by Patricia Fry
Bonnie chuckled. “That’s what I was about to ask you. I imagine it’s kind of hectic over there, and dusty.”
“Yes, but not too bad. Rags is the only one being bothered by all the commotion. And Lexie’s a little upset, or maybe she’s excited; I can’t tell. But she sure wants to go out more often—I guess to keep an eye on things.”
Bonnie laughed. “Well, I hear they’re progressing nicely and should be out of your hair by this time tomorrow.”
“That fast?”
“Yeah, well, except for maybe some finishing touches—you know, double-checking those temporary water lines, making sure the gates latch correctly, and all. Then your work begins. We’ll deliver the horses once everything’s secure and in working order.” She chuckled. “Are you ready for this?”
“Sure,” Savannah said lightly. “Hey, I hear you’ve brought in family members to help out.”
“Yes,” Bonnie said. “We needed the manpower and they needed the work, so I thought, why not?”
“Seems expensive to fly people in from—where—Fiji?”
“Yes. Oh, my brothers and a couple of my cousins jumped at the chance to come here. They’re financing the trip by working and they’ll have a little money left to see some of the sights before going home. It’s a win-win for all of us.”
“Cool. Hey, I guess I didn’t know you were from Fiji. I thought you were probably born here.”
“No. Barney was, but I was born in Fiji and educated in English schools there. I came here to attend a good art college and ended up following my original dream—to work and live with horses.”
“So you got your experience with horses in Fiji?”
“Yes. I had the rare opportunity to grow up on a ranch where my parents worked. The owners of the ranch told me I had horse sense. They encouraged me to stick with horses, but I wasn’t sure I could make a living at it. Not that I could with my art, but there’s more opportunity with art if you’re willing to be flexible and follow the money—you know, there’s so many ways to go with design or drawing skills. Some of my classmates went into graphics. There are jobs for artists in furniture and clothing design, publishing, diagramming in a variety of industries, websites—you name it. The opportunities are infinite.” She took a breath. “Well, while I was going to college, I met Barney at a horse show and started working with him on his family’s ranch. One thing led to another, and here we are.” She hesitated, then said, “Hey, do you have time for a chat later today? I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Sure,” Savannah said. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I have horses to ride. Want to help me with that? If you can get away for a while we can ride the trails behind the fairgrounds. I want to take my mare out, and Beulah could use some exercise. Sound intriguing?”
“Absolutely.”
“Want to meet me there in about an hour?”
Savannah hesitated. “Let me ask my mom.” Seconds later she said into the phone, “Sure. I can do that. Do you need me to bring anything? Did you lose any tack in the fire?”
“Not much of it, thank heavens. A few of the hands were around that night and we were able to save most of the tack as well as all the animals, as you know. We lost a few things when the barn went down. Thank heavens for insurance.”
“Oh good. Glad you were insured. Well, if you need me to bring a bridle or saddle or anything, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll meet you at the fairgrounds in an hour.”
“Perfect.”
****
The two women approached the trailhead around three thirty that afternoon. “Ahhh, this feels wonderful,” Savannah said, “to be in the saddle again and breathing fresh air.”
“I thought you just spent a few weeks at the beach and another couple of days in the mountains. You didn’t get enough fresh air?”
Savannah laughed. She faced Bonnie. “So what’s so mysterious that you had to bring me out into the wilderness to tell me?”
Bonnie thinned her lips in contemplation. “I told you that one of the horses I want you to board is…”
“Special,” Savannah said.
Bonnie nodded. “Yes.”
Savannah’s eyes lit up. “In what way? What’s special about him…or her?”
“He’s an endurance horse. He competes in endurance rides and he’s kind of an anomaly.”
Savannah cocked her head. “How’s that?”
“He isn’t your typical endurance animal.”
“Oh?” Savannah questioned.
“The Arab, the Spanish mustang, and a couple of breeds out of India, Brazil, and South Africa stand out in this sport. Oh, there are also some well-seasoned mules that compete fairly successfully and, of course, there are mixtures of these breeds, but it’s rare for a horse like Moose to meet the challenges of this strenuous sport. An Arabian or an Arabian mix has won the Tevis Cup hundred-mile race every single year since the fifties, except for a rare win by a mustang—both breeds always make a good showing.”
Savannah raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like quite a commitment for a horse and a rider. A hundred miles! Wow!”
“Yes, it is,” Bonnie said. “It’s a highly competitive sport, as you can imagine—you know, among the riders and the breeders of endurance horses. And that’s the problem we have.”
“We have a problem?” Savannah asked.
Bonnie slowed her horse. “Well, Moose belongs to a client. Sandy brought him to me for training and also because she was concerned for his safety. Now, she might just be paranoid, I’m not sure—but she seems awfully jittery when it comes to that horse. She wanted to board him at a facility with all indoor stalls, thinking that would ensure his safety, but she doesn’t have the funds. Those setups can be expensive.”
“You have some inside stalls,” Savannah reminded her. “You kept Peaches in one once.”
“Yes, but they’re not as secure as those in the more sophisticated stables.” Bonnie swatted at a fly that was buzzing around her horse’s head. “Sandy also likes our place because we live on the premises. It’s important to her that there’s someone around all the time.”
“So why does she think something’s going to happen to her horse?” Savannah asked.
“I’m not sure if she thinks he’s a klutz—you know, accident-prone—or if she believes someone might do harm to him. She claims she’s received threats.” Bonnie waited for Savannah to assimilate that piece of information, then explained, “Three years ago he had an amazing showing as an endurance horse. An injury knocked him out of the competition, and all indications were that he was finished. A year ago he was released to train for the next big competition, and I guess things were going well until recently. Sandy seems to have this fear that he’s going to be hurt again. She’s constantly searching for nails in his corral and pieces of wire in his feed. She won’t put him out to pasture with other horses, who might kick him, or anywhere near barbed wire.”
Savannah thought about this for a moment. “Well, those are things we all need to watch out for with our horses.”
“Absolutely,” Bonnie agreed, “but Sandy appears to be taking common-sense horse care sort of to an extreme. You’ll see what I mean when you meet her.” She faced Savannah. “I’d like to bring Moose to you, but I also thought you should know about Sandy’s possibly unreasonable fixation. Do you think you can handle it? Are you willing to take on Moose and Sandy?”
“Sure, I’ll give it a try,” Savannah agreed. “If it doesn’t work out…well, I’ll let you know.”
“That’s the best I can hope for. Thank you.”
“Why doesn’t she keep the horse at the fairgrounds?” Savannah asked. “They have a nice facility.”
“That’s where he’s staying now, but she says there are too many people wandering around the grounds, and not enough security. She saw someone try to feed a horse a sucker one day, stick and all.”
“Oh my.”
“Yeah, she stopped
them before any damage was done. She explained the dangers and told them to never ever feed someone else’s horse.” Bonnie continued, “Sandy’s been sleeping in her car most nights outside Moose’s stall.”
“Gads, she is paranoid,” Savannah said.
Bonnie remained silent for a moment, then said, “Yeah, well, I’m beginning to think maybe she has reason to be.” Before Savannah could respond, she added, “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to have my brothers stay in a trailer on your property. They can keep an eye on Moose, as well as help the hands with their daily chores—you know, exercising the horses, cleaning corrals, and all. What do you think?”
Savannah’s face lit up. “Well, that sounds kind of nice, having live-in cowhands—or should I say horse hands. Sure, that’s not a problem. In fact, it could be a good solution. For one thing it would probably take some of the pressure of Sandy’s paranoia off me.”
“Absolutely. That’s what I thought. Then good. I’ll have Roy and Joe set up their…” she chuckled, “…their bunkhouse on your property.”
Savannah grinned and repeated, “Bunkhouse, huh?”
Bonnie continued, “Sandy will come out pretty often to ride Moose. As I said, he’s in training, but she rarely rides alone. When you’re available, you and Peaches or Gypsy might want to go along with her, but don’t feel obligated. Sandy doesn’t usually have a problem finding a riding buddy. Two or three other horses you’ll be boarding are ridden regularly. Their riders are all neat people. I think you’ll enjoy having them around.”
Savannah smiled. “It’ll be quite a new experience having our property turned into the Ponderosa.” She continued, “Yeah, with my mom living with us now, I should have more time to ride. I’m looking forward to having riding buddies myself. It’ll be fun.”
“Yup.” Bonnie gazed ahead and said, “Hey, we’ve got a straightaway; want to let Beulah out?”
Savannah secured her seat and grinned. “Yeah, let’s go.”
When the two women reined in their mounts a few minutes later, they were both laughing. “That was fun,” Savannah said. “Thanks for the thrill.”
“Sure, any time,” Bonnie agreed.
****
“They made good progress today,” Michael said, gazing out over their property from the wraparound porch that evening. Suddenly something else caught his eye. “Hey, did you see that?”
“What?” Savannah asked.
“Teddy. He just walked. He walked!” Michael exclaimed. “He stood up and walked to the porch swing.”
“He did?” Savannah asked. “Oh look, he’s hammering with his little hammer. How cute.”
Michael kneeled and put his hands out toward the toddler. “Come to Daddy, buddy. Can you walk to Daddy?”
The couple watched as Teddy put his arms out and began taking one step after another toward Michael’s open arms.
“Oops,” Savannah said when he fell. She stood him up again. “Walk to Daddy, sweetie. Can you show Daddy how good you can walk?”
“Do you mean he started walking today while I was at work?” Michael complained.
“No, honey. He has just been taking a few steps here and there.” She coached the child again, “Go show Daddy your hammer. Take your hammer to Daddy.”
“Come on, Son,” Michael said reaching toward the boy. “That’s it,” he said excitedly when Teddy took a couple more steps. “You’re walking. What a big boy. Come on now. Come to Daddy.”
“He did it!” Savannah cheered when Teddy fell into Michael’s arms. “That’s the most steps he’s taken.” She clapped her hands together. “Lily,” she said, “brother is walking. Isn’t he a big boy?”
Lily nodded. She reached her arms out toward the baby and said, “Walk to me, Teddy. Walk to me.”
“Oh, is he showing you his walking skills?” Gladys asked when she stepped out of the house.
“Yes,” Michael said, “He just walked.” He hugged the child. “I saw my son’s first steps.”
“Yeah, he’s been practicing all day,” Gladys said smiling. “He walked across the living room this afternoon.”
Michael frowned. “You mean this wasn’t the first time he walked?”
Gladys shook her head.
“I missed his first steps?”
“No, Michael,” Savannah soothed. “You didn’t miss anything. He was just practicing so he could show off when you got home.”
When the child squirmed in his arms, he let him go and watched him walk across the deck toward Gladys. He walked several steps then dropped to his knees and crawled as fast as he could to her.
“Well, there he goes,” Michael said, his voice cracking. “My son is all grown up and walking now.”
“Oh, he has a lot more growing to do,” Savannah said. “It’s not like he’s walking out of your life.” She picked Teddy up and nudged Michael. “Hey, want to go take a look at the work those guys did today?”
Michael ran his hand over Teddy’s head affectionately, then hoisted Lily up onto his shoulders. “Sure do.”
“I found out more about that special horse,” she said.
“Special horse?”
“Yeah, the one Bonnie wants to bring here. He’s an endurance horse; he’s training for those hundred-mile endurance rides—you know, like the Tevis Cup Ride from Lake Tahoe to Auburn.”
“Really? I know veterinarians who work at checkpoints on endurance rides.” He asked with interest, “So a contender will be boarding here?”
She nodded and shimmied giddily. “Yes, and I might get to help with his conditioning.”
“No kidding? That’ll be a thrill. Hey, we ought to go watch the action if he makes the cut. When is it?”
“Next July. Yes, I’d love to see one of those. Have you ever watched an endurance ride?” When Michael shook his head, she said, “Neither have I. I did spend some time researching the subject this afternoon, though. Intriguing.”
He smiled. “So we’ll have a horse athlete here, will we?”
“Yes, only…”
“Uh-oh. Only what? What’s the hitch, Savannah?”
“Well, I guess his rider is overly protective of him and kind of paranoid. I hope she’s not litigation-happy and quick to blame others for every little thing she doesn’t approve of.”
“Oh, that could be annoying. You know, we don’t have to accept that horse if you think the owner could be a problem. After all, you’re doing the Teagues a favor by taking in some of their boarders. We shouldn’t have to put up with any monkey business.” He asked, “Did you see that horse today when you rode with Bonnie?”
“No, he’d been trailered somewhere. They take him out to various places with different types of terrain. For the mountain competitions, they need to do a lot of the training at higher altitudes.” She smiled. “We’ll meet him maybe tomorrow or the next day, whenever the facilities here are ready.”
“Is he an Arab?”
Savannah tilted her head. “Maybe partly, but evidently he has some Brazilian Criollo in him. Bonnie said that’s an old breed originating from an Andalusian and thoroughbred background with maybe a draft-horse influence. I can’t wait to see him. Bonnie says he’s a strong, tough cookie with a sweet disposition.”
“How many of those rides has he done?” Michael asked.
“I guess he was just getting started when he had an accident. They thought he wouldn’t be able to compete again, but he has healed and he’s been given the go-ahead. He’s training for his second major endurance ride. According to Bonnie, he did so well the first time that they expect he could be among the elite group that wins the Tevis Cup—if not this year, maybe next year.”
“Sounds like a special horse, all right,” Michael agreed.
“Yes, I can’t wait to meet Moose and Sandy.”
“Which one’s the horse and which one’s the rider?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“Well, I’ve heard of men called Moose and horses named
Sandy and vice versa. Which is it in this case?”
“Oh,” she said. “Moose is the horse.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Gladys called from the kitchen door. “Oops!” she yelped. “Vannie, your cat got out!”
“Okay,” Savannah said, “I’ll get him. Come here, Rags,” she coaxed. “Want to come see Peaches? Come on, boy. Let’s go see your horsey friend.”
Michael lowered Lily to the ground and reached for Teddy. “Let me have him so you can handle your cat.”
“Here, Rags,” Lily chirped, leaning over and holding her hands out to him.
The cat walked up to the child and rubbed against her legs, knocking her off balance.
“Rags,” she complained.
“I got him,” Savannah said, picking him up and cradling him in her arms. She walked closer to Peaches, and let the unlikely friends interact with one another. “You two are so comical,” she said, laughing when Rags rubbed against Peaches’s muzzle. She giggled when the mare nibbled at him, then rolled her lips back and showed her teeth.
Michael was amused too.
“What do you suppose is actually going through their minds?” Savannah asked.
Michael shook his head. “Hard to tell, but I guess there’s a level of recognition, familiarity, and maybe even fondness. I mean, if an animal can dislike a person or another animal, I don’t know why they can’t like or even love another animal—one that’s like them or not. I have patients who come in with their animal friends—generally a sibling or another pet in the household. I figure it’s sort of like a security blanket for the one who’s visiting—you know, their support animal.” He paused before continuing. “Everyone has a support animal these days.”
“Yeah, and why not?” Savannah said. “It’s okay for a dog or a cat to have a guinea pig friend, or a goat or a parakeet.” She motioned toward Rags and Peaches. “Or a horse.”
“Yes, I actually have a dog that comes in with her cat, Big Tom. Without Big Tom, LulaBelle is a bundle of nerves—a basket case.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. And Mrs. Anslow’s cat, Ariana, doesn’t go anywhere without Snookums, the poodle. It’s really rather charming, but I don’t see many cats with horse friends.” He thought of something. “There’s one barn cat at the Malvern place that’s always around bothering one of their cows when I go out there on a call or to inoculate the spring calves. She seems to always be somewhere within sight of Bell.”