About fifteen minutes later, I found myself comfortably sitting on Kit’s back, with Allen attaching heavy lead weights to each side of the saddle. The weights were used to weigh him down, forcing him to work harder to run. It made him stronger and faster.
“Okay,” Allen said, falling into trainer mode. “I want you to go around the arena four times,” He gestured in a circle. “Start with a walk, then a trot, into a canter, and finally a gallop. I want to see how you ride.”
I nodded, giving him a salute. “Yessir!”
I waited for Allen to join Aghosh at the fence before turning my attention back to Kit.
I tapped his sides lightly with my heels, whistling quietly. Kit obediently plodded forward, following my command. We slowly circled around the arena, and when we passed the two men, I tapped his sides again, giving a louder whistle.
Kit sped up into a trot, tossing his head. We circled around again, and we repeated the process. I felt my worries fade away, and I let my joy overtake me. As we drew next to the men again, I leaned forward, giving a loud, sharp whistle, and kicked his sides.
And then we were flying. We sped around the arena in seconds, and had difficulty making the beast stop.
I turned Kit, and we trotted over to where Allen and Aghosh were standing.
“Wow.” Aghosh said. “That was amazing.”
Allen nodded. “Kirill found a good jockey.”
I flashed them a smile. “Why, thank you.”
Allen scratched his head. “Why don’t you work him out for a while, and then I’ll move you to another horse. Sounds good to you?”
“Sure!” I replied, chipper.
Later that day, I was helping Aghosh clean and feed the horses. As I was carefully scrubbing Anastasia’s legs, I casually started a conversation. “So… have you worked here for very long?”
“Yes,” he replied, tossing a hay bale in the next stall. “It’s been five years now.”
“What are the Ivanovs like?” I asked, curious.
“They’re…” He thought for a few seconds. “Interesting. They know how to control people.”
“I see.” I felt a rock drop into my stomach.
“As long as you stay on their good side,” Aghosh said, “your life will be pretty good.”
There was a bad taste in my mouth. “Thanks.”
We stared at each other for a few seconds. “Heh.” Aghosh’s face split into a smile. “They like you. You’ll be fine.”
I smiled uneasily at him. “I hope so.”
YOU ARE READING
Kit Kat Paddywack
RomanceCharlie is a young woman following her dreams as a jockey when her favorite racehorse is bought by the Ivanov family. When she decides to follow him across the country, she learns that the new owners are more than they seem.
