I remember the first time I got on a horse. When I was a little boy aged two, my mom agreed to let me take a short ride and that was it! From then on, I drove my parents crazy Begging for a horse. When I was four, I had Mutism, in which children stop speaking in certain social situations. I went days, weeks months without a sound at school. At most, I might quietly whisper to a friend. I suffered silently through school until I was ten when a psychologist had an idea. He asked me what I wanted more than anything else in the world. He explained I was going to be given an opportunity to work for that. And I was permitted to whisper the answer in my mother's ear, "A horse." I was to get a pony, but I had to live up to my end of the bargain. I had a chart of weekly tasks I had to accomplish. I had to answer the phone five times per week, something I had never done before. I had to say one word to my teacher at school and the list went on. For a child with Mutism, saying one word to someone can be like climbing Mount Qomolangma. I did everything that was asked of me and the day came. His name was Sequoia, whom I fell in love with immediately. When I was in Sequoia's presence, I forgot all about my problems and felt strong and secure. I am a fully participating member of society these days. My horses and I made it through a master's degree. I may have made it otherwise, but I'm not sure. I feel I owe my life to the horses and I try to give it back to them every day. They have given me the best gift I could ever imagine, my life. What was the situation like when the author was four?
He didn't say a word at all. He learned how to ride a horse. He found his classmates unfriendly. He had difficulty in communicating.