[a lonely ride]

[BECKiEE :)]

It was early afternoon, and everything was quiet and still. The warm sun was beaming down on the scene with no clouds to obstruct it. A girl walked her horse along a quiet road, only occasionally a car or lorry passed. She was about fifteen, maybe sixteen, with light ginger hair worn in low bunches that fell over her shoulders. She wore a green and white striped strappy shirt and a pair of beige jodhpurs. On her feet were a pair of fitted dark brown riding boots with plain brown chaps. Her gelding looked around him, one blue eye and one brown eye making him an interesting sight to behold. He was slightly thin, but looked well groomed and he walked with a healthy spring in his step.

Tatiana, the girl, had recently bought her gelding, Archer, from the local sale area. He had been very cheap, an no surprises there, he was still quite nervous, but a month had passed since she got him and he was doing well. The paint gelding tossed his head, he wore a light bit, nothing to harsh on his mouth and a black leather bridle. His had an black leather all purpose English saddle with a lime green saddle cloth beneath it. The girl held the reins with some slack, so she wasn’t pulling on Archers mouth. She turned left at an open gate, and began following a dirt path with trees and banks on either sides. Tatiana gave the gelding a nudge and he started trotting, his pace smooth and floaty, almost as if he had arabian in him somewhere. In fact, he was mustang through and through.

As they rounded a corner Tatiana caught a glimpse of the fields she was going to, so she could give Archer a gallop. She found herself descending a slope and slowed down to a walk and then leaned back in the saddle, so she wasn’t putting pressure on Archers shoulders, and so he wouldn’t slip. She came to the base of the slope and the path flattened again, she breathed in the fresh air of the trees all around her, and listened to the birds chirping to one another.So peacful she thought.

[krista]

David rode along the dirt path. He was of course on his horse Allornothing which was his best thoroughbred. He nudged the stallion into a canter along the path. But since this horse knew jumping and cross country it was a slow canter not a fast one.
David slowed down to a trot when he came to the corner. Allornothing went around the turn with no problem. But since he had a rough mouth he had to wear a ring bit with a brown leather bridle. He wore a brown leather saddle on his back with a red saddle pad underneath. He hated trotting so badly.
David slowed the horse to a slow walk to go down the hill. He leaned backwards to help the horse more. Allornothing hated walking down hills so badly.
David was wearing white riding jeans, a black t-shirt and blue riding jacket. His riding boots were jet black which were almost to his knees. He wore a velvet helmet on his head. His older sister, Stephanie made him wear his helmet.
Allornothing got to the bottom of the hill and wanted to canter again. David nudged the horse into a canter which was faster then before. The thoroughbred blood had kicked in. Allornothing moved over the flat grass and kept going. This horse really loved to canter with his rider upon his back.

[BECKiEE :)]

She patted the mustangs neck, and sat up straight again. The gelding snorted, and drooped his neck, relaxing his muscles, then he heard something. His ears flicked backwards and listened to the sounds of what he thought was another horse coming along the trail. Tatiana was about to ask Archer to trot again, when she heard someone thundering along the path behind her. She couldn’t see them though when she looked over her shoulder. For a moment she wondered what she should do, what if they crashed into her?

At that thought she looked for an opening in the trees on the side of the path that she could squeeze Archer into. No luck. She asked him to trot, and then canter. The gelding threw up his head and burst forward into the faster gait. Tatiana grabbed at his mane, she hadn’t meant for him to go so fast. The girls ginger hair whipped out behind her as their pace quickened. She gasped as she saw the bank fall away in front of them. She pulled as hard as she could on the right rein and the gelding swerved around the corner and down another steep slope. She lent back, sitting the canter stride as she went, until they reached the bottom of the slope and came out into a field of crops, and pulled Archer up, and moved him up onto the bank on the side of the field, so that the other rider didn’t crash into them.

[krista]

David kept Allornothing at a fast canter. Allornothing spotted the other horse. David spotted them too. He pulled the stallion up. Allornothing came to a sudden walk. They walked down the second slope and halted at the bottom.
Allornothing was tired out at the moment. David patted the stallion's neck and was proud of the power the horse gave him. He leaned forward and nudged the stallion into a fast walk.
Allornothing moved quickly into the fast walk. David knew his horse wanted to challenge other horses even if they weren't of the same breed. His blue riding jacket end moving in the breeze behind him just a little bit.
Allornothing snorted and wanted to stop moving to rest his tired legs. David halted the horse and took his black gloves off. The black thoroughbred stood tall. He held his head close to his chest like a dressage horse would.
David removed his helmet and tied it to the saddle just to his back right. He looked over to the other rider. He nodded slightly.

[BECKiEE :)]

She saw the horse come down the slope at a walk and then be halted. She gave a gasp at how handsome the stallion was, a finely built black thoroughbred. She smiled at the other rider as he nodded towards her, and then asked Archer to walk forward a bit. The stallion loomed above the gelding, but size didn’t matter in the mustangs world. He looked up at the stallion, his blue and brown eyes meeting the stallions. The gelding snorted a greeting to the horse, and then started chewing his bit, clanking against his teeth.

''Hey, I'm Tatiana White'' she said to the boy atop his horse. She re-adjusted her seat in the saddle and pushed her heels down in the stirrups again.''But its easier to just call me Tat. Hey, I haven’t seen you round here before, have you just moved to New Hope?'' She asked inquisitively, pushing back her side fringe with one hand, before she replaced it on the other rein.

[krista]

David smiled a bit." I moved here with my two sisters and brother. I'm David Spellman but like to be just called Dave or David. I see your riding a mustang gelding" said David.
Allornothing snorted back a greeting. Then just tried to get his bit out of his mouth since it was a ring bit. He hated it. But stood as he was and his eyes became droppy. He was tried out and wanted to rest before moving again.
David patted his stallion on the neck again. Allornothing understood the pat against his neck. His eyes became undroppy and he nickered softly. David put his riding gloves back on and held the reins in his hands again.
Allornothing didn't want to move anywhere just yet. He looked toward the ground waiting for his instruction to do something. David nudged the stallion's left side.
Allornothing snorted and started counting to one hundred. Then he stopped. David smiled and patted his neck.

[BECKiEE :)]

She took in what he said, and nodded as he spoke. She had been here about three months in total. Tatiana watched the stallion trying to remove the bit from his mouth for a moment, and then heard David speak again.''Oh, yeah he is. He’s called Archer. I have another horse, a Thoroughbred called Harlee''. She spoke in her usual friendly voice and kept a small smile at her rosy lips.''You get to ride a stallion? Is he yours? He’s really nice looking!'' she exclaimed when she looked at the powerful beast again.

Tatiana put Archer on the bit, pulling on each rein one after the other until he pulled his nose back, and then she kept the reins at their new length. She looked down the long expanse of dirt track along the side of the crops, and then back at David.''Wanna' keep riding down there? We could have a bit of a race if you horse isn’t too tired''.

[krista]

David nodded slightly." He is my stallion yes. His name is Allornothing. I used to have people challenge me to small races back where I used to live. I don't think he is tired anymore" said David calmly.
Allornothing stamped one hoof into the ground. He snorted and shifted his weight a bit. Then waited to be told what to do. David patted the stallion's shoulder lightly then waited to see what she would say next.
The stallion snorted again. He wanted so badly to canter his fastest. David untied his helmet from the right back of the saddle and put it back on his head. He wouldn't let his horse take off unless he protected his head.
Allornothing snorted yet again as if in a challenging way. He waited impatently now. He so badly wanted to race again like he used to. His thoroughbred blood was going to kick in.

[BECKiEE :)]

She nodded when he spoke, listening intently to what David said. Tatiana then widened her smile, she would be happy to give Archer a long ride on the dirt path around the field, he needed the exercise really.''Lets get going then!'' she said, gripping the reins in both hands, she wheeled the gelding around and nudged his sides. Archer reared and shot forward, indeed like an arrow. Tatiana allowed her reins to go slack and let the gelding stretch his neck out, but still she wouldn’t let him go his fastest. In truth she didn’t know how fast he could go, but she kept his canter stride long and powerful as she glanced over her shoulder to see when the boy started after her.

[krista]

David grinned. Then nudged Allornothing into a fast pace. Allornothing went right into that pace. He loved adding racing paces into his work outs. It was the most fun of it all.
David moved fast with his black thoroughbred. The blood the horse had was racing blood. He qould have been a gret race horse. But he doesn't race he does show jumping and cross country.
Allornothing felt his blood type kick in. It made him run faster. He got up beside the gelding. His brown eyes seeking out turns. But he couldn't see any right then.
David had forgotten one thing this horse has always been blind. But it knew what it was doing and where it was going. David quickly looked beside him and smirked.
Allornothing snorted and more of the blood kicked right in. He started to pull ahead of the gelding by on length.

[BECKiEE :)]

Tatiana lifted herself in the stirrups to light seat, and held her hands forward over the mustangs neck more and he took the slack and stretched further. The task of outrunning a thoroughbred was an immense one, but she knew that at least Archer had the stamina to trail close behind him. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and the gelding started going faster and then his gait changed to a gallop. Tatiana laughed as the wind whipped around her, she didn’t care about the outcome of the race, she just wanted to have fun. She caught the other riders smirk and rolled her eyes.Some people are too competitive she thought and nudged the gelding lightly on the barrel, signaling for him to extend his strides. She made up the distance behind the stallion, and then looked in a determined line ahead of her and again clicked at Archer who did his best to keep up the pace. To Tatiana he was going full speed ahead, but Archer new he could go faster, but not for very long.

With a last attempt to coax him forwards, the girl whispered.''C'mon boy, you can do it. Lets show that racer who's boss'' she said and grinned back at the rider as Archer tore ahead, his strides coming in long bursts. His metal clad hooves ripped up the terrain beneath him as he distanced himself from the Thoroughbred by a few strides, and kept up his speed, legs working furiously.

[kristanotloggedin]

David nudged Allornothing on more. The thoroughbred lengthened his strides and moved to try and get ahead again. David took one hand off the reins and pulled out a crop from his jacket. He put his hand back and got ready to smack the horse to go into a faster pace.

Allornothing couldn't keep up anymore. He slowed his pace to a gallop he was tired out again. But David didn't seem to care. He smacked the stallion with the crop. Allornothing got mad. He got mad enough to come to a sudden stop. He went up on his hind legs. Once he landed her bolted forward. His bolt was in the racing pace though. David didn't want that. He had lost the reins. But gripped the saddle as best he could. The horse kept going he past the gelding again. He was blowing out of his nose as if he was about to go over a finish line.

David had just remembered one thing. If he didn't get the reins back his horse would crash and injure himself. The horse was blind and didn't know where it was going now. Allornothing moved over and got in front of the gelding. The stallion could not see at all. He couldn't smell right. All he could do was hear.

[BECKiEE :)]

Tatiana had been focused on the area of hedging ahead that separated this field from the next, when the stallion veered in front of her at full speed. Something wasn’t right. He didn’t seem very coordinated at all, in fact he didn’t even seem to realize another horse was there. She trailed the stallion, keeping an even pace with his careering gallop, slipping back when he got to close to Archer. She spotted the whip that David had pulled out, what looked like a heavy duty racing crop from where she could see it.Please don’t hit him with that, please don’t, please don’t.. she pleaded in her head. It might make the stallion decide to stop again, and this time she might go crashing into him.

Tatiana pulled up along side the stallion, she kept a close eye on the horse. His neck was stretched to its fullest, his heart set on the thrills of the race. She smiled softly at the stallions eagerness to gain ground, a natural. She kept pace, not slowing or speeding up. Maybe when they reached the hedge she'd ask why the stallion had almost collided with her.. That’s right the hedge! She saw that David had lost his reins, yet the hedge was steadily looming higher and higher as the fast approached it. She gritted her teeth, what to do, what to do?

[krista]

Allornothing could smell really good right about then. He took in a scent. He could now tell the gelding was beside him and a hedge was comming up. He quickly slowed down to a trot and halted. He turned his head to look at the other horse and rider. He was trying to see if they would notice he was blind or not.
David leaned forward and took the reins in his hand. He put his whip back into his jacket. He had to say something sometime." Sorry about that I forgot he was blind. I shouldn't have whipped him in the first place. He didn't realize their was a horse next to him when he bolted. He was trying to figure it out" said David calmly.
Allornothing snorted and hung his head low. He was tired out and wanted to rest up now.

[BECKiEE :)]

She pulled the gelding up at the same time, making sure he slowed properly, that was close! She turned the mustang around to face the stallion, and Archer watched the thoroughbred with a calm, controlled gaze. A light sweat had built up on the mustangs neck and saddle area, and his sides rose and fell rapidly until his breathing steadied to almost regular again.''Wow, your horse sure can move!'' she exclaimed, and then listened to what the boy was saying. She nodded thoughtfully after a moment, that could explain why he had almost run into her.''Nah, its fine. Hey, I wouldn’t have guessed he was blind until now. He did really well until just then though'' Tatiana praised the boy and his horse, a smile lifting her features.

She turned her gaze on her own mount now, and let the reins loose and drooped herself over his neck.''Aww look at you Arch! Your all tuckered out! Poor thing'' she cooed and scratched him between the ears from where she sat, he could do with a bit of a cool off right now.