Horse Academy (1)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"That was perfect!" Emily cheered.

I turned and smiled at her also noticing I hadn't knocked down the rail. After a few more times over the jumps I decide to stop and head back to the barn. I notice Tiffany mounting her 10 year old chestnut Hanoverian mare, Song in the Breeze, or Breeze for short. Tiffany surprisingly doesn't yank her around, she's soft on her mouth and I got to admit, they make a great team. They're the best in the dressage ring. Even though I try to keep our of their path she somehow ends up blocking the way. Great.

"You won't be riding him for long, as soon as I have him you'll be off and I'll be on" she says with a smirk and clicking her fingers.

"We'll see" I respond boldly.

I probably shouldn't be provoking her right now but I couldn't just say nothing.

Her cold laugh fills my ears.

"Please, I don't see why you even try anymore. I got that owner of his wrapped around my finger" she says amused.

"Why do you want another horse? You already have Breeze, she's been professionally trained and is the best at dressage, why do you want with Storm?" I ask giving her an annoyed look.

"Because I would love to see the look on your face when you'll never be able to ride him again" she laughs before trotting away.

I sigh and continue on my way, that girl has got some major issues. As in major, major issues.

I dismount and loosen Storms girth before heading to his stable. Just out the front of his stall, I put him of a pair of cross ties before untacking him. I make a mental reminder that I need to clean his tack before the show this weekend, most likely our last too. I sigh remembering that Jaz will most likely be getting lots of offers this weekend at the show. My stomach drops at the thought of him being sold to someone else.

Pick up his grooming kit, I then plop it down next to him and grab a brush. I brush him over with a soft bristled brush since he was already clean. Even though we didn't ride in mud I pick out his feet with a hoof pick just in case so he doesn't get anything problems before the show.

Our last show...

I throw a blanket on him since it was going to be cold tonight before leading him outside to his field.

On my way back I glance down at the ring to see Tiffany practicing with Breeze, I keep walking. I didn't want her to see me watching. My mum pops up out of no where with her camera.

Where the heck was she?

"Great ride darling" she says smiling.

"I didn't even notice you were watching" I said sheepishly, causing her to laugh.

"That's good, at least you won't get distracted at future shows" she adds.

"Uh huh, is it okay if I clean Storms tack quickly? I know I'll be cleaning it on Friday but I might not have enough time" I ask.

"Yeah sure that's okay, I'm going to have a chat with Hailey. How about you and Emily meet me at the car in half an hour?" mum suggests

I quickly agree with the arrangements before heading off to the barn again. Finally, half an hour later Storm and Merlins tack is shiny and clean. Currently me and Emily are walking down to the car park to meet mum.

"So have you done your science draft yet?" I ask her.

"Maybe... maybe not....." Emily trails off jokingly.

"-yeah of course I have, it's probably the most exciting assessment I've got this year" she adds laughing.

Soon enough, both Emily and I were swapping ideas for our assessments.

...

At home I check my email and see my science teacher had sent me back my draft with comments on it. I go through everything and edit my assessment. I'm pretty sure he was surprised to see Emily and I had done it all ready. It's all due in a couple weeks.

Thank heavens for winter holidays.

My computer makes a beep noise and a notification pops up saying I have received an email. I open it up to see it was my dressage test for this weekend along with the details of which stall Storm is in.

Its the show that will decide whether I'm eligible to attend the state finals, so its extremely important. Little to my surprise, Tiffany is going as well.

I sigh and rub my temple. I was suppose to get my test weeks ago. Now I'll need to memorise everything last minute and have a big practice tomorrow. Since it's Wednesday, I only have tomorrow and Friday to practice. As for cross country and show jumping, I had to walk the course on the day.

The maximum height we were jumping was 1.05m which is pretty average for Storm. I has left me feeling confident for show day. Since I've worked on dressage a lot, I remember my tests almost instantly.

After finishing each and every assessment, I put my completed homework into my school bag. I then start organising my riding clothes for show day. This also included me cleaning my tall boots and looking for my show shirt. By the time it was almost 9pm, I quickly ate my dinner and got to bed. Falling asleep was the easy part, but I knew tomorrow is going to be a day full riddled with stress. I guess I'll have to deal with everything in the morning.

Work through it, day by day.