Chapter Six
I swung up into the small light weight saddle, a frisky dark bay Quarter Horse dancing underneath me. "Just a light breeze today." Jake Sheridan said- he was an old man, holding the reins of the horse. I nodded my head, looking over my shoulder to Erica who was just leading a lanky chestnut Quarter Horse over to the practice dirt track. "Erica if you don't keep up with your sister I don't know what I'm going to do with you!" Jake scolded walking over to her to give her a leg up into the small racing saddle. Erica smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, just a breeze?" she said quickly. "Yea, just breezing today… if both of you don't keep up with your mother I don't know what I'm going to do. You're on your first horses and she's getting done her second!" Jake called to us as we directed the horses onto the track. Yea, me and Erica help exercise Quarter Horses for Jake Sheridan. My mom had been exercising for him since she was fifteen and she even had two horses growing up she kept here, Jake was also her best friend's father.
My mother smiled at us as she jogged a bay pony by me and Erica. "You'd better get going girls!" she called to us. Both me and Erica shrugged our shoulders before looking down the track, making sure no other horses where coming down as we went to the inside railing.
"Where you and Joe go last night after the fight?" Erica said, posting to the jostling movements of the Quarter Horse. "We went to the park and just swung on the swing set." I said, trying to keep my horse in line with hers. "Oh that's all?" she asked making a face at me, causing me to laugh. "He gave me this really pretty necklace." I added, applying more leg to my horse telling him to canter. "Oh really, you got to show me after we're done." I nodded my head, briskly my horse pulled in front of hers.
"You're not coming?" I called over my shoulder. "Nah, this is Speed R, I have to work him more before I can gallop or he won't come back!" she called back. I nodded my head turning back around. "Okay Bright, give me what ya got." I said tightening my reins. Flicking his tail Bright gave a little buck. "Bright!" I scolded, sitting threw it easily. I didn't like using whips on horses; I thought it was cruel even if it made the horse pay attention to you better. I applied more leg, clucking my tongue but the big bay refused to increase his gate into a gallop.
His ears flickered back and I glanced over my shoulder, Erica was cantering Speed R and about to get him to gallop. Some extra work Erica, I thought to myself. Slowly Speed R came up to our side. "Thought you where running!" Erica called to me. "So did I!" I called back. She smiled, "See ya!" She said clamping her heals into the large chestnuts side; he took off at a nice gallop, lengthening himself out perfectly. "Bright if you don't get your lazy ass up!" I said trying everything to get him to gallop. After a second or two more I could take his laziness no longer and holding the reins with my left hand I quickly brought my right hand back and smacked him one on the rear. Pinning his ears back he took off at a gallop, slowly his ears went forward as we approached Speed R.
I maneuvered our way to the right of Erica and Speed R, "Hey, didn't know I'd be seeing you so soon." I said smiling cheekily at her. "Neither did I, I thought for sure you wouldn't be able to get that horse to gallop!" she said back to me. Bright was a hand or two bigger then Speed R and a lot more muscular but Speed R was fast and his slender legs beat across the dirt track with quietness. For a while the only noise was the breathing of the two horses and the beating of Bright's hooves.
I pulled Bright back, with a fierce toss of the head and a little buck he came back, wanting to keep up with Speed R. Erica must have lost track of how far she was to go because she keep him galloping another furlong before realizing I wasn't at her side and pulled the antsy pony back.
Jake and my mom stood and the track exit. I dismounted Bright and patted his shoulder that barely glistened with sweat in the morning sun. "Erica Jake said just a light breeze." my mom said looking pasted me to Erica. Erica bit her lip; she didn't like to get in trouble. "I said she should keep on going since Speed R was going to good." I said quickly. Erica glanced over to me. "Who made you the trainer Hailey?" my mom asked turning to me. "I dunno, I just thought it'd be nice." I said shrugging my shoulders. Before manners could flare up Jack laid a hand on my moms shoulder, "It's fine Kristina. He hasn't even broke a sweat, it was good for him." he said.
For the rest of they morning, until afternoon, we breezed Quarter Horses. This is what my mom did for a living; she exercised ponies and helped train them. And off and on she had a restaurant job. She was lucky, she got to do something she enjoyed for a living, and didn't have to go to collage to do it.
Mom dropped us off at the Dingo on our way back home. That's how the weekends usually go. Saturday morning we wake up, get dressed, drive down to the barn, exercise some ponies, stay there for a while, then drive back home.
There's chapter 6 for ya! Doesn't have a lot to do with the gang. It's like one of thoose chapters put in there just to be in there... plz R&R!