Entry Writing (For Icelandic Tolter #076- No Posting!)

[Infernia]

I have decided to try out for Icelandic Tolter #076, and I decided that I would do some writing to add to my form! Basically, this is where I will be storing all of the stories, journal entries, etc., that go along with my entry. If you have any questions or comments about anything on this thread, feel free to PM me, but please don't post here. Thanks!

PS: Sasha Knight is Centurion's owner/rider. She is the character I have made up that lives at White River Stables who owns and takes care of my currently owned horses. In the beginning of the journal entries, Centurion is given the name 'Ranger' but it will change, so don't be confused by that!

↣ Species by of gators & feigns
↣ Bear Run Tolters Equestrian
↣ Icelandic Tolter #076

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➸ Sasha's Journal Entries

Entry #1
Entry #2
Entry #3

➸ Stories (Centurion's Point Of View)

Legionnaire Centurion Meets Battle Cry

➸ Stories (Other)

*Links Here*

[Infernia]

Saturday, December 7th

Earlier this evening, I found a horse. That’s the only reason I started keeping a journal. I was on my way home from picking up the new horse trailer we bought a few days ago with my dad, and we saw him in the road a little ways from where we were. I thought he would be afraid of cars, or headlights, but here he was, standing in our lane about forty feet in front of my dad’s truck.

I told dad to pull over, and he let me get out to go check on the horse. When I got closer, he started shying away so I crouched down and held out my hand. Slowly, he started walking toward me and after a bit of coaxing, he reached his head down to nudge my hand. I was about to get up, but as soon as I did he jumped and started backing away. I felt like my dad was getting pretty impatient considering it was dark and he probably wanted to get home, so I stood up all the way, but still held out my hand. Slowly, the horse started to warm up to me and he inched his way back over to me. That’s when I realized he was limping. But, that wasn’t the only thing wrong with him. He had cuts and scars all over him, his mane and tail were a mess, his hooves were cracked and worn, he didn’t have horseshoes…

I couldn’t tell if he had an owner or not, because he looked pretty lean. He wasn’t skinny or underfed, but I figured he had been eating out in the wild. Still, most wild horses in his condition still didn’t have the proper diet and looked sickly anyway. Of course, this horse did look sick, but not in a hungry kind of way.

There was no way I was leaving him alone in his condition. I started back toward the truck, and the horse started following me. I urged him to stay put so we could avoid putting pressure on his injured leg, but he just hobbled after me anyway. I told my dad about everything that was going on, and asked if we could take him home until we could find out if he had an owner, or if he was being boarded somewhere nearby. He told me we could and got out of the truck to help me get the horse into the trailer. He was getting anxious and uneasy, and didn’t want to go into the trailer, so I walked in and coaxed him to follow me.
We got him to lay down and my dad suggested that I stay with him just to make sure everything went okay, so I sat down in front of him and petted his neck and rubbed his ears until he put his head in my lap. I moved a little closer to him, and started tracing my hand up and down lightly on his muzzle.

When we got home, my dad helped me get him into the barn and went to get some warm water while I took the horse to the cross-ties. I was trying to put a halter on him when he started getting skittish again so I just put it down and hoped he would stay put.
My dad got back with the water, and handed me a piece of cloth that we use to wash the horses after a trail ride. I dipped it in the water and then slowly raised it into view, praying that the horse knew what it was. Apparently, he did because he didn’t flinch or shy away when I touched the cloth to him. Slowly, I started working the dirt, along with a little bit of dried blood, off of his coat while my dad started getting the tangles and knots out of his mane and tail.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that he had been abused, and it broke my heart. He didn’t deserve that. No horse did. Whoever did this to him should be ashamed. They should also hope that I never find out who they are.

After nearly two hours of work, we had the stallion cleaned up and ready to start healing. My dad told me that we could call the veterinarian in the morning to see if there was anything serious going on. He was just about to leave the barn when I told him I thought I should stay with the horse that night just to make sure everything was okay. He told me that I was being silly, and that I should just go to bed, but I told him I was staying. He just sighed and left the barn.

I took the horse to his own stall, on the opposite end of my two other horses, Winter and King. I wasn’t sure if they were okay with the new horse or not. They had been awfully quiet during the whole cleaning ordeal, so I wasn’t sure if they were okay with him, or if they were just plotting revenge.

I filled up the stall with fresh straw and brought in some feed and fresh water, but he didn’t touch either one. He was just lying in the straw, so I sat down in front of him like I had and let him put his head in my lap.

I figured he should have a name, or at least something to go by while we was here, so I started trying to think of some names. Although, the only thing I could think of at the time was Ranger, so I figured that was better than nothing.

It was almost three in the morning, and I was really tired, but I didn’t want to go to sleep yet so I got up and snuck up to the house. I dug through the drawers in my room until I found a notebook and a pen, and now I’m writing in this book. I guess this is all I have to write for now, but hopefully I’ll write again soon.

[Infernia]

Saturday, December 14th

It’s been a week since we took Ranger in. The vet came to our house and gave him a full physical. He said there are signs of abuse and trauma, but there was nothing too serious. He gave us some medicine that we are supposed to mix in with the feed and give him for pain, and some antiseptic ointment to put on the deeper cuts. He is doing a lot better. His leg is better, and he acts like nothing was ever wrong with it. His cuts are almost healed too. Plus, he’s also eating and drinking now.

All week, we’ve been asking people about Ranger. Posting signs about finding him, paid another veterinarian to scan him for some kind of microchip that could tell us where he came from, asked the boarding stables that are in our area and even some that are further away, made a few calls, and tried a few other things, but we still haven’t found any information.

I want to keep him, but my dad told me I was already plenty busy with three horses, and a colt on the way. Yeah, sure, my three stallions were a lot of work, and there would be a lot more to do now that Winter’s colt is going to be delivered to the ranch in the next few days, but it’s all worth it. I can keep up with all of it, especially since I’m on Christmas Break and I don’t have to worry about school. Maybe Ranger could be my Christmas present this year…

Anyway, all four of the stallions are getting along well, which is good. This morning I took them all out to the pasture so they could stretch and get some energy out. Winter, King, and Ranger just chased each other around for a bit before heading up the hill to the apple tree where King and Winter always hang out, while Cry hung out at the far end of the pasture. The morning sun was shining brightly down on all of them, and that’s when I realized how beautiful Ranger really was. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed before.

I was sitting on the fence, watching the three of them munch on grass when I heard my dad yelling for me up at the house. He told me that Dr. Hiram had called with some unexpected news. He told my dad that while he was reviewing some blood tests that he had done on Ranger, he discovered some type of foreign bacteria. He said that it wasn’t dangerous to Ranger, and that it was most likely supposed to be there, but it wasn’t anything he could have gotten in the US and it would’ve had to have come over from another country, most likely overseas and that he needed to run a few more tests to be sure.

That’s when I started to think that maybe Ranger had been through a lot more than I had previously thought.

[Infernia]

Saturday, December 21st

So, it's been another week, and a lot has happened. I decided on a new name for Ranger. This morning while I was eating breakfast, I was watching a documentary on Roman armies and I heard them talking about legions, legionnaires, and centurions. So, I decided to call him Legionnaire Centurion. This name describes someone who would lead a unit army of one-hundred into battle. Personally, I think it's a suiting name considering this boy is a fighter and survivor. Not to mention the fact that he reminds me of a horse that would be ridden by the leader into war. Anyway, I call him Centurion now, and I think he likes it.

Centurion is almost fully healed now. The only signs left are his scars, and some of them will most likely be there for another year or two before fading completely. The vet called a few days ago, and told us that the bacteria was actually helpful to Centurion, and that it couldn't hurt him. He said it also helped to figure out that he had come from overseas, most likely from Russia, although he had no clue as to how he got there or how he got back to the US.


I also got to ride Centurion for the first time. It was nearly Christmas, and deep into the season of winter and I almost didn't want to ride him in the cold, but I changed my mind when I realized he might start to revert back to his old self. At first, he didn't want the tack to be put on him, but he finally settled down when he realized I wasn't going to hurt him. I led him out to the sandy arena and mounted him there, letting him walk and wander around for a bit before I started trying to teach him commands and different gaits. Surprisingly, I was never bucked off and he never refused to do anything, although there were a few times where he was a bit skittish and started acting out.

By now, I have decided that jumping would be a good discipline for Centurion. He is pretty tall for most of the other horses like himself, and he has a lot of spring to him. I let him out in the indoor jumping arena with some short jumps and logs, and just let him free-jump for a little bit. He seemed very interested in it, but wasn't sure how to approach the actual jumps. He had no problems with the logs, or even the small stacks of them, but he would always stop right before a normal jump. So, I brought Winter out and had him free-jump a few just to show Centurion how to do it. Fortunately, he seemed to get it and I let the two free-jump for a little bit longer before I let all of the horses out in the pasture.

The next day, I practiced commands and other things with Centurion. We would practice for about an hour, and then I'd let him have an hour long break. We did this for the next few days until I thought he might be ready to try a jump. I set it up for one foot and let him free-jump it a few times before I put my English tack on him and took him back to the arena. The first few times would go the same. We'd walk around the arena a few times, then we'd turn and trot toward the jump. He would get right to it, and then stop. That was understandable. After all, it was probably different when he had tack and a rider on him. Luckily, he got it after a few more tries and cleared the jump. We practiced for a little less than an hour, and then I got a call from a friend of mine who wanted to go try a new trail they had set up at her ranch. I told my dad and he told me he'd take me up there. I was going to take Cry, since he needed the most work on attitude and manners around other horses, but then I decided I would take Centurion since he had been working so hard lately and deserved a little fun. I groomed him while my dad hooked up the trailer and moved my tack into it, and then we got Centurion settled in the trailer and left to go to her house.

When we got there, I led Centurion out of the trailer and tacked him up while I waited for Maddie to bring her horse up from the barn. When she saw Centurion, I swear her jaw dropped. She was asking where and when I had found him, and telling me how handsome he was. I explained everything and told her about all the progress he had made.

We led the horses down through a pasture to where the start of the trail was and got on. Everything was going good until we got to a river. It was pretty deep, and was running pretty fast. Maddie and her horse went through it like it was nothing, but Centurion stopped and started backing away. Was he afraid of the river? I tried to urge him forward, but he was not budging, so I knew we were either going to have to turn back or find another way over. Then I got an idea... Jumping. The river wasn't very wide. Maybe a little over a foot. I figured that Centurion could jump it with no problem. I was a bit nervous, because I new that if either of us fell in we would probably end up with a case of hypothermia. Finally, I made up my mind. I got Centurion to back up a few more steps and started going through the motions of getting ready for a jump. I guess he knew what was going to happen because he held his head high and scratched one hoof at the ground like he did before taking a jump straight on. I nudged him into a trot, and to my surprise he didn't refuse the jump. We landed safely on the other side and continued the trail ride.

When we got home that afternoon I made sure to tell Centurion how proud I was and gave him a small treat. I knew that one day we would be competing among the other Icelandic jumpers in competitions all around the country.

[Infernia]

The sun was just beginning to rise up over the mountains in the distance. A faint light was beginning to shine in through the open windows of the barn, casting shadows of the sleeping inhabitants inside along the concrete floors. I was the only one awake, and I was itching to move. I had been laying down for a while now, and I wanted more than anything to get up and stretch my legs.

I didn't want to wake up Winter, especially considering he had been up all night with his son, Echo, and the colt had finally fallen asleep. King had been rather restless as well, perhaps worrying about Sasha or the colt, so he most likely needed the sleep too. However, the one I particularly didn't want to wake up was the white stallion in the far corner of the stable.

I had seen him out with the other stallions, and although he wasn't necessarily agressive toward Sasha, it was a whole different story when he was around Winter or King. He was almost perpetually moody, extremely irritable, and nearly always had a bad attitude. At least, that's what I had heard from Winter, who, by the way, never has anything negative to say about anyone. When I heard something like this from him, I knew it must have been bad.

Soon enough, Sasha came swinging into the barn like she did every morning at sunrise with the same bright smile on her face. She groomed all of us, filled up our feed buckets and water troughs, and then decided to let the five of us go out to the main pasture for a bit to run around.

I eagerly awaited my turn as she walked Winter and Echo out of the barn and to the pasture, then came back. She went back to Cry's stall and quickly put a halter on him. As soon as she reopened his stall door, the stallion turned and tried to take the lead. She stopped him, held up her hand, looked him in the eyes, and said "no". The same thing had happened every morning since I had arrived at the barn. Apparently, Sasha was trying to teach Cry some manners, but it hadn't been working very well. He snorted and jerked his head upwards, pulling the lead rope from her hands before rearing up onto his hind legs and pawing at the air. She took hold of the lead rope and firmly led him out of his stall and toward the pasture. I backed away as she stopped at my stall, pulling my lead rope and halter off of the hook outside my stall door with her free hand and hanging them over her shoulder. She pulled open the door and then held out the halter with her hand and clicked her tongue. I had learned that command. I was up on my hooves now, and walking towards her. Gingerly, I slipped my head into the halter and waited for her to fasten the side clip and attach the lead rope.

Sasha guided me out of the stall and pushed my door closed with her foot, moving Cry to her right side and leaving me on the left. As we walked, I tried to keep my head facing straight, and it took all of my will power not to glance over at the stallion next to me. His horseshoes clicked loudly on the concrete as we exited the stable, and then continued to grind obnoxiously on the stone pathway outside of the doors that led the main pasture's gates. I swore he was doing it on purpose.

As soon as Sasha opened the gate, Cry tried to bolt, but she popped him lightly on his hindquarters to get his attention. When he turned to look at her, she slipped off his halter and pushed him in, then turned to me. She hung my halter on one of the hooks that were made into the fence by the gate before retreating back to the barn to do some more work, leaving us to have some free-time.

I trotted about for a moment just to get warmed up then galloped off toward the hill where King and Winter always hung out. They were taking turns chasing Echo about as he squealed happily and pretended to be frightened. I smiled to myself, and was about to join in when I heard a voice behind me.

"You're kidding, right?" It was Cry. His voice was deep and a bit husky.

I almost didn't turn around. But when I did, I made sure to push my chest out, hold my shoulders back, and hold my head high, "What are you talking about?"

Cry snorted and shook out his mane, "Listen, pal. You don't have to act all tough around me. I know who you really are. I've seen how you act around Winter and King. Besides, I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of anyone, got it?"

I quickly nodded, exhaling sharply. "Cry, I wasn't trying to cause a fight, alright. Calm down and-"

"Don't tell me what to do," Cry snapped at me, pinning his ears, "I wasn't trying to cause a fight either. I was making a statement, and making sure you knew your place around here."

"My place?" I questioned, "You don't have the right to be telling me my place around here."

Cry raised an eyebrow, shocked at my answer. "Really? What on earth would posses you to think that?"

"Listen Cry, you aren't better than any of the other stallions here. You might think so, but you're not. Winter, King, you me, even Echo... We're all even, and don't you forget it." I turned and started to pace away, but then suddenly Cry was in front of me, slowly circling me.

"You know what, Centurion? You're not bad," He stopped in front of me and pawed the ground, "But don't think you're on my good side now."

Then he was gone. I turned around, lashing my tail out and back as I took a deep breath. Winter and King stood there looking up to me with wide eyes, and Echo standing between his father's front legs with his head down. I heaved a sigh and glanced at them, shaking out my coat. "I don't think I'll have to worry about him anymore."