Briarwood Elite Riding Academy: Take the Reins

Chapter 2: Ladies and Gents, Meet Your Horses!

The barn was unlike anything I had ever seen in my entire life. Two stories tall with almost over forty stalls and four indoor Olympic sized arenas (not including the gigantic outdoor ring or the grass outdoor). The barn itself was airy and light due to the large sunroofs overhead and the large bay windows in the arenas. It seemed bigger than a castle!

As I walked I passed by several signs that read things like; ‘tack room’, ‘locker room’, ‘feed room’ and ‘lounge’ as well as Sebastian’s main stable office. Each arena also sported viewing boxes and blenchers.

The horses here were obviously treated like royalty and the stable was their castle; that was plain to see! Each horse had its own stall, complete with name plate, trophy case as well as their own personal pasture and locker in the tack room.

Standing in the middle of one of the enormous indoor rings, labelled ‘RING A’ beside Amelia and Tatum my eyes couldn’t help but flit back and forth, trying to take in every little detail. I was certainly not use to something so big; my old stable had been a modest, ten stalled barn with one indoor and outdoor ring!

This kind of plush luxury would take some getting used to but I instantly liked the vibe of the place.

"It's so big!" I said amazed.

“Yeah, I know.” Tatum smiled, knowingly. “My sister use to go here. She showed me a whole bunch of photos before I signed up for the Briarball.”

“So you knew what to expect.” Amelia chuckled and Tatum nodded vigorously.

“I always do my research before I do anything!” Tatum said proudly; “I like to be prepared, you could say.”

We laughed at that.

“Alright contestants, time to get to the part that you really came for; the horses.” Sebastian spoke up, instantly grabbing all of our attention and ceasing the chatter. “First before I hand you your assignments I would like to explain a few things and introduce the staff that make the Briarwood Stables run seamlessly.”

Ten people entered the ring suddenly. All of them varying ages but all wearing the same uniform; navy jodhpurs and a white polo with the Briarwood crest displayed proudly above their hearts.

After introducing each stable hand by name Sebastian explained that students during their time at Briarwood Academy would be expected to help out with barn chores on weekends, he also explained that if some students got in minor trouble or were having trouble paying for tuition they would be sent to the barn to be a stable hand until the debt is paid. Sebastian even stated that several stable hands were actual Briarwood students working through the summer.

It seemed fair to me but a few students groaned about it; one of them being Justin.

“Before assignments I would also like to spend some time explaining the rules and what challenges you’ll be doing weekly.” Sebastian said. “Rule one; no cheating, students caught cheating will be disqualified and sent home, immediately.  Rule two; no unsportsman like activities such as bullying or sabotaging, students who do so will also be sent home immediately. Rule three; take care of the horse you are assigned! Students who take mal-care of their mounts will be –you guessed it- sent home immediately. Do I make myself very clear?”

“Yes.” Everyone echoed seriously.

“Now onto what you will be doing. Each week we will give you a skill to focus on such as balance, endurance and preparedness; to practice every Friday we will give you a mini challenge based on the skill for the week. The mini challenge will count for points that will be added to your grand challenge score.” Sebastian barely took time to pause; “Every Saturday you will be tested in a grand challenge that will center primarily on the same skill. After your mini challenge score and your grand challenge score will be added together and on Sunday we will hold elimination; the rider with the lowest score for the week will be sent home.” Sebastian concluded.