The Rising Champion

chapter 3

   My alarm went off at 4:15 am that morning Olivia and I both groaned but then we remembered we leave for capital challenge today! We rolled out if bed it was still pitch black out and I groaned "the suns not up neither should we" Olivia laughed and said " oh stop complaining, we are on our way to making our dreams come true" I laughed I went into my bathroom and started washing my face and teeth, then I pulled on my very faded boot cut jeans and a black hoodie, I put my cowgirl boots on and walked back out to Olivia and she went into the bathroom to get ready.
 
    We pulled into the barn drive way at 4:43 we hoped off our scooters walking into the barn. I went to Sampson's stall and he was standing up sleeping. I clucked to him not wanting to scare him he turned his head to look at me then nickered, I smiled. I gave him a mint to "apologize" for waking him up so early then I slipped his halter over his head and walked him to the crossties where all the other grooms were running around getting clients horses ready since none of them wanting to wake up this early just to ship their horse off. I pulled off his blanket and grabbed a brush from my grooming box I quickly brushed him making sire he was clean and brushed his tail out since he had some shavings in his tail, I also picked his feet out. I grabbed his nice shipping blanket off my tack trunk in the tack room and threw it on him, it was in our barn colors (navy, burgundy, and white) and had his name monogrammed on the side! I then wrapped all his legs with back on track standing wraps, then i put his shipping bellboots on, wrapped his tail so he couldn't rub it in the trailer, and last put his show halter on (a nice leather padded one with his show name on it). I went to ask my favorite groom Jesus what time the shipper was getting here and he said any minute so have Sampson ready and your trunk I said thank you and walked into the tack room doing one last check that I had everything!

     20mins later all the horse were loaded and the trailer was pulling out, now we were loading up the trucks to leave to! Olivia and I were riding down with the 8 grooms, 5 were going in one then Olivia and were going in the other truck with the other 3 grooms! We got our stuff off the driveway since our scooters went in the trailer and put it all in the bed of the truck! 10minutes later we were on the road, it was about a 4-5 hour car ride which I was planning on sleeping the whole way but hopefully we would get there around 10-10:30 to set up before the horses arrive, since the big trailer had to take a longer way since he was so big! I put my headphones in and fell asleep so did everyone else except the driver which was Mauricio.

    Olivia woke me up by shaking me, I looked out the window and we were here! We all jumped out rushing inside, we didn't have that long before all the horses would get here. We found out where our 20 stalls were (18horses were here to show, and two extra for a feed/supply stall and a grooming stall) and started putting shavings in the stalls I did Sampson's stall while Olivia set up Azurs stall right next to mine! We both were done with putting shavings, hay, and water in their stalls when Jesus got a call saying they were here! We walked out front to the big trailer and the shipper was putting the ramp down, we went to get our horses while the grooms started grabbing 3 horses at a time. I walked Sampson to his stalls and let him go in to get some water and relax, while I went to tell the guys which trunk was mine and were to put it.

   After everyone was in their correct stalls and settled in I got Sampson out to unwrap him and stuff. I unwrapped him then pulls off his blanket and put on his show baker sheet that was monogrammed to. After that I let him go back in his stall while Olivia and I went to go check in and look around!