This is my very first Horseland fanfic so if it sucks I understand. Just please review and tell me what you think. Thank you!
P.S. This takes place two years after the series happens so here are the ages of all the characters:
OC, Sara, Alma, Chloe, Zoey, and Bailey- 14
Molly and Nani- 13
Will- 16
Disclaimer! I don't own any of the characters you recognize!
Alma was the first to get to Horseland, she always was. She walked around to the back of the stable; the back door was open so she went in. Bailey was already there, feeding the horses.
"Buenos Dias Bailey!" Alma smiled.
"Oh, hey Alma," said the boy setting down the hay bale.
"Do you need any help?" Alma asked.
"Yeah, that would be great. Can you feed the horses on that side, I'll do this side. We'll be done faster." Bailey smiled picking the bale back up.
Alma nodded and walked over to the pile of hay bales.
First she fed, Sunburst, then Scarlet, then Chili, and Pepper.
She looked over at Bailey; on the other side of the stable were Jimber, Aztec, Button, and Calypso.
"I think I'm done!" Alma said brightly.
Bailey dropped the hay in Calypso's stall and walked over, "No, you have one more. See that stall is occupied." Bailey said he quickly did a double take, "What! But," he looked around, all of the horses where there, "then that's, but…" He shook his head.
Alma looked over the stall door, her eyes widened. "¡Oh, Dios mío! Look at him Bailey, he's beautiful!"
Bailey walked over to the stall.
Standing in it was the most gorgeous, Arabian stallion. His head was high and regal, and his nostrils where flared at the sight of the new comers. He was a tall, tan chestnut, light green highlights where in his mane and tail; he had pink on his velvety muzzle.
Bailey's jaw dropped, "Whose is he?"
Alma shrugged still staring at the horse. She envied whoever had the privilege of owning this horse.
The two jumped at the sound of a car pulling up. It was Sarah.
The tall blonde walked into the barn, she hurried over to them. "What's up guys? What are you staring-" her jaw dropped as well.
"Who is his owner and why is he here?" She asked Bailey.
He shrugged, "My parents didn't say anything about a new horse."
Sarah lifted her hand to let the horse sniff it.
"Sarah, don't!" A tall blonde boy rushed into the stable.
"What's up Will?" asked a surprised Sarah, drawing her hand away from the horse.
"His owner says he's high-strung, jumpy and will bite strangers." Will said.
"Whose is he, Cuz?" Bailey asked.
Will shrugged, "New family, I guess. Just moved to this area."
"Oh," Alma frowned, "Will she be riding here?"
"Yup, today's actually her first day." Will nodded.
Molly entered the stable, "Hello everybody, why are we standing around! We should be riding!" She laughed.
"Molly's right, let's get tacked up. The new girl will be here soon enough." Will patted Molly on the back and went into the tack room.
"New girl?" Molly asked.
"Yeah, we have a new girl here." Bailey said as Chloe and Zoey came in.
"Oh, we have a new girl?" Chloe asked.
"Is she rich?" Zoey put in.
Does she have her own horse?" Chloe added.
"Yes, I don't know, and yes." Alma said glowering at them.
"Figures, you guys would only care if she was rich." Molly scoffed.
Molly, Alma, and Sarah started grooming their horses, so did Bailey.
Nani came in about ten minutes later and began taking care of her horse Sunburst.
Then Zoey and Chloe even started grooming.
Suddenly they heard a car coming up the gravel drive way.
Everyone dropped their various hoof picks and brushes and raced out side.
A small grey car drove along the road. It stopped in front of the barn doors. The door opened and a girl stepped out. She had thick brown hair that stopped around her mid-chest. She also had hazel eyes. She looked startled at her greeting party.
She turned and opened the trunk of the car and gathered her tack and grooming kit.
She waved goodbye to the man in the car, her father.
The car then drove off.
"Hello, everybody! Where can I put my things?" She smiled.
Will led her to the tack room and she set her stuff on a rack.
"Hi, I'm Sarah; this is Alma, Molly, Nani, Bailey, Chloe, Zoey and Will." Sara smiled gesturing to each person in turn.
"Hey yawl, I'm Elizabeth James, but everyone calls me Eliza." Eliza smiled back.
The crowd left the tack room. Eliza half ran over to the new horse, "Hey Eddie baby! I missed, you. How have you been? Yeah you're a good boy aren't you?" She slid him a mint.
Eliza put her grooming box on the top of the half door and slid the lock open.
She went into the stall and gently put a halter on his head, she clipped the lead rope on the led him out of the stall.
She tied him up outside of the stall and began scrubbing him with the curry comb.
Molly walked up on her way to the tack room to get her saddle. She smiled at Eliza and made a move to pat the horse's side.
Suddenly Eddie shied away; his ears lay flat against his head, he lifted his two front feet off the ground about an inch for a fleeting moment.
Eliza calmly grasped his halter and pulled his head down. "You can't do that around him! He's a spooky horse. No fast movements!" She said, she kept her voice at talking level but it was shaking with anger.
Molly looked frightened and taken aback. "Sorry, no need to be so rude about it!" She walked off.
Sarah looked over Scarlet's back, "It was a mistake. She didn't mean to frighten him."
"Yes, and its common mistakes like that which lead to accidents which lead to the injury of horses and riders." Eliza said sharply.
Sarah frowned, "Yes, I guess that could happen."
Eliza sighed, "Sorry, but Eddie's just a very special horse."
"All of our horses are chica." Alma said, leading Button out to the riding ring.
Eliza raised her eyebrows, "I guess, to each individual their horse is more special than the next."
"And than there are the horses that are special because they have better blood, pedigree blood." Zoey scoffed.
Eliza shrugged, although she didn't comment. She quickly put on her horse's tack and walked outside.
Alma, Bailey and Will were already waiting.
"Hi, you can mount up if you'd like." Will smiled.
Eliza half smiled back, "Eddie and I work on a different schedule and, well, I think we'll do what we did at home for awhile before we completely switch over."
As the others in the class mounted, Eliza walked Eddie around the ring on foot, and while the class trotted their horses, Eliza stood up at the walk on Eddie.
Then she joined the rest of her classmates.
This was flat class, they would be jumping tomorrow.
"Now canter your horses." Will ordered.
In one quick subtle movement Eddie was cantering.
He, by far, had the longest stride at the canter.
By the end of the lesson all of the horses where tired and covered in sweat.
The normal group walked their horses around after they dismounted.
Eliza however took Eddie back inside.
Molly looked toward the door. "She's probably going to leave him in the stall all hot and sweaty."
But after a few minutes Eliza came back out leading an un-tacked Eddie with a lead rope.
She walked him with the rest, feeling under his belly where the girth was every so often.
She felt his back and belly once more and lead him out of the ring.
Will looked after her, surprised. She had only walked him around four times; Eddie couldn't be cooled out already.
He walked in after her, "Is Eddie really cooled out. We don't want him to be sweaty."
Eliza laughed, "I'm positive Will. I've been doing it this way with countless horses for more than five years! Here, if you're so worried you can feel him yourself."
Will looked at her, still not completely believing her. "Which stable taught you this?"
Eliza smiled, "Crimson Ridge."
"You rode at Crimson Ridge?" Will was surprised. "But that's one of the best in the state!"
Eliza nodded, "That's where I started riding in… third grade I think."
"Wow, what made you came here?" Will asked.
"We moved because dad got relocated to this part of the state." Eliza sighed sadly.
"You miss it there huh?" Will said sympathetically.
"Yeah, that Stable was like my second home, the people that rode and worked there where my family, my best friends." Eliza hugged Eddie's neck. "I'm just so glad that I got to keep him."
Will smiled, "Well, I've got to go check on the others."
"Bye Will." Eliza smiled shakily.
Once Will left Eliza aloud one tear to fall down her face. She brushed it off and began grooming the tall Arabian.
The next day Eliza got to the stable early to warm up Eddie extra well for the jumping.
She found the barn door already open.
A blonde girl was standing in a stall with a black mare. Eliza recognized them as Sarah and her horse Scarlet.
"Hello," Eliza waved.
"Oh. You're here early." Sara exclaimed.
"Yeah, I needed to lung him a bit. Or else he gets to excitable when he jumps." Eliza said. She went into the tack room and came back out with a light green lung line and long, matching whip in hand.
Sarah eyed the whip warily.
Eliza noticed her glance, "Don't worry I don't hit him. You do know how you lung a horse right?"
Sarah shook her head. "No, we normally use trail rides to get rid of our horses energy, or we put them out to pasture."
"Oh, at my old stable we didn't have trails, and if it was muddy in the pasture we would have to spend another hour just grooming, that wouldn't be very convenient. So lunging was the best option for releasing energy." Eliza explained.
She slipped into the chestnut's stall and put on his halter. This time the slid another object through his halter that connected to the lung line, a chain.
Sarah frowned, "Wouldn't that hurt Eddie?"
Eliza looked at the chain, "Oh this, no, not at all. Remember yesterday when I used the German Martingale? Well this is more or less like that, it's all for extra control."
"Can I watch you lung him?" Sarah asked curious.
"Oh, sure." Eliza smiled.
She lead him out any let more than half the line out. She clicked, "Walk on Eddie."
The horse broke into a fast paced walk.
"Woaaah…" Eliza said tightening her grip on the rope.
Eddie slowed down.
Eliza clicked sharply and gave the whip a twitch.
He started at a trot.
After a while Eliza kissed, and tapped the whip on the ground behind him.
He broke into a canter.
She brought him back down to a walk and a few minutes later she pulled him to her and led him to the barn.
Sarah caught up with her. "That was so cool how you could command him to go into all of his gaits without touching him. I'm sure Scarlet would never do that."
"Don't be so sure. Any well trained horse will do it to some degree." Eliza said putting him in the stall; she gave him a quick rub down.
Once Eliza had put all of her things away Sarah approached her. "Hey, do you want to get some breakfast in the main house?"
Eliza smiled, "Sure, I'm starved!"
The two girls walked away, talking about horses and Eliza's old stable.
(Inside the stable)
"Hey, you Eddie." Chili called.
The chestnut horse put his head out of the stall, "Yes?"
"Are you a full Arabian?"
"Yes." Eddie snorted.
"Good, now we can be friends with you." Pepper neighed.
"Are you full Annoying?" Eddie said.
"Full what?" Chili asked.
"Because I think you are." The chestnut replied.
All of the horses but Chili and Pepper started laughing.
"Humph!" Chili snorted turning his back on the isle. Pepper did the same.
"Nice one Eddie." Calypso whinnied.
"Yeah! You really got them there!" Button added.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Jimber said.