So far, day four of our trip to Costa Rica has been the most challenging activity by far. Although I am not necessarily afraid of horses, I am afraid of the control aspect of horseback riding, especially since I am the type of person that feels very uncomfortable when I do not have complete control over a situation. I can remember riding a small pony once at a zoo when I was a small child, but other than that, I have only rode a horse two other times as an adult. Before day four, the last time I rode a horse was at the Greenway in Spring 2021. That day, I was not successful in completing the course because my horse kept going off the trail, which made me extremely anxious and scared. I felt like I had no control of the horse nor the situation at hand, despite the guides constant instruction on how to properly direct the horse. I spent the rest of the excursion sitting back at the stables and conversations with another scholar who was to scared to complete the course.
With that being said, I was not completely sure if I would be able to complete day four of the Costa Rica trip. If I couldn’t ride a horse in the overall simple lands of Rock Hill, how could I possibly go horseback riding through the tough, rocky terrain of Monteverde, Costa Rica? Despite my many reservations, I decided to finally face my fears and push myself to at least attempt the activity. After getting well acquainted with my horse, named Sutan, I said a brief prayer and told myself that I could do it as long as I put as much trust in the horse as I would myself or any other being. Although he did get off the trail a few times, stopping to eat here and there much to my dismay, I remained calm long enough to successfully complete the course through the mountainside.
The tour lasted about two hours, and I was sure I would be covered in bruises as I was not used to the bumpiness or difficulty that comes with riding a horse. The view was absolutely gorgeous, something like out of a magazine or TV screen. All that aside, I had an amazing, once in a lifetime experience that I definitely do not regret pushing myself to do.
-Nastajia Hamilton
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