16.1 hands

Charcoal grey, with midnight, loving black eyes

Her whicker understood by only me

Her heart connected to mine by an invisible string

Her feet move in perfect harmony

Her jump is flawless and careful

Together we make a perfect team

Apart we are nothing

Through the bad days she comforts me

The good days she makes better

But she is the true source of my happiness

Together we fly to heights never before reached

Without this creature, I wouldn’t know love,

Or happiness,

Or championship,

Or courage,

Because of her I’m whole,

Because of her I’m happy,

Because of her I can love,

Because of her I can trust,

There are days I doubt everything

Then I sit in that saddle,

Click my tongue to my teeth,

And a smile begins to grow on my face

A picture of her rests on my bedside table

Allowing her to be the final thing I see before I slumber

And the first thing I see as the sun wakes me each morning

It fills me with hope, love and happiness

This sport is expensive,

And often the more money you have, the more you win

But those kids know nothing of riding

They don’t understand the connection one should have to their horse

I don’t regret a moment of my riding career

There have been hard times,

Bad falls,

Scary moments

But through it all she has been my rock

And she has kept me safe

Without this beautiful girl I wouldn’t appreciate the good moments

And I wouldn’t have as many fantastic memories as I hold today

She is my heart

She is my love

But most of all

She is my best friend.

Thank you Charlotte for all you’ve given me.