Preface
“Carter Jackson to the gate” echoed the stereo’s in the arena. I quickly vaulted onto Lucky and gave him a small kick with my legs commanding him to walk forward. He responded with a small toss of his head and moved towards the main doors into the ring. Jessie handed me his ‘good luck tie’ and I quickly tied it to Lucky’s reins. The gold shine in the ribbon caught my eye for a short moment and then I looked back at Jessie. He smiled at me with those perfect teeth, his green eyes glimmering in the sunlight. He grabbed my horses bridle and led him up to the gate, calming him before the run.
The buzzer went off and without a second of hesitation, Lucky’s back legs sprung up and he burst through the gate. We cleared the first barrel perfectly, the clock on the judges stand shinning with a beautiful 4.5 seconds as Lucky did a flying lead change in preparation for his second barrel. I set him up for his next barrel aiming for the pocket, when I notice a drip falling from the sky and landing right on the horn of my saddle. More raindrops continue to fall causing Lucky to spook as he slows his gate from a run to a gallop. I lean down towards his neck, pushing the reins forward commanding him to accelerate. “Relax boy, a little rain isn’t going to hurt anyone is it?” I say to him, but I knew it was really to calm myself. I round the second barrel without any fear, the rain now pouring as if it hadn’t rained in years. Lucky rushed for the final barrel without my command, eager to finish the run as quickly as possible. I decided it best not to try and slow him down, so I loosen the reins and allow him to finish the run for me.
That’s when I saw it. As we lined up with the pocket for the third barrel, I noticed a pool of water sitting there. I quickly pulled back on the reins hoping he would slow down in time but he barely noticed and continued to run for the final barrel. As Lucky began to turn, I could feel him slip, his front feet collapsing underneath the weight of his body as the water came crashing up, soaking my saddle and bottom half of my legs. His front left shoulder dropped sending me out of the saddle and towards the metal barrel. The final thing I saw before I blacked out was Lucky sliding directly into the stainless steel fence that surrounded the arena.
