The Time Giver

July 26th: Improvement

He'd just walked Turner into her stall when Zach heard Kelly leading a horse down the aisle toward the arena. She was talking gently to the animal, and by the irregular beat of horseshoes against the concrete, he could guess which horse it was. He quickly slipped the halter off the filly's nose before sticking his head out the stall. He locked eyes with Kelly. "You putting him in the arena for a bit?"

She shook her head. "It's time we see how well Cadillac has improved." The horse pawed the ground, but he wasn't dancing around like usual. "He's been off his alfalfa for six weeks now, and he's been getting the chance to stretch his legs regularly." She patted his neck, and he arched into it.

Zach eyed the gelding. "You sure? Your ribs have just healed up; what if-"

She smiled at him, cutting him off. "I feel good about this one, Zach. He's a different horse. Trust me, if I had a bad feeling, I'd just turn him out again." She scanned the big bay, then turned back to him. "Do you wanna come watch?"

He quickly stepped out of the stall, double checking that he bolted the door before following her into the arena. Cadillac's ears were swiveling back and forth, and he began to get more and more anxious. Kelly talked quietly to him as she exchanged the lead rope in favor of the lunge line, and walked it over to the bleachers instead of tossing it. Zach met her at the fence to take it from her, biting his bottom lip. She smiled at his pale face. "Honestly, Zach, I feel okay about it." She placed her hand momentarily on his before leading the antsy horse back to the middle of the arena. Zach took a seat on the edge of the bleachers, his body tense.

Kelly let out more of the line as she and Cadillac neared the center of the arena. She was watching the big bay warily, but she wasn't as tense. Instead, she was relaxed, her knees unlocked and her hands gentle. Cadillac, for his part, was dancing across power lines, his neck arched as he chomped his teeth, foam beginning to form in the corners of his mouth. His hooves were hardly touching the sand of the arena, his legs pumping like the pistons of a locomotive. He snorted, blowing hard from his nostrils, but he kept his inside ear trained on Kelly.

When she got herself set up, she gently picked up the line and clucked, her knees slightly bent. Cadillac tensed, his muscles twitching. Over on the sidelines, Zach clutched his seat, clenching his teeth.

"Cadillac..." Kelly murmured.

He moved. First one step, than another. Although it was halting, the large bay started an airy walk at the end of the lunge line. Slowly, as Kelly smiled and praised him, he visibly relaxed. While he still kept a lot of vertical movement, he kept an easy pace in his circle. Zach felt like shouting, but he knew that anything could set the horse off, so he chose to beam to Kelly instead. She caught his eye, and lent him a slight smile before focusing again on Cadillac as he completed a circle.

After he'd gone around a few more times, Kelly lifted her free hand, and clucked to him again. Cadillac started, but he picked up a brisk trot. "Good boy," she cooed as he scored another circle without a problem. Gently, as Zach looked on, she twitched the lunge line until he dropped his head into a small frame. He lifted his back, tucking his legs in under him neatly until he was collected. Again, Kelly praised him warmly. In return, he'd flick his ear toward her, occasionally bobbing his head the quickly.

With Cadillac doing so well, Kelly asked him to halt. He put on air brakes, slamming his forelegs into the dirt and tossing his head up. "Easy," She murmured before switching hands.

Zach stood up at the rail as the bay wheeled in the direction Kelly asked, ducking his head as he picked up a gallop around Kelly. She quietly watched him as he circled her, her jaw clenched but her hold gentle. Zach grabbed the top rail, his nails digging in.