This was how we spent the next few months, making me forget the abuse I'd sustained at the track and reteaching me ground manners and wearing a saddle. Annie did much of this work alone, and when the time came she was determined to ride me first, she'd told me this many times as she groomed me after sessions.
When the day finally came to ride me Annie lead me up to the mounting block and had me stand while she climbed up slowly, and if I moved she made me move around her, one step at a time until I was back in position. Finally she swung up into the saddle and I, unaccustomed to having such a weight on my back after so long, took off bucking and galloping.
I felt her slide off when I tucked my head between my forelegs and twisted my back as I bucked. I suddenly felt bad for what I did and turned around, the reins hanging from my neck. Annie was sitting on the ground, looking slightly bewildered. She looked at me, then at her boots, then at me again. Then she started crying and shaking. As I approached her and lowered my head to nuzzle her shoulder she reached up and grabbed my nose band in shaking hands.
"I'm sorry girl!" She sobbed, pulling herself up slowly. "I just- I've got bad memories."
I nuzzled her again, trying to tell her I was sorry and she didn't have to be, I've got bad memories too.
"I guess we both suffer then. Good girl."
Good girl? Throwing off a rider at the track would have gotten me beaten over the head. She pulled the reins over my head, still shaking, and led me slowly to the mounting block.
"Alright girl." She said, her voice quavering. "Let's try this again."
I could feel how nervous she was but she didn't ask for much, only walk in several circles, patterns, figure eights, serpentines, and clover leaves. We circled jumps and the mounting block and I felt her fear slowly subside as I remained calm.
Over the weeks of ground work she slowly moved me from a walk to a trot to a canter and taught me how to neck rein. Then she desensitized me to mallets and the smack of balls, then taught me not to react when horses galloped by and someone was in my saddle. Next she roached my mane and taught me to ride with my tail tied up. It annoyed me at first, but I got used to it quickly. I wasn't perfect, I was still girth-y and I hated ropes and being tied, but as Mom said, I'd come a long way.
I had a new name too, Annie came to my stall one day and started to sing. I was eating my grain from a bucket as Annie brushed me and sang quietly.
"She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart, he spent his whole life tryin' to forget
We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time
But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind
Until the night
He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away her memory
Life is short, but this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees
We found him with his face down in the pillow
With a note that said, 'I'll love her till I die.'
And when we buried him beneath the willow
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby"
It was really a sad song but I enjoyed it a lot, it had a calming effect on all of us, even moody Paloma didn't pin her ears at Mom.
"Did you like it, girl?" Annie asked me when she was finished. I simply chewed on in silence. "Well that song's called Whiskey Lullaby, and that's your official show name!"
As time progressed and I filled out Mom took over my training, riding me on a huge field and hitting a ball around. One day I was loaded into the trailer with Paloma and Vikingo. The ride only lasted half an hour but when we got there I shot out of the trailer and pranced around like I hadn't exercised in years. Mom held a sheet and was reading it to herself, then called out to Annie: "Annie! I'm going to play Vikingo in the first chukkar, Paloma in the third, and Whiskey in the fifth. Okay?"
"Great Mom." Annie said, bridling Vikingo.
"Alright, I'm going to see how Hesham's new horse is and get my shirt, don't go anywhere."
"No Mom," Annie said, her voice sarcastic. "I'm just going to jump on Whiskey and ride away."
"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if you did."
Annie put a halter over Vikingo's bridle and tied him to the trailer, then threw a saddle pad over Paloma's back. I looked out at the huge expanse of green and snorted, this place was huge.
Since I couldn't tie Annie held me securely as she began to tack up Paloma. I grazed quietly when a girl with brown hair came running up. She embraced Annie and cried "Meemaw!" while Annie called "Granddaughter!" then they collapsed in laughter.
The girl turned to look at me and whistled. "She's a beauty." She said quietly.
"Sure is, Caroline."
"You said you found her at an auction?"
"Yep, poor girl."
"Wonder how such a gorgeous mare could end up there."
"She was definitely abused, and not very mare friendly."
"Hmm, sounds like Beast."
"She playing today?"
"Yep, Dad's on her now."
Just then something blared and I skittered sideways, bumping into Paloma who snapped at me. I squealed and kicked out at her, but Annie smacked me with the lead rope and yelled "Hey!"
"I see what you mean." Caroline said. Just then Mom came up in a red jersey with the number two on the back.
"I need Vikingo!" Annie handed Mom the reins and Mom mounted up, then rode him out to the field at a gallop. A shiver ran through me at the thought of running too.
As the horses thundered up and down the field an the air horn blared Mom rode Paloma, then came back to the trailer and leaped off the grulla.
"Alright, I need Whiskey!"
YOU ARE READING
Heart and Soul
General FictionI'm a Thoroughbred, born, bred, and bought to run. For a long time this was my only propose, my only job, but I couldn't help thinking: is there more to life? And boy did I learn that, there's a lot more. And not all of it's good... My name is Charm...
