Horsemen Trials, A Fantasy Story about Horses

Mr. Bellton stuck his foot in the stirrup and mounted. His horse fidgeted beneath him, he constantly had to correct him. Finally he chucked him rather harshly in the mouth and he stood, but seemed like a coiled spring.

"The first thing you need to know about horsemanship, is that you must be in charge of the horse. The horse must know, without a doubt, that you are the boss of him. He must obey your every whim, quickly and meekly, without question, and to the best of his ability.

"You saw when I mounted my horse fidgeted all around. I punished him three times, each time was increasingly more painful. Finally I yanked on him, and now he stands. He knows that if he does it again, I will do the same thing, so there is no point in doing it."

Already this was starting to put me on edge, but I pushed my reservations away. After all, everyone else was here listening to this guy, so he must be alright.

But the more he talked, the more uneasy I began to feel. He said nothing about what a rider should be doing, how they should ride, or how they should train. Rather all he talked about what the horse should be doing. The horse must move off the moment you ask them to. The horse must be quiet. The horse must have clean transitions.

I fidgeted with Destiny's lead rope. All I knew about horses had come from my dad. He'd always been patient and kind. Of course he would correct them and even punish them when they needed it. But he always tried to do what was best for them. In return they plowed our fields and harvested out crops.

The question in my mind would not go away. Did I want to train and work with my horse this way or not? I thought about it for awhile.

It was when I realized I was making all sorts of excuses about leaving Mr. Bellton's clinic that I realized I didn't. Or at least, I wanted to make sure that this was the only option I had.

So, five minutes before Mr. Blair's clinic was to begin, I hopped off the fence. "Where are you going?" whispered Lillian.

"To Mr. Blair's clinic," I whispered back. "I want to see what he teaches."

Lillian shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Doubts began to nag at me, whispering in my ear, as I pulled on Destiny's lead rope. What if I was making a wrong decision? What if Mr. Bellton was the person I needed to learn from in order to win? Everyone else seemed to think so.

But I pulled my chin up and stepped forward bravely. I was sure there would be just as many people at Mr. Blair's clinic. Besides, I knew him to some extent, and he knew me. Maybe he could help me better.

I quickly found Mr. Blair's clinic and arrived on time. I bit my lip when I saw there were only nine other people there. All of them had their horses, like I did.

I looked back over my shoulder in the direction of Mr. Bellton's clinic, worried. What if I didn't learn what I needed to learn here? Maybe I could go back.

But it was too late. Mr. Blair had spotted me. "Iris!" he called out. "There you are. I was worried you weren't coming."

That just about broke my heart. Mr. Blair had thought I was coming. What if I hadn't shown up? I straightened my shoulders. Let Mr. Bellton have all his students and fame. Mr. Blair had won the title of Horseman too.

I smiled at him. "Well, I'm here and just in time too."

Behind Mr. Blair his stallion, Rejem, was standing tacked up and ready to be mounted. As I approached the fence Mr. Blair stuck his foot in the stirrup and mounted. While Mr. Bellton had looked like he was heaving himself up, Mr. Blair just flowed into the saddle. I pulled myself up on the fence as Mr. Blair began to talk in that soft way of his.

"I train in a different and older way than most people. It is slower, and it doesn't seem to get results as fast. But it is thorough, and your horse will be more willing, more soft, more forward because of it.

"Some horses will learn faster than others. That's fine, we'll take it at the pace that suits them. Some may learn more quickly on how to get the correct canter lead, while others may struggle. The same horse that struggles may bend easier, while the one who doesn't struggle with canter leads may not bend as well. Each horse has their flaws, as well as their strengths."

Unlike Mr. Bellton's horse Rejem stood quietly, one of his ears twitching back to hear his master's words. He possessed the air of a majestic and confident beast, who trusted his master. He had dignity and pride, proud not only of himself but of the rider he bore.

"I teach by the old ways, which are similar to the new ways but with some significant differences. We're sometimes known as classical riders, or Vertis riders. It is up to you to choose whether you will train your horse by this method. However, if you do, you must always remember the one rule."

He reached down and stroked Rejem's neck. "The rule is this: It is never the horse's fault."