Dakota and I had fought our way back from injury, fear, and doubt. This ride — the regional reining championship — was supposed to be our comeback moment.
As we entered the arena, the crowd faded. Just me, my horse, and months of hard work.
Then, right before our final maneuver — the sliding stop we’d struggled to reclaim — Nathan jumped into the arena. My boyfriend. With flowers. A ring. A big, public proposal.
Dakota spooked. Our stop failed. The whistle blew. Disqualified.
Nathan beamed like it was a romcom. I yelled. The internet filmed. And by the end of the day, I was the villain in a viral “proposal fail.”
People said I was cold. Heartless. That I chose a horse over a man.
What they didn’t know was what Dakota and I had survived to get here. That this was our story. Not his stage.
So I told the world. And when I did, something amazing happened: they listened.
Two weeks later, a top trainer messaged me. “You deserve another shot.”
And now? We’re getting it.
Because I didn’t choose a horse over love.
I chose respect. Trust. And the partner who never let me down.
