by Stacy Gregg
“That’s crazy!” Issie said. “I don’t know how to break in a wild horse.”
“You’ve been in my natural horsemanship classes before, haven’t you? Well consider this your final lesson,” Avery said. He pointed to the tiered seats that ran around the edge of the round pen. “I’ll be watching you and calling instructions to you. Just do exactly as I tell you.” Avery looked at her. “Now, can you do this?”
Issie took a deep breath. “OK, I mean yes, Tom, absolutely. I’m ready – let’s do it.”
As Avery explained how the training session would work, Issie sat listening intently. She was trying very hard to concentrate on absolutely everything that Avery was telling her, but there was so much to learn.
“Don’t worry,” Avery said as he left her alone in the arena. “I promise you, in less than an hour we’re going to have you up on Destiny’s back and riding him.”
Avery left the round pen and Aidan came in leading Destiny. The black stallion was clearly spooked by his new surroundings. As Aidan led him past Issie the big, black horse shied at his own shadow, rearing up and jerking the lead rope almost out of Aidan’s hand. “Easy boy,” Aidan said. Issie could see the horse’s nostrils quivering and there was sweat on his flanks.
He’s afraid too, Issie realised, and at that moment her nerves completely vanished. If Destiny was scared, then it was up to her to be brave enough for both of them.
“You can let Destiny loose now,” Avery called down to Aidan. Aidan nodded. He unclipped the lead rope from the halter. It took a moment for Destiny to realise that he was now free, and then he shook his head defiantly and cantered off to stand on the far side of the round pen, as far away as he could get from Issie and Aidan.
Aidan walked over to Issie and handed her the lead rope. “Are you going to be OK in here by yourself?” he asked her.
“Uh-huh,” she said. “I think so.”
Aidan smiled. “I’m right outside that door if you need me.” And with that, he headed back across the sawdust floor and out of the arena – shutting the door behind him, leaving Issie alone with the stallion.
“Right. We need to move fast here, Issie,” Avery said. “Let’s get started.”
Issie nodded. Then she turned to face the stallion, her shoulders square to him, her gaze directly meeting his eyes. For a moment the horse looked back at her, holding her stare and challenging her.
“Use the rope now, Issie,” Avery commanded from above.
Issie looked down at the long lead rope in her hand. She swung it around like a lasso and then let it fly. The rope flicked out and landed uselessly on the sawdust in front of her. Issie felt herself getting flustered – Aidan and Avery were watching from the seats above and she had no idea what she was doing.
“Don’t worry about it. Try again,” Avery said. “It will take you a few throws to get used to the weight of the rope.”
Issie pulled the rope back, looping it loose in her hand and then threw it again. This time the rope flew out perfectly, tapping Destiny lightly across the rump. Destiny snorted with surprise and began to trot around the perimeter of the round pen. The rope fell away behind the stallion and Issie pulled it towards her, looping it back in her hands.
“That’s it. Excellent. And again,” Avery called to her.
Issie flicked the rope again and this time the stallion broke into a canter.
“Very good!” Avery said. “Those taps with the rope will keep him moving. Don’t let him stop. We’re going to keep him running for a while and pretty soon he’ll get tired of going around this pen and he’ll want to stop running. He’s going to want to come to you instead, which means he’s becoming submissive and acknowledging you as the ‘alpha’ horse, the boss of the herd. All you need to do now is keep him moving and look for the signs that I told you about.”
Issie nodded at Avery’s words but she didn’t dare to take her eyes off the black horse and look up at her instructor. Avery had told her that she must never look away from Destiny, not even for a moment.
Destiny was cantering gracefully, his head held high, his nostrils flared. Issie found it impossible to believe that this proud, powerful, wild stallion would ever allow her to become the boss. Hadn’t he always been the boss of his herd? She flicked the long rope at Destiny again to keep the horse cantering, waiting and watching like Avery had told her to, looking for a sign.
“There!” Avery called over the edge of the arena. “Do you see that, Issie?”
“Ummm, what?” Issie called up.
“He’s listening to you. His ears are swivelling towards you, his head is turning towards you. He’s paying attention now,” Avery said excitedly. “In a moment he’s going to make more signals – he’ll lick his lips and lower his head. This is his way of saying, ‘I accept that you are in charge – please let me stop running now’.”
As Avery said this the black horse began to do exactly that. He lowered his head and licked his lips.
“You’ve got him!” Avery said. “OK, Issie, now look down at the ground and don’t make eye contact. Look straight down at the ground. Do it now.”
Issie did as Avery instructed. Almost immediately Destiny stopped running. Issie stayed perfectly still. The stallion took a step towards her and then another. He stretched out his nose to sniff at her. He took another step. He was so close to Issie that he was almost touching her.
“Don’t make eye contact – just put your hand out, give him a pat,” Avery said. The stallion didn’t flinch as she reached out and stroked his face and neck. He even stood patient and relaxed as Issie stroked along his shoulders and rump. He seemed to be enjoying her touch.
“That’s right, touch him along his back – that’s where horses like to groom each other – he’s letting you in now, you’re the alpha.” Avery’s voice was calm and firm as he spoke to her. “Now turn away from him, Issie. Turn your back on him and walk away now,” Avery told her.
Issie felt herself stiffen at this. Did she really have to turn her back on this wild horse? What if Destiny attacked her?
“It’s OK,” Avery said softly. “You can do it. He won’t hurt you.”
Issie kept her eyes down on the ground and turned her back on Destiny. She began to walk away, and as she walked she could hear the horse right there behind her.
“Don’t look back,” Avery said firmly.
“Tom! What’s going on? Is he following me?” she hissed.
Avery laughed. “That’s right. You’re the alpha now. Go ahead and take him for a walk. He’ll follow you.”
Issie giggled and began to walk around the arena with Destiny following along right behind her like a puppy dog on a leash – except there was no leash. The horse was right there next to her, his nose nudging against her sleeve.
“This is cool!” Issie smiled up at Avery as she walked a whole circle around the arena with Destiny following at her side.
“OK, alpha girl. You can put the saddle and bridle on him now,” Avery said. “It looks like you’ve got yourself a new partner.”
Issie couldn’t believe how easy it had been to win Destiny over. But the thrill of becoming the “alpha” quickly faded when she strapped the saddle on and Destiny began to buck uncontrollably.
“It’s fine, let him buck,” Avery reassured her. “He’s never worn a saddle before. Just let him get it out of his system and he’ll come back to you.”
Avery was right. Destiny quickly calmed down and let Issie put on a bridle too.
“OK, Aidan, you can come back in now,” Avery called. Aidan stepped into the arena. “Give Issie a leg up,” Avery instructed.
“What?” Issie couldn’t believe it. “But I’ve only just put the saddle on! It’s been less than an hour! You can’t break a horse in this fast!”
“Isadora. Do you trust me?” Avery said.
“Uh-huh,” Issie replied.
“Then get on. He’s ready. You’ll be fine. Remember, you’re the alpha.”
“I’m the alpha,
I’m the alpha,” Issie chanted over and over under her breath as she put her knee in Aidan’s cupped hand and sprang lightly into the saddle. Issie looked down. She had never been this high up on a horse before. Destiny was much bigger than either Blaze or Mystic. He was nearly sixteen hands. It felt like a million miles up in the air. Issie slipped her feet into the stirrups and grasped the reins in her hands. Beneath her she felt Destiny tremble, his muscles tensed as if he were ready to bolt.
“Do you want me to keep holding him?” Aidan asked. He had both hands firmly on Destiny’s reins.
Issie shook her head. “No, Aidan. Let him go. It’s the only way.” She took a deep breath, braced her feet against the stirrups and held on.
As Destiny took a step and felt the weight of the rider on his back he gave a little half-buck. Issie hung on, her hands gripping tightly now to the front of the saddle. Destiny snorted, lowered his head and bucked again. It was a big buck this time and she felt herself lifting up and crashing back down into the saddle, but she didn’t fall off.
“He’s OK. He’s just getting used to you,” Avery said calmly. “Put your legs on him and ask him to move forward.”
Issie took a deep breath and did as Avery asked. Nothing. Destiny held his ground against her, refusing to move. Frustrated, Issie gave the big, black horse a swift kick. “Get-up!” she demanded, growling under her breath nervously.
As Issie’s heels dug into his sides Destiny gave a snort of defiance and reared straight up in the air and Issie, who hadn’t been expecting it, flung herself at his neck, grasping desperately at his mane to hang on.
“Stop it!” she growled as the stallion thrashed the air with his hooves. By the time Destiny plunged back down again, Issie was white and shaking like a leaf.
“Are you OK?” Avery called to her.
“I think so,” Issie said. “He was fine one minute and then I kicked him and he just went up without any warning at all.”
“This is your first time on a stallion, isn’t it, Issie?” Avery asked.
Issie nodded.
“In the past you’ve ridden geldings and mares,” Avery continued. “A gelding, of course, is a castrated horse, which means he’s pretty docile by nature. You can get as bossy as you like with a gelding. They’re easygoing and they don’t mind if you push them around and tell them what to do. Mares can be temperamental, but if you ask a mare like Blaze nicely enough then she’ll do pretty much anything, yes?”
Issie nodded at this.
“Stallions are different,” Avery said. “They’re used to being in charge. They’re strong-willed and they don’t take orders.” Avery looked serious. “You need to treat them with the utmost respect. If you try and force a stallion against his will like you did just then he’ll turn against you, Issie. You must convince a stallion that he wants to work for you. Never, ever fight him – you won’t win that way.”
Issie nodded.
“OK,” Avery said, “I think he’s calmed down now. Talk to him, Issie. Ask him to move forward and take a lap around the arena…That’s good! See how his ears are swivelling? He’s listening. Now ask him to canter.”
When Issie put her legs on the big, black horse he objected a little, but Issie didn’t lose her cool. She softened her hands, whispered softly to the stallion and tried again. Destiny gave a snort, arched his neck, and instead of battling her, he flung his right leg out into a perfect smooth canter transition.
“Excellent, excellent. Now you’re talking!” Avery said. “This is good progress. Are you ready to ask him for more? Here’s where the lesson really begins…”
Over the next two hours Issie slowly gained Destiny’s confidence. They began moving around the arena in perfect harmony, the stallion cantering on her command and then halting again with the lightest touch of the reins.
“Now ask him to turn left, now right…” Avery called to her from the seats up above the arena. “Good, good, excellent! That’s enough for today. You can get off now – and take his saddle and bridle off too. We’re done.”
There was a clapping noise from the other side of the arena and Issie looked up to see Stella, Kate, Dan and Ben.
“That was amazing!” Stella said. “I totally held my breath when you were getting on him! And then when he reared up, I was sure you were going to fall off!”
Issie grinned up at her friends in the seats above her. “Have you guys been there the whole time?”
“Pretty much the whole time,” Kate said. “Avery said we could watch as long as we didn’t disturb you.”
“Well, you’re disturbing her now,” Avery grumped at the girls. “Isadora, don’t dawdle. You need to put Destiny away for the night.”
Avery turned to the other riders who were now leaning over the sides of the round pen watching. “If you lot have all fed your horses then you can head back up to the house and help Hester. She’s getting dinner ready. There’ll be plenty of time for chit-chat when the food is on the table.”
Everyone was so desperately hungry after the day’s adventures that they wolfed down their meals before beginning to talk about the breaking-in of Destiny.
“I still can’t believe I actually rode him!” Issie said, shaking her head.
“You two made great progress today,” Avery agreed. “But I wish we had another day up our sleeves. We don’t know how Destiny will behave outside the round pen in the open countryside, or what will happen when he meets the wild herd again.”
Issie nodded. She had suddenly lost her appetite – and it wasn’t because she had already eaten two helpings of roast chicken. Avery was right. It was easy to ride Destiny in the round pen. The real test would be riding him outside where there were no fences to stop him. Although she guessed they would find out soon enough.
“I was wondering,” Stella said as she heaped a third helping on to her plate, “do we have a plan yet? I mean, I know Issie is going to ride Destiny and he’ll hopefully lead the herd. But is that it?”
Avery cocked an eyebrow at Stella. “You’re right, of course, Stella. I think we all agree that a plan is needed.” Avery paused. “And luckily for us, Aidan has one. A rather good one actually. We should talk about it now, since we’ll need to leave early in the morning again. So gather round everyone. Here’s what we’re going to do…”
As Aunt Hester brought out dessert Avery and Aidan explained the plan to the others. There was much nodding and frowning as the riders talked it over. Then they began to use whatever was on the table – dessert spoons, pudding bowls and cream jugs – to mark out a strategy map so they could figure out the details.
“Just pretend I’m the sugar spoon…” Stella shouted out at one point, moving the spoon across the table. “What about if I go over here by the teapot…”
“No! No!” Kate said to her. “You need to be back here on the place mat with the rest of the dessert spoons…”
They carried on like this for quite some time until they all felt certain that the plan would work. Then, when Hester suggested they should all go to bed, ready for an early start, no one argued. As the riders headed for their rooms, there was a mood of optimism in the manor.
“Do you really think we can pull this off?” Issie asked Tom as she stood up from the kitchen table.
Avery looked down at the dishes sprawled about in front of him. “I don’t think ponies are quite as easy to manoeuvre as teaspoons,” he said, “but yes, yes, Issie, I think we have a very good chance indeed.” He smiled at her. “Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. I can’t have my alpha horse exhausted before we even begin.”
Issie smiled and climbed the stairs to her room. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and put on her pyjamas before climbing beneath the soft cotton sheets of the enormous four-poster bed. Then she lay there silently, taking one last, long look at the portrait of Avignon above her fireplace before she turned out the light.
The crunch of car tyres on the limestone driveway woke Issie up. She could hear car doors slamming and the
sounds of whispered conversations just outside the front door of the manor.
This was ridiculous! She knew Avery wanted to get an early start, but it wasn’t even light outside. She didn’t want to get up yet; she was still half asleep.
Issie sat bolt upright in bed. That wasn’t Tom’s voice she could hear downstairs. She listened again and felt a sudden chill as she realised who it was.
Flinging herself out of bed and wrapping a dressing gown quickly around her, Issie sprinted across the landing and down the stairs. She flew out the front door and crashed straight into Cameron, making him drop his clipboard.
“Good Morning,” the ranger said stiffly as he bent down and picked his paperwork up.
“What are you doing here?” Issie blurted out. “It’s not even light yet!”
“We’re making an early start. My men are assembling here at the manor. We’ll be out of your hair shortly.”
“What do you mean you’re meeting here?” Issie demanded.
“Your aunt agreed to it,” Cameron shrugged, “take it up with her.” He turned away and scribbled something down on his clipboard, making it clear that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned.
“Aunty Hess! Aunty Hess!” Issie raced frantically through the house.
“I’m out here!” Hester called from the back porch.
Issie found Hester out by the boot rack pulling a single pink Hunter wellington on to her foot, the one that didn’t have a cast on it.
“Isadora, dear. Why are you still in your pyjamas? We need to get a move on, you know!” Hester said.
“Aunty Hess, did you tell Cameron that his men could all meet here before they began the cull?” Issie panted. She’d been hunting the whole manor for her aunt and she was clean out of breath.
“Yes, dear. I did,” Hester said matter-of-factly.
“Aunty Hess! How could you? Why would you help them?” Issie was furious.
“Help them? I’m doing nothing of the kind. I just wanted to have one more chance to get them together and reason with them about this whole cull business,” Hester said. “Now, where is Cameron – the front porch? Ask him to come into the kitchen, will you? I’ll make us all some tea.”