Horsemen Trials, A Fantasy Story about Horses

Chapter 19

The minutes were counting down. It was nearly time for me to go in the arena and compete for the first time in the Trials.

Although I was sweating from the sun, and a bundle of nerves, my stomach was relatively calm. I felt ready to give it my best shot.

Destiny and I were standing outside the arena waiting our turn. There were two more horses to go before us, and then it would be our turn.

I had been watching the competition and was surprised at how bad some of it was. They delivered jerky tests that made me cringe at some points.

One horse was sent to bucking right in the middle. I winced when the rider hit the dirt. I knew that maybe some of the competition was better than Destiny and I, but at least I knew we wouldn't do that bad and we could deliver a solid test.

But there were other riders who did very well. In the freestyle part of the test they did fancy tricks or more complicated dressage movements. These were the ones that made me nervous and the ones I didn't think we could compete against.

But it was way way too late to back out now. And I didn't want to anyway.

"You'll do fine."

I looked down at the sound of Mr. Blair's voice. "I will?"

"You will. Perform for beauty, Iris. The judges would like to see a nice test too, you know."

I gave him a faint smile and gathered up my reins. "It's nearly time for me to go in. I guess think I'll trot around a little."

He patted my leg and stepped back as I nudged Destiny forward.

This was it. I couldn't believe I was actually going into that arena as a competitor but I was.

"Number 192, Iris Backwood riding Destiny." The announcer boomed out as loud as he could.

In rising trot I turned into the arena and headed down the center line. I faced three judges, whom I didn't dare look at.

Remembering a bit of Mr. Blair's advice from long ago, I focused on Destiny. How did she feel? What did she need?

She was flowing forward in an even trot with ears pricked, but seemed a little unfocused. I half halted on the rein in preparation for the halt that was coming up. I needed her attention.

She flicked an ear back to me. I sat and resisted through my seat, asking her to come down to the walk. She switched gaits obediently.

I let go, then after about three steps of walk asked for a halt. She did it very neatly.

I glanced to the sides to see if I had halted where I was supposed it. I had. So far, so good.

I put my reins in my left hand and saluted with my right, tilting my head downward in respect. I took my time gathering my reins again, using it to remember what I needed to do next in the test.

Destiny flicked her ear back again and I seized the moment of her attention, squeezing with my legs to go forward. She started off in a good walk and I made sure to look up.

We turned to the left. I made sure we went deep through the corner and that she was listening to me. With a solid squeeze we went up into rising trot.

She rushed off into it a little, I'd used a bit too much leg. I brought her back, rising tall and thrusting my chest out, carrying myself proudly like I wanted her to.

The place for the circle was coming up. I looked down to check my diagonal, then deepened my inside leg and brought my outside back. She went correctly into the circle.

We trotted our way around the circle, then went up the track again. In the next corner I sat and asked for canter on the left lead. She took a little bit of a rushing trot before bounding into canter because I had not prepared her.

We cantered through the next corner, and did another circle from the track. She did that very nicely. Cantering down the track, I then asked for trot, and after that walk.

Making sure I was sitting tall, I asked for a little more impulsion while letting out my rein a bit. She eagerly took the bit and stretched out in the walk as we went across the diagonal.

I reveled in the feeling of her back underneath me, it was swinging and up. I loved it.

I collected the reins while making sure to keep the same walk. Then we were back in trot again, to do the same thing we had done on the other rein.

The trot circle we struggled with more on this rein, the right side was not her strongest side. But we made it through. We also struggled in the canter circle.

We came trotting down the center line again, and I felt a realization spreading through me. We had done it! We had done it!

Well, nearly done it. There was still the freestyle.

I halted and saluted again. Now, onto the freestyle.

Destiny was still listening to me as we turned right. I took a deep breath and asked for bend with my inside rein as though we were on a circle, but stepped out with my outside leg. We crossed the arena in leg yield.

Reaching the other track I made sure my stirrups were weighted evenly and that my horse was straight. We went deep through the two corners.

Again we leg yielded, going the opposite direction this time. And we proceeded to leg yield twice more in the trot. All throughout I felt a sense of unrealness. I couldn't believe we were actually do this!

That was all I did for the freestyle. Destiny and I didn't know any tricks, and leg yield was the most advanced movement we knew.

I halted and saluted for the final time.

And that was it. We had done it. The first phase of the Trials was complete.

When that hit me, I let loose a yell of happiness and patted Destiny vigorously on the neck. "Good girl! Good girl!"

She flicked her ears back at me and snorted, as if to say, "It was nothing."