It was nothing but a small pole, hardly six inches off the ground; nevertheless, my heart pounded. As I approached the pole a million thoughts went through my head, but the most important was the last one, “I’m going to do this”. John Quincy Adams was right; the obstacle in front of me disappeared when I found courage. As soon as I cleared the jump I was ecstatic and wanted nothing more than to do it again.
Years later I was still advancing in my riding, finding new obstacles to overcome. I now jumped three feet rather than the miniscule inches I had been so nervous about a few years ago. However, now there was a new challenge; it was raining and wet in the arena and I was attempting a higher jump than before. As I took the turn before the jump, I hardly felt anything going wrong. Suddenly I was in the mud along with the horse I was riding. His legs had slipped out from under him as we went around the muddy turn. He hastily got up with me intact and very stunned. He stood there, probably as unsettled as I was, trembling. My instructor ran over and comforted me, however, minutes later she had me trying it again. I was still shaking with fear and was definitely not feeling any of that magic courage. As soon as I got around that turn my mind cleared, nearly forgetting the jump. I made the jump though, and survived through the corner. Now I realize if my instructor had not made me face that fear right then, I may have never gotten the courage to get back on and attempt it.
Today when I ride, I fall off so often it is easy to laugh about it and get right back on. Just a few months ago I was riding a young colt over a four-foot oxer. Loosing my concentration I did not balance correctly and he felt it, so promptly stopped directly in front of the jump sending me flying over alone, which was not what I had in mind. Slamming into the sides, I landed on my rear with my horse looking at me inquisitively. This being maybe the hundredth time I fell off, I laughed at the colt and got back up to do it again. This time I succeeded in not going over the jump alone. So the dictionary may define courage as: “The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery”. But I have found that courage means that and more. Maybe it even includes some magic as John Quincy Adams said so many years ago, “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air”.
