Kinswood Academy: Jumping Princess

Chapter 1:

" Ladies and gentlemen! We have first time Olympians entering the arena, Mia Dante and her horse Omega! "

A firm squeeze of my legs sent my 16.2 hand high, 10 year old dapple grey mare into a steady canter. The arena setting in the latest Olympic Equestrian competition was dark with black clouds rolling overhead, threatening to spill rain at any moment.

Some riders would be worried about how their horses would react to the big crowds surrounding the arena, or the dark clouds that made the various decorations seem like shadows,  or the wind that moved the flowers below each jump.

But I never had to worry about any of those factors affecting Omega. A rescued ex-racehorse, nothing could make her flinch, and if she was confident, I was confident.

I had this course memorized down to the last detail and the first jump was the tall vertical with horse head shaped standards. Potted flowers hung from each fake horses mouth and blew gently in the breeze.

Omega spotted the flowers, but kept her focus on the approaching jump.

I sat up in the saddle, let my reins go just a tiny bit so she could stretch. Omega leapt into the air and-

Beep Beep Beep Beep

I groaned as I rolled over and smacked the snooze button on my alarm clock. Talk about bad timing.

I lazily kicked the blanket off my body and sat up, stretching. The drapes were pulled shut over the tiny window above my bed, keeping the room dark from the growing summer season sunshine that reminded me it was almost summer break.

As I swung my legs over the bed and touched my toes down on the worn, but soft grey carpet, there was a soft knock on my door.

I wrapped my hole-riddled house coat around myself as I stood. " Come in "

My mother, Annabelle Dante, slowly poked her head in. " Good morning Mia! " she spoke cheerfully for 5 am. " Leslie just wanted me to ask you if you'd take on little Charlie this afternoon? "

I mentally went over my schedule. Barn chores, see Omega, school then riding before dinner and homework. I could squeeze in giving little Charlie a lesson.

I nodded. " Sure, I'll tell her on my way up "

Mom nodded and quickly shut the door, allowing me to change into my faded blue jeans, plain black t-shirt and worn out brown paddock boots.

I opened the drapes above my bed and got a perfect ground level view of the paddocks that belonged to West-Afton farm, in the heart of Connecticut, my home.

Well, it used to be mine, back when it was called West-Dante Farm. My mom and dad started this farm right after they got married. It was their love of horses that had bonded them after all. Then they had me. I had grown up getting up at five am, doing my chores, going to school and riding, so now, at sixteen, it was such a routine that I could do it with my eyes closed.

That was before my dad had died five years ago, in a car accident on his way to see a rescued, abused ex-race horse.

It took a big toll when I lost my dad. My mom couldn't keep up with the bills, we lost clients because my dad had been the main trainer at the farm and eventually, we had to sell to a woman named Leslie Afton, who understood our struggle because she had lost her husband in a jumping accident.

Leslie sympathized with us and made us a deal. If I still worked my chores and taught a few lessons, she would let my mom and I stay in the loft below the house and board my horse, Omega, free of charge.

Of course this made things a lot easier on my mom, who was already working 3 jobs all while trying to save money for me to go to university and still compete on the show-jumping circuit.