It's Only 8 Seconds

Chapter Eleven

It was ten o'clock when I finished getting settled into the hotel, River fell asleep on the bed and my parents showed up to look after her while I made my run's. After everything was done and dinner was ordered for ma and pa, I left back to the rodeo grounds with a lot of unsettled nerves.  Once I arrived at the stalls on sight I check Bird's bandages and filled up Apache's hay feeder. While Patch was munching on his hay I gave him a brush over and started to tack him up. I ran him in a hackamore at home and I wasn't going to change that here, I slipped it over his nose and adjusted it around the back of his ears. I was so unbelievably surprised that he just stood there as I tacked him up. I threw the black saddle pad on his back and then the new Master's saddle I got for him over the top. I adjusted Bird's breast collar around Patch's neck and finished him off by giving him a final brush and a few treats. ''That's a boy.'' I let Patch take away all of my stress and nerves with one touch. He rested his head against the bottom of my boot and closed his eyes, there was nothing more I could already ask from this horse. 

When the time came I led him out into the warm-up arena a little earlier so it was a little more empty than normal. Once I led him into the arena I climbed into the saddle and just let him stand to look around at all of the new things around him. There were so many things for him to look at and be afraid of, but not one thing made him jump or lose his game face. Apache held his headstrong and high as the proud horse he was. 

I had worked Apache in the little arena for half an hour, just walking around and some little trotting patterns and once full canter circle. I didn't want to push him before his first run at a rodeo. There were only two runs in the slack before mine, it seemed closer than it ever had been. All the time I had spent training this young horse had finally paid off. I watched the two runs before mine from the sidelines until it was finally time for Apache to make his first run. I get him to have his head as we walked into the ally way. He had never been in a place like this before and I wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible. 

As we got closer to the opening at the end of the ally I let him pick up speed to a canter, once we were out on the arena soil I let him take the reins to a gallop as we went around the right barrel first. He spun around it with such ease, his ears pricked and his eyes happy. Apache exploded out of the first barrel and to the second one, we ran up to the third one and around it. ''Come on boy!'' I encouraged him and he gave him all right down to the end of the ally way. I rubbed his neck and spoke to him as we stopped and walked out towards the stalls. I was so extremely proud of this horse and how far he had come in such a short amount of time, the trust that he had in me was so incredibly amazing. 

Later that night I made a run on Bird and came in second, Apache ended up running in fifth place. I gave the horses their feeds and left them in their stalls while I headed back to the hotel.