Dylan swore softly to herself as she packed the rest of Stella's tack on the trailer. The silver trophy and satin red ribbon meant nothing to her. Michael had beaten her again. He got a the gold colored trophy and blue ribbon.
"Better luck next time," He had said cheerfully as he collected his prizes.
I will be better next time, Dylan thought to herself, and I will do anything it takes for us to get to the top...
"How'd you do?" A tall lanky figure strode towards Dylan. It was Alex, her big brother. She'd recognize that floppy brown hair a dopey voice anywhere.
"I got beat by Michael. Again." Dylan informed him and tried to put the saddle on one of the higher racks in the trailer. Unfortunately, her height prevented her from effectively doing so.
"Let me get that for you, Shorty," Alex said and took the saddle out of her arms. Although it didn't look like it, Alex and Dylan we're only 18 months apart, making them more like friends than siblings.
"Michael? You mean Michael Clifford? Wasn't that the dude that beat you at Worlds last year?"
"Yes," Dylan said dryly, "That's him."
"Well," Alex said and grabbed a few bridles, "If it make you feel any better, I didn't win anything either. The horse I got was too slow. He didn't buck high enough no matter how hard I spurred him."
In most equestrian sports the whole goal of the ride was to have the horse behave and do their job without acting like a complete lunatic. Bronc riding was the exact opposite. Bronc riding was where rodeo officials took an untrained basically wild horse, equipped with only a lightweight saddle and halter, and the rider was supposed to make it buck as high and hard as they could for eight seconds without falling off. If they fall off before the eight seconds they are disqualified. It is extremely dangerous.
Rides are judged two ways. The quality of their horse and the quality of their ride. A horse is assigned at random to each rider. A lively and fresh horse would mean that it is harder to ride, which means if a more experienced rider is assigned that horse they will likely get more points. But if the horse is lazy and slow then they wouldn't be all that hard to ride and the rider would be given less points. Likewise, if the rider looks to be in control of their ride then they will score higher than a rider that looks floppy and disorganized.
Frankly, Dylan didn't see why Alex liked bronc riding. The whole thing wasn't appealing to her at all. Why would you get on a horse just so it could buck you off?
"I think we're almost ready to go," Alex said and shut the door to the small tack room on the trailer, "Go get Stella so we can load her up. Dad wants us back on the farm by 4."
Dylan went to the barn area and grabbed the shiny leather halter that had a bronze plaque on the side. Besitos. It was Stella's registered name and meant "little kisses" in Spanish.
"Need any help with that?" A boy about 19 strode into view and leaned against the bars of the stall.
"No thanks Ashton," Dylan told him, "I think I'm good."
Ashton Irwin has been the primary stable hand since he was 16 years old and Dylan was 13. Ashton ran away from his own home, so he stayed at their farm and earned his keep. He did everything. Fed and watered animals, managed bills, fixed the fence, exercised horses. Anything that needed done, Ashton could do it.
As soon as they were out on the road, Dylan rolled down her window and deeply inhaled the air as it rushed into the car. A large sign that advertised "Shooting Star Stables" passed by the window. This was her home.
Shooting Star Stables is owned by Alex and Dylan's parents, Austin and Taylor. Austin trained riders in various western events and trained horses. Taylor managed the breeding of their Quarter Horse stock. It was here that champions were born and raised. There were currently 20 of their own horses, plus 20 paying boarders that paid for feed and lodging of their horse in exchange for use of the facilities. Naturally, it was a rather large farm. There were two barns, three riding rings, and miles of pasture and trails.
