Broken [In Revision 2023]

Chapter 6 - Legalities

The next morning brought with it a great change. Jake woke before the sun had a chance to peak over the mountain top, an orange glow was building on the horizon and the surrounding pillowy clouds had turned bright pink. He had to check the time twice, it had been years since he rolled out of bed before eleven.

He pulled on his jeans and shook out his boots before slipping them on. Not bothering with a shirt, he made his way to the kitchen, half expecting the new horse to be gone. An illusion cooked up by his mind to taunt him further. He couldn't stomach flipping on the light. Holding his breath he made his way to the sink.

Sheltering under the sunshade, the rain still pouring, the wild horse stood dozing, his head low and breathing steady. He startled slightly as Jake turned on the light, but quickly settled. Behind him, Moonie nickered softly and looked towards the back door.

Jake was sat enjoying his morning coffee when he heard Madison's small car battle its way up the drive, skidding in the gravel as she tried to negotiate the ever-growing potholes. He counted the seconds between the engine shutting off and the back door swinging open. Seventeen.

"We need to talk," Madison hadn't taken the time to close her coat, the wind had tried to rip it from her, her hood had tangled itself around her braid.

"Morning, Maddy, there's some coffee on the counter if you want it." Jake didn't look up from his book.

"I have a latte in my car," she shrugged out of her coat and sat down at the kitchen table, "this is important, I need you to understand. Will you put that book away?"

Jake inserted a scrap of paper in the book to mark his place and pushed it away. "What's wrong."

"Him." Maddy pointed in the direction of the new horse. "You can't keep him, it's illegal and you know it. 'People' keep a too close watch on you, if they see him you'll be locked up and then what will happen to this place?"

"I know," he said as he swirled the coffee around his mug, not wanting to make eye contact. "Stupid if you ask me. I'm not harassing or hurting him. I didn't chase him to exhaustion, I haven't crammed him into a tiny corral, and I'm not shipping him to a torture factory to be turned into meat." He slammed the mug down on the table, the handle snapped off in his hand.

"So what do we do?" Maddy put her hand on his to try and steady it. He was shaking with anger and it scared her. "What can we do for him?"

"He's not sound enough to run, his hooves are chipped to hell and I would bet $10 his soles are black with bruises. I can't cast him out in the state he is in." Jake shook his head.

"Then we need to figure out a way to keep him here; legally." Her eyes wandered to the remaining photos on the walls, bright patches replacing the ones he had lost in the divorce. A younger Adam, in his twenties she guessed, beaming and holding a piece of paper in his right hand. Beside him, barely recognisable without the vast swathes of greying hairs, was Dezi. "That's it," she jumped up in excitement, "you need to call the office, the BLM, whoever it is that does the re-homing programme. The one where you got Dezi."

Jake sighed, "Pauline did all of the paperwork for the Mustangs, and poor of Buck thinks the sun shines out of her crack, I doubt he'd make the process easy if he allowed it at all."

"Really?" she said crestfallen.

"Your grandma is a charmer and unfortunately I didn't inherit that gift." Jake picked up the broken mug and chucked it in the bin. "Horses I understand, people not so much."

Unlike the previous evening, Madison decided to ride Moonie in the indoor arena. She had been forced to wear her second-favourite pair of boots because, despite spending the night beside the heating vent, her favourite pair were still damp from yesterday's ride.

The cathedral-like roof emphasised the hammering rain, setting the horse on edge. His ears pricked as he looked around for a source of reassurance. His nostrils flared and quivered, in preparation of a call.

"Stop messing around, you've been in here a thousand times before, there is nothing to be scared of in a little rain," She rubbed her hand on his neck. "That's better."

She encouraged Moonie to walk into the corners, changing direction regularly to keep his attention. Her leg closed around his sides, pushing him into a bouncy trot. It took her a moment to find her rhythm, the weather had given her more impulsion than she had been expecting.

Down the long sides of the arena, she pushed his stride out, his shoulders raised as his hind end engaged and she had the peculiar sensation as though she was floating. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and was in awe, he was doing it, finally, Moonie had learnt true extension.

Excited she patted him on the shoulder and started to ask him to collect, to shorten his stride on the short side of the arena. Misunderstanding, the horse hopped into a powerful canter and it took a few moments to get him back to a stable trot.

She tried asking again, he didn't leap into the canter but he didn't relax into collection either. His head was too high, he wasn't using his back and there was little engagement. Her answer was to take control of his head, using the bit to force his head down and into his chest.

"Must you saw at his mouth like that?" Jake leaned on the arena door, he had been standing there for a while, not that she had noticed. "He was going really well earlier."

"I know," Maddy said red-faced, her arms ached from trying to hold Moonie in a correct outline. She let the horse walk forward and stretch his neck. "Every time I ask for collection his head shoots up and he hollows out on me. I don't have the strength to keep it down, my trainer has suggested a standing martingale..."

"No good, they're banned in dressage. Doesn't fix the problem either, just creates more for you to deal with later. No such thing as an easy fix." Jake ushered her over and watched as she drew him to a halt. "Have you tried a double-jointed snaffle?"

"No quick fix, huh?" Maddy cocked her head, her raised eyebrow obscured by the brim of her helmet.

"Nope, it will remove the pain of the nut-cracker action, you still need to learn how to ask for collection without confusing him." Jake tapped the top of the door, "I think there is an old one in the tack room, it might fit."

Maddy narrowed her eyes, she wanted to yell at Jake, but she hadn't got her breath back yet. She chose to walk Moonie around the arena instead, focusing her frustration on trying to ride him into the corners with just her leg aids. Her gaze kept dropping to her hands, guilt gnawing at her insides.

"Here, I've washed it, do you want to try it out?" Jake held up a french-link snaffle.

It took Moonie a few minutes to stop anticipating the pain, but he was soon in a soft contact and listening to Maddy's aids. His balance improved and he wasn't rushing.

"It'll take a few rides for him to adjust, so don't push him too hard, but I think it'll be enough to improve your scores." Jake ruffled through his pockets for a treat as Maddy walked Moonie over. "Remember, he isn't used to working his body in the correct frame, he'll tire easily."

"I'm only going to walk him around until he stops blowing," Maddy leaned down and loosened the girth, "I wish you would train me, Allie has been trying to fix this for months."

"I'm not a trainer anymore," Jake said as he turned away.

"So what about the new guy?"

"They are coming to process him this evening, Buck has some paperwork to finish and then he'll be over." Jake walked off.

"Process? What does that mean?" Maddy looked alarmed at the prospect.