AUTHOR'S NOTES: I wasn't expecting to have this done for a couple more days, but I've just managed to write this in one sitting, so, I thought why should I keep you waiting? :P
There's a lot more horsey stuff in this one, and it's only going to increase from this point onward...but that's a good thing! There's also a fair amount of equine terminology in this, but the words that I feel may need explaining, as always, will be marked with an * and explained at the end of the chapter.
This chapter is dedicated to the amazing riding school where I spent the majority of my childhood, all the incredible people I met there and all that I learnt.
Enjoy!
Riding into the sunset
Chapter three
"Oh, Georg…" breathed Maria, "It's simply lovely!"
And, indeed they were. The stables were not a towering or looming structure like one might expect someone of the Austrian aristocracy to own, but they were far grander than anything Maria had ever known. The stables looked more like some American country house more than anything else, they had spotless white walls that contained at least two floors, accompanied by thin pillars supporting and over-hanging roof that sheltered the horses should the wish to gaze upon the outside world. As they walked around, Maria spotted the huge matching white doors that led to the interior of the stables and she was once again breathless.
Everything was absolutely spotless, not a speck of mud or straw in sight, how on earth could that be? She knew that the situations were entirely different, but when she was a child Maria would spend countless hours cleaning the barn, only to have the muck and dirt reappear only seconds after she'd finished. She was completely amazed. The interior was just as breath-taking as the exterior too; rows of individual stables lined both sides of the walkway, each one in shining white and jet black colours that kept alive the aesthetic of the entire structure. At the end of the walkway, tucked into the corner, Maria spotted a set of stairs and upon following their path, she saw a sort of loft where straw, hay and other types of feeds were kept.
"You like it then?" Georg chuckled as he marvelled at the fact that his fiancée had not said a word for a full five minutes.
"It's magnificent! I've never seen anything quite like it"
"It's a fine building, I really don't know why I don't come here more often"
"Now that I've seen it, I don't think I'll be able to stay away"
Georg laughed heartily.
"So, all that trouble we went through before our engagement could've easily been solved by a few horses and clean stables?"
"Oh, yes! I never would've dreamt of leaving if I knew these were just a stones throw away" she jested.
"Back so soon, Captain?" a young voice called from the end of the walkway.
As the figure approached, Maria could see it was clearly one of the stable hands that Georg employed; he was young, probably only a year or two older than Maria with dusty blonde hair, and even in his worn work clothes he still managed to look like the picture of class. His faded blue shirt framed his torso generously, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong, tanned arms and a large pair of gloves protected his hands from the block of straw he was lugging around. Maria was sure that he was the kind of man that young girls would completely throw themselves at.
"I hope you meant what you said about not throwing yourself at stable boys" Georg muttered into her ear, causing her cheeks to set ablaze, "It would seem so" Georg said to the stable hand in a friendly enough tone, but since this was Maria's first visit, he kept his eyes peeled for gazes that lingered for too long.
"Is this the fiancée I've heard so much about?" the man asked before setting down the block of straw.
"Indeed it is. Felix, I'd like you to meet Maria. Maria, this is Felix"
"I won't shake your hand, Fraulein, these gloves aren't the cleanest," he chuckled, "and I've been out in the sun all day"
"Oh, you must be overheating having to work in this weather!"
"No, it's not all that bad. I quite like it, I grew up on a farm so it's nothing new to me"
"Oh, really. I grew up on a farm too" Maria beamed.
"Is that so? Whereabouts?"
"Not too far from here, up near the mountains"
"That must've been wonderful. My grandparents used to own a little cottage near there and it's just beautiful" Felix gushed.
"Yes, it is. Simply gorgeous!"
Felix was about to speak again, but a deep and slightly peremptory cough from Georg prevented him from doing so.
"Felix, which of the horses are in today?"
"They're all in at the moment, Captain, we won't be turning them out for a few hours yet"
"Do you know if anyone plans to ride them?"
"I think Herr Weber is coming to exercise Anka and Frau Koch will probably be down again to ride Orkan*, but apart from that, they're all free…and I don't think Orkan and Anka are being used until later this afternoon"
"Thank you, Felix. Don't let us keep you"
"Enjoy your ride" he said politely, mostly directed at Maria, before picking up the bail of straw and heading back inside.
"He was nice" Maria said innocently.
"He's a good worker" Georg replied.
"What did you mean when you asked if anyone planned to ride them? Did you mean the other stable hands?"
"No. See, I own a few horses, but I don't really have the time to exercise them all, so, as well as letting the stable hands ride them, most of them are on loan"
"Loan?"
"Kind of like sharing, the horses all technically belong to me, and I can ride them whenever, but people pay me a certain amount every month so that they can also own them; they just need to say in advance when they plan to ride to avoid any confusion"
"Oh, I see. Are all of them on loan?"
"One or two aren't – those are the ones that the workers usually exercise"
"So, you and I – and the children – could ride any of the horses whenever we wanted as long as one of the share owners don't plan to ride at the same time?"
"Precisely. So, don't worry, you'll still have a large degree of freedom with them"
"I intend to take it" she blushed. "Do I get to see my surprise now?"
"Of course" Georg chuckled, "but let me introduce you to the horses first"
And, with that, the two of them walked into the building.
"I own six horses…" Georg began, "this one you already heard about, this is Orkan" Georg gestured to the first stable on the right, and when Maria peered inside, she saw a stunning skewbald* stallion grazing happily on haylage.
"Oh, he's just beautiful" Maria gushed before clicking her tongue, the young horse lifted his head momentarily from his meal, but looked down only a few seconds later, "I guess I'm not as interesting as haylage" she laughed.
"I wouldn't take it personally, like most stallions, he can be grumpy and misbehaved at the best of times"
"Then he suits his name well"
"Indeed. However, the one he has to look at all day is quite the opposite…" Georg led her over to the stables opposite Orkan's, "this is my finest mare, Britta"
And the mare was just that. She stood proudly in her stall – at a good sixteen hands – with her ears twitching and listening to every single sound and rustle that came from around her. She was a dazzling flea bitten grey* with her coat and mane absolutely spotless. When the mare spotted Maria, she stepped forward to the stable door and sniffed her eagerly; touched by the affection, Maria let Britta sniff her hand before moving upwards to rub her ears – something that the mare clearly enjoyed.
"She's an absolute darling…and beautiful too!"
"She's my personal favourite, and rarely temperamental like a lot of mares"
"I hope it's just horses you're referring to, darling?" Maria teased.
"Oh, don't worry, it is!"
"Who's next?" asked Maria excitedly.
"Next is Trisanna*"
"Like the river?"
"Yes, I believe she was bred near that area"
Trisanna was not what Maria had been expecting, when she reached the door she was greeted by a bay Cob* with the most stunning white feathers* and shiniest coat she'd ever seen; she was smaller than the other horses, but she could instantly tell that the mare had a very strong athletic build. Again, this mare chose to pay attention to Maria, which – just like Britta – earnt Trisanna a generous rub to the ears.
"I didn't think you'd own a Cob" Maria told her fiancée.
"Normally I wouldn't go for them, to me they're more like riding school ponies, but she's actually a very fine jumper. She's very different to the rest of them, far from a top bred show horse, but, like I said, she's a fine animal; the perfect example of how looks can be deceiving"
"She seems lovely, from what I've heard, she might be my favourite"
"Well, I think there's another that'll be afforded that honour, but let's wait and see"
"How intriguing" Maria chuckled.
"Anyway, next up is the other infamous mare that you heard about"
"Anka?"
"The one and only"
Anka was another grey, only dapple this time, with a shimmering silvery mane to accompany her coat; however, she paid no attention to the two onlookers and Georg informed her that she was incredibly stubborn and had a tendency to throw her riders…but he kept her because she was one of the finest dressage horses he'd ever encountered. The fifth horse was Atlas, Georg's prize cross-country horse, and was very appropriately named due to the strong, muscular build that he possessed. He also had the finest jet-black coat that Maria had ever seen, it was like the depth of midnight itself with a striking white blaze* on his face to accompany it. He was a fine animal.
"And now for the final horse" Georg announced.
"And this one is my surprise?"
"Yes. His name is Alrick"
Georg said no more about the horse, but nothing else needed to be said, for when Maria saw him, she was utterly speechless. Inside the stables was a stunning bay Hanoverian. He perked up as soon as he saw Maria, and the trickles of the early sunlight spilled into his pen and illuminated his glossy coat; he snorted happily at the sight of the new person who'd come to greet him and tenderly walked toward Maria before nuzzling against her offered hand. He was so soft, and his actions were so gentle…this was all too familiar.
"Oh, Georg…" she exhaled, "…is he…?"
"Yes, he's a Hanoverian. I was hoping this would be your reaction since you seem to have a soft spot for the breed"
"Oh, I do. And he looks just like Glanzen"
"I'm glad to hear that"
"What's he like to ride?" she questioned – her eyes never leaving the gelding.
"He's an absolute dream. Fast, strong and a fine jumper, but also incredibly gentle and his movements are so graceful that you'd swear he was a dressage horse rather than a jumper"
"He sounds perfect"
"He is. He's probably the most prized horse here"
"Is he anyone's loan horse?"
"No, not yet" Georg grinned.
Maria spent a few more extended moments fussing over the fine steed, and he seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. He really did look just like her beloved childhood horse, there were a few differences, of course, but from a short distance they could easily be mistaken. She ran her hand up and down Alrick's cheek and was still delighted by how soft his coat was, and he took the fuss with great mirth and even tilted his head to encourage Maria to scratch his ears – which she did so with a beaming smile before twirling her fingers through his forelock*.
"Georg, can I ride him?" she asked, her voice slightly breathy from the awe she still possessed. Again, her gaze didn't leave the horse.
Georg stepped forward, gave Alrick a look of pride before placing a loving hand on his fiancée's shoulder and kissing the top of her head,
"Anything for you, love"
*Orkan - German word for Hurricane
*Skewbald - refers to a specific colour of a horses coat, a Skewbald horse is brown and white.
*Flea bitten grey - another colour of a horses coat, the coat has small grey hairs which look a little bit like bites or speckles.
*Trisanna - A river in Tyrol, Austria.
*Cob - A breed of horse, sometimes referred to as a 'Welsh section D'. I thought I should explain this one since Cob can mean a few different things...especially in English.
*Feathers - The long hair that grows around the lower leg and hooves on horses. Some breeds (like Cobs and Shires) have very long feathers.
*Blaze - A thick (usually white) stripe that runs down a horses face.
*Forelock - The bit of mane that is between the horses ears, it's like a fringe (or bangs, if you're American)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, I promised you that they will actually ride the horses in the next chapter! XD I was actually frustrated that I couldn't write it, but, alas, I have decided on short, yet frequent, chapters.
Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed that, (I hope me gushing over imaginary horses wasn't too boring!) and like I said, there will be riding in the next chapter, so please stick with this story...oh, and there will be a plot! :P
I'll hopefully have the next chapter up soon as well as the next chapter of "Better than a Dream".
Thanks so much for reading and thank you so much for all the lovely reviews so far!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter too and I'll see you soon! xxx