Heya guys, so I decided to rewrite this story cause I reread the, what, 700 words? And cringed... So it was formally known as Lovers or Rivals but I changed it to I Love You But I Shouldn't. I hope that you give this story a chance, even if you aren't an equestrian. So enjoy!

Terms to know:

Eventing (also known as horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combination compete against other combinations across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding. The competition may be run as a one-day event (ODE), where all three events are completed in one day (dressage, followed by show jumping and then cross country) or a three-day event (3DE), which is more commonly now run over four days, with dressage on the first two days followed by cross country the next day and then show jumping in reverse order on the final day. Eventing was previously known as Combined Training, and the name persists in many smaller organizations.

"Max! Get down here! Breakfast is ready!" My mother called from downstairs. I leaped up from where I was sitting on my bed, still in my plaid pajama bottoms. After jogging down the hallway a bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Once I reached the bottom I was scolded by my father.

"Maximum, how many times have we told you to be careful going down the stairs, we can't have you braking a bone and not being able to compete." I laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be careful, I promise. It's not like I couldn't break any bones actually riding Bailando." I teased. Bailando (By-lan-dou), or most commonly known as Bailando Bonita, one of the most well know eventing horse in England and I was lucky enough to call him mine. My mother turned around and pointed a spatula at me.

"Ah yes! But Bailando is to loving to try to hurt you and you are so much more coordinated while you're on him." I feigned hurt and placed a hand over my heart.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm clumsy?" I asked in mock bewilderment.

She turned around and placed a plate full of bacon and pancakes on the table for breakfast. "that is exactly what I'm saying." She mumbled. I went out the door before I even made a plate of breakfast for myself. It was my morning routine, well, more like my motto as an equestrian. 'The horses come first.' I always took care of Bailando before myself which takes us to where I am now. I am currently sanding outside by the gate to Bailando's pasture. I called his name a few times and waited.

It didn't take long till I saw a large figure emerging from the trees. Bailando came galloping towards me, in his excitement he threw his hind legs in the air in a playful buck. He came to a screeching halt in front of me. He dropped his head and nudged my lower arm with his mussel. I rubbed the inside of his enormous ears, his favorite spot.

Opening the gait I began to walk towards the barn. I smiled when I turned around and saw Bailando following me without anything on him. This wasn't unusual of him but it made me smile ever time. Once we were in the barn I opened his stall door and let him walk in. He stood in the middle and waited patiently for me to dump his feed, aka his breakfast. After making sure his stall door was locked I began walking around the barn, making sure no one broke in over night. Yea... Call me paranoid but when you have three horses that are worth over 100,000 dollars each and over 10,000 dollars in equipment you'd be surprised how many people would try to steal a horse or a saddle or two.

I walked into the tack room and turned on the light, taking inventory. Spare bridles and saddles hung on the wall right where I left them last. The only things missing were my show tack. I almost forgot we were leaving today at noon for America. My parents are looking for a permanent home in America instead of England, where I have been my entire life. They say there is more potential for me in America. I agreed but only one thing worried me. I turned the lights back out and shook the thought out of my head and turn and walked back to Bailando's stall.

By the time I arrived he was done with his breakfast and standing patiently and swooshing his tail from time to time ridding himself of flys. I opened his stall door and stepped inside with him. I ran my hands over his neck and body in wonder. I still couldn't believe this boy was mine. To say he was beautiful was an understatement. He is bay with four white stockings on his legs that came up above his knees and a blaze on his face. His mane, tail, and forelock are all black. He stands at 17.2 hands high which is also about six feet tall, yes, I know, he's a skyscraper. His neck is thick with muscles from all our practice sessions. His spine was also lined with muscles which flowed into the powerful muscles in his hind end that he needs to jump fences that were about six feet. Bailando is an Oldenburg horse, the breed originated in Germany and became very popular in many other countries. They are mainly used for show jumping and dressage, some say they aren't good for cross country but we prove them wrong.

There have been many rumors that go around the show circuit saying that I abuse him and force him to do eventing, when, in all honesty I love this horse more than myself. Bailando actually loves his job and is always eager to please me. I have bee with him since he was a foal.

Six years ago, when Bailando was only a few months and I was only thirteen, the barn he and his dam (mother) stayed in caught a blaze. The barn was very well known and there were many horses being boarded there, I was even volunteering there the night it happened. A groom thought it would be fun to have a smoke in the hay room. In case you don't know, hay is just dried up grass and, surprise! Dry grass and ashes catch fire very fast. The fire spread very quickly. Pretty soon the entire barn was a flaming inferno. Horses were panicking in side and other employees were rushing in and out, trying to save as many horses as they could. Eventually I got tired of watching and not doing anything and ran inside the burning barn, escaping the hold my mother had on my arm.

The flames reached for me but I kept running until I heard a panicked whiny to my right. Without thinking I ran towards the noise. I avoided pieces of the roof that was falling and knocked down a stall door which revealed an antsy colt pacing and rearing in place. Carefully I walked towards the frightened foal and grabbed his halter and tried tugging him out of the stall, he wouldn't budge. Suddenly I realized I was running out of time when I started to cough from the smoke. If I was coughing I knew that the foal had more smoke in his lungs then me so without a second thought I took off my shirt and ignored the fact I was in my bra and put my shirt over the foal's head, blinding it and providing some sort of filter for the frightened animal. Now that the foal couldn't see he had no choice but to follow me out of the burning barn.

Out of the sixty horses that were in that barn only forty horses got out, some with scars that wouldn't heal. Bailando's mom was included in the fatalities. A few weeks after the fire, I was recognized as the brave teenager who risked her life for a foal. Bailando's owner only found it fit that since I risked my life for his foal that the foal should belong to me so he gave him to me. Since Bailando was without a mother and still needed milk I would come to the barn every day and make sure he was fed, it was easy since I was home schooled. I suppose that is why Bailando and I make such a great team, in his eyes i was his mother.

The sound of my dad's voice echoing through the barn isle brought me out of my thoughts. "Max! Common, we have a flight to catch in three hours! We have everything in the truck and trailer, all thats left is you two!"

Nodding I grabbed Bailando's purple halter and lead rope and lead him out to the trailer. As I walked the reason why we were moving to America popped back into my head, it was true America held more opportunities for me but... The only thing that worried me was... well... Here, in England, I am the number one eventer, I have surpassed everyone by the age of 19. But, in America, the thing that worries me is... Fang Ride... the number one eventer in America. He, at the age of 21, has surpassed everyone and was the one my parents expected me to beat and take his spot on top.

I apoligise in advance for any grammar errors this was written early in the morning and I'm tired. Hope you enjoy! Please review!