Under The Saddle (Horse Story)

s i x // connection of souls

I froze on the spot.

There was this stunningly perfect mare, being led away by a spoilt girl with more ego than Kanye West.

"Cheyenne?" I turned to see Troy holding a tall bay, the bulky horse pawing impatiently on the rough concrete.

"This is Chase, he was sold, but turns out the guy that bought him has a track record of horse abuse. Do you want to give him a try?" Troy asked cautiously. He'd seen how badly I'd wanted Malibu.

"Yeah, okay." I agreed hesitantly, taking the coarse lead rope. He was tall, and had quite a stocky build. He scratched his head against my arm playfully, and I pulled back fearfully at first before realizing he was only being friendly. Chuckling, I led him around for a little while.

A tall man approached me after a few minutes, rough stubble framing his wide smile. "I see you've met Chase. He's a lovely boy, been my stock horse for five years."

I agreed to take him, and after checking through several records and signing papers, we were finally able to load up the horses and leave. The showgrounds had grown even more hectic than earlier, and although the spectators had left, they were now replaced with impatient, tired competitors and bidders. The sun was low in the sky, long shadows cast along the trampled ground.

Luke and Troy loaded their three in first, the horses on high-alert, the bustling grounds causing everyone to be on edge. I stayed out of the way, watching as they carefully bribed each skeptical horse onto the long trailer.

I was relieved to finally slump into the back seat and begin the drive home. All three of us were pretty exhausted, and only a few words were exchanged along the way, the familiar fields around Lexington rushing past. It felt more like home every day.

Dad rushed over eagerly as soon as we pulled to a stop outside the house. He grinned, wrapping me in a hug.

"How was it?" He asked, pulling back to take in my expression.

I shrugged. "It was alright. I only ended up buying one."

He nodded slowly, obviously hoping for more. Troy slid out to lower the ramp for me and I flashed him a quick smile as I walked in to loosen Chaser's lead. Thankfully, Dad's eyes lit up as the heavy horse backed off, and I knew I had made the right decision choosing to take him.

"His name's Chase." I said, handing the lead over to him.

He gingerly scratched the gelding's face, his lips upturned in a seemingly permanent smile. I followed the pair toward the stable, watching from a distance while he slipped Chase into the stall opposite Breeze.

He was a friendly horse, and very playful. He threw his hay around like a child, and nickered over to Breeze, without receiving much acknowledgement in return.

Exhausted, I said a brief goodbye and started back to the house. The sun had hidden behind the mountains now, the cloudless sky a perfect ombre. It felt good to slide off my boots, loosen my hair, and change into sweatpants and an over sized t-shirt.

I checked my phone, but hadn't received any messages, so plugged it in and slid into bed. I pulled out one of mom's old books, flicking it open and settling comfortably against the end of my bed.

o o o

I woke to the smell of cooked bacon and pancakes. Light had already filled my room, my book lay open on the edge of my bed, close to tipping off the edge.

I eagerly jumped out of bed, pulling a pair of jeans, shirt, and vest on before heading downstairs to find the source of the smell. To my delight, Dad was cooking at the stove that had been installed yesterday. The food sizzled loudly, and I surprised him when he finally spun around, shamelessly humming a song to himself.