Regardless

Susan Thorson

Don’t use barbed wire on a horse pen; the horse will roll and get her leg all tangled up in it. Don’t fall in love with a horse until you know for sure she’s going to be yours. Carry two buckets of water from the house to the barn; carrying just one messes with your neck. Just accept the Georgia heat, and the humidity, and the flies; your horse's stall needs to be cleaned out every day, regardless. Don’t even think about trying to sign up for after-school sports or yearbook or pep club; your horse's stall needs to be cleaned out every day, regardless. When your horse takes her bit in her mouth so that you can’t stop her when she’s running out of control with you on her back, hang on tight, work your hand up the reins toward her mouth, pull hard in that direction; the surprise of the change in direction and tight circles will make her stop. Cliché or not, when you fall off, and you will, get up, dust yourself off, get back on. When you fall off, and you will, and you can’t lift your arm for a week, go to the doctor; it’s probably broken. When your horse refuses to take a jump and turns to the right or left or just stops, turn her around, take a lap around the ring, try the jump again; repeat until you both make it over, then stop for the day on a high note. When your horse refuses to take a jump and slides to a stop right in front of it, and you fall off—and you will—get up, check yourself over, and get back on; and yeah, even though it’s crazy hard, take the jump again, then stop for the day and take a hot bath. When you’re trying to get your horse in a trailer, give yourself plenty of time; sometimes you’ll need to get some strong guys to help push her in. When you trailer your horse somewhere, even if it’s just a short ride, wrap her legs; otherwise, she’ll cut one and never be quite sound again. When it’s hunting season and you’re riding the trails, wear reflective clothing. When it’s hunting season and you’re riding the trails, talk loudly to your friend; sing if you’re alone. When you’re riding and it’s really cold out and you dismount, land as softly as possible; your feet are frozen, and they hurt. When it’s really cold out, bundle up; your horse's stall needs to be cleaned out every day, regardless. When you’ve got plans with your friends, be wise with your time; your horse's stall needs to be cleaned out every day, regardless. When your friends come over and see your cork-board wall, ceiling to floor, covered with pictures of horses, and your shelves, ceiling to floor, lined with Breyer horse statues, just act like it’s normal. When it’s really hot out and you’re all sweaty but the girl who keeps her horse up in the upper barn looks fresh and her Farrah Fawcett hair just bounces along as she rides, go figure; just pretend you didn’t notice. And when you think you’ll have horses in your life forever, slow down and take the moment in; the season is more fleeting than you think.

Susan Thorson is a writer, editor and senior in the English department at The City College of New York. She plans to stay at City College and pursue an MFA in creative writing in the fall of 2022. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their four cats.