The time had finally come to ride, it was now or never. The more we seemed to plan, the further away the time became so we just did it. Mac was as prepared as he was going to be and so was I, the rest we were going to have to do together. It was the perfect day for it, a warm balmy Saturday. One of those days when you look at the world around you with new eyes. Mac was in an exceptionally good mood and although I'm sure nerves were high it didn't show. My parents were there and so was my brother Chris, who is eighteen, and my friend Patti who has been helping me on this journey. She lunged Mac for me in the ring first to make sure he was ready to listen, not explode.

Then it was time. We brought Mac outside the ring and he stood perfectly still as we tried to arrange how we were going to do things. I really didn't know how it was going to work, we just decided to figure it out when the time came. My Dad stood behind me with his arms around my torso on a mounting block and Chris was in front of me holding my legs. The extra height on the mounting block was needed to lift me that extra bit because although Mac is only 15.1h.h. its a long way up! My Mom stood at Macs head, holding him and talking to him while Patti stood on the other side making sure he didn't swing away from us. My dad lifted me up and once I was high enough I was able to pull myself up by the saddle horn until I was sitting sideways on the saddle. We lifted my leg over Macs neck, slipped my feet into the stirrups and I was on!

Those first few moments I felt a long way from the ground but Mac was an angel, he didn't move the whole time that I was mounting. He knew that I felt different and he wasn't sure about me, his ears were pointed back toward me, listening as I told him everything was fine. We had attached a lead rope to his bit and Patti led me into the ring. We weren't sure how he was going to react and at first I was concentrating on getting my balance. It didn't take long and I was soon moving with Mac, feeling his rhythm and making it my own. His ears flicked back and forth as he listened to me.

After a while we disconnected the lead rope and I was on my own, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I never feel more at home than I do when I'm on the back of a horse. Perfecting our rides will take time. His directional aides were totally from my reins and he listened and understood however despite the voice training he was still searching for my leg cues and once we had halted he was confused about walking forward again. He would back up, trying to understand what I wanted but not sure. We didn't over do it, this is something that does not need to be rushed and I didn't want to overwhelm him. Outside the ring we lifted my leg over his neck and my Dad helped me slide into my chair.

We are currently working on building a ramp. The lifting required four people and with the ramp I should only need one person and eventually be independent, that way I will be able to ride on a more regular basis. Next time I ride I will carry a crop so that I can touch his sides to reinforce my voice commands, I have a dressage length crop with a little popper on the end that will hopefully work fine. We are also devising a system were I will have a Velcro strap that will run around my thigh and through the girth ring on the saddle. This will provide extra support in case of a spook or unexpected movement. We will probably also use rubber bands in a figure eight around my foot and the stirrup, going over my toe, twisted under and then around my heel. If there is a spook and I get thrown off balance the strap won't help much if my foot flies out of the stirrup. This way I will have that extra second to reposition myself in what ever way I need to whilst still controlling my horse.

We have come along way but we still have a long road ahead of us. Everything that we have done so far has been on a trail and error basis and has required a great amount of patience and perseverance. Most of all it has involved a horse and rider who have tremendous heart and will power, Mac and myself. This is just the beginning for us, now we can start our climb to the top.