Changing Ways

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sorting out all the adoption papers took a day or two. We had too prove that we would be good owners (meaning we had to show pictures of the property and the stable), and other important things leading up to taking Havoc home. Dad had told Riley about the gelding, but my little brother had yet to see him, so when we arrived home with Havoc in the trailer, Riley was bouncing around and smiling from ear to ear.

"Can I unload him?" Riley asks eagerly, and reaches out a grimy hand to unlatch the trailer door. Dad grabs his wrist, and pulls him away.

"Not yet, Rye. You're too young just yet." Riley pouts, and stomps over to the porch, plunking his butt on the wooden steps. Kaya and I roll our eyes. I feel for him though. When I was his age I was always eager to help out unloading horses, turning them out, mucking out stalls and being very disappointed when I was shooed away for being too little. Riley brightens up a bit when I shoot him a sympathetic smile. Kaya jumps into the metal trailer, and backs Havoc down the ramp. His hoofs make the ramp rattle, and he opens his eyes wide in surprise.

"He's so pretty!" Riley gasps, once Havoc is fully out. Kaya gathers his lead rope, and we follow her up too the barn where the rest of the lesson ponies are stabled.

"Dad! I have a perfect idea." An idea forms in my mind. A very good actually. An idea that will help get a little bit of extra income.

"What's that Robbie?" Dad seems pretty interested. Kaya selects a stall, and leads Havoc into it.

"What if kids could board their horses here? That way we don't have too buy as many lesson horses, and we'll make a little bit of extra money." I suggest. It seems pretty perfect to me.

Dad rubs his chin, something he does often when he's thinking. "That's not a bad idea, actually. I kind of like it. Let me run it by your mom."

Kaya exits the stall with Havoc's halter in her hand and latches it securely shut. "He seems pretty happy."

Smiling, I watch Havoc thrust his nose into a hay bag stuffed with alfalfa hay. "I think you're right."

Kaya smirks. "Really? You think I'm right? Finally!"

Rolling my eyes, kick the cement aisle with my boot. "Can I go work with Kita?" I ask Dad. He nods absentmindedly. Taking it as a yes, I stuff my hands in my jean pickets and walk from the stable and down the hill to the yearling paddock. I'm about to go into the paddock, when I realize I need her halter. "Be right back, Kita." Hurriedly, I rush back to the stable and grab it off it's hook, this time being extra cautious about the things around me. When I get back to the field, Kita halters nicely and lead her into the stable, clip her up to the cross ties and groom her. Kita stands stock still, with one ear flipped back lazily. Her soft brown eyes are half closed, her right hind leg is cocked back and her breath comes out in soft whuffs.

"Aww, you sleeping girl?" Kita's snaps open out of her trance and angles her head so that she's looking at me. "Sorry." I grin sheepishly and continue to brush her shiny coat. When she looks well groomed, and there are no remaining dirt specks that I can see I unclip the cross ties and lead her out to a round pen. Kita's hoofs send up small clouds of dirt up into the air wherever she steps.

After I unclip the lead rope, I send her out to the right and get her moving into a trot around me. She's only been lunged a few times, but she picks up on what to do quickly. Not before long, I am able to get her to walk, trot, lope, gallop, stop and change directions all by using my body. After half and hour of free lunging, Kiya is breathing heavily in the hot weather and sweat runs down her back, chest and girth line.