A/N 1 - Hey guys! I'm so glad that people are liking The One At Horse Camp. This is such a fun story to write! I am still getting messages about people wanting to do art for me. I have four words for you - I AM NOT INTERESTED!
A/N 2 - I figured since most of you aren't horse people, I thought I would give you a little lesson at the beginning of each chapter, beginning with this one. I'll give 3 or 4 horsey terms.
A/N 3 - Horsey terms:
Dressage - like dancing with your horse. The horse and rider move as one.
Baby green - beginning jumping class
Barrel racing - you have a pattern that you have to follow - it's usually a cloverleaf pattern. You and your horse race as fast as you can around 3 barrels, being careful not to knock any of them over, otherwise you get points knocked off.
Bridle - a devise that goes over the horse's head so the rider can control the horse
CHAPTER TWO
(chapter title - Joey and Thespian)
Joey was in the middle of a good dream when he heard his alarm going off at 4:00 AM.
"Mmmmm" Joey mumbled, putting the pillow over his head. He yelped as someone yanked his blankets off his bunk. Taking the pillow off his head, he saw the outline of Ted.
"Come on, time to get up" Ted said.
"Nope" Joey said, trying to go back to sleep.
"Joey, we gotta get up and feed the horses and ourselves before we go to our classes" Ted said, helping Joey stand.
"Joey doesn't get up before the sun does" Joey said yawning. He put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before following Ted, Marshall, Barney, James, Ross and Chandler to the barn.
Joey noticed other kids from different cabins going to their barns. He entered ZZ Barn and went to Thespian's stall.
"Morning buddy" Joey greeted his horse. He entered Thespian's stall and took off Thespian's blue leg wraps, light blanket, sleazy and tail bag. He then checked Thespian's body for any scrapes or cuts he might have gotten in the night.
Thespian snorted, sounding irritated.
"Okay okay. I'll get you your breakfast" Joey said, getting Thespian's blue feed bucket and went to the feed room. He made a quick stop at the tack room to put Thespian's things away first.
Once Thespian's oat bucket was full, Joey got Thespian two and a half flakes of hay.
"Joey, are you ready yet?" Robin asked as she got Blue Jay out of his stall.
"For what?" Joey asked, a little confused.
"We have Showmanship class" Lily said, getting Absolutely Certain out of his stall.
"How long until class?" Joey asked.
"It starts in five minutes" Marshall said, getting Irish Whiskey out of her stall.
Joey went to the tack room and got Thespian's bridle, "sorry bud. You can finish your breakfast later" he put the bridle on and led Thespian out of his stall, following Lily to the arena, making sure to keep a good distance between Thespian and Absolutely Certain.
Sara smiled as everyone entered the arena, "hello everyone. Please find a spot on the far side of the arena, making sure to have plenty of space between you and the horse next to you. I'm Sara and I'm the 4-H leader of Growing In Sync. I'll be your instructor today. Can we just go down the row and tell me your name and your horse's name."
Once everyone had introduced themselves and their horses, Sara showed each person how to properly stand for Showmanship, using different horses as examples, including Thespian.
"See how I'm not too close to him, but I'm not too far? You want to be at your horse's shoulder and always keep your eyes on the judge. If the judge is on your left, you want to be on your horse's right and vice versa. I remember when I showed horses and my horse at the time - Braveheart - decided to take a roll during class, which got us disqualified" Sara said, "let's divide into groups of two and take turns being the judge for each other."
Everyone paired up. Joey got paired up with Lily and her horse Absolutely Certain. Luckily, both Certain and Thespian got along.
"Do you want to go first or do you want me to?" Lily asked.
"I'll go first" Joey said, "get Certain square and I'll start judging."
Lily nodded and had Certain stand square, which wasn't easy. Certain was very stubborn and didn't like doing work early in the morning.
Sara came over to Joey and Lily, "how's it going?"
"Good" both Lily and Joey answered in unison.
Sara smiled and watched Joey and Lily be judges for each other before walking off. She looked at her watch, "we have a few minutes. Who wants to do a demonstration?"
"I will" Lily said.
"Okay. I'll give you a pattern and I want you to follow it" Sara said, walking over to Lily, "I want you to trot him to me, square him up, then I'll start judging. When I'm done, I want you to back him up and trot back. Got it?"
Lily nodded and went to go find a spot along the fence to stand. She watched Sara nod to her and got Certain into a trot, stopping him 2 feet from Sara. Lily then squared Certain's feet and kept her eyes on Sara, making sure to switch from left to right, going in front of Certain's nose. Once Sara was done judging, Lily backed Certain up and had him trot back to his spot on the fence.
Everyone applauded Lily.
Two other people went next - Robin, followed by Joey.
By the time class was over, the sun was beating down on everyone.
"I need to get ready for my jumping class" Joey said, tying Thespian to his stall and went to get his English saddle and saddle pad.
"I'm heading that way, too" Lily said, also getting Certain's saddle and saddle pad.
"Wanna walk together?" Joey asked, adjusting the girth, along with his stirrup length. He had the stirrups two holes shorter than usual so he could clear the jumps easier.
Once both he and Lily were ready, the two of them headed to another arena where six jumps were set up. A young man was already there going over the jumps on a black and white paint horse.
"Is that Barney and Tuxedo Joe?" Lily asked, putting a hand up to her face to shield her eyes from the sun.
"No, Joe's a little taller and the rider has dark hair, not blonde like Barney" Joey said, watching the rider.
"What about Barney?" Barney asked, coming over with Tuxedo Joe.
"Just wondering who that rider is" Lily said, smiling as an instructor opened the gate for them.
"Get on your horses and circle around the jumps at a walk" the instructor said, "I'm Kurt and that was my older brother David on his horse Beetlejuice going over the jumps. My horse, Barley, is over there, but don't get too close to her - she will bite and kick you and your horse."
Barney, Lily, Joey and the other riders mounted their horses and circled the jumps at a walk.
"Can anyone tell me what these jumps are?" Kurt asked.
Lily raised her hand and Kurt nodded to her to answer.
"Water jump, Oxer, Cross Rails, Vertical, Wall Jump and Log Jump" Lily said.
Kurt smiled, "good job. Want to demonstrate going over one of the jumps?"
Lily nodded, "I'll do any but the Water Jump - my horse is afraid of water."
"Understood. Why don't you and your horse do the Log Jump?" Kurt said, nodding to the log jump at the far end of the arena, "what's your name and what's your horse's name?"
"I'm Lily and this is Absolutely Certain" Lily said.
"I want you guys to watch Lily and her horse, who I'll call Certain, go over the jump" Kurt said to the others before looking at Lily, "take the jump at a canter, okay?" He took a minute to adjust the girth and Lily's stirrups, "whenever you're ready."
Lily nodded and got Certain into a trot, then a canter, making sure to get in the middle of the jump. She stood in the stirrups and squeezed Certain's side, holding onto Certain's mane with her hands as they soared over the jump, landing gracefully on the other side. She patted Certain's shoulder and cantered over to the others.
Once everyone had gone over the jumps, Kurt divided the class into groups of two and assigned each of them a jump to go over.
Barney and Joey had been paired together and were assigned the water jump.
David worked with the more skittish horses, including Tuxedo Joe, who wasn't the biggest fan of water.
"Barney, how about you ride Beetlejuice while I work with Tuxedo Joe, is that okay?" David said.
Barney was staring at David, then cleared his throat as Joey poked him in the ribs, "ow. Yes, that's fine" he dismounted Tuxedo Joe and went to Beetlejuice, "where'd you get him?"
"Maritime Farms" David said, "where'd you get Tuxedo Joe?"
"The same place. Was Beetlejuice's mother's name Wildest Dreams?" Barney asked.
"Yeah. Was your horse's dad's name Red Coded Cobra?" David asked.
"It was. I think our horses are brothers" Barney said.
"How old is Tuxedo Joe?" David asked.
"He's 23 years old" Barney said.
"That's how old Beetlejuice is" David said, smiling.
Once class ended, David and Barney were making plans to see each other.
"Dude, I didn't know you were gay!" Joey said as he and Barney rode back to the barn together.
"I'm actually bi" Barney said, "I'm more attracted to women than men."
Joey nodded in understanding as the two of them headed back to the barn.
"Hey Barney! Wait up!" David called, riding up on Beetlejuice.
Barney smiled up at David, "hey. What's up?" He scratched Beetlejuice's neck, which he seemed to like.
"I was wondering if you want to go for a ride once classes are over for the day" David said, smiling.
"Let me see what my friends are up to. I think a bunch of us were going to check out the fair, although I might have barn duty" Barney said.
"Understood. I'm in AAA Barn, stall number 17" David said, smiling, "Beetlejuice and I will be waiting if you wanna ride, or not. That's fine."
He's really cute Barney thought to himself. He and David said their goodbyes and headed to their respected barns.
It turned out that Barney did have barn duty, along with Joey, Rachel and Robin.
"So, how'd your talk with David go?" Joey asked as he and Barney mucked out stalls while Rachel and Robin filled water buckets.
"Ooh, who's David?" Rachel asked as she filled Matilda's water bucket.
Barney rubbed the back of his neck, "he's-"
"He's a guy that Barney bonded with while we were at our jumping class" Joey told the girls.
"He sounds hot. Is he hot?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, he's hot, I guess" Barney said, blushing a bit.
Joey, Rachel and Robin squealed, which made Barney cover his ears.
"You can go find him, if you want" Robin said.
"Go find who where?" Sara asked, from the end of the shed row.
"Barney found-" Joey started to say when Barney stomped on his foot, "ow!"
"The whole world doesn't need to know" Barney said to Joey before turning to Sara, "I met a guy in my jumping class and he asked if I wanted to go for a ride. I told him I had barn duty and couldn't go."
"You can go - Joey, Robin, Rachel and I have it. Grab a wrist band in case you go to the fair" Sara said.
"Really?" Barney asked.
Sara nodded, "really. Go have fun before I change my mind."
"Thank you. I'll be back in time for dinner. What are we having anyway?" Barney asked.
"Pizza" Sara said.
Barney smiled and headed to where David's barn was.
The following day, Joey rode Thespian in the walk/trot/canter class, focusing on his trotting.
Stacey was in the middle of the arena, hands on her hips as she watched the class of eight trot their horses.
"Everyone change direction still trotting. Four of you canter and four of you stay in the trot - I don't care who" Stacey said.
Four riders, including Joey, kept their horses at the trot while the other four riders got their horses into the canter.
A girl got her horse too close to Joey, which made Thespian spook.
"Everyone stop your horses" Stacey said, walking over to the girl, "Abby, what in the hell were you thinking?"
"Don't yell at her Stacy. I didn't see her" Joey said.
"He's right - I didn't see him" Abby said, patting her horse's neck.
"Everyone come into the middle of the arena, except for Abby and Joey" Stacey told the riders.
Everyone went to the middle of the arena, except for Abby and Joey.
"Abby, get Hamilton into a canter and Joey, get Thespian into a trot" Stacey told the two of them, "I want you two to keep an eye on each other and mind your spacing."
Abby and Joey nodded, getting their horses into a canter and trot, respectfully.
"You two cannot cross through the middle, so really keep your eyes up" Stacey instructed, watching the two riders.
The other six riders watched from atop their horses, wondering what was going on.
Once Joey and Abby had ridden their horses for an hour, Stacey let everyone leave, except for Abby.
Joey dismounted Thespian and ran up his stirrups so they wouldn't bang against his sides, "you're a good boy, Thespian."
Thespian snorted in agreement, rubbing his head on Joey's shoulder, getting an itch.
Joey was curious what was happening between Abby and Stacey.
Joey tied Thespian's reins to the fence as the two of them watched.
"…Keep your head up, not looking at your feet. If you want to be a serious rider, you must pay attention!" Stacey was saying sternly.
Abby had tears in her eyes and was close to crying as Stacey finally let her leave the arena.
Joey quickly untied Thespian's reins and walked over to Abby, "hey. Are you okay?"
Abby nodded, avoiding eye contact, "I need to get to the barn."
Joey gently touched her arm, "don't let Stacey talk to you like that. You can always tell someone, like me."
"I wish I could, but she's my mother and unfortunately, she's always like that" Abby said, patting Hamilton's sweaty neck, "I'm Abby, by the way and this handsome guy is Hamilton."
"I'm Joey and this is Thespian" Joey introduced himself and his horse, "what barn are you in?"
"We're in Barn BB. You?" Abby asked as she and Joey walked their horses side by side.
"Barn ZZ, over on the hill there" Joey said, pointing to where the long white barn was.
"I'll let you go. It was nice walking with you and Thespian" Abby said, smiling a bit.
"It was nice walking with you, too" Joey said, a small smile on his face.
Abby said 'goodbye' to Joey and headed for her barn, while Joey and Thespian headed to their barn.
Barney had a smirk on his face as Joey approached with Thespian, "I saw that - Joey you dog! Have you gotten into her pants yet?"
"What? Ew - no! We just met" Joey said, putting Thespian in cross-ties so he could take his saddle, saddle pad, bridle and front leg pads off, all with Barney's help.
"That didn't stop me" Barney said, raising his eyebrows playfully.
Joey rolled his eyes and grabbed Thespian's bathing supplies, "he's pretty warm, so I'm gonna give him a bath. Wanna come?"
"No thanks. David and I are going to the midway. I think Rachel, Robin and Lily are at the bathing rack, though" Barney said.
Joey nodded and led Thespian to the bathing rack, smiling as he saw Rachel, Robin and Lily, "hey ladies. Can these two gentlemen join you?"
"Of course! There's room next to me, honey" Rachel said, squealing as Matilda shook her massive body, "Tilda!"
Joey snickered as he tied Thespian's lead rope to the bathing rack and turned on the hose.
Within twenty minutes, all the horses were bathed.
"Joey, do you want to come to the midway with us?" Robin asked.
Joey nodded, "I would like that. Can I see if my new friend Abby can come, too?"
"Sure" Lily said, smiling.
Joey smiled and trotted to where Abby's barn was. He saw her exiting the feed room, "Abby, my friends and I are going to the midway to ride rides. Wanna come?"
"I would love to, but I have barn duty. Thank you for the offer, though" Abby said, going into a horse's stall with a bucket full of grain.
"Okay" Joey said and went to join his friends, "she has barn duty."
"Aww" Robin, Lily and Rachel said in unison.
Together, the four of them headed for the midway in the late afternoon sun.