Username;; SpartanAmethyst
Show Name: ARR Rogue Wildfire
Barn Name: Calida
Discipline: Any form of jumping, particularly cross country
History: We met Calida at a
claiming race; I'd gone out for the day with my head trainer Sam, hoping to bring new talent into the racing stables. It was a clear, beautiful day at Arapahoe Park, and the stands were buzzing with excitement. There were so many horses, most of which were registered for claims, and with only hours before the start of the race, trainers and jockeys alike were all getting ready for their debuts. Sam and I walked side by side, getting a preview of the horses that were going to be running. There were quite a few good pedigrees that day, I remember. I'd planned on purchasing two, a new colt and a new filly, that I could use as breeding projects later on. As we searched stall after stall for just the right fit, I felt Sam nudge my arm suddenly. Following his gaze, there was the most beautiful thoroughbred mare standing at the back of her stall, trembling with fright and nerves. She was absolutely gorgeous, with a coat made of fire and mottled with pristine white smoke. Heterochromatic eyes followed the passing people cautiously; you could tell that she was definitely not in her comfort zone. "That's not a racehorse," I heard Sam mutter disappointedly. "She's a flop. Best you could get out of her was a pretty coat, I'm afraid."
"Hold on, let's just go take a look," I responded, Sam cursing under his breath that he'd called my attention to her. Coming up to her chart, I was definitely impressed with her pedigree. "She's a Euphorian, and look at her parents! They were both racing legends." I looked up at the mare, who was desperately trying to lean away from the strangers at her stall door. "But you're right. She won't last a minute out on the track; she'll panic before she gets her stride and can show them what she can do."
"Exactly," Sam said. "And she already has a red tag. So don't go claiming a horse we don't need!"
"Precisely, Samuel. A horse of her caliber belongs in a stable that can
actually race her properly," a new voice suddenly spoke, and both turned quickly to see who'd joined them.
"Elias," Amethyst growled, and the man smirked knowingly.
"I see, you think you can finally race with the big boys, hm? How sad," he
tsked, shaking his head.
"Guess I could say the same for you. If I recall, your precious highblood lost his last race, didn't he? That was actually quite sad, considering it was to my halfblood Ahmar. Maybe you should focus on winning against mixed breeds first, since you hate them so much, shouldn't you?" Suddenly anger lit in Elias' eyes, and I knew I'd hit the one nerve that would never heal. When Amethyst Ridge came back onto the radar, Elias made a quick enemy out of me when all I was looking to do was compete; well, trying to be the showoff that he was, challenged one of my "inferior" Thoroughbred mixes, a Painted TB named Ahmar, to a duel. No purse, no cash, but winner kept both horses. He'd bet a multi-million dollar Thoroughbred colt with a pedigree that I could only have
dreamed of owning as his competitor, and in a blowout victory Ahmar outran the young, green colt. I was very excited to own such a wonderful horse, who really was a dream to ride, and put Elias in his place as well. "Besides, this is not a horse you want to race. This mare is far too scared, she doesn't have the attitude to be a competitor," I tried to warn him. I may have hated his guts, but I wasn't mean, and would never try to risk a horse's life just to prove a point.
Elias scoffed, forcing himself back into being calm. "We'll see about that," he huffed, and I sighed. "Besides, training and a good whip will knock that right out."
"Don't be a fool, Elias," I snapped. "You can't 'train out' everything; why do you think I have so many rescues? Because people like you think you can
force these horses to be whatever you want them to be. It just doesn't work like that."
"Like we want you not to be an ass, but sometimes it just doesn't work like that," Sam suddenly interjected, and I couldn't hold back my laughter. Elias growled at him menacingly, but the Texan just returned a smirk and folded his arms casually.
"Okay, okay Sam that's enough," I chuckled, struggling to gain my composure. "Alright, Elias, I'll tell you what. Go ahead and claim her; when the poor thing flops on the race track, I'll buy her from you immediately for an extra thousand over what you claimed her for, then I'll throw in a free covering from the stallion I got from you. I'm sure you've heard that he's on the fast track to the International Circuit, so that's a steal. Or, you can turn around and go take a look at that pretty little bay filly behind you; she's got one hell of a pedigree, and fire in her eyes. She'll make one hell of a champion, and she's a Euphorian, too. Your call."
"I think I'm sound in my decision, I don't need a clueless woman like yourself trying to dissuade me," he sneered, and Sam clenched his fists. Amethyst stepped slightly forward to block him, though, making a dramatic shrug in the process.
"Alright, suit yourself. But my offer still stands."
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And, just as predicted, the poor little appaloosa filly flopped.
She started strong, had great stride and was just as fast as her sire, if not faster. But she allowed herself to be bullied, jostled, and trapped all the way around the track, never once fighting to keep her position. She finished dead last in a pack of ten, nearly hyperventilating with anxiety as they pulled her off the track. I went back to the stables to pick up the pretty bay filly I'd claimed, the one my rival had been a fool not to take, and was very quickly met with a fuming, embarrassed Elias. "I'll take your offer. Right here."
I held out my hand expectantly, and he slapped the papers in it very aggressively. I handed them to Sam, who verified them, then took the cash out of my small hip purse, and even counted it out in front of him. "Pleasure doing business with you," I smirked.
"What about the bay filly?" He asked incredulously, and for the briefest moment I was shocked that he was that ignorant. Both Sam and I laughed right in his face.
"She was never part of the deal, you're SOL on that one, buddy," I said, knowing he hated being called that. "You should have taken her when you had the chance. You have your cash, and I'll let you know when my stallion comes available for breeding," I said happily, boasting a little more attitude than initially intended, then set off with my trainer to retrieve our horses. While he grabbed the bay, I sauntered over to the appaloosa's stall; she'd been untacked, but otherwise uncared for. I took an hour to calm and groom her after that hard race, and by the time I'd finished, she'd gone from fearful to actively seeking my attention, rubbing her head against my chest and nickering at me. As I'd groomed her, though I'd noticed that she was showing signs of pain on her haunches, and as I inspected the skin, I could see lots of bruising underneath that fiery coat. The jockey had been pretty heavy handed on the whip, and that was another reason I was very glad I got her, because Elias and all of his jockeys were even worse. She would heal, though, and she'd never have to run another race again.
Putting her on lead was a cakewalk from there, and her manners were absolutely impeccable; all she needed was a little reassurance that I wasn't going to hurt her. She loaded up with no issue, and Sam and I both agreed that we were done for the day. Besides, I'd already gone almost three thousand over my budget, so I would have some explaining to do when my husband got home....
