Blind Faith

Ch. 3

Today is Saturday, and it's raining. I hate the rain. It makes me feel glum.

Usually on Saturdays, I come out to Desert Flower and help Kayla with barn chores and whatnot. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, she'll decided that I do a good job, and she'll let me go on a ride on Cooper or Stormy, so I hope I'll get to ride! It would be the perfect way to make me feel less glum on this glum day.

I walked through the big, sliding doors of the barn at 7:30 A.M. sharp, and I checked the chore chart.

FAITH:
FEED HORSES FROM STALLS 11-20
FILL WATER BUCKETS FROM STALLS 11-20
LET STORMY, COOPER, TILLY, PIP, AND LANCE OUT IN THE PASTURES
CLEAN STALLS 11-20
SWEEP THE ISLES
CLEAN COOPER AND STORMY'S TACK
MAKE SURE STALL 21 IS CLEAN AND READY FOR A NEW HORSE

Goodness gracious I have a ton of chores today! She must be really busy with the new horse if she's having me clean all of those stalls. I sighed as I mixed grain for all of the horses and dropped flakes of hay in the stalls. Feeding doesn't take very long, so I was done with that in about 15 minutes. Next, I filled water buckets, which took me a bit longer. Then, I let my assigned horses out, while I saw others taking horses out from the row of stalls I'm supposed to clean. When all of the horses were out, I got to work on cleaning stalls. I grabbed a pitchfork, a shovel, some drying stuff that you sprinkle on the wet spots of the mats, and a wheel barrow. I started shoveling manure out of stall 11, and I fell into the rhythm of cleaning stalls.

>~<

A few hours later, I had cleaned stalls 11-20, and I checked it off of the chore chart. I decided to make sure the stall was ready for the new horse, and it was. The water bucket was filled, so was the hay net, and the stall was clean. Good. I checked that off, then started to sweep the isle. That was pretty easy, and soon enough it was already 11:30, and I got to work on cleaning Cooper's tack first.

As I scrubbed the saddle with a tiny sponge, my mind wandered to the new horse. Kayla hasn't said much about the new horse to me, but I've heard around the barn that she's a chestnut mare with a snowflake Appaloosa pattern on her back, which I've heard is rare. I'm excited for the mare to come, and I really want to know her name.

After Cooper's tack was all clean, I cleaned Stormy's and just as I had hung up her clean bridle, I heard the sound of a truck and trailer pulling in. I rushed out of the tack room and to the chore chart, where I quickly checked off my last chore, then headed outside.

I watched as Kayla slowly went inside the 1 horse trailer and led the scared mare out. It was true, she was a snowflake Appaloosa, and she was beautiful.

The Appaloosa flared her nostrils as she smelled Kayla's hands, arms, and shirt, and she cautiously sniffed the lead rope, before taking careful steps to the barn.

As they walked through the doors, Kayla motioned for me to walk with her slowly, and then started talking to the mare. "Easy girl, I'm right here," she murmured as I walked next to Kayla. "This is Faith," she said quietly to the mare, and naturally, I stuck my hand out so the mare could smell me. She took deep breaths as she took in my sent, then decided that I wouldn't hurt her, and continued to follow Kayla to stall 21.

Before taking a step into the stall, Kayla let her sniff the ground and all around the door, and then the mare walked in. Kayla let the mare loose in her stall, and then she exited the stall and stood next to me. We watched quietly as the Appaloosa smelled the walls, the door, the stall shavings, and finally the water bucket. She took a couple of sips from the bucket, then breathed a couple of big breaths before walking over to us.

"What's her name?" I asked Kayla.

"Her name is Hope, and as you can tell, she is an Appaloosa mare. My friend who is in the animal rescue business just rescued a big group of horses that were headed to the slaughter house, and she found foster homes for all of the horses except for this one, so I told her Desert Flower would love to foster and train her until someone decides to adopt her. She's a great horse. She is trained to English riding, but her old owners sold her at an auction because she is loosing her eye sight. She's not fully blind, but she's about 30% blind in her right eye, and 20% blind in her other. She can still see a bit, but she's very cautious of everything since the people who were taking her to the slaughter house were abusive, and it looked strange to her," Kayla said, and I let everything that I heard sink in.

First off, how could somebody sell this gorgeous horse at an auction to the slaughter house?!

And second, that makes sense why Kayla was letting her smell everything and talk to her.

"Well, she's a lucky horse," I said, and right when I said that, Hope bobbed her head, and nuzzled me. I giggled. Her long whiskers were tickly against me bare arms. "You're a sweet girl, aren't you Hope?" I said as I let her smell my hand, and then scratch her neck. She flapped her lips in pleasure, and I smiled. "Can she still be ridden?" I asked Kayla.

"Yes she can, since she still had most of her eye sight. But absolutely no jumping," she said as she also petted the sweet mare.

"Sooo, Kayla, I was wondering, if, I don't know, you would maybe let me help you work with her?" I asked Kayla hopefully.

"Actually, I was going to ask you if you would be interested in helping me. She is trained, but she really just needs somebody to get her back in the rhythm of riding again and help her adjust to her life with her new eyes," Kayla said.

"I'll do it!" I rushed to say, and I patted Hope's neck, and she rubbed her cheek against my shoulder.

"I take it that she approves," Kayla joked, and I laughed. "Now, let's see how you did on your chores," Kayla said, and I followed her as she inspected my work.

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A/N: hey guys. So I wrote this chapter cause it's like 11 o clock and I can't fall asleep. I like this chapter, and it's pretty important in the book. I'm not sure how long this book will be, probably shorter than my other books that I have. Idk. Anyway, I'm too tired to say anymore, so goodnight!