Bubba and the Chocolate Farm 3- Heartfelt Horses- Where Love is Enoug

by Connie Foss

  getting Bubba all brushed and pretty, I have something I want to talk to

  you about…something I hope you will be interested in.”

  lucky today, for I’m getting two brushings...never too many.

  While John is busy with the brush, Bill says, “John, we need an outdoor trail for the therapy program. It should be fairly long, and wind around a bit. It will need to have rock borders to help the horses stay on the trail.This project will help people who have Multiple Sclerosis or have had a stroke or something, we could have a mailbox to serve as a challenge, a gate to open and close from the saddle, a bridge over a pool, and a water hazard to walk through. I expect, as we get into it, we’ll think of other things that might help shrunken muscles and stiff backs. There’s an Eagle Scout who would like to take this on as his community project, but he’s going to need help, not just physical help but a bit of guidance, too. Is that something you would be interested in?”

  and has me all tacked up without any help from Bill. Good! “That sounds interesting, Bill. It would be nice to be able to take

  Bubba out and ride a trail like that.Would it be okay if I think about it

  for a day or two?”

  “Sure. Jimmy, the scout, won’t be able to do much until the middle

  of May when school is out. Don’t feel you have to say yes. I just thought

  it might be something you would enjoy and it would be a big help. “Since Whysper is riding Clarence in the ring right now, let’s

  watch. I’d like to see how she’s doing.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

  A Run-Away

  on Clarence. Clarence could never win a beauty contest, but he could well win a cuddling contest.To me, he looks like a stuffed pony, not very big, maybe thirteen hands at the withers, and a teddy bear tan.Then a glance at his nose, and you think Clarence is too funny to be true.

  Clarence is absolute proof that looks are highly over-rated. Everyone who knows Clarence and, unfortunately I’m not one of those, says he is the sweetest, most cooperative of any of us. Obviously, Whysper loves him. Looks like a hint of a smile is on her face, though it’s hard to tell for sure under the shadow of her helmet.

  There are four people in the ring besides Whysper. Jack is in the center telling Whysper what to do.There’s a lady with Clarence’s lead rope, and two other women, one on each side of Clarence. Each has her hand on one of Whysper’s legs. Looks like that’s to keep Whysper from any harm. Just now Jack is having Whysper do some exercises in the saddle while Clarence walks. “Arms up and out, turn your body and look to your left.Turn and look to your right.Twist, and with your left hand touch Clarence’s rump.With your right hand, twist and touch Clarence’s rump. Pick up the reins.Tell Clarence to Whoa.”

  Jack walks back to the group and talks quietly to Whysper, probably telling her that she has done a good job.Then they all head for Clarence’s stall, and we have the work ring to ourselves.

  Bill is leading me, but turns to John and says, “Time to mount up, John. Just a reminder that when riding, your heels need to be down, your back straight yet relaxed, and your left hand controlling the reins. Usually, we start a rider doing direct reining, where you have a rein in each hand. However, that wasn’t necessary with you. Sometime in the future, if you want, you can ride Bubba English.Then you will use direct reining.

  “Once you’re comfortable in the saddle, the ball of each foot on the stirrup, start with a relaxed walk, John, twice around the ring.Then tell Bubba to trot and we’ll go from there. Right now I’m going to stand right here and watch you do your thing. Okay with you?”

  “Yes. It’s a little scary, but I’m ready.”

  John is very good with his signals and though he’s a little tense, he’s doing well. It sure feels different to have him on my back instead of Meg or Lilly. It’s not just the difference in weight, but the difference is… oh, I’m not sure how to say what the feeling is that I have when Meg is riding. It’s almost like she becomes part of me. But John is getting there.”

  I glance at Bill as we trot past him, and there’s a smile on his face. Maybe John is smiling, too, but I can’t tell.

  Suddenly there is a whoosh as something swoops right over John’s head and out the door and, with it, goes John’s composure. I can only imagine what John thought it was…maybe a missile or a drone, but

  to escape. He kicks me in the side and grabs around my neck. I don’t know what to do. A kick means go fast, but I know that’s not what Bill wants.

  Bill is running to us, so I know I have to stop so Bill can help John. Bill grabs my reins and reaches up to reassure John, but John is terror stricken and jumps out of the saddle, running out the door.

  Bill is quickly in the saddle and I gallop out the door.As we get to

  to the ground. Both men lie there, struggling to get their breath. John is sweating and trembling, still suffering from his elevated startle reaction, but beginning to regain control.

  would never let anything happen to you. It’s okay.”

  It seems a long time before John is quiet enough that he wants to get up.When he does and he and Bill have rested a while, Bill asks, “Do you want to get back on Bubba, John? The old saying is that when you get bucked off, you need to get back on to prove to that horse and yourself that you are in control.What do you think?”

  I’m beginning to wonder if John is going to say anything, when he slowly says,“If I’m ever going to get well, I need to prove to myself that I can do things, that the world is not out to get me. So, yes, I want to get back in the saddle.”

  “By the way, John,” Bill says with a grin on his face,“Did you notice you didn’t fall off?”

  Though we probably aren’t going to canter today, maybe John is proving something to himself, the only one to whom he needs to prove anything.

  Later, as Bill and I are heading back to our barn, I see Feather. Lilly is long lining her in the outdoor round ring. I nicker at her and she answers me. My, do I ever like the looks of that gal!

  I’m settling down in my stall, when I hear voices, the tailgate of a trailer being lowered, and the scrambling sound of a horse unloading from a trailer. When I hear the questioning whinny, I know it’s Dulcie.

  from my son. I won’t get to see them today, for they will be in a stall in the breeding barn for a while to settle in. Just knowing Dulcie is here is exciting.

  There is so much to be excited about, but I’m a little anxious, too, for the show is next week, and I’m wondering how Lilly and I will get along in my jumping class. I mustn’t be fearful like John tends to be. Rather I must be strong and know I can handle whatever, as John is learning to be and do.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

  First Show of the Year

  Lilly is really uptight.The show is tomorrow and she is running around like a chicken with her head cut off. She does have a lot on her shoulders, but Bill is helping, as are Nancy and Jack. It’s just that, with Meg in the house rather than down here with us, Lilly is pretty much in charge of all of the tack, the costumes, and the equipment it takes when we go to a show. Fortunately, the farrier came last week to trim

  spring bath, too, so for all practical purposes we horses are ready, and eager, I should add.

  “Bill, you’ll make sure all of the right feeds for the horses are in the trailer, right? And the water and feed buckets? Then we’ll need a hose and a rake, all of the grooming tools. Don’t forget the saddle soap. I’m going to run up to the house now and get the paper work from Meg. She has it done, doesn’t she?”

  “Lilly, I am impressed with your diligence and sense of the need to be organized, but hey, gal, we’ve done this a hundred times. You’re not on your own.While you’re up with Meg, be sure to get her list of things to pack for a show. That will help you, for it’s pretty complete and has stood the test of time.” Bill is a reassuring guy to have around, but I must say, Lilly’s anxious mood is contagious. I can feel her unease spreading amongst all of us.

 
The next morning, show day, I awake to a terrible thought. It must

  dreams. Fortunately, I can’t remember them all, but they left me with a vision of something happening over a jump, unseating Lilly, and she falls to the ground. Surely that won’t happen. It was just a dream. Reality is happening right now and it’s good, for we are all loaded and on the way to the show.

  Percy doesn’t come because this is for Arabians or half-Arabians,

  shot at an under-saddle class. What looks the most interesting to me

  the trailer we’re mostly occupied with crunching some hay, but there’s a little conversation. Feather is in a stall nearest to Baby, but I can hear what they’re talking about, and it kind of tells me a little about what kind of a gal Feather is. I’m not too sure at this point that she is as nice as she looks. She sounds kind of self-centered and spoiled to me. But it’s too soon to judge.

  In spite of Lilly’s worrying, the show is going smoothly for us. It was fun pulling the show buggy with Bill driving, and Bill hung our blue ribbon on the wall along with a nice assortment of colors. I have been

  evening when Lilly and I will jump.

  The sun is setting when Bill walks quickly down the aisle to our stalls, carrying a cup of coffee and a bag of takeout food. “Here, Lilly,

  take this food into the tack room, sit down and eat it. And, wonder of wonder, she does.

  As Bill takes over getting me ready, I like his strong, take-charge manner. I can feel myself begin to relax a bit, though not before Bill senses my unease. “It’s been different this time, hasn’t it, Bubba? We’re all missing Meg.You’re not the only one. No one could do a better job than Lilly has, but it’s not the same.You’re strong, Bubba.You can handle this.”

  Maybe the difference in the feel of this show is more than missing Meg. Maybe showing has lost its appeal. For me, it isn’t new any more. Could that be? I realize my thoughts aren’t focused on the show but are back at the farm with Annie and Dulcie,Tom and Mr. O…even Boo and John. Winning a ribbon at a show seems so unimportant compared to what is real at home.That’s probably why I can’t get into the show mood.

  By the time Lilly and I are in the workup area prior to my class, unimportant to me.At the moment, all I care about is pleasing Lilly.

  The announcer grabs my attention as he calls our number, number thirteen. I feel Lilly tense in the saddle. I can picture a tight smile on her face as we walk slowly into the ring.

  sweating.The crowd is quiet, as they watch to see how we proceed.As

  crying off to my right, a dog barking outside the ring. I am aware of the world, but I am focused. As we come out of the circle and look to the jump, Lilly’s legs tighten on my barrel, my muscles follow her lead, and we shift into a comfortable canter. I hear the thud of my hooves as they increase in speed. As Lilly shifts her weight forward, my feet lose the comfort of the ground, my neck reaches forward, my body lengthens out.When I hear my hooves again hitting the ground and don’t hear any tick from the jump, I know we are clear, and Lilly heads us toward the next jump.

  have done in All-Breed shows, but a jump is a jump. Something that has always been a joy for me. My thoughts take me back to my younger years, when my sister Julie and I would play tag in the pasture and I would jump over that old log.What wonderful times we had.And now she’s gone, but her daughter Baby is going to be a jumper, too.

  Time to speed up my canter as the jump nears. I’m ready and I feel Lilly’s weight shift.‘No, that’s wrong, Lilly! You’re off balance! Center your weight!’ I want to holler.

  Now I’m sweating all over. I can’t pull her to the center.We’re almost there…it’s too late. I hit the top rail of the jump, but it is secured, and my body heels to the right as Lilly loses her stirrup and tumbles to the ground. Oh, no! This is not a nightmare.This is real!

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

  Oh, No, Not Again

  I nuzzle Lilly as she lies there on the ground. She doesn’t respond. I nuzzle again before a man pushes me aside and kneels beside Lilly to help her. Soon there is a group of men hovered around. Two of them with a stretcher carry Lilly out of the ring. I watch her go and wish that it had never happened.

  “It’s okay, Bubba. It wasn’t your fault. I saw how Lilly lost her balance, but lets have a look at you,” Bill says as he squats down and

  this road before.

  “I need a vet here! Call the vet!” Bill shouts to the announcer. “The show vet to the show ring.The show vet to the show ring,”

  bounces throughout the show grounds, and soon Doc is by my side.The crowd is on its feet but totally silent.

  “Oh, no, Bubba! Not again! But it’s your other front leg this time. You’re tough; you can handle this.You’ve done it before. Let’s get you

  head to his clinic.As we leave the ring, the crowd reacts as one standing and clapping, sending me their love and encouragement.

  I know what is happening, where I am. I’m at Doc’s clinic, and I know who is here, but it’s like a dream. I’m not in it. I’m just watching it. I don’t feel anything, neither sadness nor joy. I hear Bill tell Doc that Lilly is okay with no broken bones. She is already back at the show getting everything loaded up to head home.

  a break but a crack. I think we won’t have any trouble getting it to heal without surgery or pins or anything, other than time.” Hearing Doc say that, it begins to register with me and I am beginning to feel again. I feel my leg is sore but I can stand on it, as long as I don’t put any weight on it. Looking down I see it’s in a kind of cast. I also feel relieved, that is until I hear what else Doc is saying.

  those front legs be able to take the shock of jumps any more. However,

  The Chocolate Farm needs.”

  I don’t know how this hits Bill, but it hits me like a ton of bricks. Never to jump again? Never to feel the wind in my mane as I soar over a jump? Never to feel the freedom jumping gives me? The satisfaction of being able to jump anything that gets in my way? Never again to be the master of my life?

  “Well, that is some consolation, but I doubt if that will be enough to appease Meg. It’s going to be hard to go home tonight and tell her about Bubba. She will think it’s all her fault, because she didn’t ride him in the show. And Lilly will think it’s all her fault, because she lost her balance. I’m going to have a very sad stable for I don’t know how long. Want to come help, Doc?”

  “No way, Bill.That’s a tough situation, but life is what happens and you deal with it. Leave Bubba here for the night. In fact, don’t come get him until the end of the day tomorrow, and that will give him time to get used to that leg. I’ll keep him on shots and give you some medicine for him when you take him home.As long as the leg hurts some, he will be less apt to use it, and it will be more apt to heal quickly. I know you

  “Thanks, Doc, I’ll get out of your hair now and see what I can do to help get my crew and the horses home. See you tomorrow afternoon,” and Bill and Doc both leave my stall.

  So life is what happens and you deal with it.Yeah, sure, that’s easy to say, but how do you deal with it? How do you go from being a successful, happy jumper to being a horse with his four feet stuck to the ground. If I weren’t so sore, I’d kick the dickens out of this stall. I feel so mad, I want to tear something up. But what good would that do? Nope, I’ll just have to deal with it, as Doc said.At least, I have Annie and Dulcie waiting for me.

  The night outside the clinic is quiet, the moon shining on the world. I can hear an owl off in the nearby woods. I wonder where Mr. O is? I miss Tom.They’re all going to feel bad about my leg, but I’ve got to deal with it.They don’t. I’d better just suck it up, as I heard a trainer once say. Feeling sorry for myself is not going to help.

  I can’t sleep, though I’m really tired. It’s not the pain that’s keeping me awake; it’s the thinking. Maybe if I just remember Julie and the fun we used to have, that will get me to thinking happy thoughts. It should help. And it does, for suddenly I am awakened by “Hiss-hoo, Bubba.”
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br />   “Mr. O, is that you? I’m so glad you came to see me.You have such a lot of wisdom, and I need some of that.”

  “Hiss-hoo,” Mr. O says from his perch on a low branch of the tree just outside the window, “you have all the wisdom you need. So you won’t jump any more; you have lots of other things that make you important.You will still have all the girl friends you could possibly want, plus you are a therapy horse now. I don’t want to make you feel bad about your past, but I’d be willing to swear an oath that your therapy work will make you more important and loved than jumping could ever do.”

  “Really, Mr. O? I just help John a couple of times a week. And there’s nothing I do for him that’s special.”

  “Hiss-hoo, maybe it doesn’t seem special to you, but if that is the case, why did John sneak over during the night to talk to you, to get some comfort from you?”

  Hmm, that gives me something to think about.Why did he indeed? “Hiss-hoo, well I’m off to see how Lilly is. She’s going to have a tough time getting over this. It’ll be a lot harder for her than it will be for you, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about Lilly.” With

  to think.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

  What’s the Point

  At last, I’m back in my stall. My leg is still in a cast and will be for

  is being extra nice to me, making me feel appreciated. Even Percy says nice things, and I know that’s hard for him.The miniature goat, Patches, who lives with Percy probably forced him to be nice. I wish they’d all stop. I don’t like all of this attention. It seems like they’re handling me with kid gloves, afraid to treat me like everybody else. It’s too much. I want things back to normal.

  I haven’t been home long and am still eating my grain when Tom comes jumping up on the tailboard in my stall. “So, Bubba, you did it again, huh? Well, it’s not the end of the world.You still have three good legs and your fourth one will heal. Not like Ten. Remember my little kitten Ten? She arrived on this earth with just three legs and that never stopped her one iota. She always did anything she wanted, and I never heard her say,‘Poor Ten.’ So get off on the right foot, Bubba, or should I say ‘leg.’ Suck it up, and don’t go blubbering about ‘Poor Bubba.’”