Disclaimer: These characters, mummy stuff, and stuff don’t belong to me (faute de mieux) you all know the rest. Need I say more?

 

 

 

Plot: A little humor, suspense, and other stuff. A little non-fiction from my life put into the life of the O’Connells. Special thanx to Eviefan for allowing me to use Emma and the horses in this story. Sorry, I couldn’t remember what Emma’s horse’s name was so I made one up, I will switch it back for future stories once I know what he (or her) name was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was nothing better to do, so Alex and Emma decided to go riding for the day. Alex was a much better rider than Emma, and he sometimes got a little carried away with what he did and how he did it.

 

"Now, you know how to post, right?" Alex asked when the two were on their horses. Alex was on Seti and Emma was on Risha. Risha was one of the most agile, light and sound horses anyone had ever known. This is how she got her name, Risha means bird in Arabic, and by the horse’s fine graceful movements, Emma felt this was justified.

 

Emma began to trot around the ring, she was going at a slow pace, and spent the whole time watching the beat. ‘Watch what you’re doing, outside shoulder’s down, bounce, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.’ She thought while keeping all of her attention on the task at hand. Alex was coming up behind her, but she didn’t notice. He passed her on the inside, Risha was still a bit skiddish, the horse flinched just a little as Seti passed at a canter.

 

"Alex be careful! Risha still isn’t used to your ways of doing things! You can at least warn us when you come by!" She retorted.

 

"Sorry!" Alex yelled over his shoulder.

 

Emma decided not to dwell any longer on her brother’s doings, she was starting to get the hang of this posting thing. ‘up down, up down,’ She thought. Finally, without realizing it, Emma looked up, she couldn’t believe it! She could actually feel the beat of the horse! She didn’t have to look down!

 

Alex saw this, he was proud of his sister, she was finally getting the hang of it ‘Soon she’ll be cantering, then galloping.’ He thought. He was once again coming up behind them, he forgot what Emma had told him about warning them when he meant to pass them. All that was on his mind was his endeavor to get ahead of them and out the door so that he could let his horse go out in the field. He tried urging Seti on with little kicks and squeezes, but he wouldn’t listen, so Alex resorted to telling the horse.

 

"GET ON!" He yelled. By the time he said this he was already at the door, so he turned out and was off in the field.

 

He didn’t notice that Seti wasn’t the only one to respond to the decree, after he had turned out the door Risha was off. Since the ring was so small the horse had to make sharp, sudden turns. Emma was caught unawares and with the first hard bound she had lost one of her stirrups, then she lost the second stirrup. Now the horse was halfway around the ring.

 

A thrill passed through her body when she opened her eyes and realized that she was still perched on the steed. Maybe she could get her feet back…

 

No, that was hopeless, every time the horse turned a corner she almost lost her balance, she had now gone around the ring once. She kept on slipping into the inside with every corner, and with every stretch of straight ground she would bound up so hard that she almost fell into the outside wall. She knew she couldn’t keep this up too much longer.

 

She had now gone around three times, all without progress. Emma kept on tugging at the reins, but Risha never responded. She looked down and realized that the stirrups kept on swinging into the horse’s side. She also realized that her legs were wrapped around his stomach. There was no hope that he would slow down. The only thing he would do is… ‘Oh dear god’ she thought, ‘he might gallop!’

 

She just passed around the sixth lap when she heard a voice, it was Alex "Coming in! Make way!"

 

‘He knows he’s not supposed to do that!’ Emma thought to herself. Luckily they had just passed the doors, when Seti and Alex came erupting into the ring, they hadn’t cut Risha off. Oh no, it was worse, they spooked him, now he gave a little jump into his bounds.

 

Alex moved into the middle of the ring, he was so proud of his sister. Just this morning she was learning how to post, and now she was cantering!

 

When Emma came around the ring again, and Alex was facing her she pleaded in a quiet, barely audible voice, "Alex, help." There came no response, he just watched her. Why was he just watching her? Was there nothing he could do? He could walk out in front of her, that would stop Risha, wouldn’t it? No! she would just rear up or something, jump off to the side and throw her off. Wait! Didn’t mum say to drive the horse toward the wall, it’s not like Risha’s a car, she’d stop, or spook. Every reasonable explanation wasn’t so reasonable when she thought of it. Especially now.

 

Emma had to take this into her own hands. But what to do? "EA-SY!" She yelled out each syllable as if it were its own word, at least maybe the command would be clear, but no! It wasn’t, for if it were the horse would have slowed down. "Um, gentle, whoa! STOP!" Emma tried, but the yelling seemed to send the horse into an even faster pace. "ea-sy, ea-sy." She tried in her most soothing voice. But Risha kept on going.

 

That was it, there was nothing else she could do. She had to get off of the horse. She had just made her tenth lap and was coming away from the door. She waited until the horse was just rounding the corning, and was as far away from the wall as he’d ever be. Then she did it. With all her might she leaned into the outside and pushed off with her feet.

 

A moment later she hit the ground, bottom first. She caught herself with her hands and was in a sitting position leaning back on her arms. The first thing that she noticed was that the cursed horse stopped! He stopped and was looking back at her with, not a concerned expression, oh no! If horses could snicker, he was doing it now! "You could have stopped ten laps ago!" She informed the equine animal in her most sardonic voice. He just looked away and headed over to a patch of weeds that had aligned the wall.

 

"Emma! Oh my god! Are you alright?" Alex called out to her as he headed over to Risha to collect his reins. He brought Risha back with him and handed her his reins after she stood up and dusted off the shavings.

 

"Yes, yes." She said trying to force a smile, it didn’t hurt, she was just startled at what she had done and didn’t want to dwell on the matter at hand.

 

"You know you really shouldn’t start cantering until you’re ready." Alex informed her with a serious tone.

 

"Mmmmm, yes, my fault I guess." She said with a sneer. Alex seemed not to notice this.

 

"Are you sure you’re alright? Why did you jump off?" He asked again.

 

"Yes, I’m alright, and, well I guessed I jumped just to say I did." She responded with a scowl. She then led Risha to the mounting block. She didn’t realize how much her tailbone hurt. She tried to stay out of eyeshot from Alex as she made her way to the block, she almost had to double over just to release some of the strain from her tailbone and back.

 

When she got to the block, she pulled the horse into position. She then got up onto the wooden step. Risha stepped away. With a shuddered sigh she went back around him and pushed him back over. She then got back up onto the block. He once again strode forward and outward. With a muffled expletive she tugged the reins backward and attempted to pull him into position without Alex seeing her exigency. But the horse wouldn’t move. Emma was starting to feel, well, stupid. First she couldn’t keeps the stirrups, then she couldn’t stop the horse. Now she couldn’t even mount him.

 

Just then Jonathan walked into the ring. She hoped to god Alex wouldn’t tell him what just eventuated. Of course her uncle took first note at what her problem was and immediately came over to help. She didn’t want help! She wanted to prove that she was capable of doing it herself! But she also figured that maybe it would keep him busy and Alex wouldn’t tell him what happened.

 

She allowed him to show her how to push the horse over, and of course this is when Risha listened. She got up and started to walk around. She pressed her boots so for into the stirrups that her feet hurt. She even had a very tight, short hold on the reins. She wasn’t letting him go again.

 

For the rest of the day she kept only at a walk. And she thanked god when they were called for dinner, ‘finally’ she thought ‘would this ride never end?’

 

Right after dinner Emma went up to her room. She was so mad, why couldn’t she do this. She saw Alex, her mum and her dad, even Uncle Jon all do it. They could trot without looking, and talk at the same time, they could canter in every which way and not even think about keeping the stirrups. Why couldn’t she?

 

Then it occurred to her. They had ridden so much longer than her. She didn’t realize it then, but now she remembered the look on Alex’s face when he saw her cantering. He looked so proud. Maybe that was why he didn’t help her. He thought she was doing good by herself.

 

Wait! She was cantering without stirrups! It probably wasn’t pretty, but she did it! And it was her first time too! It takes professionals years before they have that good of balance. Wow, her first time cantering and it was without stirrups. She went around one, two, seven, eight, ten times! She went around the ring ten times! Well, more like ten and a half, quarter, no, half times. Ten and a half times! Yep, before she knew it she would be a professional rider.

 

A smile slowly spread across her face. She thought, ‘this will someday make a good story…’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Aww, I know, sappy misfortune. But I always try to keep an optimistic aspect on all my chagrin. And like I said, this was non—fiction, yup, I actually had the honor of experiencing it first hand. So, please, I’d like to know what you all think of it? Is it alright? I do hope so. I guess it’s one of those stories that shows you how the clouds always have silver lining. Or that ‘A heart that is impertinent to pain, is impertinent to joy.’ Sorry, I like aphorisms. Alrighty, I’ll be quiet now, but R&R puh-lease!