Heartlines

Chapter 20

Chapter 20           

The cross country ride went smoothly. There were a few jumps that Kiro looked at, even hesitated at times, but eventually went over, with no refusals, and Kiro didn’t rub anything. Their time was very, very good, and it seemed if Stadium went well, Jared and Kiro could still place in the top three, despite their issues in Dressage. Jared came out of the course patting Kiro and smiling, so it was clear that he was happy with the ride as well. “Good job to both of you!” I praised as they came up to me. “Your horse is something special, I mean it Krista. You can go really far with him. He had less trouble with some of those jumps than my own.

horse would have, believe it or not. He’s fantastic, and he’s not even giving me his all!” I have to admit, Jared’s compliments made me beam with joy, and meant a lot more to me than one could imagine. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, he’s so great. I just love him. I love that you are riding him too! Unlocking all this epic potential, getting him ready for the big stuff … you are really an amazing friend, Jared. No clue what I would do without you, seriously!” We continued chatting as we switched roles, me on horseback and Jared on the ground. Jared looked over him, and a look of shock danced across his face, which worried me for a moment, “What, what is it??” Jared looked at me, then down at the horse, then back.

“Kat, he’s not sweating at all. He’s not breathing heavy, his heart-rate is normal … He’s not even phased by that course! Your horse is like … superhorse or something!” Jared laughed, as did I, as I pet my horse, “I like to think so! I can almost promise that he’ll be pretty hot after running again though. I am really glad he’s alright with that course though; I was a bit worried about him being overworked. Looks like all that stamina practice paid off!” Jared nodded in agreement, and we made our way to the Beginner Novice course. Soon enough, I was up in the start box, and the whistle sounded.

The course really was pretty short. Only 10 jumps, and not a lot of running space in between. There was one lake that we had to cross, but it was small, and almost refreshing. I myself loved running through water, and Kiro didn’t seem to mind it. The only thing that would have cost us any time was the hills. I could tell Kiro was tiring by the end of the course, and was using less power to push up the last few with less speed. I was fine with this though, he had really given his all. The jumps consisted of many things, but nothing too crazy, and Kiro didn’t look at a single thing, hopping over the natural obstacles with ease. The end of the course came almost too soon, but I could tell Kiro was done for the day. With lots of pats and hugs, we made our way to the barn.

Me and Jared both worked to un-tack Kiro, and we made our way to the wash racks together. Wearing our barn clothes now, we made fun out of the trip, and Kiro possibly came out of the event with less water than me and Jared! It was amazing, being at a show with friends, and I couldn’t believe I had let myself miss out on it for so long. Soon enough, we were back at the trailer and nearly ready to turn in for the night. I had finally forced Jared to take the bed in the gooseneck, and I settled on the couch pullout. After a few short minutes, we were both out cold, sleeping as hard as the horses likely were in the barn.