Big Sky to Big Surf - A Bondi Rescue Story

The Letter

"That's it Jen. Keep him going. Just relax your hands a bit. You're doing great." I was in the middle of giving a riding lesson when I saw the post man drive up to my parents ranch. The Wolffe Ranch was renowned around Montana for breeding and training champion quarter horses. I started riding horses before I could walk, I started training horses at age 10, and I started teaching riding when I was 16. I have lived in Montana my whole life and never though about leaving. That was true until I graduated college. I have always had a small obsession with Australia and I had the idea to apply for graduate school at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. As much as I love riding, I have always wanted to work in psychology, especially when it comes to criminals. My parents think it is strange but I absolutely love it.
"Is this right Tori?" Jen, one of my students, asked immediately snapping me out of my daze. "Yea Jen, that looks good. Take him around one more time and then cool him out." "Ok," she told me while trotting down the fence line.
I was helping Jen untack Maverick, one of our lesson horses, when my dad came into the barn from the far paddocks. "Hey Tori, when you are finished with Jen's lesson can you go down the drive and pick up the mail?" "Sure thing!" After hearing this my dad jumped on his horse, Red, and rode off to bring in some of our other horses with our cattle dog Houston and my 2 dogs Cap and Bucky running along side him. It always amazed me to watch him ride. William Wolffe was one of the best cow horse trainers in Montana. I don't think I could ever get tired of watching him break and train a new horse. He even helped me train my horse Marvel. He is my 8 year old quarter horse. He was born here at the ranch and after dad and I trained him, we competed in barrel racing competitions all around the west coast.
Marv and I are inseparable. I love that horse more than I should. He and I have been through a lot as a team, everything from winning prestigious competitions to career ending injuries. But that is a story for another time.
When Jen's mom picked her up, I jumped on Marvel and galloped down the long driveway to our mailbox. I was anxiously waiting to hear from the graduate school I applied to in Sydney. They said an acceptance letter would take up to a month to arrive and it's now been 3 1/2 weeks. My parents weren't too happy that I may be leaving but I thought this is what would be best for me. When I finally got to the mailbox, I yanked it open and saw a rather large envelope mixed in with the usual letters, bills, and solicitations. I almost screamed when I saw that the envelope was from University of New South Wales but I didn't want to spook Marvel. We galloped back to the barn and after putting Marvel in his stall, I sat on a hay bale and ripped open the envelope.
Dear Ms. Wolffe,
We are pleased to tell you that you have been accepted to the Masters of Psychology at the University of New South Wales.
That's about all I read before I started to jump around like a mad woman. After briefly calming down, I ran to the house to tell everyone. My parents were happy for me but were also sad that I wouldn't be around for quite a while. I assured them that I would Skype with them every week and offer advice if they needed help with clients or training. I ran up to my room to book my ticket and to find a job that would allow me to bring Marvel with me.