The Eventers Club

Chapter 2:

Ashleigh's pov

I eagerly wipe the foggy glass window with my sleeve as the yellow cab pulled down the long winding driveway. I had finally arrived at one of the most prestigious horse stables in Canada, Holloway Equestrian Center. 

Located in beautiful Alberta, Holloway was the training hub of many famous equestrians and home to Canada's rising star, Evelyn Holloway. 

I sigh almost instantly as I took in the sights down the drive. I could see why many people envied her. 

An extravagant home, massive barn, world class trainers and talented horses. It felt surreal, I couldn't believe I was selected as one of the 12 working students to assist at Holloway's barn this summer. Could things get any better?

I tried to not think about the circumstances which landed me here but the memories came flooding in. My parents not only had been going through a sticky divorce, but my sister decided it was the best time to pack her suitcases and move to England, cutting them out of her life. They were beyond livid...and me, you may ask? All I got from her is the application for a working student spot at Holloway Equestrian Center and a little note saying she'll be in contact. Talk about sisterly love...

I told myself constantly it was better this way and that there was nothing which could be done, but it never made me feel any better. Hell, my own friends weren't even true friends, they only tolerated me out of pity and I hated it. I hate people sympathizing over me. My parents marriage was over, my sister abandoned me, and I no longer could afford to compete on my lease horse back at home, so here I was at Holloway, volunteering for the summer. Although this time no one will know about my situation, all they'll think is that I'm like the others, here for the opportunity to compete.

My train of thought however was cut short when I saw the magnificent barn, the pictures didn't come close to doing it justice. Even in this early morning fog, the chocolate brown paint and white trimming looked as though it was gleaming, highlighting the elegance the modern styled barn held. It was truly breath taking, the barn could easily house the 40 horses the Holloway residence owned or had boarding here.

Being the daughter of a super model and business tycoon really must have its benefits, the horses I've seen in the pastures were all equally gorgeous. Selling one horse from the Holloway barn would easily fetch a price higher then my parents own house, it was ridiculous. I knew any sane person would envy Evelyn Holloway, she was the definition of perfection, in and out of the equestrian world, her parents made sure of that. However, I wasn't exactly normal. I always thought out of the box. Wouldn't the pressure be hard on her? Does she ever get sick of always being pushed into the spotlight? Was it her parents who made her career decisions? Does she even like horses? Okay so maybe the last one was a bit of a silly question, but you get the point.

The cab driver brings the car to a halt outside a group of cabins I immediately recognized, this was where I will staying for the summer. Myself and 11 other people aged from 16-18 years will be assigned to various tasks around the equestrian center, including training and potentially competing. Prior to arrival, everyone had been assigned permanently to one particular schooling horse of their riding level, this would be the horse that person cared for every day and had the option to ride. Other jobs included lunging, handling foals, and so forth. It had been mentioned through email that 6 grooms will be put on the morning shift (6am-1pm) while the others have to cover the afternoon shift (1pm-8pm). In our free time we're aloud to school and care for our assigned horse without interruption, so long as they haven't been ridden more then twice that day in lessons with other students.

As I continue to list off the wonderful possibilities, I pay the cab driver and collect my excessive amounts of luggage. Due to it being just before 7 in the morning I didn't expect any other grooms to be here, only one of Holloway's coaches, Darla Margaret. She had been expecting me to arrive early as I had flown from Toronto to Calgary late last night, before being driven the rest of the way via taxi, which-might I add, is way too expensive. As expected she was just arriving at the cabins when the taxi drove off leaving me standing there awkwardly.

...

"I've been informed you've already been through all the rules and regulations, is that correct" Darla asks as she shows me the stables

"Yes, that's correct" I respond, watching her closely and how she carried herself. So far she seemed like a really nice woman and it eased my nerves.

"Brilliant, when you go back to your room there will be sheets containing things like your roster, and a booklet that has information about the horse you're assigned to-" the lady seemed happy enough showing me the barn and horses after I dumped my luggage in my assigned cabin.

"Looking through your competition results, it states that you just completed your first preliminary event in the spring but for the summer are competing in training level events?" Darla recites as we stop at a stall in the far back of the barn , the plaque on the door had the competition name, New Moon, scrawled into it. Under that, in smaller writing was the name Beauty.

"So based off of that we've decided to assign you to Beauty, he's recently started preliminary competitions but would benefit from a few private lessons and a season in training level due to being worked on and off since winter" Darla explains.

As she speaks about Beauty, the horse himself pokes his head over the stall door, nudging at me for pats, I could understand why they nicknamed him that. He was just like the horse from the movie Black Beauty, a perfect white star on his forehead covered by his forelock. He seems to have a gentle nature and charming character but I was more concerned about him being exercised on and off, would we have any issues?

"Since winter?" I ask, unsure if I wanted to be dealing with a super fresh horse that needs extensive amounts of conditioning.

"Yes, but there's no need to worry, he's a big softy and gets into shape quite well. However something to keep in mind is that no one will be riding him in lessons this summer except you as Mr Holloway wants Beauty on a reliable conditioning routine" Darla tries to reassure.

"Okay that shouldn't be a problem" I smile after taking a deep breath. What if I ruin him? He's absolutely gorgeous and from what I've heard of, is a gem.

"You'll love him, I promise you he won't give you any problems" Darla continues as if knowing what I was thinking.

Something in my stomach told me that Darla was right and that this horse standing before me would be a game changer.