OklahomaHorses Magazine January 2023

10 OklahomaHorses • January / February 2023 and then took another step. I tried to stay quiet like Dad had told me to, but this moving was exciting. I was riding a horse! Twister’s head came up, and he started to walk quickly toward the cove. I thought to myself, “He must need a drink. All of the grass he has been eating has made him thirsty.” Spot was now barking, and I was sure I was going to be in trouble with Dad. But could he even hear me? Twister got to the edge of the pond, and the strangest thing happened. He did not stop to get a drink. He just kept on walking right into the middle of the lily pads. Twist- er was splashing and stomping through them. My mind was rushing. What about the frogs? What about the saddle? If it gets wet, I am one dead sister. Earlier, I had wiggled my feet into those straps, and they were now tightly stuck. I was too young for swimming lessons, and I only knew how to dog-paddle. If I could get my feet out from the straps, dog-paddling might get me back to the bank. And what about snakes — the water moccasins I had learned to avoid? I just held on for dear life. Then Twister started to lean, and I squeezed my legs even harder. He began to roll into the water. My legs were getting wet, then my waist, and then I was under- neath this very large animal. I opened my eyes and saw murky water, bubbles, and stringy roots of lily pads. That’s when I felt a jerk and gasped for air. I swallowed water, unable to get my feet loose. I felt the tugging again and saw Dad’s hand reaching for my feet. I was trying to hold my breath but began to feel dizzy. I felt Dad’s arms around me under the water. I coughed as he held me tight, squishing the life from me. He carried me to the bank, where I saw my mother running to see what I had done. My head was pounding almost as hard as my heart was beating in my chest. I tried not to show fear. I coughed and coughed. I looked up at Dad, trying not to cry, showing my bravery, and asked him, “Was Twister trying to hurt me?” Dad stood up, looking down at me, and there it was —THE LOOK. Those eyes of his could give me a chill. He asked, “Why did you nudge Twister? I thought I told you not to do that, not to make a sound or a move!” I was crushed. I immediately replied, holding back the tears, “I did not nudge him. I did not click my tongue. I sat per- fectly still.” Dad snapped back, “You must have done something!” He turned to Mom and calmed her. Twister was still standing in the pond with a smirk on his face and a drip- ping-wet saddle. Yikes, I am in big trouble. Spot Sparks a Rescue Spot was sitting next to me, and Dad let me know that Spot was the one to thank. He had barked and had run in front of the lawn mower, stopping Dad, alerting him that something was wrong. Dad patted Spot on the head and turned to get Twister. Once again, my bond with Spot had pro- tected me. He had saved my life. I turned away from Dad with my head hanging low and began to walk back to the house. I was dripping, and my favorite Red Ball Jets tennis shoes were sloshing with each step. I had a lump in my throat but refused to cry. I had not meant to disap- point Dad. He actually believed I had made Twister go into the pond. Then I heard Dad say with a deep but calm voice, “Karen Lynn, where are you going?” I just kept walking. “Are you going to wear those lily pads hanging from your pigtails all day?” he laughed. I felt my lump full of tears turn to anger. He was laughing at me! Dad always had a way of making my tears and anger seem very foolish, a waste of good energy. But sometimes it made me mad. That’s when he surprised me by saying, “You know you have to get right back on him.” I slowly turned around and looked directly at Dad. I’m not quite sure if it was the murky pond water dripping from my yellow terrycloth romper or if I had wet my pants, but the one thing I knew for sure was that I had just swallowed my jumbo piece of Super Dubble Bubble Gum I had bought from the Ben Franklin store on Main Street for a penny. Happy tails, Karen Dugan Holman, B.S., B.S.E., M.S. Three Oaks Animal Behavior Counseling LLC If you would like information on the human-animal bond, visit https://animal behaviorok.com/human-animal-bond/. Mr. Deacon and Connie Dugan are ready for a show in 1973.