Ash Wood Riding Academy

Chapter 3. The Show Ring Complications.

            My alarm woke me up at 5:30 today, bright and early. "Fun times," I say in the most sarcastic tone ever.

            "Morning sleeping beauty," Angel says waving two coffees in her hands. "Now you missy have to get dressed," she said as she pushed me into the washroom, handing me my clothes.

            I closed the door and striped out of my clothes again. I turned the shower on hot, deciding to leave the lights on to wake me up. Once I was certain that I was no longer asleep, turned the shower off and got out. I quickly got dressed walking out of the washroom, with my wet hair tied up in a towel. Since my hair takes forever to dry, I pulled out the blow dryer and gave it a little toss making it damp.

            While drinking my coffee and heading out of the room, I remember Ocean's jellybeans and quickly grab them on the way out the door. I head down to the cafeteria with Angel and we order hash browns with eggs on the side. We sit the table near the window in a silent cafeteria. We silently munch on our hash browns, mine with ketchup and Angels with mustard. As we both cringed at each other's toppings, as we began a conversation about mustard or ketchup being better. We finished our breakfast and returned our trays and dishes to the counter, taking off to the barn.

            We make our way to the barn and say our good-byes and ran to the tack room and to our horses. When I came to Icy's stall my heart skipped a beat, as the beautiful dapple stallion munching on hay appeared before me.

            "Hiya boy," I said enthusiastically as I pulled the jellybeans free from my pocket. "Look what I brought you," I whispered as I set the jellybeans onto the stall door, "but you won't tell anyone right?" I said while kissing his greyish pink muzzle.

            I immediately began brushing his coat, which thankfully over the night stayed clean. While Icy was happily munching away on the bag of jellybeans, I looked over his coat then bent down to his legs and checked for heat. I then tacked him up looking at the stall door for the jellybeans, Icy at all of them except for the green ones.

            "I guess you don't like the green ones boy," I said with a grunt while tightening his girth. I quickly slipped the bit into his mouth with ease, as Icy opens his mouth for me. I slip the bridal over his head, and pull his ears out from the headpiece. "It's alright boy," I say as Icy sniffs they green jellybeans, "I have plenty more where that came from."

            Icy snorts as if to say you better because I love them and I pet his pinky grey muzzle and scratch him behind his ears.

            I unhook Icy and lead him out of the barn mounting and trotting to the indoor show ring, I was awestruck. This show ring was the largest I have ever seen before in my life. Amazing!

            Just then I spot Lola on the other side of the ring. I walk Icy over to her, "Hey Lola," I chime, "your horse is really pretty, what's he called?" Lola did not even acknowledge my existence, "Umm Lola?" I ask waving my hand in front of her face.

            I gazed off into the direction where Lola was looking, and now I understand why. Setting up the jumps in the warm up arena was the cutest looking groom, ever! He had green-blue eyes and blond hair, he was tall and built but not too buff.

            Just then Eric walked in with the judge. She introduced her name as Shanna, she was probably in her mid twenties, she had long blonde hair and blue eyes. Shanna looked very nice, but composed herself in such a manner, that she looked intimidating at the same time. She read the list that we would be performing in, I was thirty first, Angel was twenty eighth, Emily was fifty second, and Lola was ninety first. I was glad I wasn't close to the beginning but not very far down the line.