Three, two, one, Go! I count the last few steps before I feel my horse’s feet leave the ground and float through the air. Silence falls as I allow my hips to close at an angle, and my arms stretch out to follow the movement. My head automatically pops up focusing on the next jump that I know will appear just beyond the hindering hill.
I can sense the ground rushing up to meet us, but I do not look down for fear of throwing us off balance. The silence is interrupted as the laborious, yet rhythmic breathing of my horse continues.
We gallop on. I am fully aware of the powerful 1,200 pound beast beneath me, his muscles stretching and contracting with every leap of his body. The smell of sweat mixed with dirt rises and playfully tickles my nose, before it is swept away by the wind as we round the turn. My body remains steady and supple in spite of the pounding of hooves and the intensity of our speed. I inhale deeply, as I remind myself to keep breathing, and that I am in control.
It is a delusional control. I constantly tell myself that I am in control of every situation. I am the one who asks for more speed, and then decreases it at will. I am the one who chooses which jump will be conquered next. But there is a tiny awareness in the back of my mind, which reminds me that my control can be lost at any second. One stumble. That’s all it takes. It is this knowledge that keeps me going. I run on adrenaline, on the edge of control. | 
