The Eventers Club

Chapter 32:

Ashleigh's pov

"Nice!!" I yell as Eve and Hugo clear a monster high cross country jump.

I was thrilled that the two had got their confidence and bond back. They're lethal in the cross country and their dressage is something to die for. In all honesty they were better then ever and definitely in form. After the incident a month ago Eve and Hugo went to a few horsemanship clinics. Eve had been worried for about two thirds of that time since Hugo seemed uninterested in her. But they've taken a massive turn since last week when we took Hugo for a swim again. We figured out that the best way to have him bond with Eve again was to go trail riding. That's his favourite thing to do. Or maybe it was the other factors like liberty? Both of us have started trying to do liberty early in the mornings last week. We're kind of failing miserably but we aren't giving up yet.

Beauty has really shaped into an amazing successful eventer. He was really fit now. We've also advanced to jumping 1.40m with ease, Beauty still showing game to jump higher. Alyssa said I was doing great but sadly she had to go back to England. Classes were starting soon so she had study to do. Even Mr and Mrs Holloway said themselves that we've improved a lot.

That was after Mrs Holloway apologised profusely to me for some strange reason. I actually thought they would've kicked me out for the way I acted. Hence why I apologised to them the day after Eve came back. I shouldn't have said those things to them but I guess it opened their eyes a bit. I tend to get a little wordy when I'm really mad about something. Mrs Holloway even asked if I wanted to go shopping with Evelyn and her, offering to buy all the new stuff I wanted for Beauty. I politely declined the offer but mysteriously the gear I had been eyeing earlier suddenly popped up in Beauty's spot. Evelyn couldn't hold a straight face for long and ended up laughing her ass off about it, the sneak helped her mum!! Not like I'm complaining, it's nice to see the two of them becoming closer.

It didn't stop the fact that holidays were fast coming to an end with school starting in a fortnight. Next week I will be flying back home to Toronto. Except it wasn't my home anymore, not until my parents figure out their problems. However a piece of hope filled my heart, I now owned Venus and we were also going to Toronto to pick her up. The drive from there to Calgary would be days considering we had to make stops along the way to let the mare stretch her legs. But I was super excited. Holloway stables were just a couple hours away so Eve and I planned in the next holidays to float Venus over there. That way we could go riding all day. It wasn't even us who came up with that idea, but her parents. I shake my thoughts away as Eve halts next to me.

"You think? Our striding wasn't off?" Eve asks frowning.

"Move it losers" Blair jokes pushing through Tina and I before galloping off to have a go at the course.

Like I said a lot has changed. Blair has pulled her priorities together and is like a completely new person. After her help looking for Eve we couldn't not invite her to ride with us. We now had 5 people in our tight nit group, those being Eve, Tina, Blair, Jake and I. I was still waiting for Jake to ask Eve out and the suspense is killing me!! Good thing we all will all be close to Holloway Stables, it turns out Tina and Blair live about an hour away from here. They were super lucky, if they really wanted to they could come here every weekend.

"I can't believe I'm going to Spruce Meadows" I said out loud.

"Same here" Eve says.

"Please, after your killer performance on Navarre last weekend you better believe it, winning preliminary classes with such a young horse is incredible" I said rolling my eyes.

"Well if you decided to enter in the eventing faze maybe I wouldn't have" Evelyn says flipping me off.

"Yeah right, your performance was so good your broke their record for the points scored in prelim eventing" I snicker.

"Look who's talking" she says.

Tina and Jake agree with her before we all start laughing, she had a point. I had decided to take many show jumping classes last weekend on Beauty instead of entering prelim eventing. It was well worth it with Beauty and I coming out with the title Blue Hills Showjumping Champion. We had either won or came as a runner up in all our classes, and I literally had so many awards Darla didn't know where to put them. Once you press the right buttons on Beauty you have a speedy little show jumper. Not that he's small, at 16.2hh but he still manages to look it next to all the 17+hh horses at our shows. Not like Tina and Surfer though. Tina had also decided to skip out on the eventing, instead she took to the individual dressage ring. If you thought I did well she did incredibly, winning all of her classes. Don't get me started on her freestyle round.

It may be cliche that we are doing so well but I didn't care, I even had the opportunity to ride Florence at a ODE about two weeks ago. Since I was planning on competing Beauty the next weekend I let him relax in the pasture for that day. If only the holidays could last forever.

"Truce" I said before we start laughing again. It was a Wednesday afternoon and we left tomorrow morning to go to Spruce Meadows. That way the horses have the night to settle down before competition starts on Friday. I considered doing some individual jumping rounds however I stuck to my main discipline, eventing.

"Who do you think will be there?" Jake asks while we watch Blair ride.

"I think Sabrina Chapman and her horse Crescendo will be at the show, also her mum and sister" Tina chirps.

"Who's that?" Evelyn asks confused, our interest rising with how Tina spoke of this girl.

"Oh please! Tell me you know who Elizabeth Chapman is" Tina says glaring at us.

"Of course we do" I said when realisation hits me. Elizabeth Chapman is one of the most well known equestrians all over the world. The minute the public hears she's opening a new barn her phone starts ringing a minute later. Even non horses people know exactly who she is, her husband was known just as well. She has the best of the best, and even if you give her a horse deemed useless, she'll make it an Olympic legend. Just like she did with her first horse, winning gold for USA all those years ago.

"Well that's her daughter, she's our age and is already in intermediate eventing competitions" she announces.

"Why haven't we heard about her though?" Evelyn asks.

"She stays under the radar and attends Elliot Falls Academy in Florida, she's their only elite team member for her grade" she explains, bringing another big name into the convocation. Elliot Falls Academy, a school everyone dreams to attend. I sigh longingly.

"She must be good then" I mutter.

"I've met her before and she's amazing, like I can barely stay in my seat when I watch her ride. When I spoke to her at a show about a year ago she was super nice" Tina says.

"You guys!! Come on I had a killer round and you weren't even watching" Blair pouts.

"Sorry, Tina was having a fan girl moment" I joke sending Blair a sheepish smile.

"I bet Blair knows who Sabrina is" Tina mutters.

"Chapman?" Blair asks raising a brow.

"Yes, her! I told you so" Tina says getting excited all of a sudden. 

"If you think you're known then just wait until you spot her, she's hard to miss" Blair mutters.

"Yeesh, okay doomsday" Jake jokes

"Well I think what we should take away from this is never discuss competitors before a show" I laugh earning a few smiles.

"We should head back, we still have to braid the horses and clean their tack again" Evelyn says.

"Agreed, race you back!" I yell before galloping away from the group on Beauty. I could hear everyone racing after me. There's nothing better then some friendly competition.