Finding Talent (1)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

I have a lot of training to do now if I'm to be ready for the rodeo. Most of my horses haven't been worked in a month or so.

I decide that first I want to practice a trail course. I go into the tack room, and gather a few of the things I'll need. A crop, plastic bag, a red flag, poles, and cones.

flag, a board, poles. Then I head out to the arena and drop it all on the sandy floor. I take the plastic bag, and tie it to the fence. Fortunately it's windy out today, so it will flap around. Then I tie the red flag to the crop, and put that back on the ground. After that, I place the large board in the centre of the ring, and some poles after it. The cones I place in a strait line down the left side. The course is very small, but covers most of what I'll need to do.

The bag flapping around, will represent something else at the rodeo, flapping about (or it could just represent a plastic bag). I'd like to get the horses used to that now, versus when I'm in the actual show ring! The red flag on the crop is just a training tool, another thing to desensitize your horse. The board in the middle is something that seems easy, but most of the time isn't. The horse is supposed to wall over the board, but most of them don't like to, and will step on the corner, or try to weave around it. Most of my horses are good with the board, but still, sometimes they'll refuse it. The three poles are placed an even ten of my paces apart. These are supposed to be stepped over, without being moved or kicked. You are supposed to weave through the poles on the rail, without knocking any over. This exercise is fairly simple and easy. I unfortunately don't have a gate to walk through, so the one leading into the arena will have to do.

I decide on riding Rain first. I head into the tack room, and grab her lime green halter, and red lead rope.

"Rain!" I call out. The pretty skewbald looks up, and trots over. I scratch her withers (all horses love having their withers scratched, because when other horses groom them, they mostly groom them on their withers). Rain leans into me, sighing contently. I push her away. Leaning on people is not a habit I want her getting into. I halter her easily, and then bring her back to the barn.

After I have groomed her till I am surprised she hasn't gone bald, I saddle her. The hardest part with Rain has always been tightening the cinch. She always bloats, which means when you pull the strap, she holds her breath. Then when it's done up, she breaths out, so that the cinch is way to loose. I grab the cinch strap, and lean into her side. When she breathes in, I pull it, so that it's tightened properly.

"Didn't get me this time!" I tell her. She snakes her neck, and tries to nip my hand, but I smack her nose, "sore loser." Then when I try to slip the bit in her mouth, the dang mare won't open it up. So I slip my thumb into the corner of her mouth, and press up. I love this trick. It forces the horse to open their mouth, and Voila! in goes the bit. After I have finished bridling her, I lead her out to the arena.

I jump up, and walk her around, doing figure eights and spirals at a walk, to warm her up. After ten minutes of this, I push her into a trot, and ride her past the flapping bag. She sees it out of the corner of her eyes, and plants her feet in the ground, and tries to back up quickly, but I'm already circling her, and pushing her forward. This time, she only eyes it warily.

I jump off, and grab the crop with the red flag attached to it. I rub it over her whole body. She protests when I rub it on her legs, and backs up, so I keep rubbing her legs until she stops. Eventually, I have her completely de-sensitized to it.

Next is the board. Horses are sensitive, and can tell where you're looking, and often follow your gaze. That is why you hear your instructor say "look where you want to go!". So the best approach to the board is to look strait ahead, and stay relaxed. Rain walks over the board like its not even there. I stroke her neck, then let her be.

After she goes over the poles without a problem, I lope her over to the cones, and weave her through them. She's an old pro at this. When the course is completed, I cool her down, and UN-tack her. When she's back in the field with her buddies, I take the leather saddle, and place it on a wooden horse, because it needs to be cleaned.

I take my Four Way Leather Tack Cleaner and Conditioner off a shelf, grab a yougart container and a soft cloth. Then I pour a little into the container, and dip my cloth in it. I run the conditioner into the cantle, stirrup leathers, horn, back and front jockey, skirt, fender, pommel, off billet, and other leather parts of the saddle. When its dried, I take the cloth, and buff the shining leather, making it glow even brighter. Then I clean the bridle, and hang everything back up

AN: Helllooooo everyone who's reading this! Was this chapter to boring? Sorry it's do short! I want to get a bunch of chapters in before the rodeo though. And it was a little slow, pretty much no dialogue. So let me know what you think by commenting! Then, you can vote and fan:) And CRITICIZE otherwise I'll never get better;) Thanks!

-Bella + Moon {because without Wattpad, he wouldn't be featured in this story}