The show ground are alive, all hands and hooves and splashing water. The sun is swathed in a sea of blue. Nothing but a few harmless clouds threaten the horizon, offer rare relief on my baked back. I stand in a dark show jacket and thick cream breeches, Eclipse beside me. Every inch of her shines from her iron coat to her polished saddle. I draw a deep breath from the dusty air and catch a hint of popcorn.
"You ready?" I ask her. Her ears swivel to catch my words - too fast. She's quivering, hyper sensitive to all the activity around her. Something in her eyes tell me no. I feel a sudden knot of dread in my chest. Perhaps we should call it off, pull out.
I look to the ring in time to see a lathered chestnut launch into the air, legs tucked over an oxer. For a second she hangs, streamlined. Then her outstretched hooves meet the ground, coil against the impact, and pull back into rhythm. Horse and rider canter away, drawing a gentle turn through the dust to face the next obstacle. I look away. Something thick, an insufferable itch, starts in my mind. My thoughts are enveloped by the image of a shiny blue ribbon. Another first place to add to the collection.
Eclipse nudges me,her dark eyes flighty and nervous. It's not a good day for her; she's sore and tired. But hunger draws all caution from my mind, hunger for victory. I know she'll do what I ask of her, regardless of her weariness.
So I pull at her reins and draw us into the ring.
[the end.]
YOU ARE READING
The Fault In Reality
General FictionA fatal mistake and a dead horse sink Era into depression, and she vows never to ride again. But when her mother sends her to her father's ranch to 'find herself', she's surprised to meet Devany, a horse with an equally upsetting past. Can two brok...
