The Girl Who Loves Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center Series)

by Diana Vincent

  Somehow, River kept his seat. In fact to Sierra, it looked as if he moved as one with Gunsmoke’s reaction, still in harmony with the frightened horse. Gunsmoke jumped forward in a gallop toward the dressage ring. Just before they entered at A, Gunsmoke flicked his ears, gathered the muscles of his back end underneath him, and gracefully arched his neck. The look in his eye changed from one of panic to one of intense concentration as his frantic gallop converted to a collected canter down the center line. Sierra knew River must be communicating with Gunsmoke although it appeared as if he did nothing at all but sit quietly on the big horse’s back.

  Gunsmoke came to a square halt at the center of the ring, the spot known as letter X. River saluted toward the announcer’s stand. Then Gunsmoke moved forward into collected trot, tracked to the left and crossed to the center of the ring in a half-pass to the left. From the center, he reversed the bend in a half-pass to the right to return to the rail. Gunsmoke floated forward into passage around the short end of the arena, back to collected trot and the half-passes were repeated to the center and back. Then a serpentine through the arena at passage with steps of piaffe in the center of each loop. At the end of the serpentine he shifted back to a collected walk, then forward into collected canter with half-passes and appropriate lead changes and a canter pirouette in each direction at each end of the arena. After extended canter down the long side, he turned down the center line performing one-tempi changes (flying changes of lead at every stride); then extended canter in the other direction and one-tempi changes again down the center line. They finished the performance with extended trot across one diagonal and then into canter across the other diagonal with changes of lead every two strides, and down the center line in passage to a square halt and ending salute.

  Gunsmoke moved with such lightness that he appeared to float, to dance through the test; every movement effortless and pleasurable. He snorted in rhythm with his trot and canter strides, foam collected at the corners of his mouth as he chewed his bit, his ears flicked back and forth, and his tail seemed to swish in rhythm with the music. River appeared as if a melded appendage of the mighty horse, all his signals to Gunsmoke invisible to the onlookers.

  The audience stood as one and roared into applause and cheering as Gunsmoke and River walked out of the arena. “Gunsmoke of Pegasus Equestrian Center,” the announcer blared over the loudspeaker. “What a performance, folks! A champion!” he gushed on. “Hard to believe the horse is twenty-two years old. Incredible! And rider, River Girard; he’s fifteen years old, folks!” The applause and cheering continued even after the pair disappeared from sight.

  “Sierra, I had no idea a horse could move like that,” Pam sighed. “He was literally dancing!”

  João had sat in silence throughout the performance. He looked at Sierra now and she saw tears in his eyes that he quickly brushed away. He hugged her with one arm across her shoulders and said, “Let’s go find him.” They gathered their things and pushed a way through the crowd that was filtering through the exits now that the show was over.

  They found River outside the pavilion, still astride Gunsmoke and surrounded by a crowd of people praising the performance and asking questions. He looked dazed and exhausted. A rivulet of sweat trickled from his hairline down one cheek, and dampness streaked the back of his shirt.

  “What kind of horse is he? Who trained him? How long have you been riding?” The typical questions barraged River, who could only stare back or answer with one word. Sierra could imagine how desperately he wanted to get away.

  “River,” she called out, “do you need help?”

  He saw her and João and nodded yes, a look of relief on his face. The crowd moved away enough for Sierra and João to come up to Gunsmoke and take the bridle reins while River dismounted. He still seemed dazed and held onto the saddle, leaning against Gunsmoke while he stroked his damp neck.

  Just then Katrina with a cooler in her arms, and Ann emerged, having pushed their way through the crowd. “We’ll take him back to his stall,” Ann said. João handed her the reins and then took hold of River’s arm to steady him while Sierra and Katrina placed the cooler over Gunsmoke’s back.

  “Come, River, you need to sit down,” João stated as River tried to follow Gunsmoke.

  “I need to take care of Gunsmoke first,” River insisted.

  João laughed and Sierra smiled. She didn’t think River had ever had anyone take care of his horse for him after he rode. “Let the girls see to him now,” João said and began to steer River toward some tables and chairs near a snack stand.

  “Is he okay?” someone in the crowd asked. Another person handed River a bottle of water which he gratefully accepted. They reached the chairs and all of them sat down. Pam, who had been hovering at the edge of the crowd, joined them.

  River tipped the bottle of water and gulped it dry, then wiped across his mouth with his sleeve. He scowled at the smear on the white cloth. “I need to get out of these borrowed clothes.”

  “I think you need to rest for a few minutes,” João said. Then he placed his hand on River’s shoulder. “I am so proud of you.”

  River, who had been avoiding eye contact, finally looked into the face of his friend. “All I did was ride a horse.”

  “You spoke to your horse and he listened, and the two of you danced together,” João responded in a soft voice.

  River ducked his head. “I nearly blew it. Did you see all those people? I admit they kind of scared me, all staring at us. I guess I was more nervous than I realized to have upset Gunsmoke like that.”

  “I saw and I also saw how you shut them out and then it was just you and Gunsmoke. Am I right?” João reassured him.

  River nodded. “I had to gallop him up to the entrance to catch up with the music,” he said with a short laugh.

  “But you did catch up and you had him nicely collected when you entered the ring. You have a gift, boy. People spend a lifetime trying to reach a level of communication with a horse that you have had for years.”

  “He was so good. I should be taking care of him now.” River started to get up.

  João touched him back down with his hand. “You can go praise him in a few minutes, but let the girls take care of him. He will enjoy the attention just as much from them.”

  “River, I think…” Sierra started, but then bit back the words. She wondered if anyone else had seen Justin in the crowd. She actually didn’t see him do anything to Gunsmoke, but he must have! She had no proof and River seemed to think it was his own nerves that had upset his horse. Instead, she asked, “What happened to Tess?”

  “She had a fall from Moose on her cross country ride and hurt her back.”

  “Wow, that’s awful for her. I’m surprised she was able to convince you to ride in her place.”

  River laughed. “Believe me, I didn’t want to. But there really was nobody else who could. I already knew the routine because I had ridden Gunsmoke a few times at home for her so she could watch how it looked.”

  “He is an amazing horse,” Sierra said needlessly.

  “Yeah, not too bad for an old man,” River smiled.

  “Watch it now,” João said with humor.

  River ducked his head but after a few minutes he looked up at João and very humbly said, “Um, I’m sorry about…you know.”

  João nodded. “You should not have stayed away. I have missed you.” And he hugged River.

  *****

  30 Day Three: Stadium Jumping

  Under a rider who has a heart for the animal, the correctly trained horse will work with joy and happiness, while a horse that carries its rider with fear and hesitation accuses him of being unfair and cruel. – Gustav Steinbrecht, The Gymnasium of the Horse

  *****

  Monday, the final day of the show, consisted of stadium jumping.

  “Compared with the cross country, not too difficult,” João stated. He walked the course with Sierra coaching her on the number of strides for optimal approach and wh
ere she could cut corners if she needed to make up time. There were ten obstacles and heights were again up to two feet, eleven inches. João insisted that Sierra walk the approach several times to a double combination with two strides between the elements; to be sure she knew just where Fiel would need to take off in order to land with enough room to take his two strides. The only other jump that might be a challenge was an oxer that they would have to approach after a sharp turn. But it was a course similar to ones they had practiced over at home, and Sierra felt confident Fiel could manage this one.

  *****

  Sierra fed and groomed Fiel in the morning and then hand walked him around while João studied him for any signs of lameness or stiffness after his cross country round yesterday. He seemed fine and ready to go, prancing or going into passage when passing other horses, still showing off.

  Sierra also helped River with the Pegasus horses, and was pleased that he seemed very cheerful. “You’re in a good mood today,” she said to him.

  “What do you mean? I’m always in a good mood,” he quipped back, and they both laughed. “You were right,” he said a little while later. “I should have gone to João and apologized a long time ago.”

  “I’m very glad that you did.”

  The only blight to the morning was when Crystal came through the stalls while Sierra was helping River clean, wanting to show off Galaxy to Justin and Luke. Sierra hadn’t showered yet and felt very grimy from stall cleaning. She really didn’t want Luke to see her in her unkempt condition.

  In her usual snobbish manner, Crystal totally ignored Sierra and River as she brought the two boys up to Galaxy’s stall. But Luke noticed.

  “Hi Sierra,” he called out, smiling brightly. “I saw some of your jumps yesterday. You guys were amazing!”

  “Thanks,” she smiled back, her face heating up with color. Why does that always happen when he speaks to me? She groaned inwardly.

  “Hey, you’re the guy who rode that horse last night to that really cool guitar music,” Luke said to River, recognizing him.

  River looked up briefly and returned to shoveling wet shavings without saying anything. Good mood or not, his social graces hadn’t improved.

  “Awesome ride, dude,” Luke said, undaunted. Crystal scowled at him, very annoyed that his attention had drifted from her presentation of Galaxy. Luke turned back to peer in at Crystal’s horse and made appropriate complimentary remarks.

  As they turned to leave, Luke called out, “What time do you ride, Sierra?”

  “At one-ten,” she answered. “It should be two rides after Crystal.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then.” He waved as they left.

  “Who’s that guy that’s been hanging around you?” River asked a while later, sounding irritated.

  “Who, Luke? He’s a friend from school. I’ve known him since eighth grade.”

  River turned back to his pitchfork, reticent as usual.

  *****

  Thirty minutes before her scheduled stadium time, João announced, “Time to mount up. I’ll finish him.”

  Sierra nodded and relinquished to him the body brush she had been working over Fiel’s back. His announcement brought the butterflies back, flitting annoyingly around in her stomach. She stepped in front of a small mirror they had suspended on the wall next to Fiel’s stall, and concentrated on tying her stock tie, using the task to distract her nervousness. Then she donned her hunt coat and smoothed down her hair before buckling on her helmet.

  They led Fiel to the warm-up area as he tossed his head and pranced, aware that again, something was up.

  “Working trot to loosen him up,” João advised as he held the bridle while Sierra mounted. “Remember, keep him light and encourage him to stretch.”

  Sierra nodded, and focused all her attention on Fiel, sensing his nervous excitement through her seat and legs as they walked away from the mounting block. With a summoning of all her will, she forced all thoughts from her mind but Fiel, and whispered in self-coaching, “Easy does it. We’re at home; nothing’s any different except a few other horses around.” She stretched and rolled her shoulders, took a few deep breaths and then allowed Fiel, already pulling at the bit, to step up to trot.

  “Good, good, just like that,” João assured, watching as Sierra kept her hands light and used her weight and core muscles to tell Fiel to maintain an even rhythm. Fiel stretched his neck into her giving hands and snorted. João smiled and nodded at his student, very pleased. After a few minutes of trotting, he told Sierra to walk him on a loose rein once or twice around, and then a few rounds of hand gallop.

  A few low jumps were set up in the warm-up ring and a few minutes before Sierra’s number was called, João coached her to take Fiel over a cross bar and then a low vertical. They were ready. Sierra left the warm-up area and walked to the stadium ring steward to check-in.

  “Two rides ahead of you,” he said.

  Crystal just then entered the ring on Galaxy, so Sierra positioned Fiel where she could watch her go.

  “Hi,” Luke suddenly appeared at Fiel’s side, grinning, and gave Fiel a pat on his neck.

  “Hi, Crystal’s just going in.”

  Luke stayed at Fiel’s side as they watched together. Galaxy seemed tired or at least lacking enthusiasm. Crystal wore spurs and carried a jumping bat. She dug with her spurs in quick succession a few times to motivate Galaxy into a forward-moving canter as they started their beginning circle. Galaxy approached the first jump with his head high and a frightened look in his eye. He hesitated, clearly indicating he had no desire to jump. Crystal added a whack with her crop in addition to spurs to push him on. He picked up his pace and cleared the first obstacle high and wide, a style Sierra figured resulted from the rapping experience. The novice level jumps shouldn’t really have posed much of a challenge to a horse of Galaxy’s scope, but nevertheless, his heart didn’t seem to be in the task before him and Crystal had to drive constantly. They were half way through the course with the double combination next.

  “Come on, Galaxy,” Sierra spoke out loud, remembering how lazy he could be. She liked the sweet-tempered horse and wanted to see him do well, and especially avoid abuse from Crystal.

  As they approached the double, Crystal swatted Galaxy with the bat at the correct spot for him to take off. Galaxy laid his ears back and brought his head up, but rather than taking off, he took a short stride and then jumped, again with a foot to spare. He had taken off too late, jumping wide, and he landed too close to the next element; he would not be able to get in two strides. Crystal swatted him again and he took off after only one stride. Too far back, he crashed into the jump, knocking the top two rails down, earning four faults. Galaxy cleared the remainder of the course, but he also earned two penalties for two seconds over the time allowance. He had a total of six penalties.

  Crystal left the ring scowling. As soon as she turned a corner out of sight of the arena, she jerked mercilessly on Galaxy’s mouth and slashed his shoulder with her whip.

  The next rider ahead of Sierra cleared the course but also with two time penalties.

  “Number one-twelve,” the ring steward called Sierra’s number.

  “Here we go,” she said, glancing at Luke, and then toward the stands where João and Pam sat together, watching. João nodded, smiling; her mother stared with wide open eyes.

  “Good luck,” Luke encouraged and winked at her as he gave Fiel a pat on the neck.

  “Hey, Luke.” Just then Justin came up behind them. Sierra turned her head slightly and saw him raise a hand and pat Fiel on the rump.

  Suddenly, Fiel flattened his ears with a squeal and bucked. Totally unexpected, Sierra lost her balance and found herself thrown forward over his neck and slipping off to the side. Fiel whirled to run, but a nearby spectator grabbed at his bridle and brought him to a halt. In a daze, Sierra righted herself in the saddle.

  “What happened?” She heard others around her asking, echoing the question in her own mind.

 
“Are you okay?” João appeared at her side, her mother behind him with frightened eyes.

  “Something spooked him,” Sierra answered, gulping in air to still her racing heart. Justin did something to Fiel and probably the same thing he did to Gunsmoke last night! Suspicions barraged her brain. Crystal’s idea; an attempt to jeopardize my ride? Sierra felt frozen, as much from fright as the realization that Crystal could do such a thing. Fiel and she as well as people nearby could have been hurt! Her mind blanked out everything but the shock of what Crystal was capable of doing in order to win.

  “Do you want to scratch?” João asked?

  Yes, I’m scared; I don’t even remember the course. Those thoughts whirled through Sierra’s mind. But then Fiel snorted, shaking his head and he took a tentative step forward. Fiel knows his business! Sierra looked between Fiel’s ears toward the ring; where her horse had focused his attention. Fiel took another step and with his determination, Sierra’s mind cleared. It was as if Fiel was telling her everything was okay now.

  “We’re going in,” she stated and touched Fiel’s sides with a whisper of her legs. The others moved aside. “Thanks, Fiel,” she whispered and touched his neck as they entered the ring.

  Her wonderful horse responded with eager energy. They entered at a brisk trot and right into canter for the beginning circle. Feeling Fiel’s power beneath her, Sierra’s mind kicked back into gear and she turned Fiel toward the first obstacle. His ears pricked forward and he jumped into a gallop with no urging from her. From then on, Sierra merely steered him around, pointing him at each obstacle of the course, and only a few times bringing his pace a little slower. But Fiel knew how to judge his distances with little help from his rider. Sierra sat back slightly as they approached the double, cautioning him, and just at the take-off point, moved forward again into two-point. Fiel took off, cleared the first element, took his two strides and cleared the second. They cleared the next vertical and then Sierra sat back and squeezed the reins to slow him for the turn; then on to the oxer. He cleared it easily; then the last two jumps of the course, and through the finish flags. A clear round!