Piato

By Saranya Mondal, Kolkata, India

Tonight I feel overwhelmed. My diary is open. I stare at a long list of work and a timetable for finishing it. I start feeling agitated and tired, because this is exactly how it was a week before. Every week, the tasks remain the same. Every week, I feel more and more unmotivated.

I go to bed. I have horse-riding early in the morning. I can’t sleep, though. It’s midnight, and I am planning and brooding, over not just my assignments and staying afloat with my timetable, but also the pressure of being socially active, and keeping up with my friends.

In the morning, I wake up, grumpy. I get ready, I drag myself to my cupboard, take out my helmet and whip. I make sure that I have my mask and sanitizer, and then go down. It’s a little chilly. I quickly get into the car.

The stables were closed during the first few weeks of quarantine. When they reopened, new rules were in place. There can only be two riders in one arena. If we have breathing difficulties, we can take off our masks while we are on our horses. But we have to keep them on at all other times.

When we arrive, I power walk to the stables. The smell of horses hits my nose. I feel calm. The horses always offer me solace. I see my friend; we begin with our usual gossip. Our instructor asks us who we want to ride.

I light up and retort, “Piato!”

Piato is a horse I recently started riding. I want to ride him in every class because of the progress we make with each other. We have an unusual bond. He listens to me, and I know when he is ready or isn’t. Even with senior riders, he doesn’t respond as well as he responds to me.

I tell my friend, “I really hope this session goes well. After the week I’ve had, I need it.”

I immediately feel elated when I sit on Piato; he is a darling. We do a few jumps. The feel of leather against my legs soothes me. Whenever I pat him on the neck, he responds with a neigh, and that gives me joy, every time. The tactile intimacy between us has developed over time, so I value it all the more. While he tends to rush and take off with other riders, I, somehow, manage to calm him, and he goes over the jumps smoothly. I never rush him, and he never rushes me.

I look forward to these sessions twice a week. When I ride, I know that even if I go wrong, I am still progressing. Riding is the only constant in my life, especially with the ups and downs of quarantine and everything changing. It’s the one thing I could place my trust in, both before the pandemic, and now.