How many of you can say, "I nearly caused the death of an elderly woman on Sunday morning."?

I'm hoping it's a short list...

So, I nearly caused the death of an elderly woman on Sunday morning. I was riding my bike along the Banks-Vernonia multi-use trail when I encountered a couple of horseback riders that were just about to embark on their journey. Apparently, one of the horses (her name, I would later learn, was Misty), was not familiar with bicycles. When the horse saw me it totally freaked out, bucking bronco style. The nice old lady on the horse was caught off guard and got tossed just before the horse made it to the paved portion of the path. I stopped riding and stood there in stunned silence. The woman on the ground slowly rolled over and lifted herself to a seated position. The only thing I could think to say was, "I am SO sorry." And so that's what I said. About thirty times over.

Meanwhile, the other horseback rider dismounted and started chasing Misty down the path. Once Misty was under control, the woman who was tossed got to her feet and appeared to be okay, although she was pretty shaken up. I was pretty sure she was okay, because when I asked if she was okay, she said yes.

She walked over to Misty to whisper calming words in her ear. I just stood there like an idiot. The lady asked me if she could bring Misty over to introduce her to the bike. I agreed, although I am basically terrified of horses. Misty and I stood at a comfortable distance from each other for a couple of minutes as I sized her up (I'm thinking, I can take her in a fight) and she sized me up (she's thinking, with one kick I can end him). She slowly made her way over to me and sniffed my bike handle. Apparently, I hadn't said a single word out loud after the horse had approached me. The woman asked me if I could talk to the horse so that she knew I was a human. I was a little embarrassed, because I'm sure it was completely obvious that I was scared like a little school girl. (Okay, maybe that's not the best comparison, because little school girls love horses.) I asked her what the horse's name was...Misty...and then said "Hi Misty. It's okay, girl. That's a good girl." From that point on, Misty and I were the best of friends.

The women decided that it was probably a bad day for a horseback ride and I told them they were probably right, because there were tons of other bicyclists out riding that morning.

As I rode off, the other woman (not the one who was tossed) said, "Thanks, Hon."

I said, "My pleasure."