The Silent Rider

Chapter 8

"Hey, good job out there!" Kimberly greeted me at the gate and helped me dismount "You nailed it and had a perfect time."

"Thanks, Kim but we both know it was all Pheonix." I said smiling "Come on let's go unsaddle him and give him a treat he deserves it."

Kimberly and I walk back to the trailer and we untack him. This was an after the competition, competition. You pretty much compete go home and they give out awards after the dressage round tomorrow but if you don't come then they just mail you the ribbon the main showjumping event was at 8 this morning. After untacking him I put on a teal halter and tie him up in the trailer. After he is settled we start to head home it's a 2-hour drive so we have a good ways to go it 6 right now.

It was now 8 and we were about 10 minutes away from the house. I was going on about a new rider on the British team for a competition circuit. We took a sharp turn and the next thing I know everything goes black but I can hear Pheonix in the trailer going crazy and I could hear the scream from my sister I woke up for a quick second when paramedics were asking me all these questions I mumbled "Kim, Pheonix." Then everything went black again.

It took me a minute to snap back into reality but once I did I realized someone's hand was on my shoulder. It was Lizz. She also was crying I turned and hugged her.

"It was my fault." I whispered

She pulled away almost instantly and looked at me like I had just run a marathon. Then her face went sad and she said "You couldn't have stopped it no one could have stopped it."

I turned around to face Phoenix. Lizz left the pen and I actually took a good look at him. He was a Hanoverian horse he was 16.9 hands tall he was a light gray-white color. He had a couple of small cuts on his side I went to look closer but he reared up at me and I fell backward.

He all of a sudden got all wild and was bucking and rearing. I couldn't get back to my feet luckily Jordan climbed over the fencing and helped me to my feet he pulled me towards the corner of the fencing. I knew I was shaking and Jordan couldn't calm me down. He pulled me toward the gate Lizz grabbed me right when we got out of the pin.

"Are you okay?" I nodded watching as Dr. Marshall was trying to get sedatives ready for Pheonix "Hey are you sure?" I ignore her and instead attempt to bring myself back to the pin but Jordan stops me.

"What are you doing?" He asked I ignored him and tried to walk past him but he grabbed my wrist and I couldn't get him to let go.

Pheonix was still going crazy and Dr.Marshall was trying to get to calm down just enough to sedate him.

"STOP!!" I didn't even realize I yelled until everyone was looking at me with shocked expressions on their faces. Jordan let go of my wrist so I went as fast as I could but it was hard to with the limp. When I got in the pin I raised my arms and yelled "Régler,régler!!" Phoenix calmed down a little. "Régler,régler." I said it calmer this time until he was completely calm I led him back in the trailer and found a lead line a tied him up. I got out of the trailer and shut it as soon as I was out. Next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I just needed to breathe for a second. Lizz and Jordan came a minute later and pulled me to my feet Jordan was looking at me weirdly but Lizz had a huge grin on her face. I just needed a minute to breathe.