Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Not many of them can break horses to saddle so they’re here to either learn something or watch me get handed my ass. My gaze starts to drop back down to the stirrup but then flies up, realizing that a man stands there in the group who is most decidedly not an employee of Blackburn Farms.
Gabe Mardraggon.
I have no clue when he came into the barn, why he’s here or why he didn’t announce himself. I suppose I’ve been so focused on getting my head in the right mental space to take this next big step that I’m not sure I would’ve paid him any mind had he been standing right beside Shadow.
But now that I know he’s here, I’m slightly discombobulated.
I can jump off the mounting block and go see what he wants. I would do this in the privacy of the office because no doubt, we’ll come to blows no matter the reason for his visit.
Or I could ignore him and keep true to the time I’ve carved out of my hectic schedule to conduct this very important piece of training that both my horse and I are absolutely ready for. Not only is it important, but it’s one of my greatest joys as a trainer because of how complex the entire process is to get a horse to this point.
Fuck it. I’m getting on this horse.
I put my boot in the stirrup and without hesitation haul my other leg up and over Shadow’s back. It comes to rest whisper light against his right side and I gain the other stirrup.
Shadow tosses his head but Trey holds him tight.
“Easy,” I coo, rubbing one hand against his neck until he settles. “You’ve got this, big guy.”
“Want me to walk you around the ring once?” Trey asks.
“No. Let go.”
His green eyes tinged with concern hold mine for a second, then he reluctantly releases the bridle and takes several steps back.
Okay, buddy… let’s do this.
“Walk,” I say, a simple command I’ve been training him on but he’s never had to obey with a human on his back. Elbows by my side and hands forward so I don’t put any pressure on his bit, I wait to see what he does. The young horse balks for only a second before he takes a few tentative steps forward. “Walk,” I repeat.
The barn is silent, all the people watching us, I’m sure holding their breath. Well, maybe not the Mardraggon. He might very well be wishing for Shadow to stomp me into the ground.
My confidence rises with every step Shadow takes and I apply slight pressure to the left rein to urge him closer to the wall. He responds beautifully, all that work with the long reins paying off.
The only goal I have is to walk him around the entire arena once and that will be enough for one day. We make it to the far end with no hiccups and I tug ever so gently on the right to get him to follow the curve of the wall. He steers beautifully but as we pass the large doors on the end, an unexpected event happens—a farm truck approaches down the gravel lot just outside the doors and while the truck’s engine isn’t overly loud, the crunching of rocks under the tires spooks Shadow. My first indication of his distress is the pinning of his ears backward and that’s all the notice I get. My legs tighten their grip against his sides as he jumps sideways. I drop my hands, fighting against my instinct to pull hard on the reins.
“Easy,” I murmur, but the truck ambles closer and the gravel crunching gets louder.
It does nothing to calm the young horse and he bucks three times before rearing up on his hind legs. I make a mad grab for his mane, still not wanting to pull on the reins, which could cause him to rear even higher. The long hair slips through my fingers and I’m holding nothing but air. I start to fall backward, which is about the worst way I could go off a horse, but at the last minute, I heave forward against gravity and throw myself to the side, kicking my boots free of the stirrups.
I vaguely hear Trey yell, “Fuck!”
A few of the trainers shout as I come free of the saddle. I’m still twisting in the air as my feet hit the ground, the momentum preventing me from sticking the landing. My body goes flying and I crash onto my left side in the dirt with a jarring thud.
The air is knocked out of me but an immediate assessment of the lack of severe pain tells me I haven’t broken anything. I roll to my back, wheezing as I struggle to inhale oxygen while staring at the wooden beams of the barn’s vaulted roof. I trust Trey has Shadow in hand, which is the most important thing so he doesn’t hurt himself, and I just wait for my lungs to unfreeze.