When I was 12, we burned an acre of trees for my horse. Later that night we threw a party. Around 10 pm I could not see the fire embers and I ran through them and fell in them. I started screaming and my friend and I looked at my feet and we saw parts of my bone on my feet. I received 2nd degree burns on my legs and hands and 3rd degree on my feet. I was rushed to VCU where I had to get skin grafts on my back, butt, and thighs to get stapled on my feet. I had 600 staples. After 2 weeks in the hospital, I had celebrated my 13th birthday. Two weeks after that, I was released to go home. My doctors told me to stay in my wheelchair for 10 months and not to walk because they don't think I ever will again.
I had been in a wheelchair for about 2 months when mom said she had a surprise for me. I had been riding since I was 6 but stopped because of my burns. My mother loaded me in the car and blindfolded me. When we arrived at the lady's house, she was inside cooking so mom wheeled me in the paddock. When mom left me in there the lady started screaming to get me out because the horse was "crazy". She bit, kicked, stomped, threw every person. But by the time my mom heard her, my horse had her head in my lap.
I took the blindfold off and looked at mom and asked what happened to her. My mom said that she was in one of the PMA factories and came to this lady skin and bone and pregnant, her and the baby almost both died. I saw how skinny she was and all the cuts on her. I asked mom why am I here and the lady screamed because she is your horse, take her, ya'll were meant to be.
We loaded her and took her to the boarding facility I was riding at. I was in a wheelchair for a total of 10 months and the whole time I was riding before I was walking again. I became very depressed untill I got her. I had her for a total of 8 years.
People brought me down saying, I will never be able to walk or do anything with my life, they told me my horse was stupid and ugly and will be horse meat. I am now walking and riding my horse, I still recieve surgeries but I don't care, I'm showing people they were wrong. I'm getting my major in environmental science and masters in endangered and extinct species.
Katie Creel
Twilight 
