Registration wrote:Username: ABeardedDragon
Stable/Reserve Name: Dragon Valley StablesAISP Name: Cardinal // Little Bird
AISP Gender: Mare
AISP Coat color: Red Taffy
AISP's Dam: Foundation
AISP's Sire: Foundation
Retrieval556 words
A few weeks after
Mamba had settled in, I received a second email. I had been offered another pony. This time I had to travel to Denali; still a while away but at least it meant that our stallion could have some company. It was a full day of flying from the UK. Luckily, my American friend was available for another trip and was there to pick me up at the airport, with a horse box of course.
It was a fairly long drive to the reserve. I found it peaceful, surrounded by forests and mirror-like lakes, with the snowy mountains towering on the horizon. Eventually we pulled up at the location. Half of me wanted to drive around forever, but the pony was waiting for me. As I walked down the path, with a brown halter, I listened to the chirping songbirds. I saw a vibrant red cardinal sat on a branch by itself. I didn't take much notice of it until I realized that it was following me. Or leading the way. It flew ahead and landed on the corral where my mare was. Her rich red coat matched the little bird, at that moment I knew that her name had to be Cardinal. The pony shook her short white mane and approached the fence.
"Already found her, I see," the reserve owner said from behind me.
"Oh, yeah," I said, "sorry about not saying hi."
"It's fine," they said, "how's your stallion?"
"Mamba's a little lonely," I laughed.
"Ah, I'll let you get on then," they said before they turned and left. Cardinal stuck her head over the fence, allowing me to put her halter on. I sighed with relief. So much simpler than Mamba. I opened the gate and we walked back to the car with her. As I opened the trailer, the mare started to tug on the rope. She then started trotting around me, neighing as if she was laughing. I managed to spin with her, so I wouldn't get caught in the rope, until she tired out. Maybe I was wrong. I lead her into the trailer and stroked her black nose. I closed the door and got back into the car.
After another drive through the beautiful scenery, we reached the airport. I lead Cardinal out of the trailer. As soon as she had all four hooves on the ground, she ran. The rope slipped from my hand. All I could do was run after her, across the airport strip. Luckily, she was heading towards the plane but it was still dangerous. Two members of staff caught her when she reached the plane. She threw her head and ran around them. I guessed that this mare would be very energetic. I watched as they loaded her, ready for her flight. I then left the airfield and waited inside the airport for my own flight. I found a seat by the window. After a few minutes I could see her plane taking off.
I eventually returned to my home country. Cardinal was already waiting for me, along with my partner, in our car and box outside. It was the early morning, I had slept on the flight.
"Did she give you any problems?" I asked.
"Not really," he said. I told him about her behaviour as we drove home.
The Vet384 words
We had already called the vet out to check up on Mamba. He was still there when we arrived with Cardinal, one of the stable hands was leading the dark stallion away. We took her into the barn and tied her. She was shifting her weight from one leg to the other, restless and ready to run. The vet stroked along her body with a careful hand, checking for any injuries, pain or other abnormalities. At first she refused to let him feel her legs, but everything was clear, she was just too energetic to sit still for him. He checked her heart, breathing and eyes; nothing in particular to note. The whole time she was roughly pushing him with her nose. The vet then weighed her, she was in good condition but could use a little more food. Nothing drastic, it was expected as she had been loose in the Delani Nature Reserve for a week.
"Could you walk her?" He asked.
"Sure," I said. I walked her up and down the barn a few times, while the vet was carefully watching her legs and movement from several angles. I turned her as well as moving her backwards.
"And a trot?" He requested. I repeated this but at trot. The vet then approached, lifting one of her legs and holding it. "Now a flexion test," he said, "when I let go, make her trot immediately."
"Okay," I said. He placed her hoof down and I started to jog, Cardinal happily trotted along side me. We repeated this for each leg. Then the vet asked if she could be exercised, to check her canter, as well as her vitals after work and rest. I asked my partner to take her out with him. I had to see to the other horses.
It was about an hour later when my partner returned. The vet had left. I was in the stable, grooming one of the horses when he came in. Cardinal walked by him with her head lowered slightly. For once she wasn't so lively. After he placed her in a stable for the night, he came to greet me.
"How was she?" I asked.
"All clear," he said, "just waiting for her blood tests."
The next day they came back clear. A healthy pony!
Introduction306 words
The next morning I returned to the barn. I fetched a yellow head collar from the tack room. This would be hers, the brown one she wore before was only for transporting horses. I turned around the corner and came to greet her. But she wasn't there. I frantically searched up all of the stalls, just to make sure that this was the one she was in. Then I heard a bang, then the rattling of oats on the floor. I walked to the feed room. Through the door I could see the hind of a bright red horse with a short white tail.
"Cardinal!" I shouted, relieved that she was safe. The mare simply looked over her shoulder at me, her ears perked, then she continued to eat. She had jumped over the stable door. The sooner she got into the field the better. I walked along her side, stroking her back and neck before I placed the halter on her.
I took her out of the barn. We stopped outside as she wanted to sniff the area where we hosed the horses. We walked through the fields, passed by many of the horses. We came to the stream at a point where it snaked through a field. She saw one of our horses, Orion. She dragged me to the flirty stallion.
"He's not one of you," I laughed, "silly mare." I let them interact for a minute before I asked her to walk with me again. She didn't feel confident coming over the stream at first. She put one hoof in then neighed, pulling back. After a few moments of investigating, she leaped over it. Then she trotted around me, I nearly tripped over the rope. I walked up the base of the mountain to the colder field where she would be living freely.
The Release271 words
We soon reached the paddock. I took her in and closed the gate behind her. She started to hop as she walked, her head bobbing with excitement. I struggled to unclip the rope as she wouldn't stay still. When I did, she was gone. Cardinal bolted off across the rough fields. I was left with the thunder of her hooves on the slightly rocky ground and a cloud of dirt. When it settled, I could see her galloping wildly and jumping. She ran straight towards the stone fence. I watched with anxiousness as she screeched to a halt in front of it.
"Too high for you, eh?" I laughed. At least I knew that she wouldn't jump out of the field, she was safe here. The pony whinnied and turned towards me. She trotted straight at me. I had to step out of the way or she would have hit me. Then she pushed me with her head and snorted in my face.
"Thanks," I muttered. I stroked her neck. She was much more confident than our stallion. Soon she got bored of my affection and left again. This time she was slower as she paid attention to the area; before she was just too excited to run free again, to check her new home. After she felt confident that she would be comfortable in the field, Cardinal started to graze. It was a change to see my mare so calm. I left the field, watched her for a few more minutes, then started to walk back to the house alone. Soon she would meet Mamba and they could run together.
OPTIONAL TASKS Other Horses *Mamba Training Wild Observation Treats Requires 'Training' task First Ride/Sled Pull Requires 'Training' task
