A Horse Tale
Chapter 4
From the Horse's Mouth
Isa's jaw dropped. Ayu gasped. Nina smiled. "See, now you can win the show!" she said.
"Show? We're going to the show? Yes! I love jumping!" Cali said, and Isa walked slowly away from her. "Isa! We're entered in a show! Isn't that so fantastic?" the mare said.
"C-C-Cali..." Isa stuttered, and Ayu managed to hold a trembling smile. "Hi, I'm Ayu." She said. "And this is Nina."
"Since when do you speak horse?" Cali demanded, and Isa gasped. "We're not speaking horse, you're speaking human!" she cried, and the horse jerked her head up in shock. "Wha-how-"
"It was me." Nina said happily. "I made you speak human so you and Isa could win the show! Aren't you glad you can talk to her?" she said, and Isa finally smiled.
"Well, Nina, how exactly is this supposed to help me win the show?" Isa asked, stroking Cali's neck. Nina laughed. "You haven't figured it out yet? See, if you can talk to Cali, instead of giving her signals, it will be much easier to get her to do something!"
Ayu nodded. "If Cali knows what you want, she'll do it much quicker!" she smiled and clapped her hands. "It's perfect, Nina!"
But Nina wasn't smiling anymore. Looking down at her computer, she gasped. "What? What is it now?" Isa asked, scrambling over to look.
"I've just discovered that the magic wears off in... three days!" she said, and Isa gasped. "But three days is so short!" she shook her head. "At least the show is already tomorrow."
Ayu stood up, a confident look on her face. "It's all right. All you have to do is make sure Cali understands what you want her to do, and in the future, when you ride her, she'll know what you mean at last."
Cali nodded empathetically. "Yes, you can just tell me what your different signals mean and I'll remember!" she said, looking at Isa. Isa nodded and smiled.
A minute later she was tacking Cali up. After putting on the saddle, the mare suddenly kicked out at the barn wall, throwing up her head.
"Whoa, whoa, you can tell me what's wrong. You can talk, remember?" Isa said, soothing the mare. Cali nodded, but showed the whites of her eyes, meaning she was still uncomfortable. "There's... there's something under my pad."
Isa quickly picked up the saddle and pad and saw a big, prickly burr stuck in it. She hadn't noticed because she hadn't been paying attention. Throwing it away, she hugged her horse. "I'm sorry, Cali; it's my fault for not seeing it." She closed her eyes in pain, imagining that burr twisting into Cali's skin when she mounted her.
Cali nickered and pushed her with her muzzle. "Let's get going." The mare said gently.
"Having fun out there?" Ayu called, when Isa and Cali where in the ring. Both of them nodded, and laughed. Isa was having a great time! Already she had learned what Cali didn't like doing, and why, and which signals she didn't understand. And Cali had learned too.
"So when you use your inside leg in a circle, it means I have to curve my body?" Cali asked, and Isa nodded. "And now I know that you hate it when I bounce at the sitting trot." She replied.
Nina rode up beside them. They had asked permission to ride the horses, even if they didn't have a lesson. "I can see how well you're doing now!" Nina said, and Isa smiled. "Thanks so much. Now I know a lot about my horse."
Nina gave a comic salute and cantered off.
"Okay, Cali, now I want you to jump that." Isa said, pointing her horse towards a red vertical beside a blue one. "Which one? The red or the blue?" Cali asked, and Isa smiled down. "The red one. From now on, if I'm in front of two jumps, I'll press a tiny bit with which leg is on the jump's side."
Cali nodded and started cantering towards the jump, sailing over it effortlessly. "That was much easier when I knew what you meant." The horse said in a low voice that only Isa could hear, in case anyone else saw her talking. Isa nodded.
Finally, it was the day of the show. Nina was so nervous that she bit one of her nails until it bled. As Ayu went with her to get a bandage, Isa started tacking up Cali. The jumping would come first, and then the equitation.
"Hi." Isa almost jumped out of her skin. Yuta stood there, smiling. "Oh, hi, Yuta." She said nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. He patted her on the shoulder. "Good luck with the show. I'm sure you'll get the blue ribbon." He left, and that was good, because Isa was red as a tomato.
The jumpers started, and after a few rounds, Isa's palms grew cold. Ayu smiled up at her, patting Cali's neck, and the mare tried her best to give Isa a smooth ride as they went over a couple of warm-up jumps.
Then it was her round. Isa trotted Cali into the ring, nodded to the judges, and, with the signal of the bell, put Cali into a canter. The mare obeyed, knowing what Isa wanted before she even gave the command.
They cantered towards the first jump, a green fence. Isa pointed Cali to the fence and they went over smoothly, landing perfectly and turning to go to the next one, a blue vertical.
"Boy, these jumps are sure colorful today." Isa mumbled, and Cali nodded, sailing over the vertical and taking care to tuck her hooves up cleanly.
After that jump, Isa started to relax. Everything was blotted out. No crowd, no judges, no people. It was just her and Cali, jumping together.
They headed for the last jump, a yellow oxer next to a brown one. Cali slowed down, uncertain of which jump it was. Remembering their discussion earlier, Isa pushed a tiny bit with her left foot, and Cali powered towards the left jump, the oxer. They cantered towards it, confident...
Then Isa lost her stirrup.
Cali hesitated, worried for her rider, but Isa shook her head and pushed on, clasping her foot to the mare's side. Going perfectly over the jump and finishing a clear round, Isa brought Cali down to a trot and fell out of the saddle, unbalanced.
Ayu rushed over to her and caught Cali's reins. "Are you all right?" she asked, and Isa nodded. "I just wanted to finish the round." She said, and grew a bit pale. Her breath had been knocked out of her.
After the ride, Leila introduced Isa to a new rider. Her name was Stephanie, and she had jumped as well, at a different stable. "Hi, I'm Isa." Isa said, holding out her hand.
Stephanie ignored the hand and replied, "I'm Stephanie. Let's go for a trail ride, I know the trails very well here."
Isa stiffened at the girl's icy tone and nodded, taking Cali's reins. The mare didn't have a saddle, and wasn't very sweaty, considering how she had jumped, so Isa swung on bareback.
Stephanie was shocked, but, deciding to prove she could do the same, mounted her horse bareback as well. The horse's name was Cacillæ, whatever that meant.
The two girls trotted along a beautiful forest trail, lined with oak and maple trees. The trails branched out in every direction, making it easy to get lost.
"Just follow me, you won't get lost." Stephanie said haughtily, keeping herself in front of Isa. Isa nodded and rolled her eyes, wanting to be anywhere in the world except for here with Stephanie.
â« "You make me feel like dancing!" â« Nina sang softly as she tacked up Making Magic. Maya went into the tack room again, shaking her head. "I can't find the holy stone..."
Suddenly a round shape caught her eye, in the corner of Sunbeam's stall. The shadows made it impossible to see what the round thing was. "Holy Stone?" Maya whispered, getting into the stall and crouching down.
She reached out her hand to the round object, picked it up, brought it out to the light...
"AAAAH!! EWWWW!" Maya screamed, throwing the ball away. It was a piece of horse manure! Nina stifled a giggle, and Yuta, who was walking into the barn, laughed. Maya stomped out of the stables, tugging Sunbeam along with her.
Isa's jaw dropped. Ayu gasped. Nina smiled. "See, now you can win the show!" she said.
"Show? We're going to the show? Yes! I love jumping!" Cali said, and Isa walked slowly away from her. "Isa! We're entered in a show! Isn't that so fantastic?" the mare said.
"C-C-Cali..." Isa stuttered, and Ayu managed to hold a trembling smile. "Hi, I'm Ayu." She said. "And this is Nina."
"Since when do you speak horse?" Cali demanded, and Isa gasped. "We're not speaking horse, you're speaking human!" she cried, and the horse jerked her head up in shock. "Wha-how-"
"It was me." Nina said happily. "I made you speak human so you and Isa could win the show! Aren't you glad you can talk to her?" she said, and Isa finally smiled.
"Well, Nina, how exactly is this supposed to help me win the show?" Isa asked, stroking Cali's neck. Nina laughed. "You haven't figured it out yet? See, if you can talk to Cali, instead of giving her signals, it will be much easier to get her to do something!"
Ayu nodded. "If Cali knows what you want, she'll do it much quicker!" she smiled and clapped her hands. "It's perfect, Nina!"
But Nina wasn't smiling anymore. Looking down at her computer, she gasped. "What? What is it now?" Isa asked, scrambling over to look.
"I've just discovered that the magic wears off in... three days!" she said, and Isa gasped. "But three days is so short!" she shook her head. "At least the show is already tomorrow."
Ayu stood up, a confident look on her face. "It's all right. All you have to do is make sure Cali understands what you want her to do, and in the future, when you ride her, she'll know what you mean at last."
Cali nodded empathetically. "Yes, you can just tell me what your different signals mean and I'll remember!" she said, looking at Isa. Isa nodded and smiled.
A minute later she was tacking Cali up. After putting on the saddle, the mare suddenly kicked out at the barn wall, throwing up her head.
"Whoa, whoa, you can tell me what's wrong. You can talk, remember?" Isa said, soothing the mare. Cali nodded, but showed the whites of her eyes, meaning she was still uncomfortable. "There's... there's something under my pad."
Isa quickly picked up the saddle and pad and saw a big, prickly burr stuck in it. She hadn't noticed because she hadn't been paying attention. Throwing it away, she hugged her horse. "I'm sorry, Cali; it's my fault for not seeing it." She closed her eyes in pain, imagining that burr twisting into Cali's skin when she mounted her.
Cali nickered and pushed her with her muzzle. "Let's get going." The mare said gently.
"Having fun out there?" Ayu called, when Isa and Cali where in the ring. Both of them nodded, and laughed. Isa was having a great time! Already she had learned what Cali didn't like doing, and why, and which signals she didn't understand. And Cali had learned too.
"So when you use your inside leg in a circle, it means I have to curve my body?" Cali asked, and Isa nodded. "And now I know that you hate it when I bounce at the sitting trot." She replied.
Nina rode up beside them. They had asked permission to ride the horses, even if they didn't have a lesson. "I can see how well you're doing now!" Nina said, and Isa smiled. "Thanks so much. Now I know a lot about my horse."
Nina gave a comic salute and cantered off.
"Okay, Cali, now I want you to jump that." Isa said, pointing her horse towards a red vertical beside a blue one. "Which one? The red or the blue?" Cali asked, and Isa smiled down. "The red one. From now on, if I'm in front of two jumps, I'll press a tiny bit with which leg is on the jump's side."
Cali nodded and started cantering towards the jump, sailing over it effortlessly. "That was much easier when I knew what you meant." The horse said in a low voice that only Isa could hear, in case anyone else saw her talking. Isa nodded.
Finally, it was the day of the show. Nina was so nervous that she bit one of her nails until it bled. As Ayu went with her to get a bandage, Isa started tacking up Cali. The jumping would come first, and then the equitation.
"Hi." Isa almost jumped out of her skin. Yuta stood there, smiling. "Oh, hi, Yuta." She said nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. He patted her on the shoulder. "Good luck with the show. I'm sure you'll get the blue ribbon." He left, and that was good, because Isa was red as a tomato.
The jumpers started, and after a few rounds, Isa's palms grew cold. Ayu smiled up at her, patting Cali's neck, and the mare tried her best to give Isa a smooth ride as they went over a couple of warm-up jumps.
Then it was her round. Isa trotted Cali into the ring, nodded to the judges, and, with the signal of the bell, put Cali into a canter. The mare obeyed, knowing what Isa wanted before she even gave the command.
They cantered towards the first jump, a green fence. Isa pointed Cali to the fence and they went over smoothly, landing perfectly and turning to go to the next one, a blue vertical.
"Boy, these jumps are sure colorful today." Isa mumbled, and Cali nodded, sailing over the vertical and taking care to tuck her hooves up cleanly.
After that jump, Isa started to relax. Everything was blotted out. No crowd, no judges, no people. It was just her and Cali, jumping together.
They headed for the last jump, a yellow oxer next to a brown one. Cali slowed down, uncertain of which jump it was. Remembering their discussion earlier, Isa pushed a tiny bit with her left foot, and Cali powered towards the left jump, the oxer. They cantered towards it, confident...
Then Isa lost her stirrup.
Cali hesitated, worried for her rider, but Isa shook her head and pushed on, clasping her foot to the mare's side. Going perfectly over the jump and finishing a clear round, Isa brought Cali down to a trot and fell out of the saddle, unbalanced.
Ayu rushed over to her and caught Cali's reins. "Are you all right?" she asked, and Isa nodded. "I just wanted to finish the round." She said, and grew a bit pale. Her breath had been knocked out of her.
After the ride, Leila introduced Isa to a new rider. Her name was Stephanie, and she had jumped as well, at a different stable. "Hi, I'm Isa." Isa said, holding out her hand.
Stephanie ignored the hand and replied, "I'm Stephanie. Let's go for a trail ride, I know the trails very well here."
Isa stiffened at the girl's icy tone and nodded, taking Cali's reins. The mare didn't have a saddle, and wasn't very sweaty, considering how she had jumped, so Isa swung on bareback.
Stephanie was shocked, but, deciding to prove she could do the same, mounted her horse bareback as well. The horse's name was Cacillæ, whatever that meant.
The two girls trotted along a beautiful forest trail, lined with oak and maple trees. The trails branched out in every direction, making it easy to get lost.
"Just follow me, you won't get lost." Stephanie said haughtily, keeping herself in front of Isa. Isa nodded and rolled her eyes, wanting to be anywhere in the world except for here with Stephanie.
â« "You make me feel like dancing!" â« Nina sang softly as she tacked up Making Magic. Maya went into the tack room again, shaking her head. "I can't find the holy stone..."
Suddenly a round shape caught her eye, in the corner of Sunbeam's stall. The shadows made it impossible to see what the round thing was. "Holy Stone?" Maya whispered, getting into the stall and crouching down.
She reached out her hand to the round object, picked it up, brought it out to the light...
"AAAAH!! EWWWW!" Maya screamed, throwing the ball away. It was a piece of horse manure! Nina stifled a giggle, and Yuta, who was walking into the barn, laughed. Maya stomped out of the stables, tugging Sunbeam along with her.