Watch Me

Chapter Eight

The sun was barely up, the shadow of night time still stretching across the fields. She led Jewel in, closed the gate, then took off the halter and Jewel walked around the pen, smelling the dirt and snorting. Tara carried poles and stands into the pen, setting them up around the edge. She made them all fairly low and she measured the lengths between each jump.

"Okay girl, let's get to work." She held the lead rope in one hand and told Jewel to walk on. The mare tossed her head and picked up a ground eating trot, her neck arched. She moved to the outside and popped over the first jump. Her heels went up in the air and she snorted happily. Tara let her buck it out before getting her back onto the rail for the jumps. Jewel picked up a canter and stayed on the correct lead, jumping each set directly in the center.

With a couple tongue clicks, Tara directed Jewel out of the line and turned her to go the other way. Jewel picked up the left lead and began jumping once more, adjusting her stride for each type of jump. She overshot the red poles, causing her to stumble over the next set. Tara encouraged her to continue anyways and she did, her ears perked again and eyes searching ahead to see what was coming. Tara could see the concentration and thought that Jewel had. She strategically placed each hoof on the ground and changed her strides ever so slightly to make it over the jumps gracefully.

"Hold up, girl." Jewel slowed to a trot and snorted before turning to the middle and meeting Tara at the center of the pen. Tara patted her neck and went around the pen, raising the jumps to about two and a half feet. She checked the lengths and angles before sending Jewel back out into the course. Jewel popped over the jumps and made an effort to stay fairly centered over each jump. She adjusted her tuck, pulling her front legs up tighter. After a couple rounds, Tara noticed that the mare was becoming slightly bored with this height. She still flew over the jumps effortlessly, but she no longer had the super bright shine in her eyes, it was now more of a this-is-nothing-new look.

"She's doing great." Tara let Jewel come to the center and she walked over to the gate where her mom stood. "She looks kind of bored though."

Tara laughed. "I know. She gets more excited about the big jumps." She leaned against the rails and watched Jewel walk around, smelling the jumps and ground.

"The smaller the horse, the bigger it thinks it is." Tara and Mrs. Douglas laughed. "In all seriousness though," Mrs. Douglas zipped up her jacket. "She has what it takes, but the Classic will be quite a bit for her first show. We don't know how she will react around so many new horses, sounds, and smells. She's a great horse, but she is still a horse."

"Could I enter in some smaller shows then? I think there's one at the fair grounds this upcoming weekend."

Mrs. Douglas rested her arms on the rails and thought. "I guess that means we have to stop by Tripton's Tack sometime this weekend." Tara smiled widely and her mom listed everything. "You'll obviously need some riding pants, a show shirt, some new boots, my old jacket will fit you, we'll have to drop it off at the dry cleaners. Jewel will need some fancy get up too, we'll get her a new pad since hers is a bit faded. You'll have to get some..."

"Thank you so much mom!" Tara exclaimed. She hugged her mom over the rails and practically skipped over to Jewel to give her a big hug. The little mare nudged her lower back and nickered softly. Tara reached into her pocket and fed her a few treats before leading her out of the pen. Jewel picked up on her excitement and started prancing and Tara turned her out to the pasture.

*****

Tara walked through the aisles like a child in a toy store. There were saddles on one wall, multiple racks of bridles, shelves of boots and rows of supplies and treats. She felt the soft seats of the new saddles and the fine silk lining of the riding jackets. Her mom followed her through the store as she took it all in.

"Can I help you two with anything?" A rather tall woman in jeans and a polo stood holding multiple bridles on one arm. She saw Tara's mom and a smile stretched all the way across her face. "Tabatha! It's great to see you!"

They hugged and Tara's mom introduced the worker. "Tara, this is Suzi Jordan, we used to ride together!" She turned back to Suzi and said "I didn't know you worked here."

Suzi hung the bridles up on the hooks and smiled. "I actually bought the place from Mr. Hansen. He was retiring and all and I said I'd take over."

"That's great! Maybe you can help us find what we need then."

Tara was more than excited to have a family friend help her out. Suzi showed her some of the best brands in their price range and she even offered to give them a discount. By the end of the visit, Tara walked out with a new pair of boots, two pairs of breeches, two show shirts, a new pad, a leather girth, and a brand new set of boots for Jewel.

On the way back, they stopped by the dry cleaners to pick up the show jacket. Tara excitedly took all of her new items into the house and instantly tried on the riding attire. The pants were just a tad too long, but they fit her body perfectly otherwise. She tucked the shirt in and buttoned the collar up then slipped into the riding jacket with the sky blue lining. She stepped into the boots and then walked across the room. She saw her reflection in her mirror and she instantly smiled. Tara looked so professional. Come to think of it, she looked like her mom.

Tara went to the living room to show off her outfit to her parents. Her dad sat on the couch and nodded. "It's definitely the look for you."

Tara looked at herself once more in her room. Her dad was right; this definitely was the look for her.