"So, Mrs. Stillman will be here in a few minutes, right?" Amy said, "To work with Aztec."
Marion nodded, "Yeah. We'll be doing Aztec's usual work session at 8, and then Mallory and Soraya will be showing up around 10 to get ready for our trail ride."
"I'm so excited to get the rescue horses out and see how they do!" Amy said to her mother.
"Me too." Marion said, "I think it's going to be fun too."
"Are you sure you don't want to come, grandpa?" Amy asked hopefully.
"With Mallory running her mouth non-stop and a bunch of green horses out for their first trail ride? No thank you." Jack said, shaking his head and taking a sip of his coffee.
"Suit yourself, dad." Marion said, smiling at Amy, before continuing. "I'm excited to see you work with Fancy, Amy. And to see how Soraya handles Pete."
Amy nodded, "And Mallory will be on Copper so we will have a steady eddie type along."
Marion picked up the thread, "And I really think Lisa and Gizmo are going to be a good match. I am so glad she agreed to join us."
"Lisa's going along?" Jack asked, feigning disinterest and attempting to keep his voice level.
"Yeah, I was telling Amy that I needed someone with soft hands that could handle a hot horse to ride him, and Amy suggested Lisa." Marion beamed at her daughter.
"That's a good thought." Jack conceded. "So, you'll be taking all four rescue horses out then?"
Marion and Amy nodded yes enthusiastically.
Jack pursed his lips as he took a sip of coffee.
"Dad, you look pensive. What's up? Marion asked, as Amy hid her smirk behind her glass of orange juice. Her grandfather could be predictable sometimes.
"I was just thinking that taking four green horses out with just Copper for company might be a lot." Jack wrinkled his upper lip.
"Amy and I had had that thought." Marion admitted. And Amy nodded her head.
Jack pulled a face, "What do you say Paint and I come along? Just to help you out…"
"Of course." Marion said.
"We'd love that, grandpa!" Amy chirped.
"Okay, it's agreed then. We all ride out after our work session this morning!" Marion said, smiling.
Lisa arrived at exactly 8 AM and knocked on the door of the house. Jack smiled as he opened the door as Amy and Marion pulled on their coats.
"Ready for the trail ride this afternoon?" Jack asked.
"I'm very much looking forward to it." Lisa said. "Wait. Are you coming along? I thought Marion said it was all girls…"
Marion and Amy smirked at each other, heads down.
"Well, I thought I'd better come along. To give the green horses a steady horse to depend on."
"Of course." Lisa said, "That's very good thinking, Jack."
Jack's ears pricked again and he could feel them heating up.
"So, what's the plan with Aztec this morning?" Lisa asked Marion.
"I was thinking we'd continue where we've been leaving off. With you starting by following dad and Paint at a walk and trot. And then having you guys walk and trot by yourselves, which has been going well so far this week. But then I'm thinking maybe we push for a canter today, if you guys are feeling up to it."
"That sounds perfect." Lisa said brightly.
"I am excited to see the improvement from last week," Amy chimed in.
"Go ahead and tack them both up then," Marion said, and Lisa and Jack took out Aztec and Paint and started grooming them and getting them ready to go.
Lisa and Jack led Aztec and Paint out to the round pen and Amy and Marion followed them. Jack put his foot in the stirrup and climbed up onto Paint. And Marion gave Lisa a leg up on to Aztec.
They then walked around warming up and changing direction, allowing the horses to have more space between them from the beginning than they had previously this week. Aztec handled it well. But even while moving at a distance, Lisa and Jack chatted amiably about some crazy clients from Florida that Lisa had entertained that week. And Lisa animatedly told stories about them being underdressed for the Canadian winter. And Jack laughed as she described their dismay at finding out that loafers did not cut it here.
Amy and Marion watched them warm up. Occasionally commenting on the ease at which they rode around one another.
Marion instructed them to move up to a trot and they maneuvered easily around one another; Lisa and Aztec now fully independent from Jack and Paint. With Aztec moving easily off of her legs and seat with little guidance from her hands.
"Okay, dad." Marion said. "Go ahead and halt in the middle."
Jack did as he was told and stopped Paint in the middle of the ring. Lisa continued to trot Aztec around the rail, changing direction occasionally. He stayed relaxed and continued to listen to her, only occasionally leaning in a bit toward Paint.
"Excellent!" Marion called. "Bring him down to a walk."
Lisa walked Aztec around while Jack and Amy commented on how well he was doing, and Lisa agreed that yes, he was handling his new found independence very well indeed.
"How do you feel about a canter?" Marion asked.
"Fine." Lisa said, "I'll start on the left lead, okay."
"Sure." Marion said, and Lisa picked Aztec up to a canter on the left lead. He moved around the arena easily, swallowing up the ground with his large stride.
"Go ahead and bring him down!" Marion called after they had gone round a few times.
Lisa was grinning from ear to ear, when she brought him down to a walk.
"I have to admit," Jack said, "I am really glad I wasn't leading you guys for that one. He'd overtake Paint in a heartbeat."
Lisa laughed, wrinkling her nose, "Yeah. He's always had a big, ground covering stride. It's what made him a great racehorse."
"I like it though," Amy cut in, "that he never sped up. Just stayed steady the whole time."
"Good eyes, Amy." Marion said, "He stayed in a very steady cadence the whole time. Nice and rhythmical." Before adding, "Okay! Other direction."
Lisa reversed direction and cantered Aztec to the right. He was a little stickier on the transition this way and she had to bend him a bit more aggressively to set him up for the lead, but he picked up the canter effortlessly and went several circles around the round pen.
"Looking good!" Amy called from the sidelines.
And as she rode by Lisa could see Jack nodding in agreement.
"Okay! Let's bring him down to a walk." Marion cut in. And Lisa transitioned downward to a walk. "How'd that feel, Lisa?" Marion asked.
Lisa grinned from ear to ear, "Really great! It's just so nice to have him feeling confident and comfortable."
"You're doing a great job with him!" Marion said, smiling.
"Well, it wouldn't be possible without you." Lisa said, smiling at Marion. "You're a genius with horses! And you're daughter's clearly inherited your gift."
Amy smiled brightly and muttered, "Thank you!"
"And, Jack," Lisa said, turning her attention to him, "I just don't know how I can thank you enough for all the help you've given me with Aztec."
Jack smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing." He looked up at her, "It's actually really been fun."
"It kind of reminds me of back when I was younger and I was working with my friend Denny's horse…" And as they cooled their horses down, Jack launched into a story about helping a friend of his with a horse with a bucking issue. Lisa was laughing at Jack's story and again Amy and Marion shot each other glances, wondering what exactly it was these two had in common.
"That just goes to show you," Marion said, leaning in to whisper to Amy, "that people are nowhere near as predictable as horses."
Amy smiled, "Yeah, you'd think you could pick a partner for someone based on common interests or popularity, but sometimes it just comes down to chemistry."
Marion looked at her daughter, wondering, not for the first time, if there was trouble in paradise with her and Jesse, and smiled, sadly, "Look at your dad and me. Perfect match on paper. Total disaster in real life." And leaned over and kissed Amy on the temple. "But I got two beautiful daughters out of the deal."
Lisa halted and turned to Marion, "We okay to end on that note today?" she asked.
"Absolutely," Marion called, brightly. And Lisa and Jack hopped down from their horses and took them back to the barn to get ready for the upcoming trail ride.