t was a chilly September morning as Melissa Biggson led her silver colt Silverhoof's Grey Glory down to the training track. He was a promising colt "sure to win the triple crown" as Melissa's older sister Mandy had said. Melissa marveled at the fact that her parents let HER care for him.

There was silence between the girl and her colt. Melissa watched as a cloud of vapor raised from her horse's breath. How she loved him! For a moment, there seemed to be a spell bound between Melissa and Glory. The spell broke as Melissa heard Thomas Rigger, Glory's trainer shout "It shouldn't take that long to get down here! Your handling racehorses here, not Molasses in the spring!" Melissa laughed. It seemed like her trainer always got quotes wrong.

"Okay, Meli," Thomas said. (Everyone called Melissa Meli) "No breezes today. We'd better work up his endurance." Meli looked at the 20 year old trainer. "And what would YOU know?" she asked, but obediently lifted her leg for a leg up. Thomas hesitsted. "Your pretty bossy for a forteen year old girl!" he said. "Breeze him all you want, and watch him break his legs. He is not ready yet." Meli was glad when Thomas said she would gallop Grey Glory over the trails at Biggerson Breeding,Training and Racing Stables. She loved trail rides.

Something about the woods that day was different. Meli had always loved them, but now she feared them. Every crack of a stick startled her, and any racehorse other than Glory would spook. And thats when it happened... a cougar leaped from above...and landed on Glory's back. Then Glory did spook. He bucked he kicked... he did everything, he didn't even stop when Meli fell on the ground, covered in cuts and bruises, uncounciouses. Finally, the cougar loped away, and poor Glory fell to the ground.

Meli awoke. Everything was white. Her vision cleared...a hospital...she was in a hospital. Her pain was unimaginable, but she forgot it when she remembered what had happened. Where was Glory? "You are awake!" her mother cried. But all Meli wanted was to know where Glory was. "He is fine." her mother repeated, but Meli didn't think so.

Her recovery was slow. She grew restless in bed. Weeks passed, and finally, it was time to go home. She rose wobbily to her legs, and held her mother's hand to the car. As they drove home, Meli was filled with axiety. Was Glory OK?

Meli barely remembered home. But one thing she did remember was Glory, and there he was. She needn't run to him, because he came right to the edge of the fence. When Meli saw him, she knew his racing career was over, but that didn't matter, because he was ok. And his own son Steps With Pride won the Tripple Crown, and his filly won the Kentucky Derby three times.And Meli and Grey Glory were always the best of friends.