Even Demons Have Their Moments

A Horse's Salute

I realized that I haven’t been doing character pictures of horses. This one is of Bolero (which, by the way, is a song by the composer Ravel. For all the horsey people reading this, I hope you can guess which famous horse/rider combo Peter Stevens and Bolero are named after)

Demon will be next.

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I checked all the buckles, all the keepers, all the stitches everything that could be checked on Demon’s saddle bridle and eventually realized there was nothing left that I could do. With a nervous sigh, and a promise of retribution for every bad thing that he did, I picked up the reigns and lead him to the yard where Peter was waiting for me. Because of Demon’s past and the fact that apparently Bolero wasn’t a huge fan of other horses either (I still refused to believe there could be anything wrong with him, Peter just laughed at me), we had agreed to ride separately.

So Bolero was currently waiting patiently at the stables Peter was keeping him at.

Bolero. The Bolero.

I still could not believe that I was going to ride Bolero, the horse that had gone to the Olympics four times, and innumerable other world-famous competitions where he got ridiculously high scores, Peter Steven’s mount, a horse that was probably worth more than the Mona Lisa. It was just unbelievable.

And I was on a first name basis with Peter Stevens!

And I had Sam to thank for it.

And, even though I would never admit it even after hours of torture, I was starting to thank Demon, too. Maybe there was something to Sam’s whole ‘horse matchmaker’ idea.

But I had to get through this, first.

Because I was pretty sure that my horse was going to murder the nation’s shot of gold in team dressage at the Olympics next year. And after that? Well, knowing my county, I’d either be kicked out, or burned at the stake depending on if it had rained recently.

And unfortunately the weather had been pretty dry recently.

When Demon and I walked out onto the yard, Sam and Peter were waiting for me. I smiled at Sam, glad to have someone to help me. He could drag Peter’s body out the ring while I tried to corral the wild horse.

And no, I had not told anyone about this little ‘get together’ on the basis that it would result in the entire county coming to watch my horse commit murder, or at the very least embarrass me in front of my idol. Daisy knew, but was visiting her grandparent. And my Dad knew, and was currently on his way. And the rest of my family? When I told them, they said ‘Peter who?’

“Ready?” I asked Peter. He was in jeans with half chaps and one of the new helmets that were really comfortable and light but looked like they were made of plastic and would crumple under a pound of pressure. It was good to know he had one; I had been thinking of getting one if I ever got the money, and found a reason to have a helmet I could never compete in or show my face in.

I had to smile at how different this riding gear looked to what he usually wore on TV. But what was I expecting? That he’d show up in full on show gear with the suit and top hat?

“Yeah,” he grinned and stroked Demon’s muzzle. In reply, Demon snorted and hit him in the chest.

Sam laughed from behind him, “She did warn you, Demon has character.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I mumbled.

Peter gave me a sidelong look as I handed him the reins.