It all began about a decade ago, when a seed was planted in me- the drive to ride.
Christmas 2002: I stayed over at my uncle’s home in Singapore for 2 weeks and during that time my cousin, Kevin brought me on a movie marathon. One of the movies we watched was Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and as a kid that time, I remember myself idolizing Lakota, the native American Indian in the animation who managed to forge a remarkable friendship with the ‘protagonist horse’- named “Spirit” whose fearless wild spirit remains unperturbed no matter how hard the US Cavalry tried to tame it. Together, they worked hand in hand to escape from the White colonizers across the sandy deserts back to the lush green field where harmony prevails between men and nature. “My heart galloped through the skies that night- back to my herd, where I belonged.” Damn. I thought. I wish I knew how to ride horses.
Today marks the end of my term as a freshman. One of my new year’s resolution accomplished was no doubt to master horseback-riding, given the rare chance that my university offers a course in equestrian. After 15 weeks of consistent practice, the lessons learnt were priceless, and this was perhaps one of the best experiences I had in my life.