Riding The Tide

It's Showtime...Well Almost

"Why don't you go to school?" Jessie asked me one day as we were sitting in Tide's paddock watching him graze.
The warm late October sun warmed our skin against the crisp air.
"Well my mom doesn't like the public school system. When we moved here she asked if I wanted to go to school and I told her I didn't know anyone."
"All the school I miss I should be homeschooled. Besides anything would be better than going to the same school as the barn brats."
An idea popped into my head.
"Why doesn't my mom teach you? I mean I live walking distance so we could exercise the horses in the morning and do our chores then go to my house to have our lessons. I could have my mom call your mom tonight!"
The idea made me excited. The past couple of days Jessie and I had become good friends. She just had that funny mischievous humor about her that made us get along so well. Having school with her would be a dream come true.
"Speaking of lesson we have one in 15 minutes!" Jessie declared looking at her watch.
Both of us jumped to our feet and headed quickly to the main barn.
****
13 minutes later I had tacked up my mount Stormy, a pretty grey five year old mare that I had been assigned to. She had the sweetest personality and a willing attitude.Today's lesson was a western one and we were focusing on horsemanship.
First all of us had to jog on the outside. Stormy had a slow, smooth jog that was easy to sit.
"Extended the jog everyone,first I want you to practice sitting it then I'll tell you when to post!" Sherri commanded from the middle.
I nudged Stormy with my spurs to get her to move out. She responded immediately into a long strided trot. It was slightly more difficult to sit but once I got used to it, it was ok.
"Nice Jenifer slow him down a bit this isn't a race.Excellent Amelia give her more rein let her really extend out, Jessie sit up a little more..."
"And walk. Now one by one your going to work on your lope departures. Your horse should pick up the cue in one or two steps, if he doesn't stop him and back him then try again. Susan your up first,well go down the line."
Susan cues her horse Wildfire into a fast choppy lope.
"Slow him down to a walk and try again at the other end Susan."
"Amelia your next."
I put my inside leg forward,slid my outside one back and have Stormy a long kiss.
With a little hop she picked up a slow,collected lope. Whenever I felt her lose her frame I picked up with my outside leg and gave her a kiss.
"Excellent Amelia now let's see a nice stop."
I immediately shifted my weight back and said whoa. I didn't even have to use my reins Stormy stopped on a dime.
The rest of the lesson went by smoothly we worked on transitions at all the gaits with cones. I didn't mind though Stormy was a dream to ride and horsemanship was my favorite class besides showmanship.
****
The next few weeks went by fast and mostly smoothly. For starters Sherri agreed to let Jessie start her school work with me as long as her education didn't slip. Second Stormy and I had been doing great in our lessons(of course I rode her outside of them) and we had our first show in two days! It was a three day show in Richmond.
Third there were some weird things happening. For example I would find Tide's stall wide open and he would grazing nearby. Also I would put up Stormy's tack and it would get put on another rack or on the floor. And everyday my tack trunk would get messed up again. I didn't want to tell Sherri and seem like a tattle tale so I just let it happen.
On the evening before the show Jessie and I rode then took our horses to the wash racks to bath them. But in the process we got ourselves wet and got into a soap fight. It's a good thing we'd traded our riding jeans for old ones and into rain boots!
"I thought you might be hungry so I bought you girls pizza!"my mom said holding a box in one hand.
"Thanks mom! Well go tie them up then we'll dig right in!" I said taking a still wet Stormy and typing her outside of her stall where she could eat on a haybag.
Jessie and I sat on a nearby tack trunk and dug into the greasy delight.
"Mhhmm this is the best pizza in the world!" I moaned in between bites.
"Your just hungry silly!" Jessie giggled as a string of cheese made a trail from the pizza to her mouth.
"Can I have a piece!?" Oh god no! I recognized that voice...it was the voice of a devil! The voice of my kid sister Kira.
"No! Now scram squirt!"
"Aww come on Mil, give her a piece. She just so cute!"
"Here!" I thrust a piece of pepperoni in her direction. "Now stop bothering us!"
Gosh my little sister is annoying!
"You don't have to be so rude and besides I'm showing Riptide this weekend."
"Ha in your dreams your not showing Tide! Your showing Stormy in a couple leadline classes, LEADLINE as in still on the LEADROPE!"
Kira let out a huff then marched away to find mother.
It was almost midnight by the time both Stormy and Aztec were show ready. Each horse was outfitted in slinkies,blankets and polos then put in their stalls to rest up for their journey.
"Hey I wanted to check on Marmaduke before we left I'll be just a minute." Jessie said as we turned off all the lights in the main barn.
"Sure I wanted to check on Tide too."
The training barn was dark and we had to use the flash on our phones to make our way down the aisle.
A shriek came from Jessie as she peered into Marmaduke's stall.
"Jess what is it?!"
"Mmmmarmaduke's gone...."
I quickly raced to Tide's stall. He too was gone.