Saver

Saver Horse

The trailer pulls in the rode, you can hear our new rescue stomping and neighing dramatically. I stand up and throw my sweatshirt over my shoulders and zip it up. I open the door leading to the porch and put my barn boots on and run outside. I signal my mother so she knows where to pull in, "HOLD" I yell, the truck rears to a stop. After a few moments mom flings the door opens and jogs over to me, immediately I know something is wrong because she walks up to me and puts her hand on her hips, but smiles? She has this mischievous grin in her face so I ask
"Uh, what breed is the rescue?"
"Hay there cowboy show some respect, it's what breed are the rescues?" She says sarcastically
"Rescues?? You mean more than one?"
She doesn't even answer my question before un latching the trailer and opening up the door. To my surprise there is only one horse, maybe a Morgan? Or thoroughbred?.. But then I lose my train of thought because mother interrupts

"Right there is a mustang, she's a wild breed of horse. She's from Montana but knows how to ride, but still green"
I say "I thought you said rescues?"
"I did"
Once again she doesn't answer my question and completely ignores me. She steps foot in the trailer and unties the horse from the trailers tieing rack. She leads the horse to the barn and shouts
"OPEN UP THE OTHER STOCK DOOR"
So I do. I slowly open up the second door and looking right at me is a paint baby mustang around 3 months old, the little guy gets Ancy on his feet and so do I so I run and catch up to my mother she says
"He is cute isn't he?"
"Mom dads gonna kill you!" I say is a joking way
"yup! But I'm prepared he loves mustangs!"
I run back to the trailer and lead the baby foal into the pasture.

I must of been with that foal for hours I could see mom and dad looking at me threw the kitchen window worrying that they were gonna have to drag me from the pasture! But I didn't care. Even if the sun was going down I didn't care. Neither did this little guy, he didn't mind hanging out around me. I started teaching him how to lead, didn't work out so well he had a foal fit and started cutley running around bucking! I smiled and laughed, but then suddenly he stopped and looked into the woods like the rest of the horse herd was, there was hollowing I knew that as my cue to go inside because the wolves were coming out. So I headed inside and watched him from the kitchen window. A few minutes later mother grasped my shoulder and shook it, she said
"what's his name?"
I turned around sharply and said
"I don't know what is it?"
She responds
"whatever you want it to be."
I thought back and fourth for awhile.
"Hope" I mumbled
"Hun, he's a boy." Mother says
"yeah I know but something is different about him, therefore hope"
"If you want.. But what about his mama what do you wanna name her?"
I took a minute to think, wow! Two horses, mother has never ever EVER let me name one of the rescues! I blurt
"Rain"

I went to bed that night happy thinking, about Hope and my dream step up horse I found on Craigslist I slowly fall asleep..

Before I know it Hope is full grown and ready to start being ridden, my mom is on the other side of the fence watching me tack him up. Hope seems to be fine, he is watching my every move wondering why we're not doing are normal training routine. Once I'm done tacking him up I put my foot in the sterups and flip myself over on his back. His ears go straight up once I get my other foot in the sterup i exhale and close my eyes.
"squeeze get him going" mom says

I squeeze and he reacts perfectly to it, he walks around the arena perfectly, he listens great but has troubles turning to the left! He is perfect
"push him" mom says once again
I squeeze harder and he bucks, not a big buck but a excited buck. I shame him but once he is done he starts trotting! We trot for about 30 minutes before mom goes
" let me hop on!"
So I do just that, I get off and she hops on, immediately Hope starts bucking like a rodeo horse, he was up and down up and down and then bolted everything you could amagine. My mom is trying to turn him in circles and disown his bad behavior. I yell
"TURN'M RIGHT"
"I'm trying! I'm trying"
But before she can reach for the rein she flys of and lands on her back. I ran at Hope and smacked his butt with a spanker, he knew he did something wrong as soon as she fell off. My mom got up and brushed the dust off of her jeans and said:
"This is a problem horse! This horse is stupid! Ugh! I think he broke my wrist!!"
I stand there it felt like someone just stabbed me. I was in utter shock. I didn't bother to help my mom to the house that day I kept riding and riding and as I rode tears streamed down my face. I didn't realize how much it would hurt me... He is just a animal but yet again I have spent everyday for the last 9 months training him, building a relationship with him.. I rode hard that day, on my first ever ride on a green horse I cantered, trotted, did ground work, and taught him to turn left. I was proud, and I new that I needed Hope in my life.

That night I layed in bed thinking about the worst possible things. I am still in shock. My mom opens my door and peaks her head inside she said sternly
"Don't get to attached to Hope, dad and I decided he is going twords your collage fund. And if it's not going to your collage fund its going for that darn horse you found on Craigslist."
I turned to look at my mom, I said
"he is not going to any fund of any kind. He is staying, staying with me."
"Hun me and your father already---"
"No!" I interrupted
"He broke my wrist!!" She shouts
"You broke your leg on your horse but you kept him!" I argued
"That was different! He was my horse."
I stated "And Hope is my horse! We have a connection! Didn't you ever thing that he didn't mess up for me but for you! Because he doesn't know you!"
"Charolette Jean Alexander! Your are so difficult! I will think again but don't get excited!"
Mother stomps down stairs and later that night I awkwardly awake  to hear mom and dad arguing about Hope, dad thinks I should keep him since I taught him everything but mom argues differ. But i fall asleep and everything goes away.

The next morning mom left a note for me.

________________________________
Headed to the flea market. I'm buying your horse a saddle pad and some other things. Love you. Call me when you wake up

-mom

________________________________

So many thoughts we going threw my head! Does that mean we are keeping Hope!? Or does it mean we will use it to make him look appealing in photos! Is she considering my skills? I thought for awhile and decided that I need to call my mom and talk to her, when I did she didn't talk about Hope all she said is "Good morning! Glad to see you're up I have to go I'm in the purchase line." And that's all.

After awhile I got bored of looking at Hope from the pasture so I decided that I  will go out there and did some ground work with Hope.
I put my coat on along with my hat and some farm boots and made my way out to the horses pasture. I messed around for about 2 hours into training all the horses were looking into the woods I thought
'No. It can't be. The wolves don't come out until the after noon. And it's morning..'
I tried to check what time it was but I couldn't the sun was glaring off of the glass but once I did see what time it was it was to late. A wolf was running at me.

The horses ran as fast as they could about 4 ancres away! The foals were left there clueless. But the one horse who didn't run was hope. The wolf reared its paws at me and went for my left shoulder, he clinched down and I fell. Then another came and all I remember is hope kicking them dead and the laying on the ground by my side.

I blacked out

I woke up in the hospital with IV's in my arm and a tube in my nose. At first I was kinda dizzy but I snapped out of that fast because my mom practically hugged the bad out of me. That day I was signed our of the hospital since it was a minor injury. Doctor said I will have some muscle problems and tomorrow I will need more shots. He also included "That horse is a saver".

That was that day Hope was no longer his name. He is now saver. And the only horse I will love like I do.