Amy breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the leather running through her hands once more. It was really nice to be back on a horse again. Leaning down, she tightened Sundance's girth once more, thanks to his habit of bloating, and set her stirrup lengths. It was obvious Marion had been using the stirrups last.
"Come on, boy," she said cheerily before picking up the reins again and leading him through the gate. She praised him afterward for a job well done, and scanned the opening in front of them. If she chose to go right, they could go up to Clairdale ridge, and have to turn around a bit before the busy road. If she went left, they could take the forest loop back to the barn again. As it was, Amy opted for the straight path that led to Soraya's place. That frisky pony of hers needed to get out, anyway.
As they continued on the weathered trail, Amy felt herself relaxing in the saddle, content with the sound of Sundance's hooves hitting the path and the birds chattering away above them. It was a warm afternoon, one of the best days so far in June. Amy couldn't wait for school to finally get out for the summer, but she had to endure three days of finals first. Doubtlessly, she needed to set aside time for some review when she got home. But for now, she was much happier without the thoughts of looming projects and cramming sessions flapping around in her brain.
They mounted the top of the path at the point where it split into the Deer Trail and the straight track to Soraya's house. This was always Amy's favorite part of the ride – the trail was wide and long here, perhaps a half mile or so. As they approached the widened part, Sundance's ears pricked up and his step grew more vigorous. Amy smiled to herself and leaned forward, letting another notch of reins out. She didn't even need to tap him, for he was already off and going.
The gallop lasted until they saw her friend's house, and Amy wisely decided to slow down. The dogs were usually around, and they had a tendency to get underfoot. Sure enough, Max came bounding up to them with his huge tail wagging and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He was big even for a St. Bernard, and his head easily reached her foot. Leaning down, she patted him on the head and transferred the reins to her other hand. "Have you been a good boy, Max?" she asked sternly, pointing a finger at him. He recoiled slightly, looking a bit put out. "Of course you have," came the warm tone again, and the tongue poked out again.
Max began to trot back to the house, and Sundance followed with bouncy strides. They soon arrived at the weathered barn where Frisky was kept, and Soraya came out a moment later with a broad smile and bouncy curls. "Hey Amy, wasn't expecting to see you so soon," she said with a grin that relayed a positive connotation to her words. "I was going to do my work, really, but it's so nice out…" Both girls laughed at this – schoolwork wasn't exactly Amy's strong point. "So, you want to tack up Frisky? Sundance liked the look of the new jumping course when I brought him here last week, so I was hoping you'd want to give it a go." Soraya had just finished her own outdoor course a few months ago, and both were raring to go. She had spent a lot of time on it, and even set up a few flowers on either side of a few jumps, just as they did in the shows.
"Sure, give me five minutes. I'll meet you by the oxer," she said as she ran back to the barn to get Frisky tacked up. She was referring to the closest jump to where Sundance and Amy now stood, a wooden one no more than two feet high.
Sure enough, Frisky and Soraya were back again within the allotted time. "You want to take him over first?" Soraya asked Amy as they both backed up a few strides. "I want to see the professional," Amy returned, giving an expectant glance over to her friend. "Oh, yeah, real expert here," Soraya replied sarcastically. Amy only grinned. "Alright," she grumbled, attempting and failing to hide her smile.
But when they got smiled, both girls' smiles faded, each one intense on the task at hand. Soraya's spry pony had quite a bit of jumping potential, that was easy to see. And Soraya was no sack of potatoes either. Though each had only been jumping for a few months, they bonded well, and they took jump after jump in stride. Almost two minutes passed before she completed the 9 fence course, and she returned back with rosy cheeks and an ecstatic smile. "You were amazing!" Amy cut in before the other girl could anything. "Thanks," Soraya replied breathlessly. "Did you see the way we took the last one? Frisky's got that one down!"
"I know, it's got to be at least three feet," Amy said happily. Soraya giggled, then turned back to Amy. "Your turn!"
"There's no hope for me, now that I have to follow the gold medalist," Amy protested. "You only dominated the whole course." Soraya laughed and replied, "I'm sure you and Sundance will do just fine. Besides, who was the one that came over here to try it in the first place?" "Alright, alright," came the answer as she recognized the truth in it, and Amy steered Sundance towards the first jump.
He took it well, clearing it by nearly a foot. The next four fences all went well too, and Sundance was obviously enjoying himself. When they got to the flower-adorned vertical, Sundance balked, nearly unseating Amy. But with good humor, he took it when Amy pushed him on again. "See? Nothing to be afraid of there," she whispered with a pat as they cantered to their next obstacle. Soon the last one was at hand, and the jump loomed large in the ever-approaching distance. "You can do it, boy," she told him reassuringly a few strides before he left the ground. Stubborn as usual, they cleared it by quite a bit, and Amy could just imagine him saying "Yeah Frisky? Well, take a look at THAT one."
"Nice round!" Soraya congratulated her as Amy lengthened her stirrups again. "Want to take them back to your house? I think they'd like the scenery, I know Frisky hasn't been out much lately. Something to do with studying." At this, Soraya took on a rather pointed look, and Amy assumed her most innocent face. "Studying?" Before more could be said on the subject, Soraya's mom opened the kitchen door and bellowed for her to come there. "Come on," she said, motioning for Amy to follow her. They raced to the lawn, and walked right up to the kitchen window.
"Yeah, Mom?" Soraya asked when her mother opened the window for them. "I forgot to tell you, the vet's coming in about half an hour." Both of the girl's faces registered surprise at this, and her mom chuckled at this. "No, nothing's wrong. Frisky's just got to have his teeth filed, so I think you'd better keep him in for now. You guys were going to head over to Amy's, right?" Soraya nodded. "He has a tendency to be early, and you two to stay out for a while, so you'd better put that horse away now." Soraya and Amy exchanged disappointed glances, and her mom added, "but maybe you can go for a long trail ride on Saturday if his teeth are doing alright."
"Or I could take him out in a hackamore tomorrow," Soraya said hopefully. Soraya's mom rolled her eyes exaggeratingly at Amy. "Or that. Either way, Marion called and said she wanted you home within a half hour, something about a new horse trailering in."
"Must be Spark," Amy said immediately. "Owners said he wasn't really trusting of humans due to an accident ten years ago, so we're taking him in for a little while. I don't want to miss it, so I'd better be going. Thank you," she told the woman before turning to her friend. "And I'll see you at school tomorrow. Maybe we can go on a trail ride later." Soraya agreed, adding, "You'd better get some studying done. Amy rolled her eyes and steered Sundance in the other way. "See you later!" she called over her shoulder as she pushed Sundance into a canter.
They soon got to the fork in the path, and Amy rode alongside the fence for a bit before turning into the drive. She always had a lovely time with Soraya and Sundance, but her favorite part was always mending the other horses that made their way through here. Sighing, she looked over at the road where a clanky trailer was weaving its way down. Guess I'd better get going, she thought as she trotted Sundance toward the place she called home.