Burning Desire

Chapter Thirty-Five

{ A/N – okay so i distinctly remember coming up with a draft for this chapter last summer and i wrote it down on my notes on my ipod which then conveniently decided to delete all my notes shortly afterwards.....i've been trying to recover them ever since but haven't had any luck so far. basically my point is that the beginning of this chapter isn't as good as i would've liked it to be because i can't remember what the hell i wrote. also idk how long it would normally take a horse to recover from being poisoned, so some of this is either factually incorrect or unrealistic (or both) but oh well, still hope y'all vote n comment n enjoy }

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With Annabel gone, everyone's work-load increased dramatically. I'd been granted a smaller work-load over the past few months in order to focus on Brenna, but with one less pair of hands on the yard, no one was spared.

Belmont Valentine was a huge young stallion; 17.3 hands of dark bay elegance with free-flowing paces and an even more flowing mane. The four year old Hanoverian was bred for top-level dressage, and class oozed from his every stride. He had a bit of a diva attitude to match; he was a little full of himself due his youth and the fact he was un-gelded, but I had no doubt that he would mellow into a charming gentleman as he matured.

He'd only been backed in the past year; most of his breaking in process had been completed by Annabel. The stallion had then been granted a few months off to mature, and I was taking on the role of starting to bring him back into work, and produce him slowly and sympathetically.

I began the session by letting Valentine meander around on a long rein. The inquisitive stallion sniffed at his surroundings and his black-tipped ears flickered in every direction, but despite being distracted he maintained a sinuous walk.

Slowly, I gathered my reins. I kept my hands as light as possible, barely feeling for the contact on his mouth. Unlike Brenna, who was naturally forward and responsive, the stallion required a little bit of coaxing from my legs to get him going forward. He bobbed his head slightly, plodding forward in a powerful yet fluid gait.

The stallion would have to do a lot more work on the lunge to teach him to stretch through his frame correctly, but to help him extend right now I eased him into a steady trot, posting in the saddle lightly. We settled into a nice, floating trot which helped to release Valentine's back.

He required frequent nudges from my leg to keep the motion flowing forward, and his head still craned to investigate his surroundings. From the rose bushes that lined the far end of the outdoor arena, a creature shuffled with a squeak – probably being chased by the yard cat, Pimms. Valentine spooked and spun on his hind-quarters away from it, throwing a tiny rear. I reassured him with soothing words and a soft pat on his dark neck. After a few moments of dramatic snorting, he settled down and I pushed him back into a trot.

Slowly, I started to feel for a more steady contact whilst keeping my hands as light as possible on the reins. He was young, so any harsh contact could make him sour and sensitive for the rest of his life, and I had no intention of creating another Brenna.

I asked for a downwards transition to a walk before acquiring a halt transition by deepening my seat, tightening my core and squeezing my knees so that no pressure was put on the stallion's mouth at all. It took Valentine a moment to register what I was asking, but when he understood he jerked to a stand-still. I rewarded him with a light pat on his neck before pressing him forward into a walk again. We repeated the transition a few times to get his haunches beneath him and the motion flowing from behind to the front.

As the energy started to flow through the top line, I started bending Valentine around my inside leg. I opened my inside rein, pulling in my stomach and sitting tall. I kept a light yet steady contact with my outside rein, lifting his inside ribcage into the outer side.

Asking him to trot again, I pushed with my inside leg and caught him with my outside rein. The stallion started to bend around my inside leg and step underneath himself with his hind legs. Slowly but surely, Valentine started to reach into my hands, seeking the contact and accepting the bit.

I doled out praise with my vocals and trotted him around on both reins to ensure he'd fully accepted the contact. In the corner, I asked for a short canter. Again, he took a moment to understand the request and gave a fast trot for a few strides before picking up the faster gait. Despite his lack of balance due to greenness, I could already tell that he had the nicest canter I'd ever experienced. It was uphill and floating, so feather-light I couldn't even feel his hooves touching the ground. It felt like flying without even leaving the floor.

I reluctantly brought him back down to trot after cantering down the length of the arena once. Keen the end the session on a good note, I finished with one final circuit of the arena in walk before easing him to a halt. The stallion snorted, and I began the long descent down from his tall back.

Valentine led me back to the stable more than I led him, walking beside me regally and snorting down his snout at every horse we passed. He seemed to think he was the prince of the yard, and I giggled at his vanity.

"You and Callum have a lot in common," I chuckled. "Maybe he should've taken on this ride instead of me. There would be some serious ego contests."

The stallion stubbornly thrust his pretty head high in the air, making it impossible for me to unbuckle his bridle. Fortunately, Tom was grooming Ricochet in the stable beside us, and his 6"2 frame had no problem unfastening the bridle from Valentine's head. Infuriatingly, as soon as the headpiece was off the stallion decided to lower his neck in order to feast upon his hay net.

"Wow. You've got a habit of picking the stubborn ones, huh," Tom commented with a chuckle.

"Well, we can't all have angels like Rico," I stuck my tongue out at him.

He blew me a kiss and inched out of the stable. "You're the only angel around here, darling."

Once Valentine was untacked and groomed down, I headed straight to Milo's stall to give the gelding a jumping lesson under Holly's expert guidance. My next ride was a dressage session on Belmont Liberty, instructed by Camilla. I then took Harry for a hack, alongside Avery and Lotus. Once all horses had been exercised, fed, cleaned and mucked out, every muscle in my body screamed with fatigue. But there was still one horse left to deal with.

Brenna was finally returning home after spending a few days at the vets to be treated and monitored. I mucked out her stall, rinsed it out and remade her bed until the stable was so clean and comfortable that even I wouldn't mind sleeping in it. Just as I tucked the final piece of straw into place, the sound of wheels churning on gravel announced Brenna's arrival.

I sprinted towards the gates just as the vet's van pulled to a stop. He stepped out and scanned the yard before his eyes settled on me and he offered me a small smile.

"Hello, Miss Evans."

"How is she?" I asked eagerly.

"Much better. Her body is free of poison and I've passed her as healthy, but I'd advised you to take it slow for a while until she returns to her usual self."

The question that had been plaguing my mind burnt my tongue on its way out as I finally mustered up the courage to ask him. "Will she...will she be fit to attend Kentucky Horse Trials next month?"

The vet hesitated for a heart-stopping moment before answering. "Yes. But take it easy on her."

I assisted him as we lowered the ramp, and inside stood the pretty liver chestnut mare. Her coat had lost some of its shine and her legs were bundled in protective bandages, but otherwise she looked the same. She snorted and muzzled my arm in greeting, and a grin flourished on my lips. I never thought I'd be so happy to see the troublesome mare.

"Hi, girl!" I gushed, stroking her neck in the place her cheek met the bottom of her ears. She flicked her tail sassily and gave a loud snort, and indicator that she was still the same moody mare. I laughed. "I'm glad to see you haven't lost your attitude."

"Oh, this one is a bit of a diva," the vet agreed with a small chuckle. "Good luck at Kentucky Horse Trials."

"Thanks..." I gave a small smile. "I think we're going to need it."