Road To Victory

Take Two?

“Ohmygosh, you PWNED in that class,” Samantha exclaimed, hugging me tightly. I laughed, unclipping my helmet once I was free from her embrace. “Thanks,” I replied, holding up my Reserve Champion ribbon. It was huge, and too big for Remmey’s bridle, so I clipped it to my breeches instead.

I looked behind me, checking to see if Remmey had gone into Ring 3 yet. I was letting Rebecca ride him (it turned out she had came in the second van) for her maiden equation class.

Samantha was still babbling on excitedly about how Remmey’s frame was wonderful, and my equitation couldn’t have been better. Then again, I think me ribbon spoke for itself. But my true test was coming up later in the day – a USEF Limit Medal hunter class. I was nervous. And excited. Conflicting emotions? I think so.

Lauren came up to me, hugging me proudly. “That was fantastic, Kat. I mean, I can’t expect anything less from a MaClay championship rider.”

“Winner,” I corrected, smiling deviously from under me velvet show helmet. I refused to take it off. Lauren nodded her head. “Of course, that’s what I meant.”

I sighed and smiled happily, breathing in the sweet scent of horses, leather, and everything in between. Horse shows were hectic, but that’s what I loved about them. The concession stands, the people – and of course showing.

That moment when you stepped into the ring and all eyes were on you sent chills down your spine. The excited chatter; people whispering, “Oh, that’s 640. She won the MaClay’s.”  You trotted to the center of the ring, passing by of few of the decorated jumps and noticing things you missed when you were walking the course, or studying it from the prep ring. You subconsciously hear the judge introduce you – sometimes managing to screw up your name, no matter how simple it is. Then, you grip the reins and slow your horse, exhaling deeply. Suddenly, silence falls as a wave of concentration hits you. The next moment, you’re cantering, and before you know it, the timer’s gone off and it’s all in your hands.

And of course, you can’t not love the prizes. Or the pretty ribbons.

There were always those negative aspects too. Like losing. Screw what trainers say to make you feel better. Because there’s always place to improve, and I don’t pay $70 dollars a class just “to have fun.” I have a competitive spirit, and I don’t like losing that much. Especially when it comes to getting beaten by my friends.

Oh, and those annoying randomers that always come up and ask you to pet your horse. Yeah, he’s cute. Yeah, he’s mine. Yeah, he doesn’t bite. Yeah, I’ve been riding him for a while. Yeah, you can pet him (even though I rather you walk away.) Yeah, I’m showing here (hence the navy pinstripe coat?) Yeah, you can take a picture…

No, he’s not a girl. No, your child can’t sit on him. No, I don’t live by here. No,  I didn’t get him from *insertrandombreeder’snamehere*, and well, you get the point.

“2 more hours until your big class,” Jessie told me, squealing happily. I nodded excitedly, clapping my hands cheerfully.

“I don’t even see any point in you entering; we all know you’re going to win,” she told me, her face dead serious as she spoke. Trying to be modest, I just shrugged and didn’t say anything back.

“Has anybody asked you for your autograph?” Sam asked me, looking towards a group of girls who were waving at me. It was weird this whole equine celebrity thing. I thought that people wouldn’t even recognize me, but maybe I was more popular than I thought.

“Actually, yes,” I admitted, breaking into a light laugh. “A lot of the younger riders, and some trainers. But’s that’s about it.”

“Ahh, you’re so cool,” Samantha claimed, smiling brightly. “Maybe people will be asking for my autograph soon.”

“Mhm. Totally,” I agreed, wagging my eyebrows teasingly.

“KATHERINE!” Heads all around us shot towards the sound of my name being screamed at the top of somebody’s lungs.  A few horses whinnied uneasily, becoming unsettled by the abnormally laugh noise. The chatter died down, and soon enough, you could hear a pin drop, minus the sounds of horse’s snorting and the “shhh’s” owners and trainers were murmuring.

“Katherine!” she called again, her voice breathless and strained. I saw Jessie running towards me. She grabbed my arms, and I saw that her face was red and her eyes were puffy.                                        

“Jess… What’s the matter?” I asked her, genuinely worried and concerned. Had her horse been harmed? Or maybe one of the riders on the team.

“It’s Rebecca and Remmey,” she whispered, her voice shaking with every word as she struggled to find a foundation in her voice again. “Th-They were entering the ring, and the horse t-that was trotting out started to buck…” She paused, wiping tears from her eyes. “He hit Remmey in the hock accidentally, and the second time,” I listened intently, finding tears swelling in my eyes and blurring my vision. Please, I hoped. Don’t let Rebecca be hurt. “She’s having trouble breathing, Katherine. Air paramedics are on their way, but Lauren’s afraid that she’s going to start puking, and she could choke if that happens. You have to come; she might not make it,” Jessie leaned into my shoulder, sobbing. I brushed a few strands of her dirty blonde hair out of her eyes. I bit my lip, willing that I didn’t start bawling in front of a watching crowd.

I hoped that it wasn’t as serious as Jessie made it out to be, but if you knew one thing about her it was that she always told something like it was. Exaggeration wasn’t in her vocabulary. I closed my eyes as we pushed through crowds, attempting to steady my heart beat. I counted to 10, but nothing was going to calm me right now.

I thought about Remmey also – had he gotten hurt? Was another one of my horses about to get injured again? But this time, it wouldn’t just be me horse. It was going to be my horse, and one of my closest friends.