Well hello beautiful!

I trudged up the gravel path, the sun beating down on me furiously. I'd dressed for the heat, with shorts and a light shirt on, and I'd tried to pack my backpack as light as possible. Nobody had seen the herd in a few days and so i wasn't sure how far I was going to have to walk before finding them. I had the bell ribbon tucked safely in my pocket, the end hanging out for me to grab easily if I needed to. I'd already checked the two closest valleys but there was no sight of the herd yet. Sweat was dripping down me and i was already over halfway through my water bottle. I sighed and altered my course - I knew of a small creek nearby that was safe to drink from, so I'd head there to refill the bottle before continuing my search for the herd. No point finding the horse of my dreams if I passed out from dehydration before i managed to get the bell ribbon into its mane. My friends had asked me yesterday if there was a particular horse I was aiming for, and I'd responded truthfully with "I'll know it when i see it." I had no idea what horses were in the herd at the moment, but I'd know who was my chosen when I saw them. I finally crested the hill and saw the creek at the bottom of the valley - and halted in my tracks as I spotted the herd dotted around the valley below. 

I dropped into a crouch before I could startle the nearest two - a couple of cute geldings who looked joined at the hip. They were taking it in turns to lift their head to scan for danger, and I took extra care to stay below the level of the long grass until I was far enough away from them. 

The herd seemed bigger than the last time I'd seen them, and I took the winding route down to the creek, taking a good look at all the cobs as I crouch-walked, probably looking very idiotic. I was nearing the bottom of the hill when i finally spotted her. The most beautiful mare, neck curved proudly as she nickered at a nearby stallion. Her coat was shining in the sun, the Buckskin of my dreams. She was teddy-eared, the first one that I'd seen out in the wild, and my heart pounded in my chest. She was in high spirits, pawing the ground as she tried to get the nearby horses to abandon their grazing and play with her. Her short tail twitched with joy as she looked around at the herd in the midday sun.

I reached down to make sure the bell ribbon was still in my pocket, and feeling the silk of the ribbon made me feel a little calmer. I kept still, taking deep breaths for a few minutes before I started trying to get closer to her. I crept forwards, keeping a close eye on her ears twitching with every noise, but she had turned her attention to the creek and seemed to be more interested in the sunlight glimmering on the water than the noises in the grass beside her. I had practiced the clipping motion at home, over and over until it became easy to clip the ribbon on with the first attempt, and I had to hope that my training held up. I took another few steps, which brought me right next to her. This close, I could see her gentle eyes shining with joy, and her mane twisting in the slight breeze. This was it. 

I leapt up and pulled the bell-ribbon out of my pocket as I did so, clipping it to the base of her mane in one smooth movement. With a surprised nicker, she reared up as she swung around, but instead of the fear I'd expected, she seemed to be happy to have someone to play with. She leapt and kicked the air as she galloped off, the rest of the herd swarming around her, and as they fled the valley, the sound of bells ringing filled the entire landscape and I smiled.