The saga of Mack began in 1994 when Walters bought him off the track to train and sell. "Just from sitting on Mack, I knew his potential," Mortimer recalled. When a ride over solid fences proved that his cross country talent was, in keeping with his namesake, extraordinary, Mortimer fast-tracked to one of life's little crossroads. They couldn't keep two horses. She had to choose between Woody and Mack.

If she chose Woody, her older preliminary-level horse, Young Riders was at her fingertips. But he could offer her nothing beyond that. If she chose Mack, Woody would be sold and the dream of Young Riders with him would be lost forever. But what Mack offered was huge, long range potential. With a silent tear, Mortimer said good-bye to Woody and headed with Mack for the mini-event circuit.

"We spent forever going to schooling show after schooling show," she recalled. "He was a non-conformist horse. Most people warm up for dressage, then do their test. With Mack I would warm him up then chill for ten minutes before doing the test. Over three years I've been slightly decreasing the chill time."

"Mack was a natural cross country horse," added Walters. "Bold, scopey and smart. He had talent in dressage and it's here that I've helped Robyn the most. But stadium was, and still is, the most difficult."

"We kept having to go back to trotting poles and cross poles," Mortimer explained.

"(I came to realize that) Mack was a mental ride. He was never naughty nor did he have any health problems. But he had anxieties and tensions. He was physically strong but emotionally over-sensitive. He would rush the fences but when I asked for a half-halt he'd jump around (instead of slowing down). The harder I tried to ride him physically, the worse he got."

The more Mortimer chased perfection with Mack, the more it eluded her. "Mack could make me really upset. He challenged me at a very deep level and could be really hard (to train). He would not let me do any hard core training with him."

Frustration wore down determination. The battle endured season after season until that cold spring moment after dressage. It was the beginning of an internal conflict for Mortimer that threatened her future in riding.

"I was at my wit's end. I thought of giving up. So many things were going on. I had to decide whether to ride or be a normal person. For eight months I did everything other than ride. I played badminton and volleyball. I ran, cycled, swam. Everyone comes to this. You try to have a life. Horses are a lifestyle. So you have to ask yourself if you want to live this lifestyle."

"(Basically), I had a break down. I thought something was wrong with me. (I kept thinking) why am I so unhappy? I am normally stable and happy. That's when I knew I really did want to ride. I had tried other sports but nothing compares to riding."

Once more, she picked up the reins and, as she worked with Mack again, optimism returned. But she was no longer the goal-driven, perfectionist of yesterday. She had found a new inner harmony and, with it, greater self-assurance, a deeper appreciation for the uniqueness of her horse, and a sense of peace that came with the sheer joy of riding again.

And she discovered something else. "I knew I'd been clinging to the dream of Young Riders, hoping to make it with Woody. I was focused on the goal. Mack taught me that I had to focus on the process of getting to a goal, not the goal itself. To get from A to Z, I had to experience all the letters in between. Since Mack was so non-conformist, it didn't matter to him if we went through the letters mixed up, backwards or upside down. It only mattered that we did every stage in the process. I also found that the least amount of physical riding I did on him, the better he went. If I did less, he would do more. I went back to the basics both in training and in tack. I ride him in a "happy mouth" (rubber) bit and in stadium I ride him off the nose in an English hackamore."

In August 1999 Mortimer rode Mack in their first preliminary level event. At the end of 2000 she decided to shuffle her goals, take a year off university college (where she is studying kinesiology) and put uninterrupted time into Mack's training. The investment in time paid off when in 2001 she finished 6th in the Intermediate level at Widby Island, 2nd in the CCI* at Osoyoos, 5th in the CIC* at Johvale Horse Trials and 3rd at Chase Creek CCI**.

"Over the years many parents have asked me how I have kept Robyn riding," recalled Maureen Walters. "My answer has been, 'I haven't, she has her own motivation.' But I have known when to give advice and when to be quiet. I let her make her own decisions. She knows her horse best and usually goes with her instincts, right or wrong. Looking at where she is today those instincts are pretty good. I am proud of her."

"Subconsciously I felt a responsibility to be a good rider as a reflection of my mom," Mortimer confided. "I feel other people could have higher expectations of me because I'm Maureen Walters' daughter. But I have learned through Mack that you don't have to be perfect. I understand more clearly the values of compromise, of trying your best, of being patient and persistent and trusting your instincts. You have to be self-motivated and want to do this sport for yourself. To enjoy riding you have to love spending time with horses and taking care of them. Your horse can be your best friend."

And through her close bond with Mack, Mortimer discovered life's most precious and mystical secret: The journey truly is the destination. Now, when Mortimer gets her hard hat, it is with a new kind of enjoyment, a quiet kind of peace. "When I go into the ring, I'm going to ride Mack. I'm not riding for the spectators, the judges, the talent scouts. I'm just going to ride Mack."