The Girl Who Loves Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center Series)

by Diana Vincent

  Someone entered the aisle leading a horse. As he came closer, Sierra recognized River and Silver Knight.

  “River! I was hoping I would see you here,” Sierra greeted, breaking into a grin.

  “How’s it going?” he replied a little sheepishly. Sierra couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her or not.

  “Okay; I’ve been leading Fiel around so he can check things out.”

  River led Silver into a stall and removed his halter.

  “How about you?” she asked.

  “Fine.”

  “You look busy.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Want some help?”

  River turned from where he had bent over to remove the horse’s leg wraps and frowned up at her.

  “Are you mad at me or something?” Sierra asked, feeling hurt by his cold reception.

  “No…I thought maybe you were mad at me.”

  “Of course not. I’ve missed you. So has João.”

  “Oh…uhm.”

  “I’m taking Fiel to his stall. If you want, I’ll come back and help you. I don’t have anything more to do for awhile.”

  “If you want.”

  “I do if you want me to,” Sierra responded in a sharp tone and determined she would not return if River was going to remain in his sullen mood.

  He stood up and finally, smiled. “Yes, I’m glad to see you. Please come back.”

  Sierra led Fiel to his stall and gave him another flake of hay, his evening grain, and made sure he had fresh water. Then she went back to help River.

  “I have two more horses to walk around. You want to lead one?” River asked when she returned.

  “Sure.”

  “Galaxy or Moose?”

  “I’ll take Galaxy.” They haltered the two horses and led them out. “Who all is competing?” Sierra asked out of curiosity.

  “Your three friends on their horses,” he answered with wry humor, “and Ann on her mare. Tess is riding Moose.”

  “She qualified on Moose?”

  “Yeah, she’s riding open training level.”

  “Wow, she’s brave,” Sierra commented as she remembered her harrowing rides on the flighty thoroughbred.

  “He’s easier to ride now. I’ve been trail riding him and jumping him outside all summer long and he’s finally listening to me.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’ll listen to her.”

  River looked at her with a conspiratorial grin. “She uses a pelham bit and running martingale to get his attention.”

  Sierra knew a pelham bit combined a snaffle and curb into one bit, and consequently more severe. The running martingale, since it prevented the horse from flinging his head up, also increased control.

  “I see Gunsmoke is here.” Sierra had noted Tess’s retired grand prix horse in one of the Pegasus stalls. “She’s not competing him again, is she?”

  “No, she’s riding him in a demo musical freestyle for the evening show Sunday night.”

  “That should be something to see.”

  “Umhm,” River replied, sounding distracted. They walked along in silence awhile until River asked, “Is João here?”

  “Yes, my mom’s here too. This is the first time she’ll see me ride.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “We’re camping over there,” Sierra indicated the field with the campers and tents. “Where are you staying?”

  “I have a cot in the dressing room stall so I can be near the horses.”

  “What about all the others?”

  “They’re staying in some motel nearby. Tess took them all out to dinner.”

  “And she didn’t take you?”

  “Of course not; I’m just the hired help.”

  “How are you supposed to eat?”

  “It’s not a problem. I have a cooler full of food and there are the vendors here on the grounds. Besides, can you imagine sitting down to eat with Tess and Crystal at the same table? Talk about a stomach ache!”

  Sierra laughed at the image her mind conjured up. “You should come to our campsite and eat with us. My mom and João are cooking some kind of special dish. He has his camper and he’s got a stove inside and all that.”

  “No thanks.”

  “Why not? You know you’d be welcome.”

  “I haven’t been back to see João since the day I…well, you know.”

  “He’s not mad at you and he misses you.”

  River thought for a few minutes, then shook his head. “No, I better not; not here.”

  “River,” she said, exasperated. “You should come.”

  He shook his head again.

  “Why not?” she persisted in spite of noting how he tensed his shoulders. She was not willing to let it drop. “Every day he asks if I’ve seen you. He really loves you, River.”

  River glanced at her with a strange look on his face.

  “He does; don’t you know that?”

  River stared straight ahead, not willing to meet her eyes. Moose suddenly jerked up his head and shied away from a paper wrapper that had been rustled by a sudden breeze.

  Sierra laughed and teased, “You are so uptight you are upsetting your horse.” As she had hoped, he smiled back. “So, will you come?”

  “Come where?”

  “To dinner,” she said again, annoyed. She wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him hard enough to rattle his brains.

  “No; I said not now.” With that he turned Moose back towards the stalls. Sierra sighed and followed him.

  Still hoping she might persuade him, Sierra hung around to help River feed and water all the horses. But he remained withdrawn and she didn’t bother to invite him again. “I guess I’ll see you later,” she said when all the chores were finished.

  River stared into Moose’s stall, watching him eating in contentment. Then he said, “Sierra, people shouldn’t care about me. I’ll just let them down.”

  She could not believe what she had just heard. She walked over to him and put a hand firmly on his upper arm. “That is about the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” she said, irritated. She was quite tired of his bad manners, his moodiness, and self-degradation.

  “I told you I’m stupid.”

  “You know, a person is just about as stupid as they want to be.” Sierra turned on her heel and strode away.

  *****

  After dinner, Sierra went back to the stalls to check on Fiel. He had finished his hay and stood sleeping with one back leg bent, when she peeked into his stall. But a person can’t sneak up on a horse. He awoke, whickered at her and strolled over for a treat. She fed him pieces of carrot.

  “Good night, beautiful Fiel,” she whispered to him with an affectionate pat on his nose. “Sleep well.”

  On her way back to the campground, River emerged from the Pegasus stalls and called softly, “Sierra?”

  She stopped and waited for him to come up to her, still annoyed with him.

  “I was waiting for you,” he said.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “I wanted to apologize…so, I’m sorry.”

  “Okay…Stupid,” she added with a grin and when he laughed, both their moods lightened. “Did you eat?”

  “Yes…um, I was going to say, I’ll feed Fiel for you in the morning so you can sleep in if you want.”

  “Thanks, that’s very sweet. But I doubt I’ll be able to sleep in and I’ll want to check on Fiel as soon as I wake up. But I appreciate the offer.”

  “Sure.”

  “Hey, where’s Storm?” Sierra suddenly remembered to ask.

  “Manuel and Rosa are looking after her.”

  “Oh, that’s good. Well…” They had reached the edge of the campground. “Actually, I could help you feed in the morning,” she offered.

  “Thanks, but with only six horses to feed it won’t take me very long. But you can help me braid if you have the time.”

  “Yeah, I can do that. I don’t ride until the afternoon.”

  “Good…thanks…wel
l, good night.”

  “River…” She started to invite him once again to come and say hello to João and her mother. But he quickly turned away and back to the stall area. She watched until he disappeared from her sight.

  *****

  27 Day One: Dressage

  When it’s getting really good, no matter if riding at home or in a show, dressage becomes art. When you’ve got a really good symbiosis with your horse, riding stops being work and becomes a celebration. – Hubertus Schmidt

  *****

  Saturday, day one of the championship, was devoted to riding dressage tests.

  Sierra awoke just before dawn and slipped out as quietly as she could so as not to wake Pam, and made her way to the stalls. She fed Fiel, who seemed quite at home now. Then she sought out River at the Pegasus stalls and invited him to breakfast. As she expected, he refused.

  After both she and Fiel had finished their breakfasts, she led him once again around the grounds to stretch his legs and give him another chance to become familiar with the surroundings.

  Then she joined River, and together they braided the manes of the five horses competing that day. Tess came by to make sure all the horses were well and preparations were on schedule. She frowned when she saw Sierra, as if trying to place where she knew the girl; but she didn’t say anything.

  Katrina and Ann arrived to help braid their own horses, and both girls greeted Sierra in a friendly manner.

  “I didn’t know you were still riding,” Ann said as she worked on Lucy’s mane.

  “Yeah, I’m riding a friend’s horse,” Sierra answered.

  “It’s really too bad what happened at Pegasus,” Ann kindly offered. “I miss you at the stable.”

  “Me too,” Katrina chimed in.

  Sierra was very touched by their friendliness.

  When the Pegasus horses were all braided, River helped Sierra with Fiel’s mane. Then she cleaned Fiel’s stall and wandered back to help River clean the Pegasus stalls; anything to stay busy and help keep her nerves calm.

  Finally, the time arrived to groom and saddle Fiel and head off to the warm-up ring. João helped her prepare Fiel while Pam looked on.

  “A perfect day,” João prattled on, trying to keep Sierra distracted and relaxed as he stood by while she mounted up on Fiel. “You two look terrific! You are ready for this.”

  In spite of trying to stay relaxed, Sierra felt nervous and overwhelmed as she noticed the beautiful, well-bred horses being warmed up. It was hard for her to believe that she and Fiel were equals, for these were all the best event horses in the region.

  As if reading her thoughts, João assured her, “You are as capable as anyone here. Remember, you qualified for this event. This is no different than your last show.”

  She smiled weakly, and then entered the ring.

  “There are about four rides ahead of you,” the ring steward told her as she checked in.

  Plenty of time. Sierra let Fiel, who was tossing his head and trying to prance, move off into a working trot. He’s reacting to my nervousness. Taking deep breaths, she concentrated on images of the dressage ring at home, blocking out the other riders. Closing her eyes for a few brief moments as she moved into a spacious gap in the ring, she tuned into Fiel’s muscles moving beneath her seat, and noting stiffness in his shoulders she realized how she was gripping with her thighs, restricting his movements. She pulled in her abdominal muscles, relaxed her thighs, and rolled her shoulders to relieve the tension that could travel down to her hands; and then opened her eyes. Fiel’s back came up underneath her seat as he rounded his neck and head, and his stiff, choppy gait transformed into a relaxed, forward-moving working trot.

  “Watch it!” A paint horse and rider almost collided with Fiel as they came around the corner on a circle. “You rode right in front of us.”

  “Sorry,” Sierra responded reflexively and recognized Crystal warming up Galaxy. She’s the one who almost ran into us!

  “That girl almost ran into you!” the rider behind Sierra said in disbelief.

  Sierra reached forward with her inside hand to give Fiel a reassuring pat, glad that someone else had noticed. She kept Galaxy in her peripheral vision from then on and stayed on the opposite side of the warm-up area.

  Crystal’s number was called and Sierra saw Galaxy leave the ring. Sierra was two rides behind her. At least with her out of the warm-up area she didn’t have to worry about an equine collision.

  “Number one-twelve, you’re on deck.” My number. Sierra completed the canter circle she had been riding and eased Fiel down to trot and then walk. He snorted and lowered his head as she rode out of the warm-up ring.

  “Good warm up,” João assured her as he met her coming out of the ring and walked alongside to the test arena. “He is relaxed and shows good energy.” He had a soft brush that he ran quickly over Fiel’s coat, and then used a rag to wipe dust off of Sierra’s boots.

  The rider in the ring turned her horse down the center line, halted and gave her salute. Sierra could now enter.

  “In you go,” João encouraged and patted her booted leg and Fiel’s neck.

  Sierra swallowed, took two deep breaths, and gathered the reins lightly into her fingers. Fiel immediately arched his neck at her touch and lowered his head into the bit. “Good boy,” she whispered and they entered the ring at an energetic trot.

  As Fiel responded to her aids, Sierra tuned out everything and everyone except her horse. He worked with impulsion from his hind end, flicking his ears at her signals and making smooth transitions right on the letter the moment Sierra asked. The test called for a serpentine figure at the trot, and their loops were symmetrical with Fiel changing the bend of his body as they moved through the figure. He jumped into a rocking canter for the twenty-meter canter circles. When Sierra released the reins for the free walk, he stretched his neck forward and down into the bit without losing energy, his walking steps like marching. His final halt was square. Sierra saluted the judge and gave Fiel the reins as they walked out of the ring, patting him on both sides of his neck; so proud of him!

  Applause came from the bleachers. Pam and João stood, clapping enthusiastically, broad smiles on their faces. “Great ride,” someone called out to Sierra.

  She dismounted and hugged Fiel around his neck. He blinked at her as if saying, “What’s the big deal? Where’s my carrot?” Then Pam was hugging her and João was patting her on the back. At that moment it didn’t matter what score they earned or whether they had placed. Sierra knew Fiel and she had done their best and she was elated.

  *****

  When the dressage scores were posted at the end of the day, the Pegasus team had done very well. Tess was in first place on Moose in the open training division. In junior novice, Crystal was in first place, Gloria fourth, and Katrina sixth. Ann, riding junior training level, was in third place.

  To Sierra’s surprise, she was second in junior novice, having scored only one point less than Crystal.

  *****

  28 Day Two: Cross Country

  A horse gallops with his lungs, perseveres with his heart, and wins with his character. – Federico Tesio

  *****

  Sunday was cross country day, the most grueling as well as the most exciting phase of combined training; and also the phase where most accidents and injuries occurred. Sierra’s thoughts were often on Magic’s tragedy as she and João walked her course after her dressage test. This was also the phase in which she had the most nervousness and apprehension.

  Sunday morning Sierra nestled a few extra minutes in her sleeping bag going over in her mind the twenty obstacles Fiel and she would face later in the day. The course included a water crossing, a ditch, and a bank. The heights of the jumps were up to two feet-eleven inches. None of them are any more difficult than we have faced at home, she kept telling herself to calm the increasing fluttering in her stomach.

  *****

  “Time to get ready,” João said, one hour before Sierra’s ride.
His words caused her stomach to take a sudden flip of anxiety and her face paled. He laughed, “You look just how I used to feel before a big race. Sit here.” He guided her into the canvas folding chair they had set near Fiel’s stall. Pam, who had come to watch the preparations, massaged Sierra’s shoulders while João did the same for Fiel; massaging his back, the muscle groups of his rump and shoulders, and down his legs.

  After twenty minutes of relaxing massages for the two competitors, Sierra stood up, did a few stretches, and helped João brush Fiel’s coat, comb through his mane and tail, and wrap his legs with protective track bandages. Then Sierra slipped on her boots, protective vest, and helmet while João saddled and bridled Fiel.

  Either Sierra’s excitement was contagious, or it was in the air affecting Fiel, for he pranced at the end of his bridle reins as Sierra led him to the warm-up area. Even so, he minded his manners and never pushed himself ahead of her. Sierra flushed with pride whenever she heard passersby comment, “Look at that beautiful horse! What a magnificent animal! There’s the look of a champion!”

  “Begin with trotting forward; encourage him to stretch,” João advised after Sierra mounted.

  She nodded; her mouth dry. Horses cantered in circles in the warm-up area and some riders were going over a low cross-bar jump. She noted Crystal cantering a circle on Galaxy with Tess nearby coaching her.

  Fiel snorted and pranced, unable to stand still. “Easy, boy,” Sierra stroked his neck and touched the reins to get his attention. Without waiting for her signal, Fiel jumped into a canter and even kicked out in a small crow hop. “Easy, easy,” Sierra repeated as she sat deep and took up an inch of rein to bring him back to a trot. He obeyed, but she could feel his pent up desire to move faster.

  “Let him gallop once or twice around to get the ants out from underneath his saddle,” João coached.

  Sierra released the reins and Fiel jumped back into canter. She moved forward into two-point position and allowed him to lengthen into a hand-gallop as she guided him well around the other horses. When he began to snort and lower his head, releasing tension, she sat back, deep in the saddle and squeezed the reins with her fingers. Fiel came obediently to trot. “Good boy,” she praised him, and touched her fingers to his neck.