The Murdered Woman, The Stolen Horse

A Mystery of Horses

-I plan on this being Way better than my last books. I have an idea and a plan. Mostly.-

      I'm so excited. I really am. My name is Ashley, my last name is, well I ain't going to say. I live and breathe horses, and well I started riding four years ago. I know its really late to start, but I've been begging since I could talk. I'm sixteen by the way.

   I don't have a horse, but thats okay. I only get to take lessons once a week, and I don't know everything yet. By any means. But I will soon. My aunt, rides horses professionaly and has her own stable. Starlight Stables. Its because her favorite horse is an older, retired mare, named Starlight. I'm going to go there for a few months over Summer vacation. Its exam day today, the first day of exams.

   I have to pack. A lot of stuff, for a whole summer. I will miss my friends and family, but that's nothing compared to horses. Maybe thats cruel, but I'm more excited than I've ever been. I go into the gym, where we take exams. The desks are all lined up in rows. I wait along the edges of the gym, with all the other kids. The walls are padded orange and black. The floors make me want to vomit, they just waxed, and it smell awful. They start putting tests down. Blech.

  I take the exam and read a book when I'm done. Its a mystery called Murder is Binding -Read it!- Its captivatig, I can't put it down and the words are really fancy, so it lasts extra long. Succiently instead of shortly, Its so intresting I don't even hear when they call for the exams to turn them in. When a kid trips over my desk, I remember I'm taking an exam, and pass mine up.

   I walk out the door, and onto the bus. When I get home I run right into my room. I start packing. A Spirit DVD, in case i'm ever bored (Not likely). Clothes, toiletries, my fancy riding clothes, in case we go to shows. When I'm all packed I sit down, but then dinner is done. I eat then sit on my bed to read, I love books, in case you haven't figured that out.

    The next few days are a blur, then Dad is driving me, its a long drive, so I drive too. I just got my permit. When I get there, a happy Aunt Ashley is there to greet me, I was named after her. It'll be weird, with us having the same name, but its okay.

    When I get out she runs up and starts talking immediately.

"You can take your bags into the gust bedroom, when you go in the door, turn left go down the hall, last one on the left side, with blue bed sheets, I'll meet you at the stables when your done." 

   I set my bags in the room, and then go outside and head for the stables. Dad is with her, he's staying for dinner. I go to the stables. Aunt Ash is waiting at the entrance.

"Come in, I'll show you the horses."

  She shows me all of them. Most of them are out on trail rides. There's Joe a gelding quarter horse used for trail rides. Sophie, a thoroughbred mare, who's used for experianced riders. Granger, a little colt too small to ride, whose a Thoroughbred x Connemara cross. He's being schooled so he can be an eventer.A mix of a giant horse called Moose, a black horse named Nyx, a Friesan named Cricket whose recovering from an injury, another Thoroughbred x Connemara cross filly named Lilly with some behavorial problems

    And finnaly a palomino mare named Starlight eating hay in her stall. She's really pretty with a star thats pure white, not goldish.  I feed her an apple.

    We have dinner afterwards,  scrambled eggs. After seeing my father off, I go and see the horses, at Aunt Ash's insistance. I went, and petted each one. Joe stuck his head over the stall. He tossed his mane. He had mud stuck in his black forelock. I petted his neck and picked pieces of mud and straw out of his mane. I let myself into his stall, and petted him.

Out of all the horses in the row, he was definatley my favorite. After I tore myself away I patted all the horses goodbye. Sophie and Joe nicker when I leave. I turn around and looked at their two bay coats, and promise myself I would ride them.

    I crashed on my bed after unpacking. I took a CD out, all the Spirit soundtracks. It may be for little kids, but my favorite movie. I hate those stupid vampire things, I really do. I was so mad, when I figured out their was a whole section,a whole wall of books in Barnes and Noble, called 'Paranormal Romance'. It made me mad too mad to think. If you like Twilight I'm sorry but I wish I could rip them all to shreds. Nice bonfire. I shook my head and went to sleep.

    When I woke up I put on jeans, and a John Deere T-shirt. I was never a take me to the mall girly girl. I went out and had a Pop tart breakfast. I went out and looked for Joe. There, he was out in the field, grazing with his buddies, Moose, and Granger. All three were bays, like him. I sat down and watched them. Joe kept looking at me, and I stayed really still when he slowly came up. Granger followed him, and Moose didn't want to be left alone. Joe put his head over the gate and I pet him.

    Out of nowhere, my cousin Jess walked up. She was twenty-one. She started petting his other side, then turned to Granger.

"We can go for a trail ride with them, if you want." I nodded. She showed me where Joe's halter were, and got Moose's. Joe was back in the middle of the field. After a few attempts of getting him, and having him trot away I stood still and looked him in the eye. I turned and walked straight toward him. This time, he didn't bolt when I put the halter on him.

Jess had a halter on Moose and was leading him back to the gate. She opened it and let me go past her and then shut the gate behind us. I was thankful, I was really bad at trying to work holding Joe in place and opening the gate. Granger ran behind, trying to squeeze through. Jes twirled the lead rope at him, and he started running laps. He was really fast.

   I curried Joe till he shone, then put the bridle on him. He accepted the bit eagerly, like it was a carrot. I put a western saddle on him jiggled it into place and mounted up. Jess was right behind me. She didn't talk much. We went for a trail ride through the woods, following a trail. We got to talking about horses, silly horses we've rode, or funny experiances.

I picked up to a trot. I knew it was Western but I posted anyway. I liked posting, and standing in the saddle, kind of like the opposite of a sitting trot. Jessl ooked at me weird and tried it. She smiled, it was really easy, and, it didn't bounce you around like a sitting trot. I gave Joe his reins long, and leaned forward. I nudged him and he smoothly transitioned into a canter, or lope. I loved it, it rocked me around and was fun, funner than a walk. I was smiling,we cantered through the little field. When we got back I groomed Joe thanked him for the ride with some treats, and took him outside.