Monumental event [test blog]

As cheesy as this may sound, the day my mom bought me my first horse was an event that has changed my life to such an extent that it has divided my life into two eras: pre- and post-Niko.

 Niko was a stubborn, chunky horse that I had started riding in my weekly lessons. Having already ridden for about four years, I had given up hope of ever having my own. At this point in my life I had already had a certain, semi-egotistical view of myself. I thought I had an idea of what hard work is, of what responsibility is, and because of this I also presumed myself to be rather mature for my age. Niko changed all of that.

 Because horses are so expensive, my first day of owning Niko was also my first day on the job (I was fourteen at the time). To help my mom pay off the fees for Niko’s board, I worked at the barn by feeding and watering the horses, rotating the pastures, cleaning stalls, and teaching younger aspiring equestrians. When I decided I wanted to up the level of my competition by riding Niko in the Appaloosa Breed Show circuit, I started grooming and exercising my trainer’s horses to pay off lessons and other show fees, but it wasn’t enough. So, when I was fifteen, I started working in an ice cream store about twenty hours a week during the school year and full time during the summer.

The cost and responsibility of having a horse taught me numerous things, but I think the most important of all of them is a certain grasp on the concept of working for what I really want. Or maybe it was the simple fact that it gave me something to really want. I really wanted to be a part of the family at the barn. I really wanted to master the precision and finesse that elite equestrians command. Most of all, at that adolescent age, I wanted something to define me and I found it through the work I put into Niko.

In addition to changing how I spent my time, my experience with Niko changed my priorities. Although my grades were consistently good throughout my education, I never really put effort into them. By the end of my sophomore year in high school, however, I cared about my classes, and getting a scholarship to college more than anything. By devoting my time to my horse and my grades my social scene changed as well. I met wonderful, creative people that shared my work ethic and introduced me to things that never mattered before. So, in a sense, Niko was a turning point in my life because he brought about a fundamental change in me that catalyzed more change as time has progressed.