June 04 2010 The Day Before My Birthday

I was riding leisurely down a country road, hardly a car in sight, just passing horses, carts, and their drivers.

About a kilometer ahead I noticed something that just didn’t look “right”. I saw a horse coming towards me at a faster pace than I had ever seen before. The horse is getting closer and I can see there is no driver and it’s picking up speed and his mane is flying behind him. I see a commotion coming behind the cart at a much slower pace. Immediately, I take my bike to the side and jump off my bike, grab the camera, and walk very quickly ahead. From childhood, I know a spooked horse is not something you want to get to close.

A quarter km from me the horse collapses. I run ahead. These are those photos. You, reader, will notice a lapse missing from these. As I stood near photographing a group of 5 boys on bikes were next to me. I could see what the problem was, the cart poles were under the horse. I walked over, set my camera on the ground, and quit being a photographer and became a helpful person. Within a couple of minutes, the other boys had come over. We pushed down on the back of the cart while trying to pull back at the same time.

Finally, we accomplished it. I spoke nothing to the driver, nor to the boys. Passing the driver a couple hours later, after my rest on the side of the road, we exchanged glances with cheerful eyes and a slight smile – a simple acknowledgement.

There was a moment, holding that camera, taking photos, not sure what I should do…………..

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