Horsemen Trials, A Fantasy Story about Horses

I decided to take my pressing questions to Mr. Blair, who I trusted. I was nervous, wondering if he'd be upset at me for questioning his methods. But I really had no one else to go to, and I did not like the idea of talking about man's methods behind his back, instead of talking to the man himself about it.

"Your canter circles are getting really good," said Mr. Blair as we untacked our horses after a lesson.

I looked up. "Oh. Thanks."

"You've been really silent lately. Something on your mind?"

I hesitated. "Yeah."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Yes, actually. Can we talk after this?"

"Sure."

Mr. Blair handed me a cup filled with tea and sat down on the chair next to me. We'd just finished putting away the horses, and he'd invited me onto his porch.

"Thank you." I took the cup from him and gulped down the cool tea. The hot summer sun was really starting to beat down nowadays.

Mr. Blair took a more dignified sip of his. "Now Iris, what is it you want to talk about?"

I took a deep breath. "Mr. Blair, please understand me, I don't want to offend you. You've been very generous in training Destiny and I, I'm really grateful..."

"But?" He urged on.

"But I don't know if this is the right path for Destiny and I. I mean no offense, but your methods seem outdated. Hardly anybody uses them anymore, or they use only parts of it."

I leaned forward. "I entered to win, Mr. Blair. It's been my dream since I was a little girl. And I'm just not sure I can do that with your training."

He took another sip of his tea, looking like he was thinking. "What made you feel this way, Iris? You seemed fine with it before."

I hesitated. "I'd rather not say."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did a competitor discourage you?"

I blushed, then nodded. "I've been feeling this way, below the surface, for a little while now. It compounded it."

"Alright." He leaned back. "Do you remember that chat we had while you were picking out a horse?"

"Yes."

"Winning didn't seem as important to you then. When did your motives start to change?"

I reached back in my mind. "I don't know."

"You were ready to drop out of the competition right then and there. You wanted to become a horsewoman in the eyes of the horse. Do you still want that? Because if you don't, to them you'll never be a horsewoman. And if you're not that to them, then you're not that to me either."

That stung. I looked down and swirled my finger in my tea. "Can't I do both?"

"Maybe at one time. I won the title of Horseman because I was able to do both. Now, the standards have changed."

"How?"

"People want spectacular results in only a few short months. And Iris, it just doesn't happen that way. Horses are naturally slow down and live in the moment creatures. Furthermore, muscle tone and fitness have to be built up carefully."

"Believe it or not, trainers actually used to have six months to train their horses. It was so long ago nobody really remembers it. I do though. I wish it was still that way."

He looked out and pointed to an sprawling elm tree in Rejem's paddock. "See that tree?"

I nodded.

"Did it grow that big in a year?"

"No."

He smiled slightly. "I know it didn't. I watched it grow from a little sapling. It took it ten years. Ten years."

"In the same year I planted that tree I bought Rejem as an unbroken two year old. He and that tree grew together. It took both of them a long time to do so, with much patience and persistence."

He turned back to me. "A long to time is needed to 'grow' a horse. It takes enough patience and persistence to fill an ocean. Most people, nowadays at least, don't have that. So they resort to quick fixes, methods that only work for a few months or years."

He pointed out again to where Norah's horse, Juniper, and Destiny grazed together. "Norah never entered to win. Juniper knows that he will not be asked for beyond what he can safely do for the sake of a title. And he trusts her because of that."

I bristled. "Are you saying I should be more like Norah?"

"In some ways. But no. See, Juniper is a wild storm of energy, he needs Norah's soft, quiet hand to steady him. Destiny, on the other hand, is already quiet. She needs someone to lead her, and you're that person."

He sighed. "Yes, it takes a long time to grow a horse into what he or she should be."

His voice softened as he looked back out at Rejem. "But Iris. It's so worth it."

He let out a piercing whistle that made me jump. Rejem lifted his head, grass still hanging from his mouth. Mr. Blair smiled as he stood. He went inside and came out with an apple.

I watched transfixed as Rejem trotted up to the fence and let out a deep throaty nicker. Mr. Blair covered ground quickly with his long strides.

He offered the apple to the beast, holding onto it as Rejem bit into it. He murmured soft words to him and stroke his neck as the horse chewed contently.