What if all you trusted was to crumble about you?
When a new pony arrives at Valley Riding School, volunteer Abby has no idea of the integral role that he has to play in the unfolding of her life. She goes from riding once per week to preparing for...
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Kerys is still by the vertical. She stands, rather than crouches, but Red still watches her.
The trees at the end of the arena watch me. They loom like moral forces, asking me what I'm doing, what Kerys did, if I can stop it. But the truth is, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what Kerys did. Therefore, I don't think I can stop it.
"Swap the crop into your right hand!" Instructs Kerys, and I obey, "Shorten your reins and leg on. Keep your hands a little wider to encourage him to straighten up."
Red still wobbles. His eyes are fixed upon Kerys, sentinel by the vertical, her eyes on him, piercing and soul disturbing. She smiles at me as Red and I canter into the double, and I am reminded of the random kindness shown in giving me this lesson free of charge. I owe her not to suspect her of being the cause of Red's relapse to being wiggly and green.
The trees watch me.
Red canters towards the crosspole, not quite straight and eyes on stalks in Kerys direction. I scan the other side of the arena for something that may be scaring him. It cannot be Kerys.
He breaks into trot a stride before the crosspole, but I kick him on, sending him forwards. The pony launches into take off the moment my legs touch his sides, pushing hard from behind and clearing the jump by feet.
"Now tap him with the whip!"
We're too close, there isn't enough time, and the trees watch. Red lands from his awkward launch in canter, stride long and flat. His ears are pinned, and the jolt of landing sends shivers down my spine and my feet flying from my stirrups as I'm left hanging behind his movement. I grab hold of his mane, clinging for purchase before the second jump. Clinging on for dear life.
"Leg!"
Reds head is still swivelled to the left, and my crop hangs uselessly on my right. It is limp and dead, and I don't want to use it. As I prepare for flight, gripping with my legs long and hanging beside the stirrups, I find myself clinging onto air. Red darts to the right and I stay where I am, stomach lurching and hands desperate to find something, anything to hold.
As it turns out, air does not cushion my fall. I plummet, that sinking feeling amplified until my body hits the sand.
It is hard as concrete.
The air is knocked from my lungs and my limbs shake, shock and adrenaline coursing through. I try and breathe, but my lungs won't work, and I struggle and grasp for oxygen. "That's it Abby, deep breaths." Kerys kneels beside me, concern seeming to dot her icy features. "You're just winded."
I sit up, and air rushes back to me as I check the arena for Red, who canters around the school with reins dangling, bucking again and again like some kind of wild horse. My legs kick into action as I stand, ready to go and grab him if I can. "Don't worry Abby, Penny's getting him." Kerys is right, Penny has opened the gate and entered the school, and Red has slowed to a halt, letting her take hold of his reins and lead him towards us. Kerys watches her approach for a second, then turns back to me. "Does anything hurt?"
"No." It is a lie, my whole body aches where I hit the deck, and my mind spins with conflict.
"Good." Kerys takes Red's frayed reins from Penny, who asks if I'm okay and what happened before leaving again to make up the feeds. "You needed to use that whip- it would have stopped him running out." Kerys continues.
"He was scared of something- whatever you did with that pole, he didn't like it." I falter off towards the end of my accusation. Do I really believe that Kerys, the face of the best days of my life since the riding school opened six years ago, could have done anything to scare him?
"Abby, I know you love Red, and he's been good for you so far," Kerys says, "but he's just a pony. Ponies are cheeky for no reason sometimes."
"But he was bucking, Kerys. It's not like him." I take a deep breath, and fix my eyes on Red, instead of Kerys. "That sound, with the pole- did it hit him?"
"No, of course not! In all the years I've known you have I ever done anything cruel with the horses?" She looks hurt, so hurt. She looks at the sand as she adds, "I love them all."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." There is a sick feeling in my gut, and self hatred mingles with it. Kerys never had anything but the best intentions, of course she doesn't.
"Now, listen to what I ask you to next time, or else you'll never win this show."
"Win?" Winning never entered my mind- it is all about experience for Red, and for me.
Kerys smiles, although she doesn't seem to have heard me as she adds, "I used to train horses for a living you know. You're in good hands."
With that, she hands me Red's reins. "Let's try that again."
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Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think (bad or good), and vote if you liked it :)Please feel free to answer the questions below, it would be super helpful:
Who are your favourite and least favourite characters?
Can you identify with or relate to Abby?
For the whole story, has there been enough going on to keep you interested, or is it too slow?
I'll be more than happy to return critique if you want! Thanks for reading :)
