It's Only 8 Seconds

Chapter Seven

My mind was racing after the uncomfortable encounter with Ryder, I was just hoping that running into him wouldn't set my run on Bird off. But there was no way that I was going to let that happen, I pushed it out of mind and finished tacking Bird up. The mare brightened my mood, lifting my sprit's, I know that I would be nothing without her. Once I had finished tacking Bird up I lead her out into the warm-up pen. Kid's and roughies hung over the rails of the pen watching each rider with a close eye. My nerves started to kick in, the lights on the warm-up pen were turned on and the moon started to show through the gap in the clouds. The air was crisp and Bird was alert, taking in her surroundings. ''Steady girl,'' I spoke to her as we walked around the arena. Once people started to file out on their horses I gave Bird a light canter and then it was time to start lining up for the runs tonight. I ran my hand over Bird's honey neck and walked her around into the main arena, where we waited. 

There were six rides before ours, as it got closer and closer to my run I began to push every thought out of my head. ''Ail Bennett, your up.'' A middle-aged man in a white cowboy hat ushered me into the ally way. I took Bird's reins short in my hand as she began to jump up to the take-off point, her energy was ecstatic. Halfway down the ally way, I squeezed Bird's sides and she lurched into a fast canter than a gallop as we exploded into the arena. I guide Bird to the right barrel first as she spins around it and the takes off to the second barrel and up to the third. ''Good girl, come on mama!'' I encourage her as she gallops down the home stretch back to the ally way. I held the reins up Bird's neck and push her all the way down the ally way where we come to a stop. My hand runs down Bird's sweaty mane, ''good girl.'' I knew that we were back and better than ever.

''That was Ail Bennett on a little lady she likes to call Bird, with a time of 14.36 seconds.'' 

After my run I took Bird back out to her stall, my parent's were standing there waiting for me with River. Her smile was the size of the sun and my mother and father told me how proud they were of me and that I made a great run. My heart was in the game now more than it had ever been, and I know that my energy leaked through into Bird and made her run like a champ tonight.