The two girls took places at the rail not too far from Samantha�s father. Pride was scheduled to work in the second group, so they had a little bit of time to chat about the other horses. Samantha couldn�t help frowning slightly as Brad rode out onto the track on one of the other two year olds, who was dancing and crabstepping and throwing her head up. Yvonne noticed and nudged Samantha with her elbow. �Who is that?�
�Brad Townsend. I think he�s a big part of Pride�s problem.� Sammy pointed to his hands. �He�s too rough. He�s putting too much pressure on the filly�s mouth while he tries to get her to trot.�
Yvonne nodded. �I see what you mean. She�s being told to stop and go at the same time. That�d confuse anybody!�
As Yvonne spoke, the little bay filly threw her head up as far as she could and took a giant step sideways. Ian rolled his eyes and called out, �Loosen the reins!�
Brad got the filly under control, but it was several strides before he loosened his hands. �Why does that kid insist on riding if he won�t listen?� Ian wondered aloud.
Ken Maddock, the head trainer, shrugged his shoulders. �He�s always been that way. Won�t even listen to his father these days.�
Sammy sighed wistfully, wishing she could be one of the riders. Maybe someday, she thought.
Finally, Pride�s group came towards the oval. Samantha turned around to watch and was not surprised to see Pride tossing his head and jerking on the lead rope. As he neared the gap, he suddenly stopped short and jerked his head back. The whites of his eyes rolled up and Samantha bit her lip. She wanted nothing more than to over to him and calm him down.
The exercise rider, Seth Hill, slowly approached the colt, speaking softly and holding his hands out. This was Seth�s first time up on Pride, and he was still relatively new at the farm. Pride stood still, except for his left front hoof pawing lightly at the ground. Samantha crossed her fingers as the young man mounted up and walked Pride through the gap.
The colt kept looking around anxiously and jumping at sideways at every little noise. Seth kept talking to him and eased him into a trot. Pride seemed to settle, and by the end of the first lap his strides were smooth. Seth then urged him into a canter for another lap.
Samantha�s grip on the top rail of the fence was so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Her gaze was riveted on Pride. He just had to run this work well! He once more passed the gap and went into a gallop. His breeze would start at the half-mile pole.
Ian rested his hand on his daughter�s shoulder as he readied his stopwatch. In the month they�d been at Townsend Acres, Sammy had already fallen in love with half a dozen horses, Pride being her favorite. He did not want to see this colt sold at the auction. It would break his daughter�s heart.
At the half pole, Seth let out the reins and Pride eagerly took the extra length and flattened out, his stride eating up the ground beneath him. Ian smiled at the time as Pride reached the halfway point of his 4 furlong breeze. But then Pride seemed to fall apart. His stride became choppy and he veered out towards the center of the track.
Seth pulled on the inside rein, but Pride refused to co-operate. He continued to veer out, and Samantha gasped as he bumped into another horse, being ridden by Brad. Pride suddenly shot forward, and she saw Seth frantically dig his hands into the thick mane. She thought she saw him cast a quick glare at Brad. She was also almost positive that Pride had the bit.
Once Seth had steadied himself, he began to pull Pride, using every trick his father had taught him. It took another half-mile to get Pride slowed down from his breakneck speed. By the time the colt finally stopped, he was blowing hard and his neck was lathered with sweat. Seth dismounted and took hold of the reins just under Pride�s chin and walked him through the gap, all the while whispering softly.
Samantha ran to the colt, her eyes filling with tears. She took the reins from Seth as he once again glared at Brad as the young man came off the track. Brad was smirking at Seth. Samantha�s gaze hardened, but she held Pride steady as Maddock bent to check his legs for heat and swelling.
�That Townsend kid popped him, Ken,� Seth said quietly. �That�s why he took off like that.�
Maddock�s face turned down in a fierce frown. �Townsend senior will be hearing about this one.� Then he turned to Samantha. �Why don�t you take him back to the barn and cool him off. He�ll stay calm for you.�
Samantha nodded, then motioned for Yvonne to join her. The two girls slowly walked Pride back to the barn. But Samantha�s heart sank as they walked past a cluster of grooms. Clay Townsend was standing beside them, his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. He had seen everything.
Chapter 7
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
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