If She Can Ride the Horse, She Can Have Him

Jacob parked his truck, and greeted Paul. He looked on with fear at the size of the horse. The deal his good friend had made him was simple: if eleven-year-old Lilia could ride the horse, she could have him. King had belonged to Kate, who was fearful of the enormous horse, and didn't ride him. Until today, King had gone un-ridden for over five years.

Paul spied the tentative expression on Jacob's face. "Come on, Jacob, Lilia knows how to ride better than almost everyone we know. Give her a chance. I don't want to have to feed this hay-bag for another five years!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jacob asked his daughter with concern.

Lilia replied with exasperation, "Yes! Come on, Dad, I'm not some puny kid. I'm a monster according to some of the boys in my class. King and I were meant to be together!" That was the comment that took Jacob down.

"Okay, Lilia, I give in," Jacob replied.

"Goody, let's get King ready!" Lilia squalled. Paul brought out the saddle. Jacob held King's halter to keep him quiet for the saddling, but King danced around uncontrollably when he smelled Jacob's fear. Lilia could tell too.

"Dad, let me hold him. King needs to get used to me." Lilia didn't give her dad a chance to respond. She calmly walked over to King, took the reins, and started to purr to him, "You magnificent beauty, you handsome sweet boy, you are going to be mine, and come to live with me." She took a carrot out of her back pocket and gave it to him. She remembered to keep her hand flat, so that King wouldn't bite her fingers inadvertently. King gazed at Lilia with his sensitive big brown eyes, and nuzzled her for more.

"You'll get more handsome after we've been out for a little ride." King forgot that Paul was saddling him, he was so mesmerized with Lilia. She patted him on the neck and soothed him with more cooing, and then gently scratched the neck area under the mane. Lilia remembered what her grandpa had said, that if people acted excited, animals did too. If a person remained calm, the animals responded in kind. She knew that her grandpa was always right.


"Well then, Paul, would you hold King while Lilia climbs on?" Jacob asked.

Paul didn't have a chance to answer. Lilia wailed, "If he's going to be my horse, I have to be able to get up on him myself!" Paul smirked. Jacob felt dusted. He wondered where Lilia had acquired her confidence with large animals.

Paul warned, "We'd better stand back and give them some space. We don't want to spook King."

Lilia poured sweet honey words from her mouth to the animal as she took the reins, held the horn, and reached her foot up to the high stirrup. King was rearing to go! He danced in quick circles in anticipation of the ride. Lilia hurriedly threw her right leg over the saddle and settled the balls of her feet in the stirrups before he lost her. King clenched the bit in his mouth, and started to gallop. Lilia pulled hard on the left rein to dislodge the bit from his teeth.

"Okay big boy, let's go for a run." Lilia didn't have to encourage King with her knees because he took off like a racehorse out of the starting gate. He extended his neck out in front of him and blasted forward. They circled the pasture once, twice, three times, settled into a canter, and then a rack. A rack is a gait smoother than a trot where the horse's front feet move as in a slow gallop while the back feet move as in a trot or pace. It was a good sign that the horse was skilled.

Lilia purred, "Good boy," and leaned down to rub his neck. She knew not to pull up on the reins too abruptly to stop him. Her grandpa had told her that some horses had "built-in hydraulic brakes" for roping cattle. Since Lilia didn't know what this horse would do, he had cautioned her, "Ease him up after your ride, nice and slow."

Lilia gently pulled on the reins. It took some distance for the enormous, long-legged horse to slow down. He whinnied with pleasure, snorted, and turned and glanced at Lilia as if to say, "Where's my carrot?" Lilia read his eyes, and pulled the carrot out of her pocket. It was in that very moment that the two became a team.

Jacob and Paul regarded the ride with wonderment and with mixed fear and envy. They wondered how children learned to be so brave.

Paul turned to Jacob and retorted, "Well, it looks like you better get another job to help pay for all that hay and oats that giant is going to eat! You only live about four miles from here. Why not let Lilia ride him home right now?"

"I know when my goose has been cooked. Where are the cranberries?" Jacob goaded Paul.

"You can have all the oats and hay that I have in the barn. I'll help you load it up on your pickup," Paul replied as he smiled gainfully.

"I need sweet potatoes too," Jacob teased his friend.

"You can have the saddle and the gear, along with the horse. What more do you want, payment on your monthly mortgage?" Paul derided with laughter.

Jacob laughed too and said, "Okay, okay, a deal is a deal."