Sierra's Story
By Julianna Risdal

When I was twelve years old, my grandfather, Jim Risdal took me to a wild horse and burro auction in Grass Valley in october, 2004. The first horse that my grandpa showed me was a two year old bay roan mustang filly. When I first saw her, I knew that she was the prettiest horse there. My uncle wanted me to walk with him, and find the horse that he was going to bid on. "Grandpa, you coming?" I asked him. "No, I am going to stay right here to make sure nobody takes my horse".

When I walked back to see my Grandpa with "Sierra", a man walked up, and put a bid on the paper, $200.00. My Grandfather quickly wrote down $250.00. Then man wrote $350.00, they battled for her until my Grandfather won with the bidding of $675.00, and she was completely worth it. "Well, I am going to go bid on another mustang over there, hopefuly, you don't come over, and bid against me again", the other man said as he shook my Grandfathers hand.

My granfather scratched her neck, and with that, she stretched out her neck, and grinned. I was so excited. I was going to have the prettiest horse for my barrel racing after we would have her trained. We had a lady drive her over, and unload her.

When I put her in the arena, I was already able to put a halter on her, and then I tied her to the fence. Then I slowly slid on her back, she didn't buck, she just moved her ears back, and listened to my every move, listening to what I was doing. SHE WAS WILD, how was this possible, I thought it was a miracle, but my Grandpa thought it was her. After my grandfather and I had befreinded her, we were soon working her in the roundpen.

She followed me without the leadrope, and loved to play. Before you knew it, I was wearing a helmet, and my grandpa was holding her rope as I sat on her back. We even had been able to put a bridle on her right away, and walk her around. Then, we sent her to Lazy S Morgans, a breeding, training, and boarding facility. We went there every week. They were a very good training facility, (and I would reccomend them to anyone who wants to have their horse trained.) I even went there one day near the end of the third month, and rode her, and trotted her around, and lunged her. My grandfather sat in the car, and recorded it on his camera phone, and took pictures of it.

I loved the feeling, when she trotted, you could barely feel it. I loved her so much, and so did my grandfather. I had lost my mom a year earlier, and Sierra was the only thing that kept me from being depressed. She was my best friend. She was my companion, she was my horse. She acted like a human, she was loyal, and she loved me, and my grandpa. Then, my granpa got a call on October 30th, 2005, she got colic, and needed a vet. (This was on the day that I was supposed to pick her up) I had my dad take me there as soon as I heard. Right when she saw me, she stood up, and I took her out of her pen, and walked her around. I stayed there for about an hour, and then feeling content, left. I looked back, and she was still standing.

When I went to my grandpa's, he pulled me into his room. He looked sad. "Julianna, I have to tell you something".

My heart dropped, something was wrong with Sierra, I could feel it. "Seirra was screaming, and in pain, so we had two different vets there. They did everything they could. We had to put her down to put her out of the pain. I didn't want to call you because someone told me over the phone that someone I loved had died, and it was terrible. Seirra's trainer said that right when you were out of her sight, she laid down."

By this time, I was in my grandfathers arms, screaming and crying. All I could think was, "why could God be so cruel?" I cried every day for weeks after that. Then we got a letter from Seirra's boarding facility expressing their sympathy, along with it, a lock of Sierra's hair. All I could do was cry. I had had dreams of me, and her barrel racing. I had made wishes on stars that Sierra would be the best barrel horse.

Now, here I am, Janruary 8th, 2005, still twelve years olod, crying while I write this. I talked to my Grandfather today. We will be attending a wild horse, and burro auction in June of this year to go get another Sierra. I can't wait, I hope that there is a horse that looks and acts just like Sierra there, that would be my dream come true. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to buy a horse, to get a wild horse from the wild horse and burro auction, because they will bring happiness into your life, and you will get to know them better than a regular horse. I know because Sierra was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and without her, I would be a depressed, shy kid, which now, I am the complete opposite.