As I stepped out into the golden sunlight from the cramped trailer, people immediately encircled me. This was definitely not what I was envisioning. Only fragments of their sentences made it to my ear.
The chimeric one... Won’t do anything without that little finch... Wish my horse had his talent... I sighed, lucky to have Sandy, my only escape in this situation.
My owner, Havilah, grabbed my halter and led me over to an empty stable filled with every kind of grooming supply imaginable. Everyone tried to follow us, but she would not have it. She shooed them away, her long caramel colored hair swishing as she walked. Havilah and Sandy were probably the only kindred spirits in this throng of people and horses. We entered the stable, and settled into our normal routine. As her kind hands sculpted my mane and tail into a rose-interwoven masterpiece, I sighed with content. She lifted each of my hooves to clean them, and brushed my multi-hued coat until it shined.
Just as we were finishing up, a girl with silky hair the color of a raven’s wing entered the room, leading a mare along with her. The mare was absolutely gorgeous. She was a beautiful blue roan, with a mane the color of a rainy sky and a tail the color of the rain itself. It was dyed a vibrant teal. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to stare right into my soul. I glanced away, suddenly feeling awkward. I never really pursued mares, but now here I was, standing here, next to her. She sidled up to me, her owner running after her. She wouldn’t budge. What had I gotten myself into?
“Seriously,
Gloria? I guess I’ll have to clean you up right here, then.” The girl started to brush out her mane, adorning it with blue roses. That’s when I noticed her companion, a finch like mine.
“Wait, you have finch friend too?” she asked, realizing the same thing. “Hey, Morning, is that cool or what?”
Morning’s only response was the flap of her wings as she flitted up into the rafters with Sandy. Gloria and I, we discovered, actually had a lot in common, like our love for our dressage, and how we always seemed to be the center of attention, even when we didn’t want to be. We both loved to just stand in the middle of nature, watching it go by around us, all the parts of it so interwoven, so connected. Before I knew it, it was my time to shine! With a tug to my halter, Havilah led me out of the room into another small barn connected to the dauntingly large arena. A woman with a checkboard smiled.
“You’re all good to go!” She turned to me, and admired me for a second. “And aren’t you a pretty little Morgan!” Havilah grinned from ear to ear.
“I’m lucky to have him.” The loudspeaker boomed through the arena.
“Please welcome.... Havilah Bloomberg on Desert Sands!” I barely heard it. Havilah called for a gentle trot, my legs carrying her into the large arena. I took care to show off my gentle and steady gait, passing by the judges watching carefully. I didn’t even care. This was
my time. We went through the same routine we had reviewed a thousand times. I was relaxed and my thoughts clear. Havilah was more calm and collected then she ever was during training. We were in the perfect mindset. We were unstoppable. Finally, we ended with a passage towards the center of the ring. Applause rang out throughout the arena’s bleachers as we exited. As much as I hated the crowd, I still felt proud of myself and Havilah for all that we had accomplished. We went back into the room, where the Morgan after us was about to go. Gloria was waiting for us as we entered
“Gloria?!” I wasn’t expecting to see her here at all!
“You did great, I watched the whole thing. That passage at the end was perfect! I bet you worked on that for a long time!”
“Sure did. At this point, I don’t even care what I got, because I’m so happy with how I did in that arena.”
“Next up is Kai Laelle on The Morning Blossom’s True Glory!” Gloria trotted away, her teal blue tail trailing past. Her time in the arena was well spent. Everyone was captivated by the beautiful mare with the peculiar tail. I didn’t blame them. I was too.
Soon, her flawless routine was over, and it was time for the judges to announce the winners. “And finally, in first place, we have a tie. Give a hand to Desert Sands and The Morning Blossom’s True Glory!” The crowd screamed, but I didn’t hear them. I looked Gloria straight in the eye, and right then and there, I knew I’d be seeing a lot more of her.
{820 words}
January 16, 2011Gramps passed away peacefully after a long and prosperous life. I knew that, but yet I still harbored resentment over this course of nature. Our memories had only just begun! I was 16, and ready to enjoy countless summer days helping him out at the stables. I sighed, thinking about them. The stables. My only connection to dear Gramps. And, according to his will, I could inherit them. The only thing stopping me was one daunting task: taking first in the annual Rose Dressage Competition. Filled with the fiercest of competitors, the most prestigious of trainers, and the most beautiful of Morgans. But I wasn’t to take just any of his horses. I was to take Sinai, a young, untrained chimeric horse. If I could train him in dressage, his will stated, I was clearly capable of running his stables. If I failed this task, which was more than likely, the ownership would go to my older cousin, Leira, who wasn’t even a farm girl. Her life was filled with designer clothing, and she freaked at a speck of dirt. There was no way for her to be able to handle the responsibility of running the stables. Maybe that’s why Gramps gave me this chance. He would never want Leira to run these stables. This meant he believed in me.
Right?May 8, 2011We had made great progress recently, mastering the leg yield and extended trot, among others. Right now we were working on more advanced flying changes. Lucky for me, Sinai learned fast. We had almost gotten this flying change under our belt. Just a few more times and we could do it in our sleep. I led him through the now familiar series of steps. Just once more! I felt a hesitant shift of his hooves and... SPLAT. I was the perfect picture of a mud angel.
“How’s that going for you?” I heard a familiar voice above me and looked up to see Leira, smirking down at me.
“Just fine. We actually have made great progress, all in the course of a few months. What are you doing here, anyways? Don’t you have better things to do than stand in the mud?”
“Well, I’m hoping to see you fail so I can inherit these stables.”
“As if you love horses a quarter as much as I do. What’s the real reason behind this?”
“Nothing.” She turned away, hiding her unreadable expression. Something fishy was definitely going on.
But what?May 9, 2011I slipped on Sinai’s halter and other tack, and rode him out to another field far away from the barn and the house. It had silky spring green grass blanketed with little beads of dew. Wordlessly, we went though the flying changes again, and every single time, we aced them. If this was any indication, it looked like with lots of hard work and a dash of luck, Sinai could win this!
June 8, 2011I think we can finally say we’re finished with learning the flying changes for our routine for the dressage competition. We ran through the whole routine so far a couple of times, and after that, I let him roam free in the pasture for a little bit. I disappeared to bake horse treats, and soon, the aroma of sweet oats filled the kitchen. I took them out of the oven and grabbed a snack for myself. I ran back to Sinai, who was leisurely grazing. He turned his head when I came over, and headed straight for the treats. I laughed. “Hey, boy, take your time.” I handed him one and he munched on it thoughtfully, as if contemplating what Gramps would’ve thought. He would have been right alongside me, laughing as Sinai’s mouth tickled my hand trying to get to the treats. He would’ve been getting the most out of every day in the sweet summer sun with all his horses.
June 9, 2011Slipping on Sinai’s halter, I led him out to our field, working on our piaffe. His steps aren’t high enough. I’ll make him do more lateral work to fix this. He finally got tired after a long training session, and by the time we were finished with our new bonding routine, the sun had set hours ago. I ran into the empty house without a welcome, and heated up some dinner. I’ve got to win this.
July 14, 2011That lateral work really did help. Sinai’s steps are now the best part of his form! Today, we woke up early, and went straight into the field to train. We both had incredible focus and an even better bond. In the summer mist, I noticed a figure heading towards me. It was Leira. Her eyes showed urgency, her tears showed pain. “I have something I need to tell you.” Her voice was barely a whisper, yet it was the only thing I heard. “When my late mother was 18, she had a boy. She had to put him up for adoption. Gramps was heartbroken, but it was the only thing she could do if she wanted to go to college and get a decent job. She always checked in on him to make sure he was okay. But when she died, she gave me a letter. I was to take care of him now. The moment he turned 18, he was kicked out of his foster house on the streets. He had nothing to live for, and no place to go. Her letter told me to be a good sister to him. Make sure he was okay, make sure he got a job, and make sure he knew he wasn’t alone. She never knew about how bad his foster parents were to him. It is my calling, my responsibility to make sure he’s okay. And right now, he doesn’t even have a home. That’s why I want the stables. So he can have money to have decent life.” And she walked away back into the cloud of mist of which she came, leaving me with the impact of her words.
January 3, 2012It’s been a year since Gramps died. Our family gathered for a memorial. Mom, Dad, and me. None of them looked very sad. I guess I’m the only one who understood him. I burst into tears and ran from the room. Without thinking, I ran towards Sinai. He looked at his tack expectantly. I guess it was training time. With tears in my eyes, we fell into the same familiar ritual we always had. He understood me. He understood Gramps. And we both understood that we needed to train as hard as we could for the upcoming competition in March.
For Gramps. And for the forsaken man in the night.
For Leira.February 15, 2012We just had to finish up our work on the most difficult skill yet: the pirouette. Sinai learned fast, and soon, we were ready to fine tune every little detail. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t even have a chance at winning. Lots of people’s lives depended on this one competition, and I was determined to set things right. As we neared our field, a familiar figure was perched on the white picket fence. Leira. I walked over to her. I had finally figured out a way to make things right, and I wasn’t about to just let it slip through my fingers like fine desert sand. I explained, pouring my heart out just the same way she did to me. I finally had someone to talk to. “...if I win, I’ll give you the prize money for your brother.” She stared at me, her hazel eyes seeking out my intentions and my truths. Finally, she whispered two words as soft as the wind on a still day: “Thank you.”
March 18, 2012Everyone is rushed and energized. Many horses are getting their manes styled in the tight braided dressage style. I hated doing things the traditional way. Leira braided Sinai’s mane in a veil, strands interwoven amongst each other. The energy was lifting me off my feet. Before I knew it, I was mounting Sinai just as the loudspeaker boomed, “Let’s give a warm welcome for our first competitor. Havilah Bloomberg on Desert Sands!” The crowd cheered. As Sinai and I went through our routine, it was second nature to us. Our hearts beat to the same rhythm. And then we exited the arena to the waves of applause engulfing us.
January 16, 2016I stood in the stables, giving the horses some grooming. Next to me, a young man of 26 was doing the same thing. Tristan. Leira’s brother. Along with using my prize money, he got to work at the stables, and lucky for me, he loves horses just as much as I do. I’m sure you’re thinking,
That’s such a fairytale ending. But life can be like a fairy tale, if that’s what you make it out to be.
{1,498 words} Sorry, I went 84 words over the limit. I think I might fix it later if I can...
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