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Description

Horse: Tallahassee Skyline

Rider: Marie Rhett

Stable: Cloverfield Sporthorses

Country: USA

Class: Show Jumping

Other Images: Early Birds / We Meet Again

- Marie -

The early morning Dutch air was crisp and chilled as Marie made her way to Tally’s stall. Darkness was still upon them, and the warm lights pooled on the ground. The beautiful stable yard was overall pretty quiet, other than a small handful of early to rise grooms and stable hands ready to start the day. The sound of horses munching peacefully on their hay and shuffling in their overly bedded down stalls also filled the aisle ways.

    Ash, despite not getting any sort of response from Marie, did not stop texting and calling her phone. Marie eventually just turned her phone off altogether to avoid the bombardment, but doing so sadly did not help her sleep or calm her racing mind, unfortunately. Why could he not take the hint she did not want anything to do with him? Why does he always do this? Why did he have such a tight grip on her and her emotions still after everything he has done and said to her all these years?
    Lucas also did not get much sleep, but for different reasons. Upon their arrival to Delft and getting Tally settled in for the night at the boarding facility outside of town, he was approached by some old riding friends he had shown with previously who invited him out for a night on the town. They invited Marie out as well, but she kindly declined, not wanting to spend her evening with a bunch of older riders talking about the old days.
    Tally nickered a low, sleepy hello when Marie let herself into the stall, blinking her long, frosty eyelashes at handler. The large tovero mare thankfully stayed relatively clean, much to Marie’s relief. With a stiff dandy brush from the grooming bag which sat slumped on the floor outside the stall, she knocked the dust, hay, and shavings off the horse’s primarily white body, making her coat gleam in the artificial stall light. Tally propped one of her back legs up and relaxed, enjoying the pampering and all that came with being an expensive show horse.
    Marie tossed the brush back in the old bag and fished out a hoof pick. “You know, Tally, you should be glad you do not have stupid boys to think about. You are out here living your best life, carefree, because there are no idiot males trying to steal your peace.” She spoke softly to the horse under her breath as she bent over to pick out her hooves. “Useless creatures, really. I hear we do not even need them for reproduction anymore. Not that I plan to reproduce literally ever.”
    When Tally was looking her best once again, Marie slid her leather halter on and clipped on the lunge line. The gold hardware glinted in the light and the smell of expensive, well oiled leather filled the air. On their way out of the stall, she grabbed the lunge whip that was propped against their stall, and off they went to the main arena to blow off some steam and nerves. The arena was overall pretty much empty, with only one other lunging pair at the far end. Tally swished her gleaming white tail and sprung into a stretchy trot, ignoring the bay stallion in the other end, and focusing on Marie. To Marie’s surprise, Tally did not have the sillies this morning and did not buck or rush. “Good,” she thought to herself as she watched the mare strut in circles. “Down to business”
—-
    Marie was finishing velcroing Tally’s green Cloverfield shipping boots tight when Lucas drug himself into the barn. The tall, usually well put together man, reeked of alcohol from the night before. His chocolate colored hair was a mess and he wore the same clothes as yesterday, they were just much more wrinkled. It was obvious he had slept in them the night before.
    “Whose idea was it to have horse shows so damn early?” Lucas winced and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Dark circles sat below his exhausted moss colored eyes. Marie raised a thinly plucked eyebrow at her trainer, surprised, and she couldn’t help but smile. She had never seen him hungover. She didn't even know he drank at all in the first place. “I have aspirin and a red Gatorade in my bag that you are more than welcome to, '' she spoke sweetly, trying to keep a straight face. He nodded and went to fish them out of her bag almost immediately.
    Horses were beginning to be loaded for their trip to the city. Marie waited patiently with Tally, who was looking around curiously at all the hustle and bustle going on around them. The girl fiddled with the cotton lead rope in her hands as nerves began to bubble up inside her. Tally’s Cloverfield Sporthorse stable sheet matched her fancy shipping boots. Lyanna was always looking for ways to spend money on her horses and make them look their best while advertising her prestigious breeding and training facility.
  She spotted a familiar face standing with their steel gray stallion, who was sharply dressed in his navy and silver stable sheet and shipping boots. ‘Oh, what are their names?’ She thought to herself, studying the pair closely, her icy blue eyes narrowing on the horse and rider pair. She had seen them previously at the other venue and spoke with them in the warm up arena. ‘Sam! Sam and Ceaser! That was it!’ Sam seemed to notice Marie staring at her and gave her a little wave. Marie’s face burned bright tomato red with embarrassment as she gave an awkward wave back.
   Grooms and stable hands were wrapping up packing the riders tack, grooming supplies, and so on into the trailers as well. Finally, someone walked up and asked to take Tally to load her. The man wore an old, worn out baseball hat and a kind smile. He took her lead rope and led her confidently into the trailer. Luckily she right walked in without an issue or any fuss like some of the other horses.
    “Alright, chick. It is time to get this moving.” Lucas said, his sunglasses glinting in the morning sun. Marie smiled when she saw herself in the reflection of his aviators.
——
    The drive to the city was relatively quiet. Marie looked out the window and watched as the fields turned into buildings. Having some time to kill before she needed to get ready to warm up her mount, the pair decided to explore the big city some, taking in the sights and scenes.
    “So what’s the news on that kid? What was his name? Ashton or something?” Lucas said bluntly as he brought his coffee to his lips. The pair sat outside, enjoying the beautiful weather at a little coffee shop.
    Marie’s heart lurched into her throat at the question and she quickly took a sip of her latte. “What do you mean?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Lucas raised an eyebrow knowingly at her. He wasn’t stupid. Even when they were not at the barn at home, he knew everything about me and everyone else at that barn. Always. He was the gossip king.
    “That stupid kid you were talking to. The one who will probably end up being a drug dealer and in prison for being a bad drug dealer. The kid has like four working brain cells and he’s killing them all with his chain smoking.”
    The girl’s leg began to bounce anxiously as she watched people passing by. She was pretending to be unbothered by the question, when in reality, it was a reminder of the chaos she was trying to ignore and keep under wraps.
    “I’m not talking to him.” She said confidently. At least that was not a lie, even if it was not the whole truth.. “Why do you ask?”
    “Usually you are glued to your phone. I haven’t seen you look at it once. Actually, I don’t think I’ve even seen it at all today.” He replied, shifting in his seat to cross his legs. “If that’s what you mean by ‘not talking to him’, there is obviously more involved. You don’t have to tell me, that’s fine. I’m here if you want to talk about it, though.”
    That was the thing. Marie did want to talk about it. She wanted nothing more than to talk about it with someone. She just didn’t really have anyone to talk about it with and, frankly, it was eating away at her from the inside out. And, honestly, she knew Lucas didn’t like Asher, and she was afraid he would be biased. Plus, you don’t talk about boy trouble with your professional trainer. This man was her employer in some ways, not her therapist.
    Her heart ached in her chest. She didn’t have girl friends at home to talk to. She didn’t even have a mom to talk to and stuff like this. Lucas was the closest thing to a parent figure she’s ever had except for her grandmother. The fear of him thinking differently of her was overbearing and looming. What if Lucas felt she was no longer fit to ride under him professionally and she was too childish or dramatic? He made it very crystal clear back when they attended the Sky and Sea International in Australia, riders could be easily replaced for whatever reason. Sometimes there wasn’t a reason at all. Disposed of and replaced, like she had been so many times before. She refused to be disposed of and replaced when it came to riding under him.
    Lucas sighed softly and set his cup down on the little matching glass saucer. A drop of brown liquid was slowly sliding down the outside of the slick, white glass, leaving a trail behind it. “Look, if someone, anyone, is stealing your peace, they need to go. I learned that a long time ago. Continuing to give chances to people who don’t deserve them and will do nothing but trash them will destroy you. That goes for any kind of relationship. Even clients. Sometimes, it’s not all bad, but if overall, you are not okay because of how they make you feel or treat you, walking away is the answer. Boundaries are important. We can’t let people who don’t care about us or our feelings, have the power and access to continue to hurt us, you know?”
    Marie listened to the man, his voice calm and steady. She knew he was absolutely right, but it just wasn’t that simple. It never was, it seemed. She craved to be needed, appreciated, wanted, and loved by someone. Anyone.. When someone showed her even an ounce of what she desperately needed, even if it was fake or she was being used, she clung to it.
    She looked down at the beige colored coffee in her own cup and was quiet for a moment, organizing her racing thoughts. “I just wish it was that simple.” Her voice was tired and quiet when she spoke. Lucas didn’t push it any further, respecting her space and comfort level on the subject. At the end of the day, he knew she was right. Sometimes, it’s just not that simple, though it may look easy and crystal clear to someone on the outside looking in.
    The silence that then hung between them wasn’t awkward or heavy, but almost comforting. They watched as people walked by and listened to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees that were planted neatly along the street. The sound of people speaking Dutch was odd and confusing to the pair, more so to Marie than Lucas. Birds sang their songs sweetly in the trees above. The water in the canals floated quietly and peacefully along. The city was like a painting that had been brought to life. Marie wished she never had to leave and go back to Rochester, New York. She wanted to stay here, far away from all her worries that awaited not so patiently for her at home.
Word count - 2014

Description

Horse: Tallahassee Skyline

Rider: Marie Rhett

Stable: Cloverfield Sporthorses

Country: USA

Class: Show Jumping

Other Images: Early Birds / We Meet Again

- Marie -

The early morning Dutch air was crisp and chilled as Marie made her way to Tally’s stall. Darkness was still upon them, and the warm lights pooled on the ground. The beautiful stable yard was overall pretty quiet, other than a small handful of early to rise grooms and stable hands ready to start the day. The sound of horses munching peacefully on their hay and shuffling in their overly bedded down stalls also filled the aisle ways.

    Ash, despite not getting any sort of response from Marie, did not stop texting and calling her phone. Marie eventually just turned her phone off altogether to avoid the bombardment, but doing so sadly did not help her sleep or calm her racing mind, unfortunately. Why could he not take the hint she did not want anything to do with him? Why does he always do this? Why did he have such a tight grip on her and her emotions still after everything he has done and said to her all these years?
    Lucas also did not get much sleep, but for different reasons. Upon their arrival to Delft and getting Tally settled in for the night at the boarding facility outside of town, he was approached by some old riding friends he had shown with previously who invited him out for a night on the town. They invited Marie out as well, but she kindly declined, not wanting to spend her evening with a bunch of older riders talking about the old days.
    Tally nickered a low, sleepy hello when Marie let herself into the stall, blinking her long, frosty eyelashes at handler. The large tovero mare thankfully stayed relatively clean, much to Marie’s relief. With a stiff dandy brush from the grooming bag which sat slumped on the floor outside the stall, she knocked the dust, hay, and shavings off the horse’s primarily white body, making her coat gleam in the artificial stall light. Tally propped one of her back legs up and relaxed, enjoying the pampering and all that came with being an expensive show horse.
    Marie tossed the brush back in the old bag and fished out a hoof pick. “You know, Tally, you should be glad you do not have stupid boys to think about. You are out here living your best life, carefree, because there are no idiot males trying to steal your peace.” She spoke softly to the horse under her breath as she bent over to pick out her hooves. “Useless creatures, really. I hear we do not even need them for reproduction anymore. Not that I plan to reproduce literally ever.”
    When Tally was looking her best once again, Marie slid her leather halter on and clipped on the lunge line. The gold hardware glinted in the light and the smell of expensive, well oiled leather filled the air. On their way out of the stall, she grabbed the lunge whip that was propped against their stall, and off they went to the main arena to blow off some steam and nerves. The arena was overall pretty much empty, with only one other lunging pair at the far end. Tally swished her gleaming white tail and sprung into a stretchy trot, ignoring the bay stallion in the other end, and focusing on Marie. To Marie’s surprise, Tally did not have the sillies this morning and did not buck or rush. “Good,” she thought to herself as she watched the mare strut in circles. “Down to business”
—-
    Marie was finishing velcroing Tally’s green Cloverfield shipping boots tight when Lucas drug himself into the barn. The tall, usually well put together man, reeked of alcohol from the night before. His chocolate colored hair was a mess and he wore the same clothes as yesterday, they were just much more wrinkled. It was obvious he had slept in them the night before.
    “Whose idea was it to have horse shows so damn early?” Lucas winced and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Dark circles sat below his exhausted moss colored eyes. Marie raised a thinly plucked eyebrow at her trainer, surprised, and she couldn’t help but smile. She had never seen him hungover. She didn't even know he drank at all in the first place. “I have aspirin and a red Gatorade in my bag that you are more than welcome to, '' she spoke sweetly, trying to keep a straight face. He nodded and went to fish them out of her bag almost immediately.
    Horses were beginning to be loaded for their trip to the city. Marie waited patiently with Tally, who was looking around curiously at all the hustle and bustle going on around them. The girl fiddled with the cotton lead rope in her hands as nerves began to bubble up inside her. Tally’s Cloverfield Sporthorse stable sheet matched her fancy shipping boots. Lyanna was always looking for ways to spend money on her horses and make them look their best while advertising her prestigious breeding and training facility.
  She spotted a familiar face standing with their steel gray stallion, who was sharply dressed in his navy and silver stable sheet and shipping boots. ‘Oh, what are their names?’ She thought to herself, studying the pair closely, her icy blue eyes narrowing on the horse and rider pair. She had seen them previously at the other venue and spoke with them in the warm up arena. ‘Sam! Sam and Ceaser! That was it!’ Sam seemed to notice Marie staring at her and gave her a little wave. Marie’s face burned bright tomato red with embarrassment as she gave an awkward wave back.
   Grooms and stable hands were wrapping up packing the riders tack, grooming supplies, and so on into the trailers as well. Finally, someone walked up and asked to take Tally to load her. The man wore an old, worn out baseball hat and a kind smile. He took her lead rope and led her confidently into the trailer. Luckily she right walked in without an issue or any fuss like some of the other horses.
    “Alright, chick. It is time to get this moving.” Lucas said, his sunglasses glinting in the morning sun. Marie smiled when she saw herself in the reflection of his aviators.
——
    The drive to the city was relatively quiet. Marie looked out the window and watched as the fields turned into buildings. Having some time to kill before she needed to get ready to warm up her mount, the pair decided to explore the big city some, taking in the sights and scenes.
    “So what’s the news on that kid? What was his name? Ashton or something?” Lucas said bluntly as he brought his coffee to his lips. The pair sat outside, enjoying the beautiful weather at a little coffee shop.
    Marie’s heart lurched into her throat at the question and she quickly took a sip of her latte. “What do you mean?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Lucas raised an eyebrow knowingly at her. He wasn’t stupid. Even when they were not at the barn at home, he knew everything about me and everyone else at that barn. Always. He was the gossip king.
    “That stupid kid you were talking to. The one who will probably end up being a drug dealer and in prison for being a bad drug dealer. The kid has like four working brain cells and he’s killing them all with his chain smoking.”
    The girl’s leg began to bounce anxiously as she watched people passing by. She was pretending to be unbothered by the question, when in reality, it was a reminder of the chaos she was trying to ignore and keep under wraps.
    “I’m not talking to him.” She said confidently. At least that was not a lie, even if it was not the whole truth.. “Why do you ask?”
    “Usually you are glued to your phone. I haven’t seen you look at it once. Actually, I don’t think I’ve even seen it at all today.” He replied, shifting in his seat to cross his legs. “If that’s what you mean by ‘not talking to him’, there is obviously more involved. You don’t have to tell me, that’s fine. I’m here if you want to talk about it, though.”
    That was the thing. Marie did want to talk about it. She wanted nothing more than to talk about it with someone. She just didn’t really have anyone to talk about it with and, frankly, it was eating away at her from the inside out. And, honestly, she knew Lucas didn’t like Asher, and she was afraid he would be biased. Plus, you don’t talk about boy trouble with your professional trainer. This man was her employer in some ways, not her therapist.
    Her heart ached in her chest. She didn’t have girl friends at home to talk to. She didn’t even have a mom to talk to and stuff like this. Lucas was the closest thing to a parent figure she’s ever had except for her grandmother. The fear of him thinking differently of her was overbearing and looming. What if Lucas felt she was no longer fit to ride under him professionally and she was too childish or dramatic? He made it very crystal clear back when they attended the Sky and Sea International in Australia, riders could be easily replaced for whatever reason. Sometimes there wasn’t a reason at all. Disposed of and replaced, like she had been so many times before. She refused to be disposed of and replaced when it came to riding under him.
    Lucas sighed softly and set his cup down on the little matching glass saucer. A drop of brown liquid was slowly sliding down the outside of the slick, white glass, leaving a trail behind it. “Look, if someone, anyone, is stealing your peace, they need to go. I learned that a long time ago. Continuing to give chances to people who don’t deserve them and will do nothing but trash them will destroy you. That goes for any kind of relationship. Even clients. Sometimes, it’s not all bad, but if overall, you are not okay because of how they make you feel or treat you, walking away is the answer. Boundaries are important. We can’t let people who don’t care about us or our feelings, have the power and access to continue to hurt us, you know?”
    Marie listened to the man, his voice calm and steady. She knew he was absolutely right, but it just wasn’t that simple. It never was, it seemed. She craved to be needed, appreciated, wanted, and loved by someone. Anyone.. When someone showed her even an ounce of what she desperately needed, even if it was fake or she was being used, she clung to it.
    She looked down at the beige colored coffee in her own cup and was quiet for a moment, organizing her racing thoughts. “I just wish it was that simple.” Her voice was tired and quiet when she spoke. Lucas didn’t push it any further, respecting her space and comfort level on the subject. At the end of the day, he knew she was right. Sometimes, it’s just not that simple, though it may look easy and crystal clear to someone on the outside looking in.
    The silence that then hung between them wasn’t awkward or heavy, but almost comforting. They watched as people walked by and listened to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees that were planted neatly along the street. The sound of people speaking Dutch was odd and confusing to the pair, more so to Marie than Lucas. Birds sang their songs sweetly in the trees above. The water in the canals floated quietly and peacefully along. The city was like a painting that had been brought to life. Marie wished she never had to leave and go back to Rochester, New York. She wanted to stay here, far away from all her worries that awaited not so patiently for her at home.
Word count - 2014