from eden

eden

“Woah, steady girl,” Aiden whispered to the dark bay mare as he got closer to Valentine Stable. He eased her into a stop before getting off and hitching her on the post that sat beside the stable doors.

Today, he was on the look out for a new horse.

His dark bay mare, Honey, was trustworthy, but she was getting up in years. She had started to grey around her muzzle and eyes, and her reflexes weren't as quick anymore. She was a retired cross country horse who had been retired for western pleasure. She was nearly 25, so Aiden figured she deserved a break.

Honey was his trail and bounty horse for years. She was one of the first horses he had saved up to buy when he was out on his own at age 16, and she was the horse Maggie, Aiden's daughter, learned to ride on. She was cheap, and worth so much more than he paid. He couldn't have asked for a better horse. It broke his heart to have to retire her.

Aiden sighed as he entered the stable, wishing Maggie were with him. She was the sole reason he was getting out to buy another horse. He tried to convince himself he didn't need to get another horse, as he didn't want to get attached to another thing. He could just borrow horses. However, when he realized he would need to accompany Maggie during her bounty work, he made himself go to Valentine.

All of the horses in the stable turned their heads toward Aiden, some even nickered. He loved seeing their faces light up as a new person entered. It showed that they were socialized well, or maybe they were eager to meet new people.

“Can I help you, sir?” the stable owner asked as he stepped out of his corner.

Aiden flinched at the sight of him, as he hadn't seen the man beforehand. They always seemed to come out of nowhere. Once he got his bearings, which was in seconds, he nodded. “I am here for a horse.” He bit the inside of his cheek and felt his face heat up slightly. He was always so bad at social interaction, it wasn't funny.

“Well, I got all kinds of horses. Retired racers, trail horses, cross country proteges...” the stable owner droned on and on about the horses the stable had to offer. He pointed to a few as he said their handling. A few were munching on hay, a few seemed to stay in the back of their stall and glare at Aiden. He knew didn't want a horse like that around Maggie.

Aiden nodded to the stable owner and went down the aisle. A black gelding caught his eye. He came up to the door and nuzzled at Aiden without hesitation and gave him the most innocent look he could muster. He was like a horse-sized puppy.

With a smile, Aiden gave him small scratches under his chin. “Hey, pretty boy,” he said. “You're so sweet.” He read the plaque next to the gelding's stall. It said his name, which was Ranger, and his background. He was a retired ranch horse who had been on many cattle drives. He was described as a "hard working guy with a heart of gold but must be retired from field work." This statement confused Aiden. Ranger was only 13 years old, why must he go into retirement already?

Aiden peered over into his stall, and he got his answer. There was a scar that implied Ranger had cut himself on farming equipment, which probably left him lame. The scar looked a few years old. The accident had to have happened while Ranger was in the prime of his life.

Aiden frowned at this thought. The poor horse wasn't even half of Honey's age, and he was already marked as useless to more than half of the country. Aiden wished he could take him, but he had to have a horse that could keep up with Maggie's young american paint, Littlefoot, or her Breton, Lucille. Ranger didn't cut it.

He moved onto the next stall, which was occupied by a chestnut stallion. He tried to read what breed the horse was but was stopped by it lunging at him with its ears pinned. “Hey, hey, not nice,” Aiden told the horse in a stern voice, who snorted in response. He managed to glance at the plaque again and see this stallion was a poorly trained, 18 year old Thoroughbred. You definitely cannot be around Maggie, Aiden noted.