Boot Camp

Day Nine- The Worst Feeling

My head was just about ready to explode, I had to think about what I was going to do with my new horse and not to mention the 600 acre ranch I was now in possession of. I walked out to the barn holing my riding gloves in my hand, I had recently gotten a new white long sleeve shirt and new beige breeches and a new belt to go with it. I threw my gloves in my locker and pulled on my tall boots, my boots were more ready to ride than I was. I groomed and tacked up Ivey, I grabbed my phone and air pods and lead Ivey to the ring, I put on my playlist and skipped right down to the end and put on Monster. I pulled myself into the saddle as I almost fell back, it was almost like all the pain was trying to yank me out of the saddle. I squeezed Ivey to a trot, I felt like going today, I needed the motivation. My phone buzzed and spooked Ivey. "Damn it what now!" I pulled out my phone and read the text from Olivia. It was blocked by a face time call. Ivey started to walk again, I accepted the call. "What did Emma do now?" "She left, she's leaving at three. Wait are you riding, I'll call back when you are done, wait... can I join you?" "Yea sure of course go get Layla." beep beep, call ended. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and picked up a canter, I missed Ivey's random zoomies at the canter, oh yes her zoomies. She will canter pretty fast and powerful once in a while. Soon after that Olivia came out with Layla, Emma was weird from the start, she always acted like in some way we weren't her friends we were just those people she hung out with to look cool. When I first started talking about riding in the fourth grade everyone made fun of me, especially Cole. Cole was the tallest idiot in my fourth grade class, he always said, "all you do is sit on their butts." And not to mention, "you don't even do anything." I'd like to put you on a crazy ass mare 7 days a week with a sour coach harping at you for two hours every damn day. I had been riding my whole life but I kept it a sorta secret until the fourth grade, I was afraid that people would judge me and say things like Cole did, and I was right. I finally earned my respect from everyone in grade six, one day Cole was pushing my buttons (like usual) and I literally lost it, I turned around yelled at him, "Oh my god shut up!!! You don't have the slightest clue how I feel, let me ask you this Cole, have you trusted your life with a 2000 pound beast that can kill you with their own body in seconds, have you EVER had a team mate that speaks a different language than you or any type of human couldn't understand. Have you put your friggen sole into winning competitions! Have you worked every single muscle in your body to win and get two minutes of respect from your stuck up snotty coach! I would love to put you on a crazy ass mare and get yelled at when you put one toe out of line to see how you like it!" Of course I had attracted my whole class and more, luckily it was 3:02 and school was over, I swung my bag over my shoulder and stared at Cole, for once he had nothing to say. "Well, what's is your stupid answer this time?!" he was speechless, "I didn't think so." I turned around and started walking home with Raya. From that day on I haven't stopped talking about horses and Cole or anyone else didn't bother to say anything about it either. My brain went back to me lesson, life is funny, I went from shy girl to the shouting freak, then to the popular ish girl. I started thinking about Val again, ahh Val my old sour puss coach, she practically hated everything I did. I finally had enough a year ago and we fired her, that summer was the first one in a long time where I could enjoy myself. She was sour but those were my winning years and even I have to admit I loved those years. I started thinking, maybe I should get a coach again, I'm going to go no where if I keep training myself. A nicer one though. Olivia and I walked back over to the gate and opened it, we trotted out towards to the trail and soon got to the glorious cross country course, tears flooded my eyes as I cantered across the course, I lost my best friend and now I had three simple things that won't leave me alone, the ranch, her horse and memories.