Becoming A Warrior

Chapter 17

Skylar pushed her cereal away as she finished it. She began to feel sick as it's weight settled down in her stomach. After having little to nothing resting in there for so long, the balance felt thrown off. She looked up at Demi, slightly uncomfortable to find a smug expression on her face. "How about we go to a horse park?" She asked.
"To look at horses?", I replied slightly nervous.
"Well, yes, that and I want to see you ride. I want to see if you're as good as you say!" Demi replied winking as she finished her statement.

The horse park was a little over an hour away, but luckily Demi knew all of the short cuts to get there. Apparently this is where she went to find peace before going to rehab. I couldn't blame her. There were acres of pasture and what looked to be near a hundred horses. They varied in size from pony to horse and even some draft horses. Not to mention the poor honies that fell awkwardly between horse and pony. There were four different barns, and they all varied in size. The largest barn, which was 'Barn 1' held the most horses. It was also the barn that Demi said they'd be going to.
"Welcome, to Johnson Horse Park. The friendliest horse park in southern California." Demi made it clear that this wasn't her first visit to this place. I had never seen a barn that looked so official. It was perfect.
A man who looked to be in his early 20s walked over to greet us. His hair was a shade of dark brown and his bangs fell perfectly over to one side of his head. He introduced himself as, Lockland. He was apparently the head stable hand for the barn and knew every horse down to a science. I liked him right away.
"Hello Lockland, I'm Demi and this is Skylar. I have an appointment for Skylar Lovato to try out a few horses and potentially take lessons here."
I flinched. I hadn't thought of myself as a Lovato yet. It was so different. But, Skylar Lovato. I think I could get used to a name like that.
"Perfect! If you would both follow me, there is a little bit of paper work I'm going to have you fill out Ms.Lovato, then we'll have Skylar on a horse in no time."
The paperwork took virtually no time at all, and before I knew it we were walking through the barn being introduced to the horses that were for sale. They were all trained by none other than Lockland and they were all rescues. He introduced them by their barn names, Enzo, Scout, Matisse, Da Vinci, and Fender. They were all trained show jumpers.
"Ms.Skylar, do you have any riding experience?" Lockland asked.
"I do. Mostly jumping, I can jump 4 foot but it has been a while." I replied, trying to remember the last time I sat on a horse. 2 years ago. Wow.
"Well, perfect. These five guys right here all are trained to jump 4 foot and they are the most lovable horses you'll ever meet. Do you have one you'd like to try out first? We already have some courses set up in a ring out back."
Demi looked as pleased as I did.
Enzo was a 16 hand chestnut with caramel eyes. Matisse was a 15 hand black gelding with the most sincere eyes you'd ever see. He had two white socks and a blaze on his face. Scout was a bay pony with a snip on his muzzle as well as a sock on his front left leg. Da Vinci was a Piebald paint, and Fender was a chestnut with white socks on each leg. They were some of the most beautiful horses ever.
"Can I try Fender first?"