Horse Academy (2)

Chapter 26

"Okay?"

"And that's why I suggested to Mr Reynolds that you take my spot! But he kind of needs an answer now so he can ring you parents, and change-"

"Wait, what? Isn't that the barn run by the... what's their names... uh... the Lockhart's?" I said, stumbling over my words.

"Yep, their daughters will be running a clinic while Mr Reynolds is trialing some of their students" Sabrina shrugs.

I gape, I didn't really know what the Lockhart's were like but I definitely didn't want to pass up the opportunity.

"What about Storm? Who will take care of him?" I ask.

Sabrina rolls her eyes. "You, silly!"

"How? My parents would never pay to fly Storm up to Canada for one clinic" I frown.

"They won't need to. It's school funded. That's the whole reason why they're finding another student. EFA may have money to spend, but they're not going to waste it on unused plane tickets. We are meant to fly out tomorrow morning" Sabrina explains.

"I don't know what to say, really" I mutter, caught off guard.

"Say yes! This will be a great opportunity to advance your skills and create good connections. I even know two of the girls being trialled, and they're lovely. Just do it! It will definitely put you ahead for the future" Sabrina encourages.

Reaching the start box, I see the person going before me, canter off.

The person with the clip board calls my name.

"Taylor, I need an answer" Sabrina presses.

"Okay, I'll go. But as long as it won't affect anything" I nod.

She jumps happily. "I'm excited for you! Good luck again"

The person calls my name again and I move Storm into the start box. I couldn't even begin to process what I've just signed up for. Storm tosses his head and I regain focus.

Stay in the moment Taylor!

The lady ticks me off and soon begins to count down.

When the whisle is blown, we race off at a fast canter.

...

I gulp as I look at my results. Storm and I killed the time for cross country. The ditches had me worried but Storm bounded over them effortlessly. His head was definitely in the game today. I wanted that advanced team spot terribly.

But once again, I knew my show jumping round had to be perfect.

I was still waiting to hear back from Sabrina. It was around 2pm now and my nerves were going through the roof. Storm stood patiently next to me while I checked that his jump boots were secured. I was so glad he was tolerating the extreme work out today. We don't usually do one day events, but today we had to manage. This was a test of both our physical and mental strength. If we couldn't withstand the pressure, then we couldn't make the advanced team.

Storm's active behaviour had been downgraded after the cross country, but after a break, he perked up once again.

Placing one foot in the stirrup, I bounce into the saddle and gather my reins.

Storm and I had already warmed up, but I wanted to do a last minute tack check. It's something I usually did before the last phase, checking for any wear and tear from cross country. No one wants to break their stirrup leathers in the middle of a show jumping round.

That would suck.

"Taylor Hastings?" A man asks, not looking up from the clip board as I reach the indoor arena entrance.