From Timid To Talkative

Arden Brigson was a shy sixteen-year-old who barely said a word. She was so shy and insecure she seldom found a point in doing the simplest of things such as brushing her dull blonde hair. She could barely hold eye contact or easily start a conversation unless it was someone she’d known for a long time and trusted.

She was bullied by classmates and even school faculty. Within the first month of tenth grade, things were still horrible for Arden and her parents had, had enough. They mutually decided to pull her out of public school and enroll her in an online homeschool program much to Arden's relief.

Later that week her Mom took her and dropped her off for her once a week horseback riding lesson. She’d been riding for eight years now and was in a horse 4-H group and showed through 4-H.

Still, she wanted a horse of her own.

But her parents had divorced when she was eight and her Mom who was the main supporter in her love of horses just couldn’t afford one. On the drive up she noticed there was another horse in the front pasture. She could only really see a silhouette from the proximity where it had its hooves planted and where Auden sat in the car. The majority of the horses were turned out. When she started walking the school horse she was riding a quarter horse mare named Paisley.

She asked the instructor a kind woman named Candice if there was a new horse in the front pasture. She excitedly told her about the gelding he was an American Saddlebred named Woody he was also a rescue horse she was fostering who’d be up for adoption soon.

He was a rescue from the same horse sanctuary Candice was on the board of. She told her she’d let her lead him in at the horse's dinner time and meet him is she wanted too. She nodded and did her usual three-second smile.

Her small feeling of happiness and excitement vanished when after warm-up Candice set up a jump. Arden was terrified of jumping and Candice knew it.

”It’s okay Arden.” She tried her best to assure her.

“You can take it at a trot you don’t have to canter.”

She nodded but as she approached the jump she just couldn’t do it. She scrunched up in a bug like a position in such a way it set Paisley off balance when she jumped and the rail clattered to the ground.

Candice sighed. “I don’t suppose you want to try that again huh?” Arden shook her head.

“Okay then let’s work on some twenty-meter circles.”

The rest of the lesson went well. After Paisley was taken care of and dinner was put in all of the stalls. The turned out horses were brought in. The gelding Woody came over.

He was very handsome and had a kind expression. He was very well mannered as she led him into his stall. Before turning to his dinner he turned to Arden and nickered as if saying thank you.

While he was munching on his dinner she took in his full appearance. He was a bay and he had two white socks one on his front left leg and one on his hind left leg. He had a white snip on his muzzle and a long and silky ink-black tail with a mane to match.

When her Mom came to pick Arden up she saw her by Woody’s stall. After Arden’s mom and Candice conversed for a few minutes they went home and later that night her Mom came into Arden’s room telling her about a text she’d just gotten from Candice. Arden perked up hearing that.

Candice had texted her Mom saying Arden could ride Woody in her next lesson. Arden agreed and in her next lesson, she did. As time went on the more Arden rode Woody the more she fell in love with him.

On the day of her next lesson, she had to get a ride there from her Dad. Her Mom’s time payment Kia had been taken away since she hadn’t been able to make her car payment on time.

As she was untacking him Candice approached her and told her Woody had he had piquing some interest and was being put up for adoption her heart sank. She forced a smile onto her face.

"I'm sure he'll find a very good home."

She put Woody in his stall and thanked Candice for the lesson before leaving. She remained quiet in the car as she had her red headphones on and listened to her music library on her phone that was set playing on shuffle.

When she arrived home at her Mom’s she ran to her room ripping her headphones off and falling on her bed unable to hold back the tears anymore.

She silently yelled at herself.

How could I be such an idiot?

So stupid of me to continue to spend time with him and love him I’ll never have a horse of my own.

She sobbed into her pillow.

Her Mom came into her room.

“Arden, what’s wrong?”

“Woody-he’s up for adoption he’ll leave and I’ll never see him again!”

She yelled tears still streaming down her face.

”Arden calm down please.” She wiped her eyes.

” Listen a co-worker today offered me an older car for free and without having to pay time payments for a car that gives us extra money.”

She paused but Arden didn’t say anything.

“Arden I’m going to adopt Woody for you he’ll be yours.”

She threw her arms around her Mom.

“Thank you, Mom wait Candice does she know?”

“I talked to her today.”

Arden gleamed things were finally looking up.

At the next 4-H meeting adoption papers were signed. Candice smiled as she handed the full file folder of Woody’s papers. On the front of the folder written in sharpie said Happy adoption from Safe Horse Sanctuary.

While everyone else worked on a craft project Candice, Arden, and her Mom tried to pick a new name for Woody.

Nobody especially Arden liked the name and thought it fit him. Candice came across the name Opulent.

Arden turned to her Mom and said: "I think that’s the one."

Arden left the meeting feeling like for the first time in life feeling like everything was great.

That feeling soon changed.

By the end of the next month, Arden’s Mom was feeling sicker and sicker.

Finally one night unable to take it anymore she had Arden call an ambulance as she was feeling extreme pain. That night in the hospital certain tests were run.

Roughly an hour after the last test a Doctor came into the room. He was holding some papers and had a grim look on his face. He kneeled down next to the hospital bed Arden’s Mom was lying in.

“There’s no easy way to tell you this so I’m just going to say it.”

He took a deep breath.

“There are three masses in the back of your lungs.”

Her face turned as white as a sheet as did Arden’s.

They admitted her and within two weeks it was confirmed that she had terminal cancer she was transported to a different hospital about an hour away.

The oncologist there told them there was nothing they could do about it. Arden’s Mom was just too sick to be able to handle any kind of treatment.

Both her Mom and Arden knew she didn’t have much time left.

Arden visited her every day but had to helplessly see her Mom disappear and condition continue to deteriorate. Seven weeks later she passed away Arden was distraught at her Mom’s passing.

She told her Dad it wasn’t fair it went far too quickly.

She cried when she saw her pass away and at her memorial service. She continued to cry the days following thinking she’d never feel better.

Time proved her previous thought wrong. Throughout the ordeal, Opulent was her comfort her constant. He was always there when she needed him.

Her Dad began to fully understand how important not just horses were to her but how important Opulent was to her.

As time went on as she got older she became more confident with Opulent by her side. She was no longer a fearful rider and like Opulent loved to jump.

She moved from junior division to senior division in showing. They brought home blue ribbons and enjoyed many trail rides together. It wasn’t just a more confident rider that Arden Brigson had become. She became a more confident person in all.

She cared about what she looked like always making sure she always brushed her hair and went out in clean clothes.

She became more outgoing no longer shy.

She rejoined her year in public school at seventeen no longer shy or afraid of standing up for herself the bullying ceased and she made plenty of new friends.

She became a straight-A student and class president.

The day of graduation while amongst her friends one of them asked.

“If you could have anyone here at the graduation ceremony today who would it be?”

She addressed the question to the group.

When it was Arden’s turn to answer she said: “If I could have had Opulent here today I would.”

One of her friends Kyle grinned ear to ear patting her on the shoulder.

 “Opulent really helped you didn’t he?” 

“More than you’ll ever know.”

 “Seems like you own him a carrot Arden.” 

As all the seniors were told to get inline Arden whispered.

“I owe Opulent my life.”

Fifteen years later

It was June twenty-second a little palomino welsh pony mare Candy was tacked up a red ribbon around her neck. Arden who was now an Equine veterinarian and her husband Henry who was a riding instructor had his arm around her shoulders.

They looked at their six-year-old son Thomas holding the reins. He was looking at the pony his blue eyes wide.

"She's really mine?"

Arden smiled at her son who was clearly over the moon with joy.

"She sure is."

"Happy birthday Thomas!"

Henry added in also smiling.

"I'm going to take her for a ride right now."

"Okay but only in the arena while we watch."

"I've got to go change first."

He went inside coming out minutes later dressed in his jodhpurs and brown riding boots and his electric blue polo.

His new riding helmet was placed on his head over his ruffled light blonde hair.

"Okay, then I'll untack her and give her a good brushing and braid her mane."

Thomas led the pony towards the arena continuing to talk about how well he was going to care for Candy.

Arden and Henry laughed following their young son.