I guess I was very quiet while we drove to the stables that day. Will asked me why.
I´m trying to decide what to tell Sarah. I love riding and I love horses, and I want to be able to spend time at the stables. But I don´t think I want to teach. At least not teeny-boppers. It´s the horses I like, not the students, I guess.”
Level with her. What have you got to lose? She already likes you a lot. I think she really wants you to teach so she can have you around.”
I guess I´ll have to level with her whether I want to or not. I can´t go on stringing her along.”
At the stables, Sarah greeted us in the office with smiles and sandwiches.
Will, I have three commissions for you. Terms as we mentioned. And there are several other parents from the Wednesday group who called to ask about your terms. I should have some more commissions by next week.”
Guess I´d better spend some time with Zulu today,” Will said with a grin, You´ve already earned your commission.”
I´ll be riding Zulu today, but you can have her Wednesday, if you want.”
Oh, I´ll want to do some more studies of her before I get serious. But Wednesday sounds okay. Think I´ll go out and talk with her a little now, if you don´t mind.”
Will left the office, headed for the stables.
Now, Mary, you and I have got to get serious. I´d really like you to teach for me. Will you do it?”
Sarah, I don´t want to teach the girls. I know that. I like you, I like your place here, I like Hero and The Bay, and I want to keep on riding, but I just can´t hack the girls. There. That´s got it on the table. Are we still friends?”
Sarah reached across the desk and touched my hand. Of course we´re friends. I know you don´t like working with the girls. Sometimes I don´t blame you, they can get on your nerves. But I should tell you that the job you did last Wednesday was wonderful. Several girls told me they learned so much from you.”
Not from me, exactly. I made them learn from each other. I only helped out when there was a problem.”
That´s what good teaching is, Mary. Helping people to learn. Anyway, I want you around here. You know horses like hardly anyone else I know. You´ve done wonders with Hero, you´ve saved The Bay´s life and given me a potentially valuable horse. What is there you do want to do?”
I´m sorry to sound so uncertain, Sarah. I´d like to work with Hero some more, and I want to see what I can do with The Bay. He might really develop.”
Mary, what do you know about Western Pleasure Riding?”
Only that it´s a thing they do at the fancier western horse shows. Very advanced stuff, I think, all signals and stuff. Is that right?”
More or less. It´s the western answer to dressage, where control of the animal is the thing, and most of it is done with leg cues and that sort of thing. Watching you ride, I would have thought you already knew about it.”
My Aunt Bessie taught me to ride, and I´ve learned most of my stuff from her and the hands at the ranch. But I have developed a way of using cues to tell the critter what I want. Bessie showed me some of that. I like it because it´s less work and easier on the horse.”
I don´t know about less work, Mary. It takes a lot of practice to get as good as you are, and you aren´t even aware of it. Look, let´s do this. You don´t have to help me out with the class this afternoon, but the girls are looking forward to seeing you. Come work with us for a half-hour or so. Then, spend some time with The Bay, or whatever.”
Sarah rose and went to her bookcase. And take this book home with you. It´s about Western Pleasure Riding and what it involves. Tells you what the standards are, what the competitive situation is and everything. I´ve got some magazines, too. See what you think. Next week, Wednesday or Saturday, whenever you can get here, tell me what you think about it.”
Okay, Sarah, that´s a good idea. I really don´t mind the kids, you know. It´s just that it isn´t the challenge I want. Of course, I haven´t figured out what that is either.”
These things come to us, Mary. Don´t worry.”
I went to the barn and saddled Hero. He was glad to see me; I´m starting to like him a lot, but he´s not mine, so I better watch it.
We did about half the class with Sarah. The girls were glad to see me, especially Jane Pinski. I helped one or two other girls, then left. I planned to take Hero to another paddock and work him out a little.
As we walked across the main yard, someone called.
Hey, there!”
I turned toward the voice, giving Hero a touch and a feel of the rein and he spun on a dime to face the caller.
Wow! How did you do that?” It was a man in his forties on a handsome chestnut quarter horse mare. Sorry, I didn´t mean to call ‘Hey´ at you. I just don´t know your name.”
I´m Mary Travis.”
Rudy Self. I´ve seen you around, and noticed you work with Sarah. I wanted to meet you. How did you turn your horse like that?”
You mean this?” I cued Hero a little, asked him to move right and left. He turned about a foot to the right, then to the left as I asked him to.
Wow! Yes. I´ve never seen such a precise move as that. How do you do it”
Well, I don´t really, I ask Hero and he does it. Is your horse schooled?”
Well, I don´t really know. She´s one of the stable horses Sarah keeps for older riders.”
Try this,” I said and explained what to do. He over-controlled.
No, Rudy. Once she starts to do what you ask, stop telling her. Immediately. Otherwise she´ll get confused, think there´s something wrong with her response. Anticipate success and stop cueing as soon as she responds.”
He tried again and his mare responded quickly and correctly, though her movements were a little extreme. Just practice that now and then. You´ll have a lot more control. Now, walk her a little with me.”
As we walked the horses side by side toward the paddocks, we used the cues again to each side and wove like a pair of drunks across the yard, Rudy´s path a little less precise than Hero´s.
That´s beautiful. Thanks. Are you going to be teaching for Sarah? If you are, I want to be in your class.”
That´s nice of you, but Sarah and I are still arguing about it. She wants me to teach. I´m just not sure about it.”
Well, I´m rooting for Sarah. Let me know what you decide.”
Thanks, I will.”
I turned and opened the gate to the paddock and he went on down the track, following a couple of other adult riders.
I worked Hero for about a half hour. After Rudy Self´s request, it occurred to me to see just how much Hero and I had in common. It was a lot. I went through everything I could think of, and he understood me almost every time. And the foxtrot was just perfect, a pleasant, fast walk.
Finally, I put him up and went to see The Bay. He came right to me and looked for an apple. I gave him one and brought him out into the aisle of the barn to saddle him.
Will came in the door. When he saw me with The Bay, he slowed down, keeping a careful eye on the horse. The Bay just looked at him and dismissed him, his ears relaxed.
It´s okay, Will. He doesn´t seem to be worried about you. Just don´t look him directly in the eye. That frightens any horse. What´s up?”
Just thought I´d come see what you´re up to. You´re going to ride him again? Okay if I watch?”
Sure. Last time, I didn´t have a bridle on him, just the hackamore. I want to see what he knows.”
I swung up on The Bay and felt him tremble a bit. His ears twitched ominously, but I spoke to him and calmed him pretty easily. Sorry, boy, I got up a little too fast for you. I´ll be more careful next time.”
Will had moved quickly to a safe corner, but with caution, not fear.
Good, Will. He knows you´re not afraid and not a threat, but it´s smart to be in a safe place.”
I walked him out and down to the larger paddock. Will followed behind. We started by going through the natural gaits, then I began seeing what he knew about the cues I had used with Hero. He knew a few, not a lot. There was some schooling to be done. When I decided to quit, I went toward the gate. Rudy Self and some other people were standing there with Will. I dismounted at the gate.
Hi. Would you all just move to the left, so I can open the gate in front of you? I´m still not sure about this guy, so I´ll walk him out and see how he behaves. If you´re out of his way, he won´t spook.”
They moved quickly, opening the gate for me. The Bay went through easily, and seemed perfectly calm.
Okay, now close the gate, please.”
Can we chat with you a moment?” Rudy asked.
Sure. But if he gets fidgety, be ready to step back. I can handle him, but if he gets upset, I´ll need room.”
We were watching you work with him. He´s beautiful. And you handle him so easily.”
You want to see easy handling, watch Hero sometime. He´s been well schooled. The Bay, here, is still in first grade.”
Oh, this is Linda and Henry and Bob and Berty. You call him The Bay. I thought his name was Killer.”
I lifted my hat to the others. They grinned broadly. I call him The Bay. Doesn´t seem to have any other name, at least not here. Horses are rarely killers; they mostly are trying to defend themselves. I think some one had been beating The Bay. He´s not afraid now.”
One of the women Berty? said, We really enjoyed watching you work him out. I could see you were trying to find out what he knows. Where are you from? Where did you study riding?”
I kind of laughed. I´m from Fairplay, Colorado, ma´am, I go to the university here and I never studied riding at all. My Aunt Bessie and her hands taught me everything I know. And, yes, I was testing The Bay. He´s good, real good, but he doesn´t know much yet. Maybe Sarah will let me teach him.”
I´m sure she will. Uh, is he all right?”
The Bay had sneaked up behind me and was nudging my jacket and blowing in my ear. I guess I giggled.
Oh, yes, ma´am. He´s just trying to tell me he wants an apple. I think I´d better take him inside.”
I mounted him again, and we cantered off to the barn. I went to work, combing The Bay and thinking hard about these horses and the people here and about Sarah.
When I had finished, I walked to the office. Will was there, chatting with Sarah. I said, Sarah, would you let me make a long distance call? I´ll pay for it.”
As long as it´s in the United States, you don´t need to. It´s a business expense.”
I dialed Aunt Bessie´s number in Fairplay. She answered after a few rings.
Hi, Aunt Bessie, it´s Mary.” We did the usual greetings. Aunt Bessie, I´m calling from a friend´s phone. Could you do me a favor?... Would you please send me my good saddle?” I gave her the address of the stable. She said she´d call UPS first thing Monday. We talked briefly; I sent love to Beth and promised to call on Monday. Then, I hung up.
Sarah came and gave me a big hug.