History: My first horse experience

[This is an installment in "How we got into horses". See right sidebar for other posts.]

I was probably 12. One Sunday afternoon, Dad took me and my brother to Quezon Circle Park, which was just a short walk away from the government housing we lived at. Dad decided we should ride a horse; someone was giving rides for a certain amount of money for an hour.

My brother got to go first. I was so excited, but when a half hour came and they were still not within sight, I began to worry. The hour was almost up, and they hadn't returned. Finally, in the dusk, I saw my brother being led on a horse by the operator. I had maybe five minutes. So I sat in that saddle, trying to hold back tears, and instead of focusing on the fact that I was on a horse, all I could think of was being so mad with my brother.

Years later, I have three horses at my disposal, and if I actually ride any one of them for five minutes, it's short of a miracle.