The Girl Who Loves Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center Series) Read online

  Magic was only green broke, meaning he had very little training under saddle. The plan was for Tess to school him along this year and Crystal was only supposed to ride him during lessons with Tess coaching her. Sierra guessed that the day Crystal came to ride him and got into the argument with River, that she did not have Tess’s approval. One of her school friends had come with her that day and Crystal probably wanted to show off. Most of the time, Crystal only came to ride two days a week, the days she had her lessons on Magic. Crystal liked riding in competitions but left the day-to-day training and care of her horses to Tess and River.

  Crystal’s two best friends, Gloria Sanders and Katrina Lund, also boarded at Pegasus. Gloria owned a well-trained eight-year-old Dutch warmblood, Silver Knight (nicknamed Silver), an impressive gray gelding that stood seventeen hands. She had taken reserve championship last year at beginner novice level, and planned to compete this year at the next level up – novice level. She also took two lessons a week from Tess. Like Crystal, she never groomed or tacked up her own horse, always ordering River to do it for her.

  Katrina owned a nine-year-old appaloosa mare, Calliope, and had placed in most of her events last year at beginner novice level, winning one second place, and the rest fourth and fifth places. She also planned to move up to novice level in the upcoming season. Katrina showed up to ride several days a week in addition to her lessons, and unlike Crystal and Gloria, preferred to manage her own horse. Of the three girls, it seemed Katrina was the only one who had a genuine love for her animal.

  Five other boarders competed in combined training under Tess’s coaching, a high school girl and four adults competing in senior amateur divisions. The other five boarded horses were in training with Tess, and their owners seldom came to the stable. The horses in training remained anywhere from two weeks to six months, and there was a constant stream of horses in training moving in and out.

  The remaining four horses were owned by Pegasus and used as school horses for riding lessons. Morrison, a bay quarter horse with a placid disposition and a tendency to laziness, served as a safe beginner’s mount. Muffin, a large black and white pony, sixteen years old, had a successful career as a hunter-jumper. He was an excellent first mount for smaller riders to learn to jump and compete in their first show. Fala, a ten-year-old black Arabian mare had a sweet and willing disposition and also was used in competitions. Gunsmoke, a twenty-two-year old retired Hanoverian gelding was occasionally used in lessons for more advanced riders. He had carried Tess through advanced level combined training competitions and secured her reputation as a successful event rider. After eventing, he continued his career in dressage, all the way to grand prix level.

  Sierra wondered about River’s place at the farm. He seemed to be just hired stable help, taking his orders from both Tess and Manuel. But he pushed the limits of rudeness with many of the boarders and seemed to get away with it. Tess and he barely tolerated each other and the hatred between him and Crystal was tangible. Yet he worked very hard and with no days off.

  But what was obvious to Sierra was that River loved the horses, and the horses all loved him. Neat Trix, or Trixie, the temperamental mare when in season, turned her back and threatened to kick anyone who approached her; except for River. Raider, a thoroughbred gelding who often decided he did not want to be caught at the end of the day, never ran away from River. Muffin, who had figured out how to open any latch, untie knots, and even unbuckle a halter, frequently escaped from his paddock to follow River around like a dog, but ran away if anyone else tried to catch him. River treated each horse with gentleness and patience, and surprisingly, Sierra began to sense that he treated her in the same manner as the horses.

  *****

  7 First Ride

  Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

  *****

  One Saturday after they had finished cleaning stalls and had just finished sweeping the aisles, River asked, “When is Tess going to give you a riding lesson?”

  “I don’t know, she hasn’t said anything to me,” Sierra answered.

  “Are you sure you want to take lessons from her?”

  “Of course!” Sierra frowned at him, surprised he would ask that. “Tess Holmes is the best rider and trainer around. I hear Crystal, Gloria, and Katrina at school bragging all the time about all her wins.”

  “But you’ve seen her give lessons.”

  “Yes.” Sierra wasn’t sure what River was getting at.

  “You’ve seen how the horses look afterwards, and you still want to learn from her?”

  “Well, I want to learn from the best,” Sierra insisted, but a little nagging feeling crept into the back of her mind. It did disturb her to see how upset and frightened some of the horses appeared after their lessons.

  “Have you ever ridden before?”

  “Only once; two years ago I got to go on a trail ride for my birthday.”

  River hung up his broom and paused, thinking. Then making a decision he said, “Come on.” He led Sierra to the outside paddock where Morris stood asleep, resting on one hind leg and with his head low and ears flopped to the sides.

  “Amigo,” River called to him. Morris looked up and pricking his ears forward nickered almost soundlessly. He sauntered toward them as River opened the gate and the two kids stepped inside. As Morris reached them River gave him a treat from his pocket, talking to him softly and stroking his neck. Then he told Sierra to put on his halter.

  “Follow me,” River directed and led the way out of the paddock, but instead of going towards the stable, he headed to the open fields. “You might as well start getting used to the feel of a horse underneath you.” River stopped and took the lead rope from Sierra’s hand.

  “Really?” Sierra’s eyes widened in disbelief and a grin split her face.

  River showed her where to stand next to the bay’s side and then boosted her up onto the middle of Morris’s warm, soft back.

  “Keep your body loose and feel him underneath you,” River instructed and led Morris off at a walk.

  The motion was incredible! At first Sierra just enjoyed the soft feel of his back. Then she started to focus on the movement of his muscles; how his hip and shoulder on one side moved forward, then the hip and shoulder on the other side. She felt his rib cage swing back and forth against her legs in rhythm with his walking motion.

  “Try closing your eyes,” River suggested.

  She did and it was amazing how much more aware of Morris’s movements she became.

  River led on at a leisurely pace around the field, going up and down small hills. The first time going downhill Sierra almost felt like she was going to slip forward over Morris’s neck.

  “Sit deep and stay centered over his back,” River told her. Going uphill, he told her to grab a handful of mane and keep her weight forward over Morris’s shoulders.

  Too soon River headed back to the stable. “Andale,” he spoke to Morris who lagged at the end of the lead rope, eyeing a particularly tempting green clump of grass.

  “How come you always talk to the horses in Spanish?” Sierra asked; something she had wondered about.

  “I don’t know…I guess it has softer tones.”

  “Oh, yeah. I think so too. How come you speak Spanish so well? You don’t look Mexican.”

  “I’m not.”

  “So..?” She asked again. She was used to pulling information from River bit by bit.

  He shrugged. “I’ve grown up around stables and there are always Cuban and Puerto Rican or Mexican workers. I’ve spoken Spanish as long as I’ve spoken English.” He turned his attention to Morris, clucking at him to step up his pace and effectively discouraged any more of the questions she wanted to ask. They reached the edge of the field and River told her how to swing her right leg around and then push a
way and jump down.

  “That was so awesome,” Sierra exclaimed softly as River handed her the lead rope and they led Morris back to his paddock. “Thanks.”

  A battered, older model Ford pick-up and equally dilapidated horse trailer sat in the stable yard and in view as they crested the hill from the fields. Not quite the type of outfit that clients of Pegasus usually show up in, Sierra thought.

  River swore something under his breath and in a solemn tone told Sierra to take Morris back to his paddock. He strode off toward the stable yard and the squareness of his shoulders testified to his distress.

  “Something’s wrong,” Sierra said to Morris as she led him back into his paddock. She slipped off his halter and then hugged him around his neck and whispered, “Thanks.” Morris snuffled at her pockets for the treat he knew should be there. Sierra pulled out broken pieces of carrot and fed them to him off the flat of her palm. With a final pat, she reluctantly left the paddock and walked toward the stable yard. She felt a little nervous about River possibly in a confrontation with a client.

  A tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man stood with arms folded watching as River backed a hooded, blanketed, and booted horse down the ramp of the trailer. Manuel stood on the other side of the ramp to help guide the animal straight back. As soon as the horse felt all four of his feet on level ground he raised his head high and trumpeted out a loud neigh, announcing his presence. Answering whinnies came from the paddocks and horses with ears pricked and heads over the top rails, stared at the newcomer. The horse tugged at his halter, blowing loudly through his nose, and shifting his hind end side-to-side as he looked around.

  He’s awesome! Sierra watched as River led him around in a tight circle several times to keep his attention.

  “I don’t even have a stall ready for him,” River snapped out angrily at the tall man.

  “Ees ready,” Manuel informed him. “Mees Tess, she call.”

  At that moment, a white Lexus pulled into the stable yard; Tess’s car.

  Manuel spoke to River in Spanish, and shaking his head, River led the new horse away, following Manuel. The fractious animal danced at the end of his lead rope, throwing his head up, and several times River needed to turn him in a tight circle to regain control. They did not take the horse into the stable but down a path that led to a mobile home where Manuel and Rosa resided. There was a small barn and paddock on that part of the property.

  Tess had parked her car and stood watching the retreating horse. The tall man strode up behind her and grabbed Tess about the waist and swung her around in glee. He was a handsome man and dressed in tailored clothes that did not match the quality of his truck and trailer.

  “Five wins!” he yelled out above Tess’s laughter and her cries of, “Cray, put me down!”

  He did set her down and the two fell into an embrace and kissed.

  “Oh my,” Sierra whispered and retreated back into the stable out of sight, not wanting to inadvertently witness a private situation. She heard their voices in animated conversation and then the sounds of the office door as it opened and closed. Only when silence reigned in the stable yard did she dare go back outside. River and Manuel with the new horse had disappeared. She walked down the lane of paddocks and said goodbye to the horses, giving each one a last treat before she headed home.

  *****

  “What horse was that who came in yesterday?” Sierra asked River the next morning as they mucked stalls.

  “The stallion?” he asked back.

  “He’s a stallion?”

  “Yeah, a race horse.”

  “Tess is training a race horse?”

  “No, he belongs to my father.” River answered without enthusiasm.

  “That was your father?” Sierra asked in surprise.

  River didn’t answer right away but his next toss from his pitchfork seemed a bit forceful. “Yeah,” he finally replied and turned his back to end the conversation.

  His father? Having an affair with Tess? Sierra wanted to ask more questions but sensed River didn’t want to talk anymore. They finished cleaning in silence. Sierra pushed away the hope that River might lead her out on Morris again. He was not in one of his better moods.

  “Let’s go get Morris,” River stated as they hung up the brooms after the final sweep of the aisles.

  “Really?” Sierra asked in surprise.

  “If you want,” he answered.

  “Of course!”

  *****

  Ballroom dancing could be a lot of fun, Sierra thought, especially with a decent partner; maybe someone like Luke Abrams. As Billy awkwardly tried to lead her around the gym floor during PE, she felt like they were doing the fox trip rather than the fox trot. For the third time, Billy stumbled and stepped on her foot.

  “Sorry, hngh hngh,” he apologized adding his obnoxious laugh. “Sorry.” The second apology was addressed to Sierra but the first to the couple who had bumped into them. Sierra looked over Billy’s shoulder and this time it was Gloria and her partner Greg, who had purposefully jostled against Billy. The two times before had been Crystal dancing with Justin.

  “Watch it, blob!” Greg responded rudely to the apology. Gloria snickered and Sierra saw Crystal and Justin with smirks on their faces as they danced nearby.

  “Billy, will you quit apologizing? They’re the ones bumping into you,” she snapped at him, very annoyed. Those close enough to overhear her chastise Billy tittered in amusement; all except Luke. Sierra noticed him watching over his partner’s shoulder with a frown on his face.

  “Having a little spat with your boyfriend?” Crystal asked in a sugary sweet voice as she and Justin gracefully danced around Sierra and Billy.

  Sierra took over the lead from Billy, which wasn’t hard to do, and forcefully guided him to the edge of the gymnasium floor, away from the others. She could imagine the fun they were having watching a girl of her small size pushing around Billy’s bulk.

  Billy remained quiet, except for clearing his throat several times. Then Sierra noticed the embarrassed flush of his down-turned face. Of course he knows it was their fault, she realized. How else could a boy like Billy respond to public humiliation but to try to make a joke of it? Sierra wasn’t sure however, if the target of the bullying had actually been Billy or if Crystal still had a grudge against her. She knew Crystal did not like her; she just didn’t understand what she had done to merit Crystal’s scorn.

  Sierra let her mind drift back to the weekend and the incredible experience of sitting on the broad, soft and warm back of Morris and how awesome to feel his muscles as he walked. With those thoughts she was able to survive PE.

  *****

  8 Lessons

  Only when you see through the eyes of the horse, can you lead the dance of the mind. – Pete Spates

  *****

  “When are you going to give Sierra lessons?” River had stepped into the office where Tess worked at the computer.

  Tess sighed, her hands hovering over the keyboard and still focused on the screen. “How long has she been working here?”

  “Over a month.”

  “Has she ever ridden before?”

  “No.” He had continued to take Sierra out in the back field after their chores on weekends, leading her bareback on Morris or another horse with a calm disposition. He didn’t think that really qualified as riding so didn’t mention it.

  Tess sighed again in exasperation. She turned her head toward River, glaring. “You know I don’t work with beginners anymore. This is a business, not a babysitting service.”

  “Are you going to pay her for her work then?”

  “She’s getting experience with horses for free.”

  River felt his anger rising. “You’re using her,” he accused.

  Jerking her hands off the keyboard, Tess swiveled in her chair to face River, her face contorted in anger. “Is she complaining?”

  “No, she never complains. But you promised her lessons.”

  “Well, quite frankly, I
didn’t think she would last. And I have no open lesson spots. She will just have to wait.”

  “Let me give her lessons then,” he offered.

  That caused Tess to sit up straighter and stare at River in surprise. “You?” she asked incredulously. “You hate all the girls that ride here.”

  “Sierra’s different,” he replied, his own posture stiffening.

  Tess studied him. She had known River since he started working for her five years ago at the age of nine, and she realized she still thought of him as a little boy. But the boy standing in front of her was not so little; he was almost as tall as she and in spite of his thinness there was a breadth to his shoulders…and was that a hint of whiskers above his upper lip? He’s what…fourteen now?...a teenager and certainly of an age to notice girls. Does he have a crush on Sierra? She stifled the urge to laugh and the desire to make a needling remark. Of all the attractive, well-off girls that rode at Pegasus, he would be interested in the one that still looked like a little girl and was poor.

  “Fine.” Tess turned back to the computer. “Get her started.” It was really no concern of hers what River’s interest might be in Sierra, except as an advantage to her.

  River left, barely keeping his anger under control. He muttered a few uncomplimentary remarks to himself, which helped lighten his dark mood as he returned to his chores.