A Horse Is Worth More Than Riches

Chapter Three - A Companion for Mercutio

"And.... HUP!!" Mercutio's sleek black legs tucked neatly under his broad chest, while his powerful haunches pushed off, propelling him over the little red oxer jump. 

"Whoo hoo!" I yelled. " Go Mercutio! I never thought you'd be such a talented jumper!?" 

"He's got some potential there, Hal, doesn't he?" Clancy leant against the dark wood fence post. "Pity about his attitude,"

I agreed. Since we got him, Mercutio had become more than slightly spoilt, owing to the fact that he had no stable companions, meaning he got all my spare time and attention. What he really needed was a friend. A horse friend to teach him some manners and equine etiquette.

"You know, Clance," I began, pulled Mercutio up alongside the arena fence where Clancy was casually leaning. "We should really get him a companion. I mean, we have a 20-stall barn and only one horse in it. We have plenty of money and feed, not to mention experience. Why not?"

"You're right, Halle. Let's start searching for a good companion horse. We can try the monthly auction and a couple of horse owners are selling out at the moment."

"Sure," I replied eager to have another horse to work with. I glanced down at Mercutio, who was sweating heavily and looked ready for a rest. I kicked off my stirrups and slid down from the saddle. Although it was only about 10am, I was hot and sweaty. We had been training since 8am, and both horse and rider were tired. Luckily for me, Mercutio was easy to manage and very eager to learn, which made for a pleasant lesson.

"Hey Hal, I'm going up to the house to finish off some paperwork, then do you want to visit the tack shop to see if any horse ads are up?" Clancy asked, turning towards the house.

"Alright, I'll just untack Mercutio and give him a hose down. I'll be in soon," I replied, pulling the reins over Mercutio's swivelling ears. The tack shop was always the first place any horse person went for news or gossip, due to the amount of people that visited each day and shared any news they had with the tack shop cashier, Melanie Dwane. That little country store was considered the best place to buy saddles in the county. Melanie's father, William Dwane, handmade them and he had a way with leather, that was for sure.

I led Mercutio through the huge double doors and down the sunny stable aisle. When we built it, Clancy and I had designed the barn to let in as much natural light as possible without greatly affecting the temperature. It was well-ventilated, but could be closed up if the Winter winds got too cold. Mercutio stood quietly as I cross-tied him in the aisle. He heaved a great sigh of relief as I lifted the saddle off his back and onto a metal rack. I pulled the bridle over his ears and quickly haltered him. I picked up a dandy brush and swept the brush over his glossy coat, pushing the hair up the wrong way so the sweat would dry quicker. This would prevent him from overheating, and possibly getting sick. Once he was safely turned out in the pasture, I headed for the house and quickly changed out of my barn clothes. 

"Ready, Halle?" Clancy called, already in the car. 

"Yep, I'm coming!" I called back, locking the front door. There wasn't really a need to do so out here, but it was a force of habit from the city, where I'd lived for two years before I met Clancy. As I climbed into the car, he started the engine and we pulled out onto the worn dirt roads that weaved between hills and gullies. It really was quite beautiful out here.

"Morning, Melanie!" I called as we stepped through the wooden doorway into Dwane's Tack and Hardware Store. The young woman looked up at the tinkle of the bell and smiled.

"Ah, Halle and Clancy. What can I do for you today?" Melanie was sorting through a pile of horse travel boots and when she saw us, she stopped and walked over.

"Well," Clancy began. "We were wondering if you knew of any horses for sale or if there were any places you would recommend looking at."

"As a matter of fact...." Melanie strode over to the counter and pulled out some paper from a drawer. "Welsh Breeding Farm is selling some of it's not-so-good broodmares at the moment. They may not be good mothers, but they should be excellent mounts."

I looked at Clancy. Broodmares were usually protective and dangerous with foals, but without offspring, they could be good horses. 

"Thanks, Melanie. We'll check them out tomorrow. Any specific horses you'd recommend?" I queried.

"Actually, yes. There is one mare, well, filly that I'd buy if I were you. She's not old enough to foal yet, but they don't have enough room in the barn for her, so she's got to go." Melanie replied.

"What's her name?" Clancy asked.

"Electronite, and she suits it. Never seen a horse with so much power. She is as fast as she is smart, and they say she has real potential if anyone had the time to train her."

"Thank you so much, Melanie. We'll ask to look at her, and you never know, she could be the next addition to our barn,"