Heywood Equestrian Stables

Second Chances

Sidney and Tom both tried to treat me like I was too delicate to do much of anything. I had to set them both straight and make sure they knew I was here to learn it all. Tom jokingly said I should clean out stalls if I wanted to truly know what ranching was all about. I glared at him and marched off towards the stalls where I found a rake and started doing just what he suggested.

I cleaned one stall after another all while Sidney watched on, trying to convince me to stop. I was planning to prove them both wrong. I could do just as much as anyone else. "Charlotte, we have someone else who does this. You don't have to do it," Sidney said, trying once again to convince me to stop.

"I'm going to do it anyway," I said.

"And then the kid whose job it is to do it won't have anything to do. You might as well fire him now."

I stopped and stared at him with frustration. "I just want to prove I can do this."

He walked towards me and placed his hands at my hips. "You forget, I know you better than anyone. Once you decide on something, there's no stopping you. I know this about you. I just want you to remember you can't do it all in one day." I sighed, letting his touch and his words calm me. He kissed my forehead. "Go get Lucy Girl. We'll work with her for a while." I grinned excitedly and did exactly what he said.

I went and got her saddle and strapped her up before leading her out to the arena where Sidney and Tom were waiting. I climbed up into the saddle while Sidney and Tom stood aside. "What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Walk her around the arena," Sidney said.

My father taught me how to ride a horse as a young girl, but it was Sidney who taught me to love them. I thought back on the things he taught me about how to take charge of a horse when I was a teenager. He showed me all kinds of tricks and I saw just how smart a horse is. I did as he said and got Lucy Girl walking around the arena and a steady pace. Sidney told me to turn her around and go the other direction, then stop her abruptly and have her back up. I got her to trot around the arena and really listen to my commands. I was feeling really confident with what I was doing.

There was a loud ringing from a phone in the barn and Tom went off to answer it. That thing rarely rang, but when it did it usually meant something important.

Sidney continued watching proudly as I continued to work Lucy Girl around the arena. Tom came running out a few moments later, looking as if he was out of breath.

"What is it?" Sidney asked.

"That was a call from the sheriff. They seized a bunch of horses from a ranch that went under and essentially abandoned. The horses are starved, not trained, and pretty spooked. They are calling anyone in the area to see if some of us can take them in. Normally we wouldn't under your father's direction, but this is your ranch now. What do you think, Charlotte?"

They both stared at me with questioning eyes. My breath quickened at the sudden impact a decision like this had on me. I didn't know what to do. "How many?"

"They've seized over twenty and have found places for about half," Tom explained.

"We definitely can't take in that many," Sidney added. "Maybe one or two."

"He's still calling around to some other ranches and rescues. I told him I'd call right back," Tom said, looking at me again for an answer.

I swallowed hard, thinking on it. The poor horses needed somewhere to go. "How many can we realistically accommodate? Do we have any stalls available?" I asked.

Sidney placed his hands on his hips as he thought it over and looked towards Tom for confirmation. "I'd say no more than five."

"It'll be hard, but we can try to make it work," Tom added.