Julia Jones’ Diary
My Dream Pony
Katrina Kahler
Copyright © KC Global Enterprises
All Rights Reserved
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all the horse crazy girls around the world who love horses for being the gentle, loyal and incredible friends that they are.
Definitely a girl’s most wonderful companion!
Contents
The accident…
Nothing will keep us apart…
My only chance…
The Horse Gentler…
Trust is the key…
The trail ride…
Making my dreams come true…
Pony Club – is it possible?…
The best day ever…
So lucky…
Best friends already…
Showing off, as always…
My first jumping session…
The rodeo…
So grateful…
Gymkhana Magic
Bella!! Where are you???...
My Dream Pony
The accident…
As I pulled on the reins, desperately trying to slow her down, the distant screams ringing in my ears seemed surreal. Where were they coming from? Who could possibly be screaming so hysterically? And why did I suddenly feel such an intense stab of agonizing pain? With a jolt of realization, I regained focus only to become aware that I wasn’t dreaming and I wasn’t asleep in my bed with wild thoughts racing through my head. It was actually a living nightmare, I was at the center of it and the screams were coming from me.
“Heeelp meee!” I screamed desperately, knowing full well that there was no one to hear my pitiful cries. And as we sped through the thick woodlands, tree branches scraping my face and arms at every turn, I hung on with a strength that I never knew I possessed, praying that Bella would eventually come to a stop.
The blackness of the night was terrifying and all I could do was grip hold of the reins the way I had been taught and keep focusing on staying in the saddle. I had no idea where we were, or where we would end up, but the thoughts that raced through my mind were simply prayers for survival.
Clinging on furiously with a fistful of her mane also held tightly in my grasp, it took every ounce of determination I had to remain seated. And just as I thought the nightmare would never end, she took an abrupt turn through a sudden clearing of trees, only to place us head on in the path of glaring headlights that were bearing quickly down upon us.
The loud screeching of brakes as I felt her front legs rear skywards, was the last thing I remember; that and the dizzy sensation of falling, which almost felt it was happening in slow motion, until I hit the ground with a heavy thud.
“It’s her helmet that saved her!” the unfamiliar voice sounded distant and strange, as I groggily tried to focus on the disconcerting scene around me. The blurred faces gradually came into focus and I looked uneasily towards my mother’s tear stained face.
“Thank goodness you’re alright!” she whispered gratefully from her spot beside the hospital bed where I lay. My confused look darted from one face to another and she quietly explained. “You were in an accident, Julia. You’re lucky to be alive!”
As my mind comprehended the scene in front of me, I abruptly tried to sit up, only to wince at a sudden sharp pain in my arm. “Take it easy, Julia,” the doctor said firmly. “You have a badly broken arm and several other injuries. You’ve been unconscious for the last twenty four hours and now you need to rest.
“Bella!” I cried, fearfully. “What about Bella?”
“Apart from some cuts and bruises, Bella is fine!” replied my dad, in a tone that I really didn’t like the sound of. “She’s in the barn at home. But not for long! That horse is more trouble than she’s worth!” he continued roughly.
“Ssshhh, John!” whispered my mom, throwing him a fierce look. “Bella is fine, Julia,” she continued. “We’ll look after her. You just focus on getting better!”
As I turned my head away, not wanting to face my parents right then, I thought back to the first time I had ever laid eyes on her, the memory still vivid in my mind. Bella was the most incredible creature I had ever seen and at that time, the idea that I would actually become the owner of an animal so stunningly beautiful was completely beyond me.
Moving to the country was something I had never anticipated in my wildest dreams. I was so happy living in our house in the suburbs. When I was given the news that we had to move, I’d felt as though my world had abruptly come to an end. “I’m not going!” I had screamed tearfully at my parents as I slammed the bedroom door behind me.
The despair I felt as my dreams and hopes had come crashing down filled me with a dread so deep I thought I would never be able to cope.
“We can’t move!” I sobbed miserably.
With obvious hesitation, my mother sat quietly down on the bed beside me.
“We have to, Julia!” she tried to explain for what seemed like the hundredth time. “This promotion means everything to your father and will make such a huge difference to us financially. It’s the job that he’s been working so hard for and a move to the country will be a wonderful experience for all of us!”
“But why do we have to move?” my shoulders shook uncontrollably as relentless tears continued to drip onto my already soaking pillow. “I can’t leave Millie and Blake,” I cried, “And what about the band?”
The thought of leaving my best friends behind was incomprehensible. And to top it all off, my dream of playing guitar in a really cool band was fading to dust right before my very eyes. “How on earth was I going to leave all that behind?” I wondered desperately to myself.
Before the shock of the devastating news, it had seemed my life had taken a wonderful turn, where everything I had dreamed of and hoped for was coming true. Why was this suddenly happening to me? It just didn’t make sense!
As I lay in the hospital bed, memories of my life less than a year earlier seemed almost like a dream. This was my life now. I lived in the country and owned a beautiful horse named Bella. And that’s the way it was going to stay! No one was going to take her from me. Broken arm, or no broken arm, I was determined to keep her!
I rolled away from the stares of my parents and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I wanted to be left alone. I wanted only to think of Bella. She was the joy of my life and the most important thing to me.
Nothing will keep us apart…
The familiar thunder of hooves racing past my bedroom window was music to my ears. And the loud whinny that followed was all I needed to entice me from my warm comfy bed and out the front door. But not before managing to grab a ripe banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table as I raced past. Scaling the stairs at lightning pace I ran towards the paddock where my baby stood waiting expectantly.
Still with my arm in a plaster cast and a variety of cuts and scrapes at various stages of healing, I was unable to ride. But at least I was home from the hospital and could spend time with my beautiful Bella. I laughed at the comical sight of her licking her lips as she chomped on the ripe banana. It never ceased to amuse me! And I was still amazed at the thought of a horse eating a banana. I had always believed that carrots were their favorite treat; but not for Bella. Bananas were definitely top on her list.
As I gently brushed her already glowing coat, I thought back to my parents’ conversation the night before. “That horse has to go!” Dad had demanded as he sat talking with mom in the living room downstairs. “She could have killed Julia. If that car hadn’t stopped in time, Julia could be dead. I don’t want her riding that animal. She’s too young and unpredictable!” His voice was filled with a determined fury and as I listened from my bedroom, the door slight
ly ajar, I knew beyond any doubt that I had to convince him to let me keep her.
From the day she arrived in our paddock, I had known that she was the horse for me. It was obvious my dad regretted his promise to buy me a horse when we moved to the country. But it had been the only way he could get me to even consider being willing to move without a huge fuss. Up until that promise, I had sworn I would run away if they made me leave. But the assurance of a horse to call my own, something that I had dreamed of ever since I could remember, was the clincher.
All it took for my brother, Matt was the guarantee of a motor bike to ride around the property on. That was enough for him to become willing to move. But I still had no idea how he thought a trail bike could possibly compare with owning a horse. There was absolutely no comparison as far as I was concerned!
Horse riding lessons of course, were essential. The only times I had ever ridden a horse before owning Bella were during pony rides at local shows when I was little. And so weekly lessons became part of my routine and gradually my riding had improved.
My instructor, Sally, commented on my ability right from the beginning. “You’re a natural, Julia!” she had said to me, more than once. “I think you were meant to be in a saddle. You have such a good seat. I could swear that you’ve been riding for years!”
My beaming smile was proof of the delight I felt. For me, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to be on horseback. And it really was a dream come true. I had managed to prove, just a few months earlier, that with positive thoughts, you really can make great things happen in your life and I was sure that it was this outlook that had created the real life dream that I was now experiencing.
Within a matter of a couple of weeks, I’d been able to ride Bella beyond the safety of the small arena where we trained, and take her along the trails that bordered our property. I always rode with Sally, as I was still learning and Mom thought it wasn’t safe for me to go off riding on my own. But that just added to the fun. Sally and I had become really good friends and we both looked forward to our weekly trail rides. The weekends just couldn’t come quickly enough and my times spent riding were the highlight of my life.
As I combed Bella’s mane and tail then stood back admiring her beauty, I thought once more of my father’s words the night before. “That horse is too unpredictable!” he had said. Well, I knew that I had to prove him wrong. The accident hadn’t been Bella’s fault. I shouldn’t have been out riding the trails on my own. But we’d been having so much fun in the paddocks and I had thought it would be fine to take a short trail ride with her before heading home.
I certainly hadn’t expected her to get spooked by the thunder, but then the second clap that struck was deafening. And when lightning lit the sky like the glow of a million candles, there was no stopping her.
She was a freight train, powerful and strong and I’d had no hope. It was just so lucky that the storm passed over and it hadn’t poured with rain. If the track had been wet and slippery, then I dread to think what could have happened.
Leading Bella back to the barn where I stuffed some hay into a net for her morning feed, I began to devise a plan. And the more I thought about it, the more confident I became. Bella and I were meant to be together and nothing was going to change that. By the time I hugged her goodbye, followed by my usual gentle kiss on her beautiful forehead, I was convinced that my plan would work. By then, I was feeling more confident than ever and headed inside to get ready for school.
My only chance…
Later that evening, as soon as I’d finished eating and had helped to clear the table, I headed up to my room and turned on my computer. I’d recalled Sally mentioning a local horse trainer a few months earlier and I wanted to google him to find out if he might be suitable to help with Bella.
His web page was pretty impressive and all the testimonials indicated that he was exactly who I was looking for. A genuine horse whisperer living in my area who had huge success with training and calming down the wildest of horses; he seemed to be the perfect choice but the big problem was cost. I scrolled through the page, fearfully looking for his prices but they weren’t listed, so I decided to give him a call.
Tomas had migrated from Germany many years before and had worked as a professional horse trainer from a young age. He sounded so nice on the phone and I couldn’t believe my luck when he said that he thought he could definitely help me with Bella. And the best part was, as his primary goal was to help horses, he only ever charged a minimal fee.
I did some quick calculations in my head. With the money I had saved up, combined with what I earned from working at the stock feeds store in town 2 afternoons a week, I felt sure I’d have enough to pay for at least a few sessions. I had hoped that if I organized this myself and paid for it with my own money that Dad could not possibly object. And with an excited rush of anticipation, I raced downstairs to tell him.
The look of surprise on his face was quickly replaced with obvious skepticism. “I don’t know, Julia!” he said doubtfully, after I’d explained my plans. “I’m worried about you wasting your money on something that’s not going to work! I just think that you’d be better off with an older bomb proof horse that’s not going to get spooked at every little thing.”
“At least let me give this a go, Dad!” I pleaded desperately. “I can’t give up on Bella now. She’s my baby and you know how much I love her!”
“And besides,” I continued, “Tomas is really experienced and has had so much success with the wildest of horses. I’m sure that he’ll have Bella bombproof in no time!”
I gave Dad my most irresistible and heart-warming look. The one I used when I really wanted him to say yes, but at the same time, I nervously held my breath. He had to let me do this, it was my only chance.
Finally, he nodded in agreement. “OK,” he said, reluctantly, “but if this doesn’t work Julia, then we’ll have to consider other options.”
I knew exactly what he meant by other options, but there was no way I was even going to let that thought enter my mind. Giving him a grateful hug, I whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, Dad. This will be the perfect solution!”
And with that, I raced over to the telephone to call Tomas and book in a time slot.
I was thrilled when he told me that he had just had a cancellation for the following afternoon, and would be able to start with Bella then, if that was suitable for me. And I could barely contain my excitement as I gave him our address and contact details.
When I’d finally hung up the phone and was preparing for bed, I thought about Bella and how lucky I was. I knew without any doubt that Tomas would be the answer to our problems and I couldn’t wait to get home from school the following afternoon so that we could get started.
The Horse Gentler…
Bella’s ears twitched curiously as Tomas patted her firmly but gently, and I could have sworn that her soft nickering was a response to something that he had whispered quietly to her.
He was like a magician, aloof and mysterious and I looked on silently, completely mesmerized by his technique. He barely had to lay a hand on Bella and she was following his every command. It was as if a silent form of communication was going on between them.
As soon as Tomas had arrived earlier that afternoon, I had taken an instant liking to him. He had such a gentle, caring manner and it was obvious that he really knew horses. I had heard of horse whisperers before, but I decided to call Tomas a horse gentler. It was clear that he displayed everything those words implied…he was able to make horses become gentle through trust and kindness.
I looked towards my dad who was standing quietly by, observing the proceedings and could see that he was also impressed. I knew in my gut that Tomas, the horse gentler, really was the answer to my prayers.
Watching him work with Bella was like nothing I had ever witnessed before. Without a raised word or any aggression whatsoever, he had her obeying every prompt. If Tomas turned left, Bella followed with no lead rope nece
ssary. If he ran towards the right, she trotted that way also. And when he asked her to lie down at his feet, she silently agreed, lying on the grass beside him. Then he hopped onto her bare back and did a slow canter around the arena. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed the miracle occurring in front of me.
Standing beside Dad, my eyes wet with tears of joy, I watched the beauty of Bella’s movements and the complete trust that she had in this stranger, whom she had met only two hours earlier.
Tomas suggested that he return at the same time the following week and didn’t think that too many sessions would be necessary.
“You have a good one there, Julia!” he exclaimed as he climbed into his truck, ready to depart. “She is such a willing animal and once she has your complete trust, you’ll be safe with her, there’s no doubt about that!”
My heart filled with joy at the words he had spoken. I already knew that Bella was special and that we were meant for each other, but he just confirmed my thoughts completely.
We agreed on a time for a return visit the following week. My arm was healing nicely and I was due to have the cast removed in a few days. It was perfect timing because Tomas said that next week, I would be the one in control and asking Bella to follow my own commands.
I decided that natural horsemanship was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced and I could barely wait for the week to pass, so that Bella and I could continue working together with Tomas.
Even my dad was shaking his head in amazement as Tomas pulled out of our driveway. “What he just did was incredible!” he said to me, his voice filled with wonder.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad react that way to anything before and the goose bumps that suddenly appeared on my arms weren’t from feeling cold but a reinforcement of the miracle that was happening for all of us.
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