Time with Duncan by Shealeigh Hanna

            My heart beat with excitement on the morning my aunt and I arrived at the horse ranch in Kauai.  The immensely long drive had finally come to an end.  It was time to receive my belated Christmas gift which was to ride horses on our Hawaiian vacation.

                                              

I stepped out of the car onto the rocky parking lot. As I walked silently to the building that resembled a hut, I looked around at the trees and bushes.  I saw chickens pecking at the ground.  I reached the hut and was greeted by a friendly lady who gave me the helmet I would wear on our trail ride.  She sent me to the waiting area located in front of a tightly packed gift shop that was about the size of my family’s school room.  

Soon it was time for Aunt Cynthia and me to get ready to begin our eagerly awaited adventure. I met the two ladies who would be our trail guides. One of them was the owner of the ranch.  Initially, she was hard for me to understand because she had an unusual accent.  Thankfully she was not the guide who gave me the instructions about riding my horse named Duncan.

Duncan, a beautiful blonde-colored horse, was slightly shorter than the other ones which made him easier for me to ride.  I mounted the gentle and well-trained horse with the help of a mounting block. It thrilled me to sit on Duncan’s back.

As our trail ride began and I exited the gate I felt so free being able to control a horse by myself.  We walked over grassy hills and travelled through open fields with trees surrounding us.  Duncan and I timidly followed our guides down a steep path that wound around in a spiral.  Finally we stopped at a field and dismounted our horses.

A new adventure arose before me as we began to hike a trail that led us to a beautiful waterfall where we stopped to swim.  Near the falls, we found baby frogs sitting among the rocks. I slowly swam to them and caught one in my hand.  The frightened frog felt slimy and bumpy.   

After swimming, my guides put a harness on me which made me feel confused.  We began to walk on a different path that would lead us back to the field where I left Duncan. Soon I understood why I was wearing a harness as I came upon a cliff about the height of a door.  I clipped my harness to the rope on the cliff and eventually made my way to the top where I removed the harness and continued on the path.    

I followed the path until I found Duncan patiently waiting for me. I put my foot in the stirrup and swung my leg over Duncan’s back. With a squeeze of my knees, he began to walk. After walking awhile, I noticed a little path just the right size for Duncan. I wanted to get out of the line of kicking and biting horses travelling behind me.  Nervous that Duncan would get bit and buck me off his back, I decided to guide him to the little path. Duncan reluctantly obeyed as I safely led him to the path. I rode on until we came to a gate blocking our way. Turning his head slightly, I led Duncan to his usual route. He seemed happy to be back on the path he knew so well.

 As we rode back to the ranch I wished that I had more time with Duncan. I will never forget this special Christmas gift.

First Autobiographical Incident