{ A/N - Shorter chapter. Please vote, comment and enjoy. }
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"Force," Ed announced. "That's the root of her problems."
The aging Belmont instructor was perched on a portable camping chair in the corner of the arena, clasping a steaming flask of tea and wrapped in at least three jackets. The January morning was cold, but not paralysing so, although I still shivered in my sweater and shot Ed's thick layer of coats a longing glance.
Brenna pranced about beneath me, fresher than usual after spending two days out of work and turned even bitterer by the cold. Ed, a kind, wise but elderly instructor, had observed us in silence as I'd run Brenna through a simple schooling session, and had finally come to his conclusion about why she was still so sensitive and feisty after all this time.
"Force?" I repeated numbly.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, she's been a victim of force in the past. Unforgiving riders have tugged at her mouth constantly, and it's only made her even more sensitive than she already was."
I waited for him to elaborate, but instead Ed took a long sip of his tea, slurping noisily. Then, he stared at me blankly. I felt slightly frustrated; Callum had advised me to seek Ed's help, but so far he'd only confirmed what I already knew. I sighed and prompted him to continue.
"She's learnt to trust you because you don't pull at her mouth or use force against her. But now she's learning that it also means she can get away with a lot more. Intelligent and sensitive can sometimes be a deadly combination."
"What do you suggest I do?"
"Firstly, you need to get her to listen to you without using force."
"Okay," I nodded in affirmation. "How do I do that?"
"We all have our own unique skills to offer," he answered vaguely.
I bit back a sigh. "Anything else?"
"A good event horse needs physical qualities – scope and stamina and nice paces, et cetera," Ed said. He took a gulp from his cup before continuing. "But it also needs mental and emotional attributes if it stands any chance of success. It needs to be obedient, willing, honest...and have self-belief. I think that's the most important one, the most under-rated feature. And unfortunately, it's the one Brenna is lacking most."
"Self-belief? Shouldn't that just come from having trust in the rider?"
"Exactly," Ed nodded. "If Brenna trusts you, she will be more confident. And therefore, she'll have self-belief. She'll know that she has the capability to do whatever you ask of her, therefore making her obedient, willing and honest."
I mulled over his words as Brenna continued to side-stepped beneath me. "So, all we need to do is get Brenna to trust me? And the rest will follow."
"Yes," Ed offered me a small smile. "Although, it's easier said than done."
"I mean, I've been working on getting her to trust me for the past few months. I thought we were getting somewhere-"
"Gaining a horse like Brenna's trust will take a lot longer than that, Madison. But if you've already done exercises to get her to trust you, then you've made a good start. I'd say that the rest will come from experience; from growing and learning together as a partnership."
I nodded thoughtfully, giving a small smile. "Okay. So, more outings to shows? More schooling sessions?"
"Indeed. Just spend more time with her in general – on the ground, take her for hacks, walk her around in the yard in hand just talking to her. Convince her that you're not only trustworthy, but someone who will take her side."
"Okay, great."
"Many seemingly complex horse behaviour problems stem from one single rider fault in our logic: we assume our horses have the same agenda and goals that we have. When they let us down, we're disappointed in them for not upholding their end of a bargain they never agreed to in the first place, and we push them all the harder. If our coercion results in compliance, we may think we've achieved our training goals. But in reality, a resentful, sour attitude will often be festering, which will give us trouble down the road. So what's the answer to the dilemma of improving performance without producing behaviour problems in the process? Ironically, the road to better performance is usually to ask for and expect less from our horses while learning to appreciate and build upon more of what they give us willingly. Think of it as the path of least resistance."
"So...you're saying I should forget about Kentucky Horse Trials for a while and focus on building a firmer, more positive partnership with Brenna?" I asked uncertainly.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Give it a go, Madison. It might sound like a long-shot, but it's your best chance."
"Okay. Thanks, Ed. I really appreciate it."
"No problem," he smiled, taking another sip of his tea. "Oh, and one other thing. I may be a firm believer in natural horsemanship methods, but I think a pair of ear muffs may benefit."
"The horse or me?" I grinned.
"Both," he laughed.
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Though I adored Tom, his inability to keep his mouth shut meant that everyone at Belmont knew about my relationship with Callum before lunch the next day. A few sweet words were offered from fellow riders and instructors, though most said nothing about it. Only Annabel was unsatisfied with the arrangement, shooting me a venomous glare with unreserved vindication every time we passed.
But Annabel was the least of my worries. Our relationship was hardly a secret, but I still felt bad about it being announced as yard gossip without Callum's permission. An apology poised on my tongue, I went searching for him the second I got a free moment.
I found Callum behind the wash-bays, hosing mud off his paddock boots. When he noticed my arrival, he smiled warmly in greeting.
"Hey," I said.
"Hi, baby."
My heart danced in my chest, and I couldn't meet his gaze as I tried to choke out an apology. But the words lodged themselves in my throat.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I'm sorry."
"About what?" concern was evident in his tone.
"Everyone knows," I said quietly. "About us."
"And?" he said breezily, non-comittedly.
I blinked at him. "And? We've only been together for five minutes. I reckoned you'd want to wait a little longer before telling everyone. I shouldn't have told Tom, I'm sorry. They shouldn't have found out as gossip."
"It's okay, Madison. I don't mind. No big deal. They were going to find out sooner or later," his voice was reassuringly smooth.
"Okay," I breathed out in relief.
"Unless...you didn't want them to find out? Are you ashamed?" the bitter accusation in his voice stung at my heart.
"What? Of course not! I'm glad they know that we're together, and we're happy. I just didn't want everyone to find out this way," I explained breathlessly.
"Alright," he smiled, stepping closer to press a kiss on my lips. A whisper of a kiss first, but his fingers brushed my cheek before cupping my face and closing the gap between us once more. I closed my eyes for a fleeting moment, breathing in the parts of him that I rediscovered every time we kissed; his taste, his scent, the butterflies.
"Awh," cooed a voice from behind us. "Amor joven – young love. Even if you should be working." "Lo sentimos, Camilla," Callum said in a rich, fluent voice. I blinked at him. "You speak Spanish?" "There's a lot of things you don't know about me," he grinned, leaning so close that his warm, slightly minty breath fanned across my face. "Like how my favourite weapon of choice is a hose." And then he sprayed water over my boots. I squealed, jumping back in shock and irritance. But seeing the mischievous grin on his face, I was spurred on to grab another hose and spray him too. Streams of icy water as we splashed each other, squeals spilling from my lips and laughter from his until Camilla silenced our mischief. "¡Deténgase! That's enough!" she exclaimed. Callum and I cut off the water supply and fell silent, stiffling giggles in the aftermath of our misbehaviour and heads bowed as if we were school children being told off by a authorative teacher. "Lo sentimos. No va a suceder de nuevo," Callum apologised. "Está bien. Don't let me catch you two again," Camilla's voice was soft and she flashed us an amused grin before sauntering off. Callum pressed his lips against mine briefly once she'd gone, a smile trapped between his lips and mine. "That was fun," I giggled. "I think Camilla would disagree," he grinned, one wet hand brushing my cheek. I was damp and freezing for the rest of the day, but the smile never faded from my face, even when Annabel shot me a leering glance when we passed in the barn. "Did you have another fall in the lake?" she sneered. "No, actually. Callum and I had a water fight," I said, still smiling. I knew this would infuriate her, and by the poisonous glare she shot me my calculations were correct. I took Harry for a quick schooling session – nothing too demanding, even though he'd proved whilst racing Callum and Diablo that he still had it in him – and took Milo cross country schooling. The young gelding grew in confidence with every session, and was a blossoming into a classy and promising event horse. I finished my yard chores early, but instead of heading home I brought Brenna back in from her field and grabbed a grooming kit. Though her coat was already sleek and dirtless, I spent half an hour brushing the mare whilst chatting to her merrily about nothing and everything as Ed had advised (Callum somehow found his way into most of my words). Brenna's eyes fluttered shut after ten minutes and she dozed quietly, comfortable enough in my presence to let her guard down and enjoy being fussed over. When my arms began to ache, I packed the grooming kit away and quietly slipped out of her stall. Brenna jolted awake and stretched out her neck to nudge my arm, as if willing me to stay. I smiled and stroked her forehead affectionately, my heart swelling towards the mare. Maybe Ed was right. Maybe Brenna needed more than a sensitive rider; maybe she needed a friend, too.