Flame's hooves skimmed the ground in his uneven gait. All I could hear was the clip-clop clip-clop of his hooves catching the ground. I turned raised my hand and waved at my friend, then went back to posting. I raised myself from the saddle then sat back down. Again and again, over and over, I tried to match my rising and falling to his steps. Flame skittered sideways at a leaf, throwing his head up in mock fear.
My friend, Abigail Lakeland called "Yea Caileigh! Go Boclover!" My last name is Boclover and my friends tease me it should be booklover! I smiled waved again and kept going.
Flame was a rescue horse that had been found abandoned in a field. I was helping get him used to humans again and he was starting to trust me. He was learning at an amazing rate. My stables owner, who happened to be my mom, Anna Boclover, yelled, "Take him slow Caileigh. This is his first real ride since we got him. The most we've done is leading. "
Out of nowhere, a quad revved the engine to go up steep dike leading to Spirit Creek. Flame reared with me clinging to his back like a flea on a dog. I wanted to shout but I turned him in a tight circle forcing him to go on all four hooves. He was rank shaking his head and snorting. It seemed like he was telling me to flee, fighting the reins. My mom tried to get to me on her horse Lady Godiva but to no avail.
Flame suddenly grabbed the bit in his teeth, and bolted! I leaned forward grabbed more reins and got a better grip on the reins. I knew I shouldn't lean forward but I had to get myself settled or I'd fall. I leaned back in the saddle, standing in my stirrups. I was terrified but I pushed the feelings away and pulled the reins back in an ever-changing pressure squeezing my legs around flames body. I knew that if I pulled in a steady pressure he would ignore it. He hurtled across the field panicked. As we rounded the one edge of the field he started flicking his ears back listening to me. I kept talking to him, calling him a silly boy.
I said, "It's okay boy. You didn't know what that sound was. You didn't know any better; you followed your instincts. I would've done the same." I couldn't believe it! His gait was still breakneck speed but it was becoming more of a rhythm. As we rounded the edge of the field, because by some miracle he had gone in a circle, I realized we were about to go over the tree roots. Oh great! I thought to myself. Flame was still galloping, and we were about to go over rough ground. I murmured to him to be careful and something about the footing.
One second I was fine, guiding Flame around the roots, but still going fast, next he tripped and I was falling. . . . falling into a sea of colors losing track of what way was up. Before I hit the ground, I instinctively rolled over, knowing that if I hit flat I'd break something. As I smacked down my cat yowled and charged out my now open bedroom door. I woke up realizing it was a just a nightmare, reminding me of my experience with Flame. I closed the door, and then crawled back into bed. I sat and thought about what had happened. I looked at my hands and discovered that I was shaking pretty bad. It had been two and a half years since I had seen Flame, but now all of a sudden I had a nightmare about him?
The reason hit me out of nowhere. Tomorrow I was going to see another horse named Flame, and I was going to have to exercise ride him. The thing is, he had just become a stallion, and he was ornery. He was a full-bred thoroughbred named Wild At Heart's Flame.