Burning Desire

Chapter Thirty-Nine

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Yesterday, a plaited and polished Brenna had floated majestically around the arena to perform her dressage test. But today the dainty plaits and elegant dressage saddle had been replaced with cross country armour; leather tendon boots on her front and back legs to protect her from impact as well as a set of black bell boots on her front hooves, a martingale, a breastplate and a grackle noseband. Her legs were smothered with white grease to help her slide over the fences and prevent cuts and scrapes.

I was also adorned in protective gear. I wore a high-impact helmet, gloves and an air-tech jacket that was rigged so a fall would set it off instantly. A stop-watch was strapped to my wrist and I'd already fastened the tabs of my competition number over my air-tech vest, even though I wasn't due out on course for another hour.

"It's unbelievable, isn't it?" Avery commented as she stretched the mare's muscles. "You and me getting ready to ride a four-star event. It seems like yesterday that we'd just started working at Belmont and hardly knew how to tackle a cross country course properly. And now you're about to ride across country at Kentucky Horse Trials!"

I laughed. "Pinch me. There's no way any of this is real."

"Well, girl, it is real and you better believe it. You've worked so hard to get where you are, and you deserve to be here."

I enveloped my best friend in a hug. "I could never have got here without you, Ave. Thanks so much for everything you've done to help me on this journey. I don't think I've ever told you how much it means to me..."

Avery rolled her eyes. "Save the cheesy thank-you speech until after you've won, sop."

I laughed. "Did I mention that you're also incredibly good at keeping me grounded?"

"Yeah, yeah," she waved me off with a grin. "I'm the wind under your wings. Now, I've put a lot of work into setting this pony up so make sure you bring her back in one piece, okay? Good luck, Madi."

"Love you!" I called as I lead Brenna out of her stall. Holly was waiting for us on the other side, arms folded over her chest.

"You're due in the box at quarter past two," she informed as we walked towards the starting area. "I don't want you to warm her up too much before then in order to conserve her energy. Just trot her around a bit to loosen her up and stretch her muscles, then pop her over a few small fences to get her thinking and focused."

We passed one of the stars on the three-day eventing scene, Emmerett Johnson and his magnificent big bay Bar None, walking home after negotiating the course. They walked on a long rein, the horse looking exhausted and Emmerett wearing a look of disappointment. I understood why a few moments later when a huge scoreboard announced that the partnership had occurred twenty faults for being over the optimum time, pushing them down from second place to nineteenth. And they weren't the only ones with penalties: almost all the leading riders from dressage yesterday had fallen down the rankings due to time faults.

"They're considering extending the optimum time, because only three partnerships have finished within the time allowanced so far. This course is riding much harder than everyone expected it to," Holly admitted. "Keep your eyes constantly on your watch and check your timing marks on the course as you go. Brenna is fit and she has a tendency to gallop flat out anyway, but it's crucial to get your timing right so that you strike a good balance between being within the time and not tiring her out too much."

Holly gave me a leg-up just as Callum joined us in the warm-up area. He grabbed my gloved hand and pressed it against his mouth, smiling up at me. "Good luck, baby."