The Course That Started It All

Chapter 8

The Dreaded Truth

Cassidy had texted just a few minutes ago that she was almost at my house. I texted her back and finished picking up a few little items I had on my floor. About the time I finished picking them up, I heard a car door. I looked at the window to see Cassidy heading toward the door with her bag. I went downstairs and opened the door just as she was about to knock.

Hey! Cassidy and I both said at the same time. We both laughed a little and then headed up to my room so we could both tell each other whatever we had to tell. Once we were both in my room I could tell Cassidy was nervous and she looked a little scared and upset.

Below is them talking to each other

Isabelle- "Hey!" "Cas are you okay?"

Isabelle-"Cassidy are you listening to me?"

Cassidy- "huh?" "What?" "Yeah sorry Izz." I am just really nervous to tell you what I have to tell you."

Isabelle-"okay well I'm nervous too." "Do you want to tell me first?"

Cassidy-"Might as well"

Isabelle-"okay what is it?"

Cassidy-"I am um......

Isabelle-"You're what?... Cas you can tell me I won't be mad."

Cassidy-"I am transferring to Canter Creek Equestrian Center."

Isabelle-"Oh that doesn't seem so bad...but why?"

Cassidy-"I will tell you in a few minutes ok." "What did you have to tell me?"

Isabelle- "okay"

Isabelle-"I don't know how to say this"

Cassidy-"Izz you don't have to worry no matter what you tell me I am not going to be mad."

Isabelle-"That's not why, but okay here goes."

Isabelle-"I got offered a scholarship to an equestrian center in England and I took it."

Cassidy-"What that's great. When?"

Isabelle-"Sometime last week."

Cassidy-"cool are you excited?"

Isabelle-"yeah"

Cassidy-"I am going to miss you, but I am also super happy for you."

Isabelle-"Thank you, and I am going to miss you too."

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We spent a few minutes telling each other we are going to miss each other, and then my mom called us down for dinner. Cassidy changed out of the clothes she wore to the barn and we headed down. Halfway down the stairs Cassidy turned and looked at me. "I forgot to ask you when you were leaving," she said. "Oh Ummm...... at the end of this month so I can be there before the second semester starts." It all comes out really rushed and was probably hard to understand.

     Once we were sitting at the table and everyone was eating, my mom asked if I wanted to do anything tonight. I didn't feel like doing anything and kind of hoped Cassidy didn't want to either, but since she was so close to my parents she was not afraid to tell them anything she wanted to do. Cassidy said she would like to go to Canter Creek Equestrian Center if that was ok with me so that she could look around before she moved to the stables. I did not want to look like a bad friend so I said sure and guess where we ended up. Canter Creek Equestrian Center.

      My mom said it would be no big deal to drop us off and to call her when we were ready to come home. Even though I didn't want to go I said okay see you later, and she dropped us off and left. On the way, I texted and asked Karley if she was there and she said she was. I told her we were coming so Cassidy could look around and she said she would be happy to show us around. I told Cassidy she said she would show us around and she was super happy. When we got there Karley meets us at the entrance. Once we were out of the car we headed to barn one and Karley showed us some of the horses and showed us a horse she was riding named Monkey.

     Then she took us to the office and introduced us to the owner. Her name was Rochelle, but we could call her Elle. After we had been introduced to her, we were about to head out and go to the next barn when she stopped us. She said it was nice to meet us and she was glad to have Cassidy come and ride with her and that she wished I could have too, but my stable manager said that I had already been offered a scholarship for a different school. She said that it was an amazing opportunity and that my trainer also said I showed a horse that I had only rode the day before. I said it was all true and she asked if we could do something for her.

     She said that she had two horses who needed to get a ride, but she didn't have anyone that could do it today. Cassidy and I both said that we would love to. She said that their names were Frappe and Cappuccino and they were in barn two. She said I could ride Frappe and Cassidy could ride Cappuccino. Karley said she would help us get them ready, and we headed towards barn two. When we got in the barn she introduced us to a few people and horses then we went to Frappe's stall. He was a gorgeous strawberry roan draft.

     Cassidy got cappuccino out and he was also super pretty, but he was a palomino with faded black spots. Frappe was perfect while I brushed and tacked him. When we were both tacked and ready Karley got both of us helmets to use and we bridled them. Karley took us to an indoor arena where Elle was waiting. She said to warm up like she wasn't in there so she could see how we handled them. Karley got us the mounting block while we tightened their girths. Cappuccino moved a little, but Frappe stood and watched me.

     Frappe was tall since he was a draft horse, but he was slender and in really good shape. He probably wasn't a full-blooded draft horse, but I didn't ask. It took a minute but I finally got on him, and once I did I felt so far away from the ground. Elle told us to walk trot canter both ways and then we will see. So I took Frappe to the rail and started walking, I asked him to put his head down and he did for a few minutes, but I had to keep reminding him though. Once he got going and I asked him to trot he was a perfect angel. He kept his head down and didn't do anything.

     I walked and trotted both ways before I asked him to canter. When I asked him to go canter he bucked a little, but I pushed him on and made him go up into the canter. Once I got him in the canter he carried himself pretty nice and it felt like I was floating. We both finished cantering and Elle and Karley set up fences around the ring. I didn't know we would be jumping. Let alone jumping three foot. I was so confused at why she would set them up so high, but I did not want to think about that so I just acted like they were eighteen-inch verticals. Cassidy didn't look okay with it and she looked super nervous, so when Elle said okay who wants to go first, I said I do. Cassidy looked relieved I was going first. Elle told me the course she set up and I headed out. The course wasn't hard it was a three stride outside line into a diagonal then to a bending line from the outside rail into the center and back around to the first fence in the bending line. Elle said I could take the first fence in the bending line as a warm-up, so I went to the other side did a circle and asked for a canter. Frappe didn't do anything this time. He was going a little fast so I half halted him, and headed to the jump. Three. Two. One. I counted down in my headed and when I heard one Frappe jumped. His jump was huge, but it felt amazing. I didn't want it to end. I did the course and after I finished Cassidy went out. I could tell she was nervous, but she rocked it.

     Elle went over and set the jumps higher when I asked her how high they were set at now she said she would tell after we jumped them. If we wanted to jump them. I said yes because I wanted to jump Frappe more. I did not care how high the fences were I just wanted to jump him. When I finished Karley started taking down the jumps because Cassidy didn't want to jump that high. Elle had a weird expression on her face, but I asked her how high the fences were set at. She said that the first fence in the outside line, the diagonal, and the last fence in the bending line were all set at four feet. I was amazed, but even more amazed when she said that the other two were set at five foot which neither Frappe or I had ever jumped before. We cooled down the horses and untacked them then Karley finished showing us around the stables. I called my mom to come and get us. It took her only ten minutes to get here. She asked us how it was and we told her everything we did. She was super happy when I told her about Frappe. She looked super delighted. It made me confused, but I just let it go. Once we got back to my house we took showers and ended up falling asleep in the living room while watching some horse movie I think it was called Horse Dancer.