"Taylor! Go help Ryan with Aspen. He's been in the small back pasture for over 20 minutes trying to catch that damn horse!" My older sister Kayden yelled to me from the main office. I sighed and rolled my eyes at her bossiness before making my way over to the gate of the small pasture. I stifled a laugh as a guy with close-cropped dirty blonde hair and green eyes frustratingly chased a magnificent light chestnut Swedish Warmblood stallion around on the grass. The beautiful stallion's muscles rippled as he zoomed around on the grass, playfully prancing around like a two year old.
Ryan waved me over as I climbed over the fence slats and dropped into the pen. I could see his anger and frustration clearly painted over his face like a mask.
"Need a hand with him?" I called as I neared him. He glared at me, which only made me laugh.
"What do you think, Taylor? Does it look like I'm making any progress here?" Ryan snapped. I grinned at him and reached for the lead shank.
"Here, let me try", I said. I took the lead from his hand and carefully approached Aspen. The light chestnut stallion stopped stampeding around the pen to watch me intently, his intelligent brown eyes curious. His ears pricked with interest as I softly clucked at him. He curiously approached me and nuzzled my wrists. I rubbed his neck as I clipped the lead shank to his leather halter.
"See? Easy as pie", I said as I lead Aspen to the gate. Ryan shook his head in wonder and opened the gate for me to pass through with Aspen. He patted the light chestnut's neck as we passed through. Behind me, I heard him close the gate quickly before the other horses in the pasture could push the gate open.
"Oh, by the way, your dad says that he has a group of clients coming through later today. He wants you to show them the horses", he called after me.
"Okay", I called back to him. Aspen snorted as I led him towards the large stable building dominating a large part of the estate. The chestnut stallion shook his head as I led him through the doors of the barn and into his stall. Immediately after I unclippped his lead shank, he darted towards his hay net and greedily began snacking.
"You're such a greedy boy, aren't you?" I cooed to him. I let myself out of his stall and walked down the aisle. Horses nickered to me as I passed, begging for attention and treats. I moved passed them, my feet automatically taking me to my most favorite place in the world - the stall of my horse, Silver Sundancer. She was a ten year old silvery grey Thoroughbred / Danish Warmblood cross who stood on the taller side of her breed at 17.0 hands. My parents had gotten her as an unbroken three year old for my tenth birthday. We'd clicked immediately, although she'd bucked me off numerous times.
Immediately, my mare pricked her ears as I clucked softly to her. She nickered as I let myself into her stall and rubbed her nose affectionately. She nuzzled my shoulder and snuffled at my pockets, hoping for treats. I laughed and pulled a carrot out of my pocket. She snatched it out of my hand and crunched on it appreciatively.
"C'mon girl, lets go for a ride." I rubbed the nameplate on her halter before grabbing her lead shank and clipping it to her halter. Her shoes clicked against the concrete floor as I lead her into the aisle and to a pair of empty cross ties. She nickered in pleasure as I grabbed her tack box and began swiping a body brush down Sundance's side in long, rhythmic strokes.
Once done brushing her, I went to the barn's tack room and grabbed Sundance's saddle and bridle. I returned to her and tacked her up in record time. The silvery mare quietly followed as I led her outside. She stood still as I mounted her, which surprised me. Usually she put up a fight when being mounted. I squeezed her sides gently with my legs, and she moved into a easy walk. As soon as we were out of the stable yard, I signaled Sundance to canter. She eagerly responded, and I felt her muscles ripple as she smoothly transitioned from a walk to a canter.
We cantered for a while, and I guided the mare to our secret valley. We slowed to a walk as we neared the entrance - a rock overhand concealed by draping ivy. Sundance and I had discovered this place a long time ago by accident.
I dismounted Sundance and led her through the entrance. The mare playfully shook her mane as I loosened her girth and let her roam free in the small glade. The rocky walls enclosed the secret pasture like a fence, and the only way out was through the entrance so I knew she wasn't going anywhere. I sat down in the soft grass and watched the clouds, and my mind drifted to the real problem at hand, the problem I had been trying to avoid for the past three weeks - the stable was broke.
I knew it had been going on for a while although my parents had been trying to keep it quiet. Horses just weren't worth as much as they used to be, and with the sudden unexpected costs, the stable was way under in our loan payments. I knew that my parents were desperately trying to keep the stable, and I knew that their clients were the only thing keeping us afloat.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop a tear from escaping my eye. I laid back in the grass and tried to wipe the thoughts from my mind. Slowly, my eyes fluttered shut and I fell into a gentle sleep.
------------------------------------------------------
I awoke to Sundance gently breathing across my face. I startled upwards, causing my mare to explode across the field in a series of bucks and whinnies. She stopped and dropped her head to graze, but I noticed her eyes following me as I slowly stood up. I lunged for her reins suddenly, causing her to squeal and startle away. Luckily I managed to snag them just before she took off again.
As she hit the end of the reins, she threw her head up as if she'd been slapped. I laughed at her as she gave me her trademark puppy dog eyes.
"You think you're so cute, don't you, Sunny?" I chastised. She shook her mane as innocently as she could manage. I laughed even harder, then sighed as I remembered what I had to return to.
"Sometimes, I wish I could just run away from everything and be free", I told Sundance earnestly., She nuzzled my shoulder, and I smiled. "Alright, let's get back."
I mounted the silvery mare from the ground and squeezed her into a lazy trot. She snorted and yanked on the reins, asking for her head. I gave her more rein, and together, we returned back to the real world.
Hi everyone! I just want to say that I'd really appreciate any feedback, whether it be compliments or critiques. Oh, and also the picture above this chapter is of Aspen.
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