Free Great Horse Stories by Rebecca E. Ondov

early-morning breeze carried it through the indoor arena. The clops of a brown-and-white paint gelding walking in a circle around Kathy, the horse trainer and riding instructor, were the loudest sounds.
    Kathy ran her hand through her dark-brown hair and wondered how she could help Lou. “You’ve got to do something other than walk, Lou,” she encouraged.
    The man gripped the reins tighter. Gritting his teeth he growled, “I’ll do it when I’m good and ready.” Silently he wondered if he were insane for doing this. He had battled the fear of horses his whole life. His resume of horse experiences read like a horror story.
    At five years old he was thrown by his uncle’s horse, got a concussion, went into a coma, and was hospitalized for two days.
    A couple years later, his tomboy cousin pointed to a spot in the corral. “Stand right there. Don’t be afraid. Stand still,” she commanded. The next thing Lou knew his cousin whooped and hollered while herding several draft horses at full gallop toward him. Blood drained out of his face. Hooves thundered and the ground shook. The beasts towered over him. At the last moment, they swerved around him.
    And the list could go on and on. Every time I’m around horses, something bad happens, Lou decided. The saddle creaked as he continued to walk Jag. Lou’s chest tightened at the thought of doing anything else.The crazy part was that he wasn’t a cowardly person. He’d grown up in Stockton, California, which at that time had the dubious distinction of being one of the toughest little towns in America. He’d served in law enforcement and confronted dangerous suspects under dire circumstances. He wasn’t afraid of any two-legged animal; he’d go down a dark alley after anyone. But when two more legs and a thousand pounds were added, fear suffocated him.
    Lou’s desire to conquer his fear of riding surfaced when his doctor spotted something wrong in his blood tests. A week later the physician told him the chances of surviving the illness were low. Lou’s condition was stabilized, but during that time his mother and sister passed away and his brother had been diagnosed with cancer. Spurred on by thoughts of dying, Lou’s mind had drifted to his unfulfilled dreams. As a child he’d wanted to be a cowboy. He proudly wore cap guns. Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were his heroes. He dreamed of riding. For the first time he realized that his fear of horses had kept him from pursuing his dream. A short time later the phone rang. It was his granddaughters’ excited voices telling him that they were taking horseback riding lessons. Lou’s mind brightened with the idea that he’d like to surprise them by riding alongside them. It was time to face his fear. So he set his goal, searched out a horse trainer, and took action.
    Lou’s confidence had melted the first time Kathy handed him a halter and told him to go through the stall and into the paddock to catch a tall, brown-and-white horse. His brows had furrowed. “Alone?” Kathy had nodded. Lou’s heart pounded as he walked through the stall and heard the click of the door closing behind him. It reminded him of when he was a police officer and went into a jail cell with prisoners for the first time. The cell door closing behind him hadn’t been pleasant then either. He broke out in a cold sweat.
    Entering the paddock, he saw the horse. In his mind, the beast seemed to be equivalent to a wild gorilla he’d have to fight bare-handed. He approached the paint, but the mellow horse walked away from him. Lou knew Kathy wasn’t going to rescue him. He finally managed to toss a lead rope over the horse’s neck and bumbled through the haltering process.
    A few days later Lou was standing next to the tall horse. The man’s knees were nearly knocking together.
    â€œLou, this is a very gentle horse,” Kathy assured him.