A Horse Tale
Chapter 1
Horseback Riding
"Kaji!" Ayu cried to her boyfriend, face wide with fear. She had been walking down the corridor when she slipped on the stairs, falling. "Tateishi!" Kaji said, reaching out quickly to the beautiful brunette. Just in time, he caught her hand and pulled her up to safety.
"Thanks!" she said, smiling at him. Standing on tiptoe, she leaned in and closed her eyes for a quick kiss. Then she laughed and blushed. It had been a long time since they had-get this!-kissed.
"Don't blush." He said mysteriously, cupping her face in his hands and closing his eyes again. She laughed and shook her head. "Not in the hallways, Kaji-kun!" Kaji laughed along and took her hand, walking with her to their classroom.
"Ayu-chan!" Nina cried, running over and dragging Tsujiai behind her. There's a new student again!" she said, panting. "Ouch, that hurt!" Tsujiai said, rubbing his shoulder. "Oh, sorry, Tsujiai-kun... but I bet this will make it better!" she giggled, brushing her lips against his.
"Not now, not now, you two!" Ayu said, pulling them apart. "Sorry..." Nina grinned, but Tsujiai kissed her quickly before parting. "See you!" he said, going to his desk.
Ayu smiled at Nina, eyes twinkling. "Is this new student a boy, by any chance?" she teased. Nina laughed. "No, she's a girl from the Philippines named Isa. We talked already, and I promised her we'll all be friends." Nina said happily.
She pointed to a girl with two long brown braids bending over a notebook and scribbling something. Ayu smiled and walked over to her. The girl didn't notice.
"Hi Isa, I'm Ayu Tateishi." She said, smiling as the girl looked up and nodded politely. "Hi Ayu, Nina." She said, looking at the boys. "Oh! This is Kaji Tetsushi, and then Tsujiai Hiroki." Nina said, and the boys waved.
"What are you doing?" Ayu asked, peering at the paper. Isa uncovered her words. "Oh, I'm just writing some stats about my horse." She said, smiling. The paper said:
Cali Chestnut Mare Anglo-Arab 16.2 hh 11 years old English all-rounder
"Wow, you have a horse!" Nina exclaimed. "Cali. Is it a boy or girl?" Isa smiled. "She's a mare, female." She replied.
"I don't mean to be rude... but what does that stuff mean?" Tsujiai said after a moment. The others looked at each other. That was what they had been thinking too. Isa laughed.
"Don't be ashamed, I get that all the time!" she said. "Okay, I'll explain. She's a chestnut, which means she's a golden-brown coppery color all over, and a mare, which means female, and then her breed is an Anglo- Arab, which is a cross between a Thoroughbred and an Arabian, and then she's 16.2 hh high, which means 16.2 hands. Horses are measured in hands, one hand is four inches, she's 11 years old, and an English all-rounder, which means she is good at all types of English riding. And I guess I'm just blabbing." She finished sheepishly.
"No, it's interesting. We've always wanted to learn, and I like horses a lot." Ayu said. The others nodded. "Really?!" Isa said, jumping up. "Then would you like to watch my riding lesson tomorrow?"
Nina looked at all of them, and Kaji, Ayu and Tsujiai nodded. She looked back at Isa and smiled.
"We'd be glad to!" she said.
When Kaji, Ayu, Nina and Tsujiai arrived at the stables, Isa was already there, wearing boots, helmet and gloves, and holding the reins of a pretty golden-brown mare. It was Cali.
"Can I pet her?" Nina asked shyly, and Isa nodded, showing her how to pat the horse's neck. Nina smiled at the horse and stepped back, joining her friends up at the bleachers where they could watch.
Isa smiled and Ayu watched as she put her foot in one stirrup and mounted up and then walked her horse into the ring. She made Cali stand in the ring while she shortened her stirrups for jumping.
The start of the lesson began with everyone walking around. Then the teacher shouted, "Trot on!" and Isa's horse went faster, the mare's back bouncing Isa up and down. Isa started rising up and down in the saddle, called posting, to keep from being bounced.
"Look!" Nina said excitedly as the teacher said to canter. Isa kicked Cali lightly and pulled a bit on the left rein and the horse went even faster. But Nina could easily see the difference from the canter and trot. The trot was bouncy and jolting, while cantering was smooth and steady, more like a rocking horse.
Isa cantered around for a while, then the teacher made her walk while she set up some poles around the ring. "But those are poles, not jumps!" Ayu whispered. Nina shrugged.
The students cantered and trotted over the poles for awhile, then Isa's teacher started putting them up, attaching each side of the poles to two sides.
When the jumps were put up, they were only less than a foot high. Truth to tell, even Isa looked bored. "Why are they so low?" Kaji asked. They shrugged.
After they had all trotted and cantered over the low jumps several times, the teacher (whose name was Janine) let the others dismount and go out, but kept Isa in.
"Why...?" Nina exclaimed, but they suddenly saw Janine putting the jumps up. Now the jumps were probably two feet high, and Isa was finally looking interested.
"Okay, Isa, over the red, then blue, then yellow, then green." Janine said, and Isa nodded and cantered Cali towards the first jump. Sailing over that one, she smiled and looked toward the next. She and Cali cleared all four jumps before coming back down to a walk. Now Janine raised the jumps again, even higher!
"How high is that?" Tsujiai asked, staring at the jumps. Isa's classmate, named Carline, said, "It's probably .75 of a meter. She does that sometimes."
"She jumps .75 of a meter!" Nina said. "That's high..." Ayu said, and Kaji gave a whistle. "Go Isa!" he suddenly shouted, and Ayu echoed him. Then Tsujiai and Nina said, "You can do it!" and Janine laughed. "Seems like you've got a fan club, Isa!" she said, and Isa blushed.
She cantered over the jumps once more, but this time she brought down the pole of the last jump. Isa shook her head and tried again, this time doing them perfectly. "That's enough, Isa." Janine said, smiling. "Good." Isa went into the barn and untacked her horse then bathed Cali and dried her off before putting her into her stall.
"You're so good, Isa!!!" Nina exclaimed as they surrounded her. "Nah, some people I know can do more than a meter." Isa said modestly, blushing.
Back at school, Nina, Ayu, Isa, Kaji, and Tsujiai were talking about riding. "That's so cool!" Nina said, and they laughed.
Yuta came up to them. "What's so cool?" he asked, smiling at them. By then, the whole class knew Isa. "It's Isa!" Ayu said. "She's so good at horseback riding! She can jump .75 of a meter!"
Yuta smiled. "That's pretty high." He said, looking at Isa. The girl had turned red, blushing furiously. Ayu glanced at Nina, who nodded. Could it be that Isa... liked Yuta?"
"Anyway, see you guys later!" Isa said, packing her books and going out. "Bye!" Yuta called, and Isa turned around, blushing. "Bye..." she said shyly, then turned to run off.
Chapter 1
Horseback Riding
"Kaji!" Ayu cried to her boyfriend, face wide with fear. She had been walking down the corridor when she slipped on the stairs, falling. "Tateishi!" Kaji said, reaching out quickly to the beautiful brunette. Just in time, he caught her hand and pulled her up to safety.
"Thanks!" she said, smiling at him. Standing on tiptoe, she leaned in and closed her eyes for a quick kiss. Then she laughed and blushed. It had been a long time since they had-get this!-kissed.
"Don't blush." He said mysteriously, cupping her face in his hands and closing his eyes again. She laughed and shook her head. "Not in the hallways, Kaji-kun!" Kaji laughed along and took her hand, walking with her to their classroom.
"Ayu-chan!" Nina cried, running over and dragging Tsujiai behind her. There's a new student again!" she said, panting. "Ouch, that hurt!" Tsujiai said, rubbing his shoulder. "Oh, sorry, Tsujiai-kun... but I bet this will make it better!" she giggled, brushing her lips against his.
"Not now, not now, you two!" Ayu said, pulling them apart. "Sorry..." Nina grinned, but Tsujiai kissed her quickly before parting. "See you!" he said, going to his desk.
Ayu smiled at Nina, eyes twinkling. "Is this new student a boy, by any chance?" she teased. Nina laughed. "No, she's a girl from the Philippines named Isa. We talked already, and I promised her we'll all be friends." Nina said happily.
She pointed to a girl with two long brown braids bending over a notebook and scribbling something. Ayu smiled and walked over to her. The girl didn't notice.
"Hi Isa, I'm Ayu Tateishi." She said, smiling as the girl looked up and nodded politely. "Hi Ayu, Nina." She said, looking at the boys. "Oh! This is Kaji Tetsushi, and then Tsujiai Hiroki." Nina said, and the boys waved.
"What are you doing?" Ayu asked, peering at the paper. Isa uncovered her words. "Oh, I'm just writing some stats about my horse." She said, smiling. The paper said:
Cali Chestnut Mare Anglo-Arab 16.2 hh 11 years old English all-rounder
"Wow, you have a horse!" Nina exclaimed. "Cali. Is it a boy or girl?" Isa smiled. "She's a mare, female." She replied.
"I don't mean to be rude... but what does that stuff mean?" Tsujiai said after a moment. The others looked at each other. That was what they had been thinking too. Isa laughed.
"Don't be ashamed, I get that all the time!" she said. "Okay, I'll explain. She's a chestnut, which means she's a golden-brown coppery color all over, and a mare, which means female, and then her breed is an Anglo- Arab, which is a cross between a Thoroughbred and an Arabian, and then she's 16.2 hh high, which means 16.2 hands. Horses are measured in hands, one hand is four inches, she's 11 years old, and an English all-rounder, which means she is good at all types of English riding. And I guess I'm just blabbing." She finished sheepishly.
"No, it's interesting. We've always wanted to learn, and I like horses a lot." Ayu said. The others nodded. "Really?!" Isa said, jumping up. "Then would you like to watch my riding lesson tomorrow?"
Nina looked at all of them, and Kaji, Ayu and Tsujiai nodded. She looked back at Isa and smiled.
"We'd be glad to!" she said.
When Kaji, Ayu, Nina and Tsujiai arrived at the stables, Isa was already there, wearing boots, helmet and gloves, and holding the reins of a pretty golden-brown mare. It was Cali.
"Can I pet her?" Nina asked shyly, and Isa nodded, showing her how to pat the horse's neck. Nina smiled at the horse and stepped back, joining her friends up at the bleachers where they could watch.
Isa smiled and Ayu watched as she put her foot in one stirrup and mounted up and then walked her horse into the ring. She made Cali stand in the ring while she shortened her stirrups for jumping.
The start of the lesson began with everyone walking around. Then the teacher shouted, "Trot on!" and Isa's horse went faster, the mare's back bouncing Isa up and down. Isa started rising up and down in the saddle, called posting, to keep from being bounced.
"Look!" Nina said excitedly as the teacher said to canter. Isa kicked Cali lightly and pulled a bit on the left rein and the horse went even faster. But Nina could easily see the difference from the canter and trot. The trot was bouncy and jolting, while cantering was smooth and steady, more like a rocking horse.
Isa cantered around for a while, then the teacher made her walk while she set up some poles around the ring. "But those are poles, not jumps!" Ayu whispered. Nina shrugged.
The students cantered and trotted over the poles for awhile, then Isa's teacher started putting them up, attaching each side of the poles to two sides.
When the jumps were put up, they were only less than a foot high. Truth to tell, even Isa looked bored. "Why are they so low?" Kaji asked. They shrugged.
After they had all trotted and cantered over the low jumps several times, the teacher (whose name was Janine) let the others dismount and go out, but kept Isa in.
"Why...?" Nina exclaimed, but they suddenly saw Janine putting the jumps up. Now the jumps were probably two feet high, and Isa was finally looking interested.
"Okay, Isa, over the red, then blue, then yellow, then green." Janine said, and Isa nodded and cantered Cali towards the first jump. Sailing over that one, she smiled and looked toward the next. She and Cali cleared all four jumps before coming back down to a walk. Now Janine raised the jumps again, even higher!
"How high is that?" Tsujiai asked, staring at the jumps. Isa's classmate, named Carline, said, "It's probably .75 of a meter. She does that sometimes."
"She jumps .75 of a meter!" Nina said. "That's high..." Ayu said, and Kaji gave a whistle. "Go Isa!" he suddenly shouted, and Ayu echoed him. Then Tsujiai and Nina said, "You can do it!" and Janine laughed. "Seems like you've got a fan club, Isa!" she said, and Isa blushed.
She cantered over the jumps once more, but this time she brought down the pole of the last jump. Isa shook her head and tried again, this time doing them perfectly. "That's enough, Isa." Janine said, smiling. "Good." Isa went into the barn and untacked her horse then bathed Cali and dried her off before putting her into her stall.
"You're so good, Isa!!!" Nina exclaimed as they surrounded her. "Nah, some people I know can do more than a meter." Isa said modestly, blushing.
Back at school, Nina, Ayu, Isa, Kaji, and Tsujiai were talking about riding. "That's so cool!" Nina said, and they laughed.
Yuta came up to them. "What's so cool?" he asked, smiling at them. By then, the whole class knew Isa. "It's Isa!" Ayu said. "She's so good at horseback riding! She can jump .75 of a meter!"
Yuta smiled. "That's pretty high." He said, looking at Isa. The girl had turned red, blushing furiously. Ayu glanced at Nina, who nodded. Could it be that Isa... liked Yuta?"
"Anyway, see you guys later!" Isa said, packing her books and going out. "Bye!" Yuta called, and Isa turned around, blushing. "Bye..." she said shyly, then turned to run off.