Burning Desire

Chapter Twenty-Four

{ A/N - Shorter chapter. Please vote, comment and enjoy. }

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"Force," Ed announced. "That's the root of her problems."

The aging Belmont instructor was perched on a portable camping chair in the corner of the arena, clasping a steaming flask of tea and wrapped in at least three jackets. The January morning was cold, but not paralysing so, although I still shivered in my sweater and shot Ed's thick layer of coats a longing glance.

Brenna pranced about beneath me, fresher than usual after spending two days out of work and turned even bitterer by the cold. Ed, a kind, wise but elderly instructor, had observed us in silence as I'd run Brenna through a simple schooling session, and had finally come to his conclusion about why she was still so sensitive and feisty after all this time.

"Force?" I repeated numbly.

"Yeah. Unfortunately, she's been a victim of force in the past. Unforgiving riders have tugged at her mouth constantly, and it's only made her even more sensitive than she already was."

I waited for him to elaborate, but instead Ed took a long sip of his tea, slurping noisily. Then, he stared at me blankly. I felt slightly frustrated; Callum had advised me to seek Ed's help, but so far he'd only confirmed what I already knew. I sighed and prompted him to continue.

"She's learnt to trust you because you don't pull at her mouth or use force against her. But now she's learning that it also means she can get away with a lot more. Intelligent and sensitive can sometimes be a deadly combination."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"Firstly, you need to get her to listen to you without using force."

"Okay," I nodded in affirmation. "How do I do that?"

"We all have our own unique skills to offer," he answered vaguely.

I bit back a sigh. "Anything else?"

"A good event horse needs physical qualities – scope and stamina and nice paces, et cetera," Ed said. He took a gulp from his cup before continuing. "But it also needs mental and emotional attributes if it stands any chance of success. It needs to be obedient, willing, honest...and have self-belief. I think that's the most important one, the most under-rated feature. And unfortunately, it's the one Brenna is lacking most."

"Self-belief? Shouldn't that just come from having trust in the rider?"

"Exactly," Ed nodded. "If Brenna trusts you, she will be more confident. And therefore, she'll have self-belief. She'll know that she has the capability to do whatever you ask of her, therefore making her obedient, willing and honest."

I mulled over his words as Brenna continued to side-stepped beneath me. "So, all we need to do is get Brenna to trust me? And the rest will follow."

"Yes," Ed offered me a small smile. "Although, it's easier said than done."

"I mean, I've been working on getting her to trust me for the past few months. I thought we were getting somewhere-"

"Gaining a horse like Brenna's trust will take a lot longer than that, Madison. But if you've already done exercises to get her to trust you, then you've made a good start. I'd say that the rest will come from experience; from growing and learning together as a partnership."

I nodded thoughtfully, giving a small smile. "Okay. So, more outings to shows? More schooling sessions?"

"Indeed. Just spend more time with her in general – on the ground, take her for hacks, walk her around in the yard in hand just talking to her. Convince her that you're not only trustworthy, but someone who will take her side."