by E. J. Noyes
This was quite possibly my favorite part of being a veterinarian—the first moments when the mare realizes what has just happened and they get the dopey adoration thing going on. It was definitely more intense this time because I’d done the insemination, seen Stella every single day and been involved with the day-to-day stuff instead of just popping in and out to check and test and hand over medication and give directives.
Stella kept looking at the filly, still making little throaty noises which had the foal’s ears jerking. After five minutes or so, with both of them starting to move, the umbilical cord broke away from the placenta. They lay like that for another few minutes, just staring at each other and talking mare and foal love language until Stella stretched her forelegs out and stood. The moment she was up, she spun around and nosed the filly. I disengaged from Caitlyn to take care of the birth membranes, tying them up so Stella wouldn’t stand on them and tear them, because screw that sort of complication right now.
The moment I moved back to her side, Caitlyn slid her arm around my waist, pulling me closer against her. We were both soaked with rain and assorted grime and I was starting to come down from my adrenaline high which meant I was getting shaky. I shuddered. “We’re gonna have to move them inside as soon as the foal gets up.” I squinted into the rain. “Luckily it’s not too cold but I’d be happier if they were both in out of the weather.”
“Same.”
The lights in Wren and Brandon’s cottage flicked on and I knew we’d have company and another few sets of hands if needed. I sent up pleas to the universe that the foal would stand and move and suckle soon so we could get them into a stall and go back to bed. Thankfully the filly seemed to be thinking about standing, probably helped by Stella’s nuzzling and licking.
There was nothing more for humans to do except wait. Caitlyn’s hand slipped under my wet shirt to rest against my wet skin as we watched Stella and her foal bonding. Stella was acting like she’d just been given the world’s greatest gift and she couldn’t quite believe it.
I peered up at Caitlyn and murmured, “Someone’s in love.”
Her smile was brilliant in the rain-streaked spotlight beaming from the exterior of the building and she held my gaze for the longest time. That gaze said everything. We’d made the right choices. We were exactly where we were meant to be, even if it’d taken decades to find this place together.
She wiped mud off my cheek then kissed me softly. “Yes. Someone is.”
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GLOSSARY
Dressage, if you’re not familiar with it, may seem like a foreign language. Honestly—sometimes it feels like that to me too. Below are some terms you’ll find within the novel along with a few pronunciations to help you feel like a pro.
Dressage: The word is derived from a French term meaning “training.” Dressage is training a horse in such a way that develops confidence, flexibility, balance, suppleness, and obedience. Think of it as gymnastics for horses where competitors ride set tests of movements according to training levels. In dressage, as with all equestrian sport, men and women compete directly against each other and under the same rules.
Grand Prix: The highest level of dressage competition with the most difficult movements. There are three possible Grand Prix tests – the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music. It generally takes a minimum of five years for a professional to train a horse to this level.
Walk: The horse’s slowest gait, a four-beat movement.
Trot: The horse’s middle gait, a two-beat movement equivalent to a human jogging.
Canter: The horse’s third gait, a three-beat movement in which the horse “leads” with either the left or right foreleg.
Collected: Where the horse shortens its stride, shifting weight and balance to its hindquarters without changing the rhythm or tempo of the gait, or losing impulsion.
Extended: Where the horse lengthens its stride to cover more ground without changing the rhythm or tempo of the gait.
Piaffe (pee-ahhff): A highly collected trot which is cadenced and elevated, giving the impression of trotting on the spot.
Passage (pas-ahhge): A measured, very collected trot, elevated and cadenced where the horse is able to move forward.
(Canter) Pirouette: The horse pivots in a very small circle around its hind legs, which stay more or less in place, while maintaining the quality of the gait.
Half-pass: A movement in trot or canter where the horse moves forward and sideways across the arena while keeping its body almost parallel to the side. The legs appear to cross as the horse reaches sideways with each step.
Flying change (of leg): Where the horse changes the leading canter leg in the brief moment of suspension following the third beat in canter. One-time (tempi) changes are where the horse changes its leading leg every stride—and looks like skipping—and two-time (tempi) changes are where it changes its leading leg every second stride.
Aid: What the rider uses to communicate with their horse, e.g. hands/legs/seat/core.
Dressage arena: 20x60 meter space, with horse-appropriate footing, where dressage tests are performed. Letter markers are in set locations around the arena to indicate where each movement of the test is to be performed. The judges—seven at the Olympics—sit behind designated markers, giving them different vantage points to allocate scores out of a maximum of ten for each movement.
