wanted to ask her if  I could use her horse for the competition. But she said no.” I frowned and the fear and disappointment in myself started to come back. 

“You can always just use my horse.” I could hear the excitement and enthusiasm in her voice as she spoke. Her eyes also lit up with joy as she spoke.

That was the last thing I wanted to hear. My mom's horse was nice but she was always a hassle to try and ride. Plus her horse never really liked me. “Um okay that will work,” I weakly smiled. I could feel my heart pounding even harder and my hands shaking even more.

“Great, you should start practicing whenever you get the chance,” She said.

“Don’t worry mom I will.”

Mom hugged me and walked into the kitchen. I sat there frozen for a  few seconds. How could I tell her that I don't want to ride her horse? I thought to myself. There had to be something I could do. I sighed and walked out to the barn. The smell of the fresh grass and the sound of the horses running around filled me with joy. I walked over to my horse’s stall and looked at him. He was still laying down and was fast asleep. Maybe I should try to ride my mom’s horse.

Taking a deep breath I looked at the riding arena and glanced at Phoenix. The beautiful chestnut horse shined a soft orange color in the late afternoon sun. She was already saddled and was tied up next to her stall. I could tell that Mom had already ridden her today because of the small streaks of sweat running down her body. Mom probably forgot something inside. That’s why Phoenix was still completely saddled. A smile formed on my face and all my fears went away. The horse looked tired. This would be the perfect chance to ride her since she would be calmer and worn out. “You got this Cathy. I know you do.” I took a deep breath and smiled. I walked Phoenix into the arena and climbed up onto her. Kicking up to a walk we slowly made our way around the arena. 

I felt calm and happy. The light spring breeze brushed against my face as I rode around the area. Everything was going perfect. A little too perfect. I kicked Phoenix up to a trot and rode around a little more. I could feel the dirt flying up into the air as I rode, and the smell of honeysuckles and lilies filled the air. Glancing over at the jumps that laid still in the area, I started to debate about trying to jump over one. Mom’s horse was a fantastic jumper, all I had to do was hang on. So I kicked Phoenix up from a trot to a canter, and ran right towards the first jump. Excitement started to consume me. A big grin formed on my face as we got closer. I glanced over to one of the other jumps. The open water jump. That jump sent chills down my spine.

Back in late summer I was competing in a jumping competition, and the Open Water jump was there. I had easily flown over all the other jumps like the CrossRail, Hogsback, and the Oxer with my horse Bandit. The Open Water jump wasn’t very easy to jump over, and I learned that the hard way. When it came to practicing for the event I never even tried to jump over the Open Water jump. It haunted me. Always lurking in the back of my mind. At first I thought that the jump wasn’t going to be there, but I was wrong. The Open Water jump stalked me. Watching my every move as I rode around just made me want to quit right then and there. As Bandit and I got closer to the monstrous jump my heart fell to my feet.

We got closer and Bandit suddenly stopped. Before I could react there was a sharp unbearable pain in my arm and the feeling of icy water hitting my face. My vision was blurry and all I could see was red. It was hard to breathe and it felt like something was filling my lungs swiftly. The pain in my arm was slowly creeping up to my shoulder. The pain was unbearable. I tried to move my arm but the pain got worse. I couldn’t breathe anymore. Whatever filled my lungs had left no room for air. Pain flowed throughout my body. The world started to turn black when two figures grabbed my good arm. My vision was still blurry. All I could see were figures running around me. I thought I could hear my parents voices next to me, but I just thought it was my mind playing tricks on me.Then everything faded into darkness.

I woke up in a hospital bed. I was confused and dazed. All the pain had gone away. I looked down at my arm and saw a light pink cast around my arm. How did I break my arm? I asked myself. No answer came back to me as I layed there and looked at my arm. My lungs ached with every breath. What happened to me? There still was no answer. I looked around the room and saw my mom’s purse sitting on the chair next to the bed. My parents are here, but where are they? The only thing I wanted was an answer, but I just had to wait.

Phoenix had flown over the first jump. The feeling of her hooves hitting the ground broke my gaze and train of thought. Shaking my head I looked at the jump that sat in front of me. We flew over it like it was nothing. A smile crawled onto my face. I forgot how much I loved riding. Everything had gone by so fast. My horse getting hurt, me trying to find a new horse to ride. All of that had made me forget what it was like to ride.

After a long hour of running around and jumping I walked Phoenix back into the barn. She was panting and sweat made her fur a dark brown color. I slowly unsaddled her, and gave her some food and water. I was exhausted. It had been a long day. Happiness had taken over me though. The feeling made me untouchable for the rest of the night. All the other feelings of being overwhelmed had just vanished which made me even more happy. I started to get ready for bed when I looked out the window. The giant moon hung in the sky and lit up the ground below. There were a few clouds in the sky. A small smile fell onto my face as I layed in bed and started to fall asleep. I can win that competition. I just have to practice. I said to myself as I fell asleep.

I was up before everyone else in my family. I grabbed an apple and filled a water bottle up with some leftover lemonade and walked out to the barn. The sun was just about to come up. Its light washed over the top of the barn and made it sparkle like a thousand crystals. The ground was wet with dew and the air smelled of cool water. I opened the barn door and walked inside. It was quite quiet for this early in the morning. Usually Bandit would be awake and whining to get out of the cramped stall. Making my way to Bandit’s stall, I glanced in to see him. He still hadn’t moved since I left yesterday. I wanted to get him out but I knew that he couldn’t walk. I frowned and made my way over to Phoenixes stall. She looked over at me then looked back at the empty water bucket. “Looks like someone was thirsty last night.” I said as I grabbed the water bucket and took it to the water hose. Phoenix started whining. She was probably hungry and thirsty, so I quickly filled up the water bucket and brought it back. Phoenix nudged me with her nose while I put her water dish down. “Relax I’ll go get your food.” Phoenix pushed me out of the stall and started whining again. I smiled and went to grab her some hay.

Phoenix was saddled up and all ready to go. I walked her out into the area and climbed into the saddle. It was cold outside. The wind whipped and howled as it blew, but there was still a sweet smell of wildflowers. I smiled as we rode around the arena for a quick warm up. Then we started to practice for the competition. We jumped over all the jumps except the Open Water jump. I looked at the jump and thought about trying to jump over it. I hesitated at first, but I went for it. Phoenix ran towards the jump. I was horrified, but I knew that I had to do this if I wanted to get over my fear. In a blink of an eye we flew over the jump. I wanted to close my eyes in fear but I stopped myself. I was sweating and panting. Looking around I could tell that we were on the other side, and I wasn’t in the water with a broken arm.

Phoenix and I practiced for the whole week getting ready for the competition, and now we’re ready. We had just got to the show, and Phoenix was resting in her stall. I was all dressed up in my English riding uniform, and was jumping with joy. I wanted to get out there and show everyone what I was capable of, but at the same time I was shaking in fear. So many feelings ran through me. Excitement, anxiety, happiness, dread, and so much more. The faint sound of the crowd clapping and cheering really didn’t help, it just made me even more scared. My stomach was cramped and the palms of my hands were sweaty. I started to bounce my leg a little. I closed my eyes and tried to think about being outside by the small pond in our field. I always felt calm and collected when I was near the pond. I forced myself to stop bouncing my leg. I stood still and started to calm down.  I was ready now.

I got Phoenix saddled up and ready to perform. I was really nervous now. People were rushing around getting ready, and the sound of the crowd was just making things worse. Part of me started to feel nauseous which was really bad. I knew that it was just from me being nervous but I couldn’t calm myself down. I tried to think of the pond again, but there was too much going on to focus. Phoenix could sense that I was nervous. She kept looking back at me and her ears were always in my direction. Always listening to what I was doing. She kept stomping her hoof onto the concrete. I could tell that she was nervous too. Slowly I walked over to her head and rubbed the back of her right ear. I whispered “Hey it’s okay you're okay I’m okay. We got this. It’s just you and me.” Phoenix stopped stomping her foot but kept looking at me. A small smile formed on my face. Phoenix and I were both calming down a little. Which was good. You’ve got this. I told myself over and over again.

I walked Phoenix out to the entrance of the arena. It was sunny out without a cloud in sight. There was a small breeze that kept me cool from the all black uniform I was wearing. The sun beating against the black material made it feel like I was wearing a heavy winter coat. Sweat dripped down the sides of my face, and my hands were sweaty in my jet black gloves. I was about to perform. My heart was racing and there were butterflies in my stomach. I took a deep breath and calmed down. I knew that I could do this. Bandit needed me to win this. That’s why I’m here. To help my horse.

It was finally my turn. I climbed on Phoenix and walked into the arena. The announcer started talking. He said my name, age, and where I was from. After that it was dead silent. I kicked Phoenix up to a gallop and we flew over the first jump. I could feel the crowd's eyes watching me. I started to feel extremely nervous, but I forced myself to focus. We flew over the next few jumps. The only sound that echoed in the arena was the sounds of Phoenixes hooves hitting the ground. I started to calm down. We haven’t knocked down a pole yet which made me feel confident. First place was mine. We approached the last two jumps. The Box Oxer and the Open Water jump.

Phoenix started to run faster. I tried to slow her down but she didn’t listen. We charged right towards the Box Oxer. I knew that we weren’t going to make it over the jump. If we were lucky we might just hit the first pole. The fear hit me right as we jumped over the jump. I heard the faint sound of the pole hitting the ground. My heart sank to my feet. No! I shouted in my head. We ran to the Open Water jump and flew over it. The crowd clapped and cheered. I slowly walked Phoenix back into the barn. There was a frown across my face, and all my confidence was gone.

I had unsaddled Phoenix and had changed out of my riding uniform. I was standing next to her stall and still had a frown on my face. Everything I had worked for had all gone down the drain. At least I got over the Open Water without getting hurt. I sighed and tried to focus on the sounds around me. The horses whinnied and there was the sound of hooves hitting the concrete. There was also the strong smell of horse manure that was dreadful and made me want to leave the barn. I could almost taste it. People were chatting all around me. I could make out bits and pieces of what they were talking about. Most of the conversations were about who was going to win. 

I was also thinking about who would win. When the competition started I was confident that I was going to win, but now I would be lucky enough to at least get fifth place. The thought of getting fifth place made me really sad. I really needed the money to help my horse. I took a deep breath and tried to look at the bright side of things, but I couldn’t. They were about to announce the winners. It’s going to be okay. I told myself over and over again. I didn’t do that bad compared to some of the other competitors. It was one pole. Your time was great. Cathy you did great. I told myself and took a deep breath.

Slowly I made my way over to the arena where they were announcing the winners. There was a huge crowd of people. A mixture of families and riders. I looked over to where the judges sat. They were all talking to each other. Every now and again they would look at the crowd. I carefully watched them. They moved papers slowly and thoughtfully. The way they talked to each other made it look like they were trying to hide a huge secret from everyone. Looking away I glanced at all the riders. There were more females then there were males. Some of them were all dressed up, others were in normal everyday clothes.

I was dying to know who won. One of the judges stood up and walked over to the microphone. Everyone looked at him. The chatter stopped and it went silent. I tensed up a little. Taking a deep breath I calmed myself down. I watched the judge as he got ready to talk. He was holding a piece of paper, and he looked at the crowd.

He cleared his throat and spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen. We are all here now to find our winners of today's competition.” He spoke slowly and clearly, he was careful with every word he said. “Everyone that has performed today are some of the best riders that we have seen in a while.” He looked at the papers that he was holding. Then spoke again. “The riders that have come in the top three will be receiving a ribbon, money, and a trophy. We will be starting with the first place rider then go on from there.” He looked at the papers more. “The rider coming in first place is Max Goose the rider in second place is Talor White and in third place is Cathy Bently.”

My heart sunk. Third place. Now what was I going to do? The cash prize for third place was only $3,000. How am I going to get the last $2,000? I asked myself. All the emotions from earlier came back. Tears started to form in my eyes. I wanted to ball my eyes out, but I couldn’t. One of the judges walked over and handed me my ribbon, trophy, and a check for $3,000. I weakly smiled at the judge and shook his hand. Then glanced at the first and second place winners. They both had huge smiles and were filled with joy. The second place winner had tears rolling down her face. I was also about to have tears rolling down my face. Hers were tears of joy. Mine would be tears or sadness. 

I started to walk back to the barn. You could have done better. I told myself. I clenched my fist as I walked. Hoping that it would help control my anger. I had never been this mad at myself before. It was more than just anger though. It was a mixture of anger and sadness, and I had no control over either emotion. I walked up to Phoenixes stall and looked at her. She was still standing in the same place when I left.

Looking at Phoenix made me feel safe. Her fur still shined a soft orange and it made me smile. I thought back to all the practices that we did together. We were a good team. Even though we won’t be as good as Bandit and me. Taking a deep breath all of my anger and sadness went away. I looked at the check in my hands. A smile grew on my face. We still have sometime before I have to pay the bill. I thought. There must be another competition that we can go to. A grin formed on my face. I looked at Phoenix and said, “It's you and me against the world Phoenix. Just you and me.”