I once sent a horse up a six‑mile hill in the Rockies, full of broken rails and sudden drops. The rider was a first‑time trail guide, and we were both in that thin line where the horse’s nerves met the rider’s nerves. We kept the cadence steady, worked the reins gently, and pushed past every hesitation. At the top, the horse threw a leap over a fallen tree that no one had cleared, and we both felt that rush of triumph. It’s a good reminder that the hardest wins feel the sweetest.