The Tail Of A Horse

Chapter 9:

🙇🏼Narrator's P.O.V🙇🏼

It was the day. The day that Zara came for Tally. James was dreading it all night that he was awake for the most of it. He got dressed in clean riding clothes then left his house, locked the door and ran through the gate onto the stable yard. His grooming kit was waiting for him. He grabbed it and Sasha appeared with Tally. She held his leadrope which was attached to his headcollar. She had so much makeup on, that there were two wobbly lines running down her cheeks.

Tears.

"I'm sorry." She pleaded. She stared into James' eyes, giving him a 'please forgive me look'. James understood her facial expression.

"I don't know what you are apologising for," he said from a distance, "Why have you caught Tally for me?"

"I didn't want you to waste your last time together and I am apologising for yesterday. I didn't want to boss you around about what Tally needs and doesn't need. He's your horse."

It suddenly came to James. He put his grooming kit on the window ledge outside the tack room and walked towards Tally. He stroked his soft face. He looked at Sasha.

He held her shoulders and firmly told her, "I need you back." His lips touched hers. Although they had broken up a long while ago, this was their first kiss. Tally let out a loud almighty whinny.

"You can help me groom Tally if you like."

"Okay," Sasha smiled, "Are....are we, you know, back together?"

"I guess." James replied without hesitation.

Zara arrived with her trailer on time. James hoped she would have come late, but she had places to be and horses to professionally train. Tally looked smart and his tack had been cleaned by Sara the night before after James had gone home. The saddle was covered in the saddle protector. James still needed the saddle pad and half pad so Zara would only get the bridle, boots and saddle.

She said hello and then unlocked the trailer doors so that Tally could walk in. With a bit of persuasion, Tally got into the trailer with no fuss. He immediately began chomping on the hay in the haynet that Zara had provided.

Zara's trailer was a box trailer with a little living area and tack room style room at the front just behind the driving cab. James handed Zara Tally's tack and she loaded the saddle onto one of the racks and the bridle onto one of the hooks.

"Thought you might want to see this." She handed James a newspaper article. On the clipping was a picture of Tally and a headline that read: Professional Buys A Bad Purchase. He gasped in shock. He knew what to do with it. He gripped it hard with his hands and said goodbye to Tally and Zara as she locked the trailer doors and climbed back into the drivers seat. The engine started as the trailer left the car park.

Sasha was in the tack room cleaning Pumpkin's bridle and saddle when James went to put his grooming kit away. He grabbed a pin of the cork pin board and poked it through the newspaper clipping. The cork board had newspaper clippings of horses for sale and pictures of horse that had moved on in their lives or died. Rosettes covered the sides. 1st places, 2nd places, best in shows.... Tally had never won anything.

"Shall I help you with cleaning the tack in here?" He asked Sasha as he placed his grooming kit into his slot on the cupboard.

"Thanks."