Before you click and think that this is simply an account on one's story about purchasing a horse completely different from one she had ever had before, know that this article actually has a deeper rooted message and may (I hope) be inspiring to all readers in the world.

It was late June and my mom had an instinct feeling to let me go try a horse that she had been hearing about continuously. Before this, she was not going to let me get another horse, even though I didn't have one to currently ride, because she wanted to wait until I completed my first semester of sophomore year and returned from being abroad in January.

However, unlike her original plan, we did not wait until February.

An afternoon in late June was filled with hope, a promise and an anxiousness of mounting on a horse that I had never seen before that could potentially become my own. I had no idea what she was like and I was so curious to get to know her, even if this day would be the only day to ride her.

After almost an hour in the car, I hopped out at a farm I was very familiar with, from showing, clinics and lessons taken out here. It was such a beautiful farm filled with great people and memories, including the horse I was about to try, named Sadie.

I helped get Sadie ready and then watched as one of the trainers at the farm rode her around first for me, so that I could watch. I thought Sadie was very cute. She seemed so sweet and calm about everything and I couldn't wait to get on. Finally, it was my turn.

When I first got on, I was told to keep a loose rein. This is the first sign that I was going to have just a little bit of a harder time with her because on my last few horses, a tighter rein was key. I learned how to love my hands and to control the horse with them, even thought I knew that everything in riding should come from my leg. I hated riding with a loose rein; I wanted to feel that notion of control by holding the mouth just a little bit tighter. Nevertheless, I kept the reins loose and began to trot the mare.

Her trot was fast at first and it took me a while to realize how to slow her down without touching her face. I had to slow my body, like I had done with other horses, but she was different; she was a 'go-ride.'

Before Sadie, I had always been used to horses I had to encourage to go forward by squeezing them. Most of these horses I had to ride in spurs and/or a crop. Sadie was the opposite. I had to find the perfect combination of keeping her going without letting her break to a lower gait, but also without letting her get too quick, especially at the canter.

I started to wonder if I could figure this mare out; the fact that she was even a mare made me chuckle a little. I hadn't wanted a mare since my first made lesson pony named DeeDee, who simply took me around and taught me how to ride. Could I handle a mare? What happened when she was in the heat? I had these questions in the back of my mind, knowing that the answer was that I could handle her, especially since I rode on an IEA Team in high school and on the IHSA Team at Elon, where I was thrown on a completely random horse every week. But still the thought rang in my head, "What do I do if this horse becomes my own?"

Of course, I couldn't make any decision of the sort without jumping her. I slowly attempted the first jump, waiting for her to find the distance, like I was told. When I went over that jump for the first time, I felt something that I hadn't felt in a long time. Her effort to jump the tiny fence was more than my past horse. It was something that I wanted to have for such a long time; it was the feeling of actually flying. I continued to jump Sadie, and although it needed work, it was one of the most fun things that I had ever done. She showed me how much fun she was, how talented she was and I began to realize how much she could improve my riding.

If I had looked at everything that could have been wrong with purchasing Sadie, then I may have never gotten the opportunity to have such a cool horse that could go anywhere. I stepped out of my comfort zone and knew that I wanted this horse. I realized where we could take each other and how much I needed a change, for the better.

You see, we often want to stay in our little comfort zones. I always wanted to keep the same horses I had because I knew all of their buttons and knew exactly how to take them around, even if I had a few mistakes. This can be the same for others about the place you live, where you work or what you do for fun.

Sadie taught me how to escape my comfort zone, something that I wanted to do for a long time, but couldn't quite figure out how. When I finally opened up to see what she had to offer, instead of reverting back into my past horses, I stopped comparing her to others and began to see what she personally had to offer, which changed everything.

Sometimes, we have to stop looking in the past for verification. Not everyone and everything is going to be exactly the same throughout life, and we need to learn to accept these things. If I didn't go out of my comfort zone, then I never would have had this much fun riding. I haven't had this kind of joy riding since I was learning how to ride my first horse, Jack.

I also learned through this mare that you can't judge something based on the first try. You have to make an effort to know what you need to do or to get to know someone. Nothing is going to happen instantaneously.

I am still learning how to ride Sadie, how to communicate with her and how we are going to better ourselves. However, I have no doubt that we will soon be jumping around courses; it takes time and we both have to adjust.