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January 2016 Story & Poem Entries Note: Winning stories and poems will be published in Pony Pals Magazine. All entries must be original, meaning that the member who enters them must have written the text. To be eligible the story or poem must have a horse or pony in it someplace. Stories should be suitable for all ages, including younger members. All entries published in the Magazine will earn 500 Wiggins Bucks, the best stories and poems will earn 3000 Wiggins bucks and trophy for the writer.

January 2016 Story & Poem Entries Note: Winning stories and poems will be published in Pony Pals Magazine. All entries must be original, meaning that the member who enters them must have written the text. To be eligible the story or poem must have a horse or pony in it someplace. Stories should be suitable for all ages, including younger members. All entries published in the Magazine will earn 500 Wiggins Bucks, the best stories and poems will earn 3000 Wiggins bucks and trophy for the writer.	Jane Crandal & JB
2016-01-01 03:32:35
By Molly294 my mom tucked me in and i fell asleep really quick well i was dreaming, I dreamed of a pony it was as white as snow when i woke up i asked my mom could I have a pony,and she said no they cost to much money and that was the end of that .I never got a pony I wanted	Molly294 & pepper
2016-01-02 20:34:30
JC- I just realized that there was a story last month with the same title. If this is a problem, please entitle this one "Jazzy Good Time". All That Jazz - Part One by GS12174 Speechless, I stepped out of my mom’s gold minivan. My polished riding boots, so out of place here, crunched on the gravel driveway as I looked around with disappointed eyes. This shabby place didn’t even compare with the fine stable I’d left. Instead of the three spacious arenas at Azalea Stables (two outdoor, one indoor—not to mention the seven acre cross country course), Mountaintop Ranch had a dusty, grassless field enclosed by a rough wooden fence. It had the appearance of a pasture, and it probably had been one once, judging by the identical field (just with grass) on the other side of the stable, if it could be called that. The modest wooden barn couldn’t hold a candle to Azalea Stables—literally. The place looked like it would burn in an instant—that is, if a light breeze didn’t knock it down first. Seeing my crestfallen face, my mom, the ever-helpful and ever-cheerful mother, said, “Come on, Mel. It’s not what you’re used to, but isn’t it great? Look, you’ll get to ride through the woods! How many times did you do that at Azalea?” I desired to account all of my numerous trail rides to her, but at that exact moment, a petite woman bustled into the previously empty yard from the stable. Her long brown braid bounced against her back, she wore dusty jeans tucked into scuffed cowboy boots, and her face, though shielded by an undecorated white cowboy hat, was as tan as the kitten that tumbled after her. Needless to say, she was the opposite of Azalea’s orderly head instructor, Ms. Penelope, in every way. When she reached us, she held out her hand. “Hi, you must be Katherine Wilson,” she said to my mom, her voice friendly and open. “I’m Rachel. Welcome to Mountaintop Ranch!” As I tried to wedge myself behind the car, Rachel’s kind but commanding gaze fell on me. With her bouncy stride full of energy, she sashayed over to me as I stood pinned between her and the car. “And you must be Melanie,” she said, excited. “Your mother told me that you’re quite the rider.” “Yes, ma’am,” I muttered in response. “So, would you two like a tour before you have your first lesson?” Rachel asked. My mom agreed, apparently eager to look into this crummy place. With a disdainful sigh, I followed them into the dimly lit barn. Rachel led us down the aisle of the barn, lined with six dingy stalls; in each, a grubby pony, with morning feed still on his face, stuck out an eager head, looking for treats. As Rachel named every horse, I tuned her out, missing Azalea’s high ceiling, thirty ornate stalls, and shining horses. Beyond the stalls, four rooms that clearly used to be stalls held tack, feed, and shavings. In the fourth room, a ladder against the wall probably led to a loft. Rachel tried to hurry us by, but I peeked in each one. In the tack room, the saddles were cracked, the bridles were broken, the saddle pads were ripped, and everything seemed coated in a thin layer of dust. In the other rooms, the small piles of shavings and bags of feed seemed barely enough for one horse, let alone six. Blushing, Rachel stammered, “W-we haven’t gotten our monthly shipments yet.” Uh-huh, I thought, longing for Azalea Stables. When we reached the end of the hallway, Rachel opened a worn wooden door with a tarnished handle. It opened quickly, smooth from years of use. As we walked into a large office, I felt a lump rise in my throat. I tried to swallow, blinking back tears. The office of Mountaintop Ranch seemed like a less-fancy, cheaper version of the Azalea Stables office, but that wasn’t what I saw. No, I just saw an exact replica of Azalea’s office, from the round wooden tables and chairs throughout the room, to the cluttered desk at one end. A door at the opposite end of the room probably led to a kitchen. In my mind’s eye, I saw the Azalea office, full of kids relaxing and chatting between classes. But those days were gone. I tried not to think about the barn the last time I saw it, drab and empty, devoid of life. Ms. Penelope tried as hard as she could to keep it open, but in the end, she submitted to the plans of a construction company. I wondered if the barn was still standing, or if the houses had already replaced it. So lost was I in thought that I didn’t even notice the two other girls lounging at a table until one spoke. “A new lesson student, Rachel?” the brunette asked as the blonde looked up from her cell phone. “Yes, Nicole. Girls, this is Melanie Wilson. Melanie, meet Nicole Tyler and Abigail Roth, my other students.” The brunette—Nicole—rolled her eyes, but not in a mean way. “Other than my little sister, that is,” she added. “Nicole, Abigail, why don’t you take Melanie to meet the horses while Mrs. Wilson and I start the paperwork,” Rachel suggested. “We’ll start at Stall One,” Abigail said, sounding bored. At the front of the barn, Abigail reached out to rub the neck of a palomino mare, saying, “This is Lily. She’s pretty much my horse, because I’m the only one who rides her, and she’s the sweetest horse you’ll ever meet.” She’s beautiful, Abigail,” I breathed, half to try to improve her attitude, but half because I really meant it. “Isn’t she?” Abby gave the palomino a hug. “Call me Abby, by the way.” “And call me Nicki,” Nicole added. “Sure,” I said indifferently, following them to the next stall. Here’s Willow,” Abby announced as a caramel and white pinto pony nudged her for treats. “Nicki’s sister, Libby, is the only one who rides her permanently, but Rachel will have you start on her so she can see your skills.” As we moved on to the next horse, a bay mare named Stormy, I saw a movement out the corner of my eye. The buckskin gelding in Stall Six, just across the aisle from Stormy, was stretching his head forward, looking for treats, but when he saw me watching him, he darted backward, almost slamming into the back wall. “Well, Rachel insists that we show everyone the horses in order, so we’ll go back to the front of the barn to show you the geldings’ side of the aisle,” Abby said sourly, but I almost smiled. Rachel and Ms. Penelope are so different from each other, but they do have a few things in common, I thought. I wanted to ask about the buckskin in Stall Six, but I definitely didn’t want to sound eager about anything, and Abby seemed to be in a grouchy mood already. At the first stall on the right side of the aisle, Nicole said, “This is Dragon,” pointing to a huge dappled grey gelding with the slight sway-back and wise eyes of an older horse. “He was Rachel’s personal horse long before she opened Mountaintop Ranch. Now, nobody rides him, and he’s just enjoying his retirement.” I didn’t respond, but Nicki didn’t seem to care. She continued to Stall Five, where she fondled a black gelding’s ears lovingly. “This is Royal, the horse that I ride,” she said proudly, but, unlike Abby, she didn’t seem to be bragging. “Here at Mountaintop Ranch, everyone gets their own horse to care for and ride,” she explained. “Unlike fancy stables,” Abby muttered. I opened my mouth to retort, but Abby and Nicki were already heading back to the office—right past the buckskin’s stall. “Wait,” I called, speed walking to catch up. “What about that horse, the one in Stall Six?” “Him?” Abby laughed. “Rachel bought him at an auction about three months ago because she ‘saw’ something in him. He was apparently saddle trained, so she’s been working with him. But, like so many auction horses, he isn’t worth it.” Abby’s airy way of dismissing the buckskin as “not worth it”, as if he were just a moneymaking object instead of a living being, fired up my anger—as well as my courage. “Why can’t Rachel hire a trainer?” I asked. “Or send him away to one?” “Because, Melanie,” Abby snapped. “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Whirling around, she stomped back to the office. After a minute of strained silence, Nicki said softly, “Don’t mind Abby, Melanie. She-she’s just touchy. She used to ride at one of the finest stables around, and then, well, she wouldn’t want me to tell you this.” In an even quieter voice, Nicki continued, “Her dad lost his job this past May. Money was tight, so she chose to come here rather than give up riding. It was a good thing, too—Mountaintop Ranch would’ve closed without her.” Shaking herself out of the past, Nicki said, “Come on, Melanie. You’ll need to sign a few papers before riding.” As I followed her back to the office, I gathered my courage to speak. “Nicki, the buckskin. What’s his name?” Nicki turned, the shadow of a smile lighting up her worried face. “Jazz,” she said after a moment. “The buckskin’s name is Jazz.”	GS12174 & Poe
2016-01-04 15:58:43
Title: Alone with the Wind By: Horsesforever12 Like a ghost seeking prey The wind twists and wines around me Upon the sandy dunes it quietly lay, Moments later it dashes about like a stormy sea. I am alone. Utterly, breathtakingly alone. Before me the sky melts with the desert horizon I am a wanderer, a nomad with no home. I feel as though I may die, but I have just begun. As the day heat wanes to a night cool Oceans of heavenly hosts occupy the dusky sky I start to wonder if I am a fool To crave freedom and hope to fly. I am but a human, alone, desperately alone Without a spot of food, without a drop of water Shuffling in the sand, standing where the wind has blown A mortal fate shall soon slaughter. And there, as lay with my back against the cooling sand Staring at the twilight heaven hemmed with stars A soft noise caresses the soundless land A whinny etched with memories and scars I fly to my feet and peer deep into the night With only stars for light, the shadows overcome Surely, truly, it must be there! It must be plight! Crazed by loneliness, I clumsily begin to run "I am here!" I cry. "Do not leave me in this wasteland." At my left, the shadows move, followed by hoof beats I glimpse a sanity stream of hair fly above the sand "Do not leave me! I will follow!" I blindly entreat. The minutes turn to hours and the black turns to gray I feel my throat scream for liquid and I ache for food But always, constantly, the Phantom Horse is one step away I hope and pray that it is real. Surely fate is not shrewd! In a while I am ridden of energy, my legs start to collapse I grapple for some last threads of courage and continue on And then the horse is gone. Hope is dead at last. How could my life end so quickly? How could this be more wrong? I slowly crawl around one very last dune And there, before me, is the Phantom Horse Black as midnight, fast as wind, wild as the moon Muscles quiver with power, adrenaline, and force He looks at me with flaming amber eyes And turns his head directly to the north And there I see civilization. Could a beast be so wise? He gives me a soft nicker as if to say "Go forth." I find strength deep within me and stand to my feet "Thank you," I whisper to the Phantom Horse With a snort he whips around and flees Determinedly following an unknown course. I am once again alone...a nomad with no home I am battered by the wind and ankle-deep in sand But I no longer endlessly, blindingly roam I have hope. No matter what life, dream, or land.	Horsesforever12 & Jedi
2016-01-06 02:13:14
A Warriors pride" By Twilit I can only imagine what he was like now. I hadn't seen him in years. The tall quarter horse had stolen my heart then and ever sense he dissapeared i could never forget him. I know he would never remember me if he saw me again. But my mind was full of pictures of what he could be like now. Big, strong, independent. Charging ahead with a soldier on his back. Clad in armor, muscles rippling. Thats how i saw him. A warrior. If only that rider, charging with the big warrior like horse, was me.. A soldier, fighting for a cause..Not a normal old teenager sitting around, accomplishing nothing. I wanted to be free, i wanted to be great. I wanted to be known for my bravery. Like him. The horse i always remembered. His name... ..was Warrior.	twilit & Monty
2016-01-07 16:54:11
Title:You and I By:Rhythm22 This is a short story! ________________________ I was 2 hours early to my first riding lesson. I propped my bike up next to the stable's wall then walked in. I opened the door and as soon as I walked in the stable's owner Ben was there. Ben smiled then said "So you must be Ryeleigh Adams, Right?." "Yeah. You can call me Ryeleigh. I don't own a horse. My parents said you were going to let me lease a horse" I smiled. Ben said "Yeah of course! Follow me please Ryeleigh, I will show you the available horses." I murmured "Okay", then followed been down the long hallway. The stables had a total of 20 stalls. The walls were freshly painted white and the air smelled damp. I looked around at the horses as we past then we finally stopped. "All Horses from Cinco and down are available. You can pick 3 horses and we can try them out since you have 1 hour and 30 minutes before your lesson starts, What ever horse you get along with belongs to you" Ben Smiled. I nodded briefly then scanned down the isles of horses. I had 10 horses to choose from. There were 3 paints, 4 buckskins, 1 palomino , and 2 dapple grays. I walked up to the black and white paint named Rain. Rain nickered and I stretched my arm out over the stall door and stroked her neck. "Awwe Aren't you a pretty girl! You are gorgeous. I wish you were mine" I said quietly. "I see you like Ms.Rain. She's an american paint. I think she likes you. I'll go tack her up. Meet me in the ring." "Okay! Thanks Ben! She is so pretty. I think she's the one." I said eagerly. I was so happy. I finally got the chance to ride a horse I liked and got along with. I ran to the ring and waited. Ben came into the ring leading Rain. "Go ahead and mount." Ben said. I did as I was told of course. Ben held the lead rope while I was getting ready to mount. I put my hands on the saddle then put my right foot in the stirrup. I pulled my self up and sat in the saddle. I waved Ben off then gathered the reins. "What would you like me to do now, Sir?" I asked. "You can call me Ben you know. Start by going into a walk half way down the ring, then turn back and come to where you are now." I checked to see if my feet were in the Stirrups and made sure to keep my toes pointed. I tapped Rain lightly with the tip of my boot and clucked. Rain went into a walk. I rode her half way down the ring then turned back Like Ben Said. "You're a natural Rye! Have you ridden before?" "Yeah. I used to ride all the time. Till I switched here." I said calling to Ben. "Awesome!" I stopped Rain where I was once before. I think I found the perfect horse. "You and I rain. You and I forever. I said out loud to rain then leaned forward and gave her a big ole hug. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE END	Rhythm22 & Honey
2016-01-08 23:47:15
Title: Wild Horse Writer: Princess Carmen It was a very Windy and Stormy night. There were trees falling down people stuck in there houses and they could not even talk to each other cause of the very horrible storm! Then the next morning Rachel said " I am so glad that the storm has stopped i was so scared " And then her mom replied " yes it was a really bad storm last night ". Then Rachel asked her mother if she could go into the woods to try and find her favorite book that the wind had swept away. Then her mother replied " Of course you can why not. "So Rachel put on her coat took a sip of water then headed out to look for her book. When she was in the woods she saw something jump over the tree on the path all she could see was a black blur so she looked around to make sure nobody else was in those woods cause nobody was aloud to go off the path with permission. And she saw nobody but a Baby Bunny. So she went the direction she saw the black blur go. And she found some hoof prints, She wondered why a hoof print would there unless the black blur was a horse. So she followed the Tracks and then she saw a Beautiful black Arabian Horse! She slowly walked up to the horse and saw a rope on a tree so she grabbed it and then the horse decided to go a little closer by a little closer i mean all the way to Rachel. And so Rachel tied the rope to be shaped like a bride and then she put it on the horse, Then she went back to the path and then walked the horse to her home. Then she tied the rope bridle she had made to a tree that had not been nocked over and walked in to tell her mom about the black horse she found in the woods. Then she found her mom in the kitchen and then told her and she said really let me have a look at this horse, So they walked out to the horse and Rachels mom stopped with her eyes wide open and then shook her head and said " Did you name it ? " Rachel replied " Yes Midnight " And also asked if it could stay in there barn her mom of course said yes and they lived happily ever after. THE END	Princess Carmen & Jackie
2016-01-09 21:28:43
Prologue By bmeadus Kristy Alter was a thirteen-year-old girl who lived on a ranch in America. She had a bay stallion with a white blaze called Dash. They had about 45 horses, and they also had some chickens, cows, pigs, and some other animals (but mostly horses). Her family was running short on money, and were being forced to sell the ranch. They were about to go and live on a small farm. That meant that they could only keep some of the animals, and, Dash was not one of them. Kristy was heart broken when her parents told her that they were selling the farm, for she had been there her whole life, and Dash was the very first horse she had ever seen or ridden. Kristy couldn’t imagine life without Dash. She had lived with him all her life and the cool thing was that he was born on the same day that she was! The bright morning light shone over the roof of the house, glimmering with dew. Kristy was galloping along the fence line, her dark brown hair swaying in the breeze, the sound of thundering hooves filling her ears. Dash gathered himself up, ready to jump a fallen tree… Suddenly a loud noise drained out the sound of Dash’s hooves. It was Kristy’s alarm clock. Kristy’s eyes fluttered open. She was lying in bed, the morning light pouring down on her. Kristy looked at her clock. It was a Monday. Her clock had pictures of her on all the different horses and ponies she had taken lessons on including Dash. The clock read: 7: am. That meant that she had one hour to: get dressed, brush her teeth, and comb her hair. Kristy leapt from her bed, and quickly slapped on some jeans and a T-shirt, then ran a brush through her hair and brushed her teeth, and ran downstairs for breakfast. “Good morning Kristy.” Ms. Alter said, pulling some toast out of the microwave. She separated it on to two plates, then put them on the table. “Good morning” Kristy replied. She sat down at the table. “What’s the matter, Kristy?” Ms. Alter said. Only then had she noticed that Kristy had a frown on her face. “Oh, I don’t know.” She said. “I’m just so upset about selling the farm.” She said. “I’m upset too. We all are. But there’s nothing we can do about it. We have to sell. The bank just won’t let us keep it.” “Why can’t you just get a new job?” said Kristy, for the twentieth time. “I told you Kristy, I’m working on that.” “Then why aren’t you working on it now?” Kristy said challengingly. “Because I’m making your breakfast.” Ms. Alter said, giving her a look. *** Kristy ran all the way to school. When she got there, she instantly spotted her best friend Claire. She ran up to Kristy the instant she saw her. “Hey!” said Claire, out of breath. “Hi!” said Kristy. Claire always had a habit of cheering her up when she was in a bad mood. “Did your mom get a new job?” Claire asked hopefully. “No” Kristy said, the frown returning to her face. “She said she’s working on it, though I don’t believe her.” “Sorry” Claire said quietly. “It’s fine!” Kristy said cheerfully. Come on! The bell’s ringing! “Okay!” said Claire. They set off across the lush green grass. Together they ran towards the huge school building. When they got to their classroom door, Kristy had Claire in front of her and the classroom bully, Darla behind her. Next was Jake and Joe the twins and then Luke, but maybe Darla wasn’t as bad as Nathan. “Hi little baby” Darla poked Kristy in the back. Darla was very large, tall and had a big nose. Kristy almost burst out laughing at her scrawny face. “How’s passion fruit?” Darla said poking her again. “It’s Dash stupid”! Kristy burst out. “You probably have a brain smaller then a baby ant’s!” “Oh” “It’s Dash stupid?” “Okay.” “So how’s Dash stupid?” “Kristy!” “Darla!” Ms. Carter, their teacher, sounded shocked. “Out in the hall, both of you. Go and I’ll speak to you later!” “I will not have language like that in my classroom!” “Do you understand?!” “Yes Ms. Carter.” They said quietly in unison. *** When Kristy got home from school, she flopped down onto the couch. “Kristy, you need to feed the horses.” Ms. Alter said shaking her. “Where’s dad”? Kristy asked. “He’s in his bedroom but don’t even think about asking him to do your stable chores.” “He’s already got Rocky and Rocket to take care of.” Ms. Alter said. (Rocky and Rocket were Mr. Alter’s two feisty black stallions and they were so feisty, that one of them alone would equal the behaviour of two normal stallions)“I’m going to do my chores now.” Replied Kristy. She ran outside with an apple for Dash. She could hear anxious and frightened whinnies and snorts and she could hear stamping hooves. She ran as fast as she could, and then, she reached the barn to find… “SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Kristy screamed as loud as she could. She ran up to the house as fast as she could, and thundered into the house and screamed again: “SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!” “IT’S IN THE BARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!” “QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!” “I THINK IT’S A RATTLESNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mr. and Ms. Alter came rushing over. “We need to get the horses out of the barn!” Mr. Alter said. “And quick!” *** Soon they had gotten all the horses out of the barn unharmed, gotten rid of the rattlesnake, taken care of all the horses (including Rocky and Rocket), and were all sitting at the table, chatting in between mouthfuls of delicious homemade lasagne. “I think I found a job!” Ms. Alter said joyfully. Kristy felt like screaming, and getting up out of her seat, and doing a little dance. But instead she got up and said: “be back in a minute,” and ran out of the and into the yard, and up to the stable door. She ran into the barn and went strait to the back of the barn and into Dash’s stall. There she gave Dash the juiciest apple she could find and hugged him, and then, finally, she told him the good news. Dash seemed to understand every word she said. After she told him, Dash nuzzled her and gave a snort and a whinny of delight. “I have to go now Dash, but I will come back.” “Bye Dash.” She ran back through the barn, and up to the house and into the dining room, finished her dinner, went to see Dash one more time before bed, brushed her teeth, put on her P-J’s, and went to bed. As she was lying in bed, Kristy thought about her mom’s job. She also thought about animals and Dash. She thought about…Suddenly, a loud whinny woke her from her thoughts. Kristy leapt from her bed, and ran to the window. The whinny did not sound like Dash’s, and his paddock was the only one below Kristy’s bedroom, and she knew all the horse’s sounds off by heart (except for the new horse, Dixie). Kristy looked down. And there, along with Dash, was the most beautiful snow white mare she had ever seen, with flashing deep turquoise-blue eyes, four black stockings, and a black blaze. And her white coat glowed and shone in the moonlight, with mist the same color as her eyes swirling around her. Kristy tiptoed down the stairs, not wanting to wake her parents, who were, by now, fast asleep. She ran down into the paddock. The white mare walked right up to her and nuzzled her on the shoulder. Something pricked her ear. The mare stepped back, and, for the first time to her astonishment, Kristy noticed that the mare had a long pointed black and white unicorn’s horn! *** “Don’t you remember me?” the white mare said. “Y-y-y-You c-c-Can t-talk? Kristy stammered, even more astonished then before. “All the Dreamer Animals can talk.” The white mare answered. “I will take you on a journey to determine whether I will be your Secret Magical Animal.” “If you fail, I will go away and find someone else to unlock my powers.” “However,” she continued, “If you succeed, I will be yours forever.” “I came to you in the dream you had last night.” “S-so what’s your name?” Kristy asked. If she was going on this “super important mission” with a flying unicorn, she at least had to know its name. “I am Athena.” The white mare said. “I’m Kristy,” Kristy said. “So when do we start?” Kristy asked. “Tonight.” Athena replied. “But if my parents see you, they’ll try and sell you!” Kristy said worriedly. “Believe in me, and all will be well.” Athena said. “You and your pony Dash were born on the same day for a reason. Your mission is to find out why. Come, climb on my back, and we shall go now.” With that, she took off flying, with Kristy on her back, holding on for dear life. Athena started flying in circles, faster and faster, until suddenly they slowed and it felt like they were floating. Then, Kristy realized that she was looking at her farm, except it looked different. She couldn’t tell why until she looked closer and realised in horror what it was. There were her parents, in the kitchen with a little boy, and her mother was cradling it as if it were her own. Then she saw a young woman come through the door. She started to speak, but Kristy could only catch, “I’ll keep him safe”, and “till she’s gone”. “A-am I adopted?” asked Kristy through her tears. “Yes,” said Athena. Kristy looked down at Dash, and she could see something familiar in his face, something she hadn’t noticed before. But she couldn’t ask about it because she was too upset. “Now have you figured out your mission?” Athena said. “No.” said Kristy. Athena began flying again, this time upwards into a mass of turquoise clouds. Kristy wasn’t scared though. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, she saw grass. Just plain, green grass. For miles and miles and miles. Then she noticed that there was a boy walking in the field. When he came closer, she could see that he looked a bit like Dash, in the facial area. Suddenly she knew. For some reason, her brain was able to figure it out. Dash was her brother. She had finally found her family.	bmeadus & Shanti
2016-01-09 23:50:34
Callie's Adventures By jjpals These are going to become a series of small stories about a girl named Callie, and the adventures she will be having with horses. I hope to post one out every month:) Callie’s Adventure #1: Meeting Horses for the First Time and Beginning Lessons! Callie is a 14 year old athletic girl, her poise is that of a dancer and sports person, such as Softball, Volleyball, Soccer, Swimming, and Hockey in the winter. She lives in a simple neighborhood made up of large, fancy houses with rich family’s and expensive cars. Brad and Emily are Callie’s parents, and she has two younger siblings, Mikey, who is 12, and Chloe, who is 9. Callie’s pets include a rabbit, Camri, short for Chamomile, a dog, Romeo, and a new edition, Juliet, a small, furry, orange tabby cat. The family has one dog, two cats, three kittens, and a few birds. Mikey has a snake and a toad, and Chloe has a hamster, a pet rat, and one of the kittens. Callie is on the porch of her house surrounded by Romeo, Juliet, the three kittens, and the two dogs, while finishing her homework for the day. Emily, or Callie’s Mom, as i will call her, is in the living room cleaning up, Mikey and Chloe are in the swank, carpeted basement playing with their Legos. Dad isn’t home yet so the driveway is empty with a few squirrels chasing each other across its hot surface. The Sun beats down harshly, but the wind blows in a few times to fight it off. Callie closes her books and sighed, she looked around her, then gathers all her books and drops them inside the front door. She scurries down the porch towards the garage with her Mother yelling at her to clean up after herself. Callie doesn’t look back, she knows her Mom will clean it up herself anyway. Having a soft heart for her children always took over, nearly always. The garage rumbles open, creaking and groaning in protest. Callie grabs her flex 2000 speed bike, clicks on her helmet, and rides down the driveway, past the fancy houses on her street, and down an old lane only used for bikers and utility vehicles. Callie usually bikes hard right and comes to her friend’s house and eventually her school, or sometimes straight to get to the library, but never left. She turned left now, eager for something new besides this hot weather and parents who want you to do schoolwork or cleaning all the time. The street she turned on appeared to be used for apartments and condos, but was in the middle of construction and looked like it was to become a new strip of fancy houses and some small shops. Callie was excited for the cupcake shop coming soon in that area, and also the diner opening up on the next street. She was hoping once she was a little older and on summer break, she could work at one of those places. Callie continued straight and came upon a church, a business of some sort, and a playground, she ignored these and turned right, then made her way down an empty lane. Empty meaning no buildings at all, not even houses. When Callie had been biking for fifteen minutes, she started to turn back, knowing it was getting late, and dinner would be soon, but then she noticed a sign reading, “Lockwood Horse Farms” she continued to read, “Boarding, Lessons, Training, and Showing. Est. 1996”. Callie set her bike on the gravel path towards the horse farm and soon came up to a house, probably the owners, then kept going until she reached the hill. A gasp escaped from Callie as she looked over the large expanse of ground covered with pastures, barns, arenas, and horses, all laid out down the hill, it was almost like looking at a horse farm from the sky rather than a large, steep hill. Callie had never seen anything more lovely. There were two pastures set up on the hill near Callie, she looked over towards the group of sleepy horses grazing in the fields underneath the protection of a clump of trees. Callie breathed a sigh of contentedness, taking in the smells of the horses, the hot gravel, cut grass, and wild-flowers that crowded up against the fence. Knowing that she would not be welcome if she just went down the hill and visited the barn, Callie took one more glance at the farm, then pedaled back home, panting with exhaustion and wiping the sweat from her forehead. Callie noticed her Dad’s car in the garage as she put her bike away, she got some cool water from the kitchen, then headed down to the cool basement, grabbing her school books from the couch as she went. Mikey and Chloe were playing xbox, Dad was sorting his papers in a makeshift office area in the corner, and Mom was finishing a load of laundry. Callie walked over to her Dad and gave him a big hug, being careful not to be loud, as her father was also talking on his cellphone. He gave a small squeeze on Callie’s arm and a big smile, then went back to work. Mom made her way upstairs with her laundry basket, and soon returned to announce dinner. Dinner had been eaten and taken care of, Mikey and Chloe were being forced to do their schoolwork, Dad was watching TV, and Mom was now on her laptop, working on her blog and on-line store, and Callie was cuddled up on the couch next to Dad, reading a book from the library. Mom left her work and brought down several glasses of chocolate milk and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Mom always makes delicious treats whenever she is satisfied with the houses state of cleanliness. Dad and Callie take a glass of milk and a couple cookies, Mikey and Chloe come and sit on the couch with them, Mom sets the tray of milk and cookies on the coffee table and dad changes the channel to METV, and they all enjoy a gilligan’s island and Hogan's heroes. As Callie helps her Mom take the dishes up to the kitchen, Callie tells her Mom about her bike ride, what she saw, and all about the Horse Farm. Callie ends up saying that she was interested in taking lessons. Mom stares at her , half forgetting about the plate in her hand, but before it slipped out she quickly set it inside the dishwasher and stood back up to face Callie. Mom asks, “You’re serious?” Callie nods, and keep rinsing the dishes. Mom then tells her, “Alright, if this is a serious thing, then you’ll have to drop dance and a sports, if you only want to try it out for a month or less, then you won’t have to do any of that, are you ok with that?” Callie smiles happily and hugs her Mom. Then Mom calls the farm and sets up a tour for tomorrow at 4. Then Callie heads up to her room, gets dressed for bed, and turns off the light. The next day after school Callie met up with her best friend, Lily Anderson. Lily was excited for Callie, even though she knew nothing about horses, Callie explained most of the terms, but then Lily lost interest and the two girls chatted about sports and their grades. Callie’s Mom picked her up shortly and the two talked about going to the farm later that afternoon. The car was parked and unloaded of all the groceries, then Callie’s Mom made a snack for Callie and Chloe, and the two girls went down to the basement and worked on some homework. Half an hour later Callie was dressed in shorts, her new paddock boots, and a tank top, her Mom was waiting in the car. Callie and Chloe hopped into the air conditioned BMW and the three of them drove for 20 minutes to reach the farm. Callie’s Mom takes the girls to the office, situated in the front part of the barn, where they met with a lady by the name, Helen Bosch. Helen was in her early 30s, she was a little shorter than the average woman, with light brown eyes, brown hair, and nice smile, and a ready wit. As Callie and Chloe walked besides Helen with their Mom on the other side, Callie noticed Helen had a small limp, as she dipped awkwardly to the left, she almost seemed to waddle. Callie’s Aunt had the same problem and she knew it was the problem of working and riding with horses, it was quite common. Helen first showed the group the barns, they met a few of the horses, then moved onto the lesson barn where all the lesson horses were tacked up, there were also a few stalls where some of the elderly lesson horses stayed. Helen explained how the tacking up process worked, and the group met two of the working students who helped lesson students tack up and arrive at the arenas for their lessons. Callie took in everything, from the happy horses, to the clean stalls, the nice workers, and the great barns and arenas. It seemed like a big, happy family. Helen took them to the three arenas, two of them were very large indoor arenas, with the third one being a large outdoor arena with large jumps formed in combinations and courses. Callie asked about the tack rooms, and Helen showed the group the clean tack room with the orderly saddles, bridles, and pads, plus some cleaning supplies for the tack and a few tack boxes. The wash racks were in use at the moment, so the group stood back and watched as the many boarders and students took their turn hosing down their horses in the hot Sun’s glare. The tour was over, both Mom and Callie stated that they were awed, and satisfied. Helen and Mom took a few minutes to talk about lessons, then Callie and her Mother signed a release form and went home. As soon as Mom parked the car inside the garage, they all got out and proceeded into the kitchen for a cold glass of water. Dad had brought a salad home from work and he and Mikey had picked up a few boxes of pizza from the store along with some soda and ice cream. The family sat outside in the spacious backyard and as the pets pranced around the yard playfully, they ate their meal and talked about the day. The evening ended with xbox sports championships and ice cream to celebrate the winner which was dad, with Callie in second, and Mom, Chloe, and Mikey tieing second. The day had gone well, and in the end, Callie took to her bed in silence and realized how tired she was. Callie’s dreams were about horses, memories of riding at her Aunt’s place, and thoughts of the future. STAY TUNED FOR MORE ADVENTURES!!!!	jjpals & Dynamo
2016-01-12 02:16:23
Let's go the walking horse way By: hosessaddles Most people think of horses, As four legged animals, That roam around, But horse fans think of them, With four long legs, That have a balanced walk, So one day, I went the walking horse way, To see how it felt, But I noticed, That only one animal can do it right, And stand out among all animals, A horse.	hosessaddles & Phoenix
2016-01-22 00:50:47