My name is Ray Greene. I am 18 years old. I have been working as a guide at Hallowed Grounds for 7 months. I've been riding horses my whole life. Until recently, I used to ride bareback, but in my work here I sometimes ride on saddles. The stirrups bother me a little, whereas before I could get on a horse in a single jump, but the advantage is that I have bags to pick up the rubbish that tourists drop. Most of the time, half-full bottles of water, or tubes of sunscreen. We Navajos are the only ones who maintain the valley, we can't let tourists turn our land into a trashpile.

In our company, the horses are well treated and well fed. They are curious and come to see the customers who are approaching the paddock. Not like my father's. In Troy Greene's paddock, mustangs have prominent ribs and glassy eyes. I worked for him from the age of 12, taking tourists to see the landscapes of the valley. The horses were trained the hard way, broken. He was drinking. He beat up my mother, too. Last year, my mother and I left. We brought with us Morning Star, my mother's mare, a brown and white piebald coat. My father had his third divorce, and he will soon have his fourth marriage.

We see a lot of different animals around here. When I was a kid, my grandmother taught me how to tame a lynx. They are used to protect horses from other predators. There's a lot of them around here. Once I found a little one I could have kept, but he was too young and not yet weaned, so I had to let him go. I really wish I had a lynx all to myself.

The only one I really fear is the cougar. I almost got killed during a ride with a friend. We were riding at a walking pace in a canyon when we heard a scream above us. We looked up, and we saw two cougars on the bank of the canyon. We started off at a triple gallop, chased by the two cougars who were all after us. We turned and hoped they wouldn't be able to jump on the other rim, and we didn't turn around until we had at least covered the distance of a football field. But the cougars had not given up. They had leapt down to the bottom of the canyon and were running towards us at full speed. We left in a hurry, and fortunately we arrived at a fence with a gate. We went through it and closed the gate behind us. The cougars could have jumped the barbed wire, but the smell of a whole group of men made them turn back. Since then, I have always been careful to ride a horse I know well when I go to explore a little far from the houses. You don't take risks with the cougar.

In the mountains, I spotted a fox. It's been a few weeks, so now he recognizes me. When I call him, he comes out of his burrow and watches me from above, unless he's busy hunting. I call him Lil Red, because he's a little ginger. With a little time, I hope to get close to him. You have to be patient with wild animals.

I just finished high school. It's more of a relief for me, because it imposed a stressful way of life on me. I know you have to go to school and learn a lot of useful things, but I have other things to do. During the school year, I divide my time between high school, horse care and a odd jobs. It's pretty heavy, but I don't really have a choice. I have to earn some money to live.

The other students in the school were very worried about their studies, but not me. Most of my friends worked hard to get into a good university, they tried to join clubs, or they were part of the football, basketball or baseball team, hoping that it would help them get a scholarship. I already didn't have time for these things, and besides I knew perfectly well that I would never find the money for a university, or even a bank that would lend me $30,000 for 3 years of studies. Anyway, I'm needed here.

So I decided to join the army. It's five years. It's an education like any other, and I'm sure it will teach me a lot of things that will be useful to me. My uncle pointed out to me that this is exactly what my father did, and that it didn't work for him too well. It seems that during his years in Afghanistan and Iraq he saw some pretty nasty stuff, and it went to his head. I hear that's why he can't do without his bottle of whisky, and it makes him violent. I answered him that I am not like my father. So even if he's a bad example for me, he's still an example, and I don't want to end up like him.

Besides, I'm about to have new responsibilities. There's this girl from high school I slept with. She called me last month to tell me she's pregnant. One month. She's going to keep it. I'm sure I'll be a great father. It's true that I won't be around too much at first, due to the army and stuff, but I'll come back and take good care of my baby and his mother.

To mark the occasion, I'd like to get a tattoo. It's not really accepted by the elders, because it's not part of our customs, but I don't care. Before in the Navajo people, when you became a man, you received a bowguard. It's used for archery. Without it, you can tear off your skin badly by shooting an arrow. It is a symbol of the transition to adulthood. We don't offer this kind of gift anymore, but I thought I could tattoo a drawing that looks like it on my forearm, well styled with traditional decorations. Like leather, but on my skin.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the ride. You can leave your horse near the paddock, we'll take care of it later. Remember that guides are paid by tip. Come back and see us soon.