As Winter Approaches...

[kiki]

As the slender frame walked down the barn corridor, the two stallions poke their heads out of their stalls. Hopefully, she thought, someday there would be more than those two stallions. The head turning 23 year old stroked the nose of her white stallion. Then the other and more wild Twister kicked at his stall door. She snapped her head around, and sent her hair flying haywire.

Hush Twister! You're not always the center of attention,

she said with a half smile. Nero let a gentle nicker out, clearly in frustration. Anne walked across the concrete floor to the gorgeous bay Morgan. She gave him a pat on the neck, and a chunk of carrot. He always settled down under her touch. It seemed that Anne would be riding the both of them. She decided it was her Arab first. Before taking him out into the cross-ties, she gave Twister a half flake of hay, in hopes of keeping him occupied whilst he was on his own. Then she snapped on the leather halted of the white horses, and took him down 2 stalls to those cross-ties. She groomed him with care, getting every speck of mud off his now clean coat. It definately wasn't easy keeping a white horse clean. She then got his show jumping saddle and pad, both black and the saddle leather. She then broght out his breastplate before doing the girth buckles. Anne easily put his bridle on, then got her helmet and decided to do without her whip. She normaly needn't use it anyways.

Let's go boy,

she said and led him outside where she jumped up. Some say she has outgrown this horse, but Nero has never shown fatigueness, so she just blows them off. Even so, she did look a tad tall. But, most people she knows are either jockeys ore speed people. Not many she knows are into her kind of riding. Hopefully that would change. Asking for a trot, she started for the ring where the jumps had been left up.

[kiki]

A tall, young man walked into the barn. The lonely sound of the clunk-clunk of his shoes echoed through the barn, and sparked the bay stallion's interest. He stuck his head out of his stall door, and whistled at the newcomer. His nostrils flared wildly, and the man kept his distance. Instead, he just stopped and waited for the girl he saw jumping to come in. At least, he hoped this was where she was returning to.

Anne calmly but tiredly walked in, no hands on the white horse's reins. He walked beside her calmly, but definately not tiredly. The 23 year old was looking down at her hands, taking her leather gloves off carefully. She unsnapped her helmet and hung it on a hook on Nero's stall.

Um, excuse me miss?

the man said in a deep voice. He slowly walked up to her as Anne jumped and snapped around.

Yes? And you are exactly...?

she said, putting her hands on her hips and looking up at the man.

Oh! I'm Devin Clark. I saw you ride... you're amazing! And you are Anne, am I correct?

The girl opened the stall door, letting her ivory stallion in. He poked his head out over Anne's shoulder. She looked at him, listening to his words. She scoffed.

Right. I am Anne Casawaye, owner and manager of Sundance Stars Farm. What is your business here, Devin?

she asked, and while waiting for his answer went into Nero's stall and stripped him of his saddle, breastplate, and bridle.

Uh, well, not really anything specific. I just wanted to see someone ride.

She scoffed again. If you wanted to see someone ride, make an appointment, genious.

Well, if you wanted to see someone ride, you should've made an appointment. Because at the moment, you're tresspassing on private property. If I were you, I'd get the heck out of here.

Anne really wasn't in the mood for this. She put Nero's tack away and filled up his water bucket. The man said no more, and left. He knew he'd be back, though.

Now she would attempt to ride Twister. She got his steeplechase saddle and pad out, his nice new bridle and bit, and tacked him up in his stall. If she even started to put him in the cross-ties, he would go bonkers. So it was better to take away his feed and tack him up in his stall. Once finished, she made sure her chest-protecter was secure and tight enough, and double-checked his breast-plate and running martingale. After everything was secured, including his boots and ear hood, she led him out of his stall and they went down the aisle with a good-bye nicker from Nero. As they went out, Anne grabbed her helmet and whip. Outside, Twister gave an excited buck and she tugged on the reins. Once they were off the cement and onto the sand/clay mix, she mounted with the use of a log-gone-mounting block and asked for a trot to the course.

[kiki]

<sub>The sweaty pair walked into the barn, and Anne was glad to see the man had left. She untacked him in his roomy stall, and gave him 2 flakes of hay and his 2 scoops of grain. Quickly she sponged him with some warm water, making sure that it wasn't cold, then gave him a treat and returned to Nero across the barn hall. He had pooped while she was gone, and quickly she put it in a wheel barrow and put it in the muck pile. She gave him his grain and hay now also, and tended to a barn cat that needed some food.

There ya go, Rollo,

she said smiling, and stroked the black/gray cat. Happily he snarfed up the tuna and dry-food, then jumped happily up onto the tall hay stack in the middle of the barn. She went into the office, where she found yet another barn cat; Puff. The little orange cat jumped into her lap as Anne did some paperwork online about her Halloween open-house, then decided she would ride the rest of her horses tomorrow. She was too tired today.</sub>