Burning Desire

Chapter Thirty

{ A/N – I'm aware that many aspects of this story are very unrealistic....but I hope it's not cheesily so....? Constructive criticism would be appreciated. Please comment, vote and enjoy. }

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Under Holly's expert guidance, Brenna and I spent the next few months progressing up the rankings and gaining experience at higher levels of eventing. By the time summer's balmy rays painted Ashling in a golden glow – this season mercifully less scorching than the previous summer – Brenna and I were consistently finishing within the top five at two-star events, and Holly decided that we were ready to advance up to three-star level. The competition grew even fiercer and the events even more challenging, but Kentucky Horse Trials felt, for the first time since I'd last competed with Harry, within my reach. The dream had been a distant figure for such a long time, a hazy reverie that kept slipping through my fingers, that it felt surreal knowing that it was so close to finally becoming reality.

Our first CIC*** event was relatively successful; we finished in a respectable thirteenth place with just a few tension issues limiting our dressage score and an unlucky pole down in the jumping. I was torn between avoiding over-working Brenna by competeting her too much over the summer and also increasing the chances of injury, or not working her enough which would leave us green and unprepared. It was a consolation to know that I had been around countless three-star courses with Harry, and Brenna also had experience at top level eventing. That, at least, took some of the pressure off.

Brenna had always had the talent and capability of a star event horse, but as our partnership continued to blossom the mare's true sensationalism was revealed. She was pretty much had all the qualities of a perfect event horse; she had beautiful paces which scored highly in dressage, was powerful yet agile on her feet which made her a suitable cross country mount and had a superb jumping form with endless scope. It was just her nerves that made her strong, although with time we were improving.

But Brenna was still spirited and temperamental and unpredictable. At our second three-star event together – this time a more demanding CCI3* - she delivered her worst dressage test to date; she rode completely through the bridle, was so stiff with tension that we couldn't even salvage points for her graceful paces and she even threw in a devious little buck at one point. My hopes evaporated half-way through the test and I was so disheartened that I had no incentive to put any effort into the test when I realised that Brenna wasn't going to either, so we fumbled through a humiliatingly messy round. But the mare had been deemed a diva for a reason, and she wasn't finished with her rebellion. As we trotted up the centre line, Brenna fell into a beautiful outline and sprung forward gracefully before coming to a perfectly square and still halt at X. I'd never hurt an animal, but in that moment I wanted to murder Brenna.

The next day, Brenna felt fresh and focused; she delivered a text-book clear round across country. I crossed the finish line flushed with a mixture of pride, embarrassment and annoyance. Show jumping the day after didn't go as smoothly, however; Brenna put in a dirty stop during the warm-up and I was launched over her shoulder, landing like a stuffed animal in the dirt and dust. Brenna took off with her tail in the air and stirrups streaming out behind her, leaping spectacularly over the railings of the warm-up arena and making a break for it. Clara, who had accompanied us to this event and was impractically clad in shorts and flip-flops, chased after her. My name echoed out over the tannoy; threats of being eliminated for not taking my turn in the show-jumping on time filling me with even more annoyance at the mare. Just as the last call was issued, Clara and Brenna cantered over the hill. Clara's face matched the colour of her fiery red hair as she flung herself off Brenna's back and gave me a leg up into the saddle. I kicked Brenna on straight into the arena, partly so I wouldn't get eliminated and partly because I realised that I mustn't let the mare stop again. Unbelievably, we managed to only have one pole down, despite the flustered situation beforehand.