Amy scanned through the reports, checking for spelling mistakes and errors. It was usually Lou's job to write up the reports for the new horses that arrived but Amy had decided that she must become more involved with the paperwork side of the business. It was Monday morning. All the horses were mucked out and Amy had come in for a coffee quickly before she began working with yesterday's arrivals. She had definitely needed the coffee; she had stayed up until one getting the reports straight. All that was left to do was name each of them.
At that moment Joni and Lou came in the kitchen.
''Morning Amy,'' Lou said, ''I'll get started on those reports straight away then.''
''No need,'' Amy grinned, ''they're all done. Look.''
''Well done,'' her sister smiled back at her, ''I'll go then if I'm not needed here.''
Amy looked at her to make sure she was joking, ''They all need names though.''
''Umm, Star?'' Joni suggested.
''For who?'' Amy replied, pen ready to write it on the form.
''The black with the star and the two front socks?''
''Excellent. One down, nine to go,'' Amy put Star's report separate from the rest.
''Ghost? For the grey?'' Lou added.
''Ok, and I was thinking of Charlie for the bay with the star?'' Amy wrote down both names on their respective forms.
''Flash? For the chestnut with the white star and little stripe? Think he's got a sock on a back leg,'' Lou offered.
''Jester for the plain bay?'' Joni added.
''Rocky? The bay with the blaze?'' Amy suggested, writing down the other names.
''What about Thunder? For the other black?'' Joni asked.
''Chocolate for the other bay?''
''Ok,'' Amy said, finishing writing, ''Blue for the older grey and Jay for the younger one?''
''Excellent,'' said Lou, ''Can I look?''
Amy handed the forms over.
''So we have,'' Lou paused, shuffling through the papers, ''four three year olds: Thunder, Charlie, Chocolate and Blue, three two year olds: Jay, Rocky and Star, and then three yearlings: Flash, Ghost and Jester. And six of them are Thoroughbreds: Star, Rocky, Jester, Ghost, Jay and Flash. The others are Warmbloods. And all are colts, right?''
''Yep,'' Amy said, ''I think that we should break the three year olds and sell them on in a year's time. We could sell some of the two year olds once their back to full health. And I'm not sure about the yearlings. But with no paperwork for any of them they won't be worth a lot. They'll be worth far more money if they're broken in.''
''Well I'm going to contact the company this morning and check the internet in case they're stolen although it will be hard to prove as they aren't branded in anyway. You sure they're not?''
''Well I'm pretty sure they're not, I couldn't see anything on them yesterday but then I may have missed something. If we do find anything I'll let you know straight away. Oh and do you think Scott could come over and give me a hand with gelding them? It'll be a pretty big job to geld 10 of them and I'm not too sure about doing it on my own. Any time in the next couple of weeks would be great.''
Amy and Joni left Lou to do her research and make her phone calls and headed out to begin work with the youngsters.
''Maybe if we try and join up with the three year olds. I think they've had a lot a contact with people when they were really young but have just got a bit wild because they've been left to their own devices for a long time. The younger ones haven't had a lot, I think.''
Joni nodded in agreement.
''So do you want to go halves? Have a few of each age?'' she suggested.
''Good idea,'' Amy agreed. She walked into the tack room to pick up what she needed. She jumped when she saw Ty. He glared at her.
''Ty,'' she started, ''I'm really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have been so harsh on you.''
Ty just turned his back on her a walked away. Amy stood for a moment, mouth open in shock. She had expected him to say something at least; this wasn't Ty as she knew him.
''Do you have any preference as to which horses you work with Ames?'' Joni asked, walking in at that moment. Amy turned, composing herself, ''Umm not really, take your pick.''
''Ok, are you alright if I work with Thunder, Rocky, Jester, Blue and Chocolate then?''
''Yeah,'' Amy replied, absent-mindedly, ''No problem.''
She walked back across the yard, her mind spinning. She knew what she had done had maybe been a bit over the top but she had apologised. He hadn't even acknowledged that she had said anything. She hadn't expected her fitting back in to be easy but she had thought that Ty would help her and support her. It was frustrating, especially when she didn't know how to fix it.
Letting herself into Charlie's stable she slipped a halter on him quietly. He watched her warily, as she opened the door and encouraged him through it. The colt tentively walked through, not wanting to leave the safe sanctuary of his stable. He spooked at the brushes on the floor. Amy just walked ahead of him, acting as the leader, giving him confidence. As they reached the door Amy felt the colt stop.
''Come on,'' she whispered to him, not looking back; if she made eye contact now he would take fright. All of a sudden she felt the lead rope go slack. The bay barged past her into the yard, almost knocking her over. Amy quickly regained her balance, not letting go of the rope, despite the burning sensation in her hands.
''Whoa boy, whoa,'' she called out to him as he came to a halt in the yard. Amy decided to ignore this behaviour and continued to walk to the ring. They made it there with only a few more incidents.
Amy let him loose in the ring and drove him away. He wasn't worried about her presence. He had definitely had work done with him in the past. He hadn't looked really afraid at all coming across the yard. He bucked as he crossed the ring before settling down to work on the outside of the ring. Amy changed direction a few circuits later and two or three later, his inside ear turned to her and his head lowered. She continued to drive him forward, aware that he couldn't keep going for much longer; she could count his ribs and he was breathing heavily. He opened and closed his mouth, chewing, showing that he was ready to join her in the centre of the ring. Amy turned her back to him, shoulders rounded. She heard him come to a halt and it was a few moments before she heard his footsteps behind her. She let out the breath she had been holding. He nuzzled her neck and she turned to look at him, running a hand down his neck, smiling.
''Good lad,'' she murmured. It had been a long time since she had joined up with a horse and she had almost forgotten what a buzz it was to connect. When she led him back up the yard he followed her calmly and quietly, trusting her. Once in the stable he stood as she brushed him, ridding him of the long shaggy coat, which they all had due to neglect. Amy finished with some t-touch and stood back. Charlie's eyes were closed and he looked, for the first time, completely at ease. Amy slipped out of the stable; she had a feeling that the others wouldn't be quite so easy. Charlie had the sort of people pleasing personality that made him easy to work with.
Amy decided to work with Star next. He rolled his eyes as Amy let herself into his stable, backing up against the wall. Amy turned around and faced out of the door, seeing that the two year old wasn't happy about her being around. Looking at his face he looked as though he had a fiery personality, shown in his long straight ears and his high set pointed eyes. But he also looked as though he was a bold and clever horse that would be a fast learner. It was half an hour before she felt him move closer to her, snorting as he did so. Amy left the stable then, rewarding him. As soon as she was two stables away he was at the door looking around. She repeated the process with the two yearlings; Ghost taking three quarters of an hour to move towards her, Flash taking well over an hour.
It wasn't long at all before Jay walked up to Amy so she decided to try join up with him. He was bold and confident enough she thought.
Half an hour later she led a calm and quiet Jay back into the stables. He had joined up easily with her, wanting the comfort and attention. She spent an hour brushing him off and doing t-touch. Already there was a change in all ten of them.
''Ty, please listen to me,'' Amy pleaded with him that evening, as he was leaving. It was raining and she was being soaked to the skin.
''Why Amy, why?'' he spat at her, through the rain.
''Please Ty. I don't want to fight.''
''Well maybe you should have thought about that before you fucking sacked me then,'' he shouted back.
''I'm sorry Ty, really I am. I shouldn't have gone off at you like that,'' she said.
''What? And that's supposed to make it all better is it? A few deep and meaningful's and it'll all be back to normal?'' he yelled at her.
''No, I don't. But it would be a start,'' Amy shouted.
''A start to what Amy?'' he said, moving closer to her, ''Starting again now that your back? We don't need a fresh start - we've managed fine whilst you've been gone. Look around, the place is overflowing with horses.''
''What do you want me to do Ty? Tell me because I really don't know,'' she screamed back at him, tears flowing down her cheeks, ''I want to be part...''
Ty kissed her. Kissed her like never before. Amy shut her eyes and just felt the moment. It could have been mere moments or an hour before she opened them. Their eyes met. Ty dropped her and walked back across the yard to his truck. He got in and drove away without a backwards glance. Amy watched him go before sliding down the wall in a heap, tears falling thick and fast, mingling with the rain streaming down her face.