Something to Prove

Chapter 6: What, This Isn't A Rodeo?

The stress of my first day of classes fell away as I walked into the stable. Breathing in the comforting scent of horses, hay, grain and leather, I let myself into Fallon's stall. "Hey, Fal, Ready to go?" She let me slip her brown leather halter over her head and lead her out to the empty crossties outside her stall. I was quiet as I groomed her, not liking to talk when other people were around. When her buckskin coat was soft and shiny, I saddled Fallon, moving more slowly than usual. Fallon turned her head as far as the crossties would allow and stared at me. "I know," I sighed. "I can't help feeling intimidated by all the other riders here. They all look like they've been riding their whole life. And I have a whopping four years of experience." I talked softly, speaking just as much to myself as to my horse.

A few minutes later I was mounted and starting to warm up in the large covered outdoor arena. I managed to keep my focus on myself and Fallon, rather than gawk at all the riders milling around me. But unfortunately for me, even all the focus in the world wasn't always enough to deal with Fallon. She walked around with her head held high and her ears swiveling this way and that, paying no attention to me. When I finally got Fallon to put her head down and listen to me, I squeezed lightly with me legs to ask her for a quiet trot. Of course, that's not what I got. Fallon shot forward like she's been bitten, her trot too fast and bouncy. I posted slowly and played with the reins in my hands, trying to get her back under control. After a couple laps of the ring and numerous circles, Fallon finally fell into a balanced, even trot. I risked a glance at the other riders around me, and immediately wanted to gallop out of the arena. Everyone was staring at me! Probably wondering who let such a novice into the arena, I thought savagely. Lucky for me, the arena was clearing out. Deciding it was safe to canter, I sat to the trot and asked as softly as I could for Fallon to pick up a canter. She obliged with that big, rocking canter of hers. I let myself relax a bit and felt a smile creep onto my face. Now this is how we should be performing from the beginning. Apparently I'd spoken too soon. A blond girl on a dark chestnut thoroughbred cantered up to us, edging too close. This did it for Fallon. She tossed her head and started crow-hopping. I had just about gotten Fallon back under control when she leaped into the air in a buck that would have done a rodeo buckaroo proud. By now, all eyes were on me as I struggled with my horse. My face was burning with embarrassment.

I hopped down for Fallon's back after cooling her out and looked her right in the eye. "That wasn't very nice, you know," I scolded. But I couldn't be mad at her. That little show in the arena was just typical behavior for Fallon when she got nervous and stressed. I was more mad at myself for not being able to control her little outburst. "Are we really ready for this, girl?" I asked her as we went back to Fallon's stall. "You deserve so much more, don't you? Like a decent rider."

Going back to the tack room, I noticed several riders whispering as I passed, probably talking about the loser rider who couldn't even get her horse to canter without all hell breaking loose. I stared down at my baby blue saddle pad so as to appear oblivious to their whispers.

"Hey, um, you're the new rider here, right?"

I turned to face a pretty brunette, clearly the one who'd been talking since we were the only two in the tack room. "Uh, yeah. I am. I'm Aspen"

"I'm Sasha," the girl said with a smile. "You own that gorgeous buckskin?"

"Not quite. It's sort of a lease-to-own sort of deal." I momentarily worried that this information would label me as a total beginner, but Sasha appeared not to care.

"Well, that was quite the ride you seemed to have out there," Sasha said. I cringed. "What I mean by that is that I was impressed," Sasha amended quickly.

"Oh, thanks," I said with a shaky laugh. "I need to hang a sign on Fallon that says 'Danger; Approach at your own risk'."

"You jump with her? She looks like a jumper"

"Yup. We do hunters, jumpers, and this year we'll be trying cross-country." I caught myself before I spilled Fallon's history to this total stranger. Then I found myself sort of hoping that maybe Sasha wouldn't be a stranger for long. She seemed like someone that I would want as my friend and ally. "You've got your own horse?"

"Charm," Sasha replied. "He's the big chestnut gelding a couple stalls down for yours."

The two of us started talking, and the topics moved from horses and riding to our lives before Canterwood, and than back to horses again. Before we departed to go back to our dorms, Sasha turned to me, looking very serious.

"Just as a warning, there are some riders here who will do anything to be the best. They might try to trash-talk you or intimidate you, but just ignore them. They're not worth your time. Trust me, I'm still getting pushed around sometimes, and I've already been here for a year." She gave me a small smile before turning down the path that led to Winchester Hall. Yikes, I thought. This place is intense. I mulled over what Sasha had said, and then I knew for sure that I was doing the right thing about hiding Fallon's past from everyone