A/N 1 - I'm so sorry it's taken me FOREVER to write this story - I've been busy with some of my other stories, but they're all complete, so I'll have more time to write this story & Love Songs for Everyone.
A/N 2 - there are only five more chapters until this story is complete. There will not be a sequel or prequel.
A/N 3 - horse terms:
boss mare - a mare (adult female horse) in charge of a herd. She makes all the decisions and decides the pecking order.
gait - a horse's way of moving
walk, trot, canter, gallop - gaits of English riding
walk, jog, lope, gallop - gaits of Western riding
CHAPTER TEN
(chapter title - Chandler & Badda Bing)
Chandler guided Badda Bing over some jumps, making sure to look through his gelding's ears, his eyes laser focused on where he wanted to go.
"Good job Chandler! That's the best I've seen him jump!" David said, smiling proudly.
Chandler smiled and patted Badda Bing's sweaty neck, "good boy."
Badda Bing whinnied proudly.
"Okay show off" Chandler told his horse, moving aside so the others could go over the jumps.
Absolutely Certain - Lily's horse - balked as he came to the first jump.
Kurt looked over, "circle him again at the canter, get him alined and squeeze his sides when you're two strides away from the jump."
Lily nodded and did the jump again, almost going over Certain's neck as he refused the jump again.
"Do you mind if I try?" David asked, dismounting Beetlejuice.
Lily shook her head and held onto Beetlejuice's reins as she watched David mount Certain.
"Okay buddy, let's do this again, shall we?" David asked the horse, adjusting his stirrups and checked the girth.
Certain nickered softly, his ears twitching.
"You watching Lily?" David asked.
Lily nodded, stroking Beetlejuice's velvety nose as she watched David and Certain.
David eventually got Certain over the jump and cantered him around all the jumps, giving him praise and talking to him.
Chandler watched from Badda Bing's back, his hands holding tight to the reins.
"See? Just a little talking to, a little bit with your heels and just showing him the crop" David said, dismounting Certain and took Beetlejuice's reins from Lily, "go ahead and get him cooled down - you can be done for the day."
"Thanks" Lily said and headed to the barn, walking on foot.
David looked at Chandler, "wanna try again?"
Chandler shrugged, "sure" he got Badda Bing to the starting gate and had him turned around so he couldn't see the course.
Badda Bing snorted and whinnied as he turned around as the bell rang for the gate to open.
Chandler laughed as Badda Bing soared over the jumps, almost as if the horse had wings.
After they had enough of jumping, Chandler led Badda Bing back to the barn, seeing Monica and Ratatouille at the bathing rack.
"Let me get his tack off, then I'll come join you" Chandler told Monica.
"Okay. Oh, a bunch of us are going trail riding. Wanna go? The sign up sheet is in the tack room" Monica said.
"That sounds like fun" Chandler said, heading to the barn and quickly took off Badda's saddle and bridle before putting his halter on. He grabbed Badda's bathing equipment before signing up for the trail ride.
Monica smiled as Chandler and Badda joined her at the wash rack, "hey boys."
"Hello there" Chandler said, tying Badda's lead rope to the fence before turning on the hose.
Monica and Chandler chatted as they bathed their horses before walking back to the barn.
Once all the horses had dinner, Sara and whoever else signed up for the trail ride, walked to where the trail ride would take place.
Chandler ended up riding a nice mare named Acute.
The small group rode in the woods behind the horse camp for an hour before heading back to the stable where the trail horses were kept.
Chandler patted Acute's neck, "you were a good girl."
Acute bobbed her head, expecting a treat. She snorted as Chandler gave her a slice of apple.
"Bye pretty girl" Chandler told the beautiful horse as he left the stable.
Acute had been a black and white paint with a broad blaze on her face and two socks on her back legs.
Chandler went to wash up and join his friends at one of the large tables at the mess hall.
"So, who are you asking to the dance the night before camp ends?" Ross asked, "I'm gonna ask Sasha."
"Monica" Chandler said.
"David" Barney said.
"Micky" James said.
"Gretchen" Ted said.
"Abby" Joey said.
"Lily" Marshall said.
"Wait - who's Sasha? I thought you were with Rachel" Ted said.
"Rachel and I have been growing apart since last year. We decided to end things" Ross said, "Sasha is a friend of Rachel's. You guys will meet her the last day of camp. She has some special needs, but I don't really care."
"How long have you two been together?" Ted asked.
"For four months" Ross said, watching the girls join them.
"What's four months?" Rachel asked, sitting down.
"How long Sasha and I have been together" Ross said.
"Ah" Monica said, starting to eat her food.
After everyone had their dinners, they all headed for their cabins for some much deserved rest.
As he slept, Chandler dreamt about how he got Badda Bing…
Chandler's mother - Nora - watched her Leopard Appaloosa mare - Give Me Five - pace her stall. She was due to have her first foal any day now.
Give Me Five had the top half of her black tail wrapped so it wouldn't be in the way when her baby came.
Nine-year-old Chandler came into the barn, rubbing his eyes, "did she have her baby yet?"
Nora looked over at her only child, "not yet, but soon. Wanna stay here with me?"
Chandler nodded and went to sit next to his mother, "did her water break yet?"
"Not yet" Nora said, wrapping an arm around Chandler's shoulder, bringing him closer to her.
Give Me Five's water broke and she snorted.
Chandler went to change her sawdust, exchanging it from sawdust to straw, so it would cushion the baby's fall when it came.
Nora held Give Me Five's head as the vet examined the mare. Her water broke, but there was no sign of the foal.
Give Me Five tossed her head and whinnied.
"The foal is there, but its stuck" the vet said. He put on a long glove and adjusted the foal, "okay, it should arrive now."
Chandler must've fallen asleep because he felt his mother gently shaking his shoulder, "mmm?"
"Give Me Five just had her baby - a colt" Nora said, "what would you like to name him, since he's going to be yours."
Chandler yawned and stretched, "what are his parents' names?"
"His mom is Give Me Five and his dad's name is Borderline" Nora said.
Chandler made a face, "he needs something special. What about his grandparents?"
"His mother's parents are - Give Me Something and Nine to Five. His dad's parents are - Something Special and Badda Boom" Nora said.
"Well, since our last name is Bing, why not Badda Bing?" Chandler suggested.
Nora chuckled, "I like it."
Give Me Five nickered and nudged her colt to her udder.
The foal drank from Give Me Five's udder.
When Badda Bing was two months old, Chandler took him and Give Me Five into the paddock with the other mothers and their babies.
"Mom, who should I put them out with?" Chandler asked, holding onto Give Me Five's lead rope.
"Let's put them out with Liberty and Flag, Queen Sheba and Shark & Jet Setter and My Influence" Nora said, naming three mares and their foals who were about Badda's age.
Chandler nodded and went to the paddock where the other mares were. He smiled as Queen Sheba greeted them at the gate, along with her grey colt Shark.
"Okay you two - back up" Nora told Sheba and Shark, opening the gate.
Give Me Five stood still as Chandler took off her halter as Nora took off Badda Bing's halter.
Chandler made sure Give Me Five and Badda Bing made it out into the pasture before watching them.
The boss mare - a big brown Thoroughbred mare named Jet Setter came over to Give Me Five and sniffed her.
"Be nice, Jet" Nora told the mare.
My Influence went back to her friends once her mother and Give Me Five had sniffed each other and let out squeals.
"I wonder if she's going to be a helicopter mom or if she'll let Badda play" Nora said, watching the mares and foals with Chandler.
"I hope she'll let Badda play. I feel so bad for Shark, since he's the only boy in the herd" Chandler said.
The foals - Flag, My Influence, Shark and Badda Bing - chased each other around the paddock, weaving in and out of their mothers.
Chandler went to do his chores and came back to help his mom bring in the horses for the night.
I wonder where those foals are now Chandler thought as he slept, continuing to dream about him and Badda Bing.