English Saddles and Cowboy Hats

Chapter Eleven

I turn the mare back towards the start of the course. She chews the bit, eager to start. I wait for her to calm down a little bit and then push my heels into her sides. Going On Thirty jumps forward in excitement, and I almost lose my seat, but I right myself and turn her towards the woodpile. She jumps over it easily as if it's nothing but a pile of small sticks and we gallop on towards the haystack. We pop over it and head up a small hill where we immediately run into a dug out pit. Going On Thirty falters slightly before the take off, messing up the strides and stumbles on the landing. It's all I can do to hold on and not be unseated.

She quickly rights herself and we gallop on to the next jump. This time, I make sure I spur her on in front of it and she doesn't hesitate to jump over the jump, clearing it by almost a foot and a half. I have to admit that I'm not the most secure in the saddle, since it's been a while since I last jumped at such a speed, so I try to remember everything my mother taught me about cross country.

Going On Thirty bounds over the next jump, and as we race towards the small water jump, I wish I had timed myself. I carefully count the paces as we get closer to the water jump. Five, four, three, two, one...and up. It's my first water jump, and I sneak a little peek underneath my elbow at the blue water.

She lands on the other side, and I turn her back around to the start, galloping full out. When I reach the trail head, I give the reins gentle squeezes, and Going On Thirty stops, hopping up and down a few times. I sigh as she settles down, and we start down the trail back to the stable.

As soon as I get into the stable yard, Kate's truck with a Fire Forest Stable trailer is attached of the back. I want to go see the horse, but I walk Going On Thirty to the stable and replace her bridle with a halter so that I can tie her up in the cross ties. I remove her saddle and brush down her bay coat, which is barely damp with sweat.

Once I have her all brushed down, I put everything away and put her back in her stall, "Good girl."

Diva nickers at me from her stall a little ways down the aisle, and I smile, "Yes, you're a good girl too."

I hear the trailer door slam shut, which means that the are is unloaded. As I walk out of the stable, I shield my eyes from the sun, trying to get a good look at the horse. Kathy joins me as we walk closer.

The horse is a black leopard Appaloosa mare. She looks like she's about sixteen hands high, a little tall for an Appaloosa, but she looks strong and fast. Kathy gasps and extends her hand to the mare.

"What's her name, Kate?" she smiles and strokes the mare's neck. I stand off to the side, watching.

Kate smiles, "Sadistic Lullaby. But I call her Song."

"She's really pretty," I comment and look at the mare some more, "and I got a stall ready for you in the barn. It's all cleaned out and stuff and there's a fresh bucket of water."

"Thanks," the smile leaves her lips for a moment, "I guess that I'll go out her in the stall then since you worked so hard to ready it."

"Great," I nod, and follow her into the stable. "She really is a pretty horse."

"I know," Kate shrugs, "I mean...I did buy her after all."

I frown, "Yeah, but you shouldn't buy a horse based on how she looks."

"I'm not stupid, Blaire."

"I never said you were," I say defensively. That was a mistake. Did I imply that she was stupid or something?

"Fine," she answers, "just don't go around telling me how to deal with horses."

I'm getting frustrated now, "I was never telling you how to deal with horses! It's something I always say when people say they bought a horse cause its nice looking. It's nothing against you at all. It's an instinct."

She whirls around, her hair snapping over her shoulder, "Look, Blaire. I don't what your problem is with me, but I haven't done anything wrong."

Did she really just say that? "I haven't done anything wrong? I have a problem with you? I have been nothing but nice to you, despite the fact that you hate me so much, for some complete unknown reason!"

"Haven't done anything wrong?" she says quietly, "you've done everything wrong, Blaire! First of all, you practically stole Diva from us. We were counting on the money we made from that sale. Our ranch needs money, and we had to sell Diva. Diva was my mom's horse."

Now things are starting to make sense, but I'm still a little confused. That doesn't explain all of the resentment, "I don't understand. If Diva was so important to your mom, then why did she sell her? Why not another horse?"

Tears leak out of Kate's eyes, and her voice wobbles a little bit as she speaks, "No, you don't understand."

"Then maybe you could help me out a little bit."

"My mom is dead!" she finally says, turning around to face Song.

"Kate," I say softly, "I didn't know, ok? I'm really sorry about your mom, but maybe if you had said that in the first place, that would have made I easier for me, because I would have know why you resented me. And I can pay Diva back fully alright? Just let me work enough to get the money..."

"Thats the other thing!" she says angrily, "you took my job. Since the amount of horses have been split between us, I don't get paid enough. Every cent I make goes to the ranch."

"I can see that," I say understandingly, "but did you ever consider that maybe I need the job as well?"

"You need the job?" she scoffs.

My face gets red, "Yes, I do need the job, for reasons that you don't understand, ok? So I can understand the Diva bit, but you have no right to be mad at me about the job."

"Let's just say I know you have money back home alright?" she says.

"Back home? You know nothing about my life back home," I say angrily, my fists balling at my sides.

"I know quite a bit actually," she flips her hair over her other shoulder. "You've won the Provincial dressage finals over three times, and your quite the acclaimed dressage rider in British Columbia as well."

"How do you know all this?" I hiss.

She just smirks, "I know who you are, Blaire Anderson. I know where you come from, and I know who your mother is. I also know that you're a runaway."

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AN: I know it started off boring, but I hope it,got better towards the end! Please vote and comment. Pic on the side is of Sadistic Lullabye.