Shoelaces easily stepped down from the metallic, silver trailer. We rented it for the occasion, but we didn’t have to drive very far at all. Only about twenty minutes. Shoelaces had a big, fleece halter on to match his thickly wrapped boots. Surprisingly, he didn’t care too much about loading and unloading. Then again, he was totally fine when we got him from the auction, so why should I worry?
The sight before me was astonishing. Right away, I noticed two giant, white buildings looming in front of me. To the left, I saw at least four rings with small pools of water in them from being unused. I could already see a raised platform and seating for one of the larger rings, and it was utterly amazing. I knew this was the last indoor show, having them start up in May. I was fine with having to show in the indoor, but I still could hardly imagine getting able to show in one of those big, outdoor rings.
My mother was working on something in the trailer, probably gathering up supplies. Because as a team, me being the majority, we had to do everything ourselves- and we had to bring absolutely everything on our own. The only thing we would get, which we paid for, was shavings and feed. I opened the door leading into the stalls, but I looked back. I didn’t want to leave the beautiful showground yet, at least the outside. Then again, the inside was a new adventure. The area for my stall was embedded in my mind. First aisle. Six stalls down. Right side. The words were like glue as I began to walk Shoelaces through the door.
Right away, steam hit my face coming from two wash stalls where two attractive looking horses were getting hosed down. While I didn’t look like a person that fit in, at least Shoelaces could. He was gorgeous- except for his awkward, slightly roman nose that stuck out as opposing to the gorgeous, dished faces these horses had. Shoelaces was looking at everything he got the chance to. His head was shooting around in every direction, but wasn’t spooking. Like me, he wanted to get a glimpse of everything he could. I could already see an older lady leading a gleaming black gelding out the other end of the aisle, probably towards the ring. I was so mesmerized, I could hardly tell I just walked right past Shoelaces’ stall.
I whirled around, halting Shoelaces, I grimaced, now realizing I had to turn him around when there were piles of shavings on both sides. Shoelaces was huge, so this could be a problem. Biting my lip, I attempted to turn him around but Shoelaces was confused. He could hardly swing his whole body around, and ended up knocking over a pile of shavings that sprung open. I groaned, now realizing that was something to clean up. And what if they weren’t even mine? Would I have to pay for whoever it was? I shook my head, muttering under my breath in anger that I let myself become distracted.
I opened our stall, and right away let Shoelaces flock in. He enjoyed the fact he had a place to go, and began to sniff the ground. He didn’t have shavings quite yet, but he could wait. For now, I had to clean the one we broke. My mom had our broom, and all I could do was wait until she came. I couldn’t even take off his wraps yet, because my tack trunk was still getting moved. Angry now, I walked from his stall and saw a very familiar looking girl sweeping up the shavings we spilled.
It was the same girl I saw at the restaurant. Now that she wasn’t in nice clothing to eat, I could see her true self. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, loose as her long strands of dark hair fell behind her. She was pale-faced with freckles, dazing hazel eyes on her face. Even from here I could see the vibrant gold flecks in them, and compared to everyone else she stood out. She had on a sky blue polo, an emblem of a jumping horse on the left side. She had possibly seven different bracelets going up her right arm, all which had the bright blue colors to match. In breeches, she seemed totally different from the sight I saw of her before.
“Looks like you took my advice and came to a show.” She said with a smile without looking up.
I wasn’t sure what to say. It amazed me the girl recognized me, as I scarcely remembered her. Since we spoke, I had waited on many more people and rest became a memory. I wasn’t sure why she was sweeping for me, but then again maybe those were her own shavings I spilled. My cheeks got red.
“Oh. Yes. I’m really sorry about the shavings. Let me just get a broom and-“ The girl held out a hand and stopped me.
“Relax, its fine. I’m a working student. I’m used to cleaning up after people.” She laughed but weakly, as if there were years and years of wounds behind her voice.
“Oh…” I muttered. Funny how the first person I met wasn’t the spoiled kid I expected to meet. “What’s your name?”
“Scarlett.” She said expressionlessly. “And you are?”
“Stella. Stella Townsend.” I nod back, walking towards the shavings.
I lifted up the bag that fell, and it still had some shavings left inside. I held it up so that no more could spill out, and put it back in the shaving stack. It brought me hope that Scarlett, the girl I had only met once, was so eager to help. But maybe I was thinking wrong. Maybe people were actually different, and I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
“Wait…” her voice dropped, and she began to stop sweeping. “Townsend. Aren’t those the people that own the Hunt Club? Where you waited on us?”
“Yes. That’s our restaurant.” I nod back, scooping up more shavings.
Just then, Scarlett began to laugh. I wasn’t sure why, because nothing I said was funny. I narrowed my eyes, and she leaned back against the stalls where she ran her hands through her hair and dropped the broom. She shook her head once, finally composing herself.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just my barn always laughs about that place. It’s so nice, in a land of chains. Totally not Wisconsin-like.” Scarlett grabbed the broom again. “Anyway, is this your first show?”
I smile. Not about what Scarlett had to say, but that she was so honest. Honesty was a trait that I liked to see in people. And after all, it was true. Just about everyone who went to our place found humor. I didn’t see why my father didn’t go out to a city to start it up where it may fit in, but my mom was all country. And together, they put it up here. I turned back to Scarlett, nodding.
I shrug. “Yeah. It sure is weird.”
“You need a tour.” Scarlett nodded, smirking. “Who cares about the shavings, I’ll show you around. You aren’t the typical spoiled child, and I like that. Come on, I’ll show you around.”
I wanted to follow after Scarlett, but I still had Shoelaces. I thought maybe that the stereotype wasn’t true, but based on how Scarlett spoke, it was. She wasn’t too different from me. She always cared for the horses, just for other people’s. Then the thought struck me that maybe she didn’t even have her own horse at all and just came to help out. If that was true, I admire her dedication.
I shook my head. “I have to care for Shoelaces, my horse. But then I can.”
She shrugged. “Why not. I’ll help.”
I introduced Scarlett to my mom when she came in, and the two of us worked on unwrapping, wrapping again, and putting the shavings in my horse’s stall. She sure was fast, as if she had been doing it her entire life. She almost wanted to have work to do, and the more things to do then the more accurate and fast she became. We got everything finished a lot better and quicker than I thought we would, and like me, my mom was impressed with how well Scarlett knew her stuff. Even so, I didn’t see why she wanted to help. For all we knew, we were strangers to eachother. But I knew I would need lots of help figuring things out this show, and maybe Scarlett would be my ticket in.
I made sure Shoelaces was situated before she led me down the aisle. I was right, the ring being farther out. There were three other rows of aisles to the left, but all of the action was to the right. That’s where she took me, and right away I found myself staring at a fast, giant indoor ring. Well, the show ring at least. The schooling ring was a small, broken off piece that looked like a zoo. But the showing ring was the best part. Banners from sponsors hung on the wall, and marvelously decorated jumps like nothing I had seen before were set in singles and lines. I was so starry eyed that I didn’t even notice that I almost ran into an amateur rider leading a gleaming blood bay. Scarlett had to pull me aside, and then I shook my head and found myself now paying attention.
We watched at the arena for a bit, and I could stay there for forever. Each and every horse was something special with their amazing movement and form as they took the fences effortlessly. I would feel blessed to ride half as good as them and to get to ride several horses like that. But even so, I was happy with Shoelaces. He was enough for me, and was the best friend I could ask for.
Scarlett laughed at me and how amazed I was when a brilliant dapple grey had a perfect round. She raised a brow, watching me as I clapped with the crowd. I couldn’t help it. It was amazing, to say the least. I couldn’t wait to get to show.
“You should see your face.” Scarlett looked at me with the sides of her mouth curling up to a weak grin.
I shrug. “You’re right. Take me somewhere else.” I have humor in my voice, which Scarlett senses and she pushes me away.
The next place we went to was the upper shops. If you went upstairs, I learned, there would be two big, spacey tack shops you could shop at. Everything in there was items I only dreamed of getting. All the show coats, boots, and helmets to the highest prices sit in boxes that I wished I could grab and take home with me. Scarlett had money, so she purchased a box of horse treats with peppermints on top. Surely a treat a horse would love.
We stepped out of the shop, and I was ready to move on. Scarlett took a few paces towards the stairs, but then she whirled back around. To my surprise, she walked up to me and planted the box of treats in my own hands. Dazed, I wasn’t sure what she meant. But then I did.
“What? No!” I say, trying to hand them back. “You bought them. They’re yours.”
Scarlett laughed, taking a few steps back. “No, its fine. Think of them as a welcome gift. Please.”
I looked warily at the treats. I didn’t want to have them when Scarlett bought them herself. But that’s when I realized just who this girl was. Yes, she was a working student on the circuit that was probably used to people handing horses to her and demanding they look pristine. Even so, she was overwhelmed with kindness. The way she spoke to me at the restaurant. The way she spoke to me today. Her personality almost didn’t seem real, and I had never known anyone like her. She was so outgoing and so eager, that it brought me hope that I did make a good idea coming here.
“Thanks.” I mutter softly, and Scarlett leads me on.
She next takes me back downstairs and crosses over until we reach a door heading outside. I wondered why we would need to go outside until we opened the door and just across the gravel road I could see a cute little shop. On it’s sign readThe Horse Show Hut. I narrowed my eyes, and through the windows I could see tables and food being served. So that’s what it was, a snack shop.
Scarlett pushes open the door, and right away the warmth and food aromas cause my eyes to wander straight to where food was being pushed on the counter to people. It wasn’t too busy, but half the tables had people sitting. I feared Scarlett would try to buy me food too, until I noticed her walking over to a table.
Right away I recognized the blonde girl that was sitting with Scarlett at the Hunt Club. With her was a red-haired, younger looking girl who sipped an iced tea. Right away I could see the Pikeur breeches and stretchy, pure white show shirts on and I realized Scarlett was probably a victim of the work they never did.
They look in our direction, and Scarlett plants a smile on. But I could tell with the faint line of uncomfortable vibes on her lips that maybe the smile she had on now was fake. I suspected the two girls were the barn queens, having all the expensive horses and Scarlett was like their puppy. It didn’t seem fair, someone nice like Scarlett having to deal with people like that. But I shook it off. Maybe it was wrong.
“Hey guys.” Scarlett put her hands on the table and the two girls threw glances back and forth to us. “How’s it going?”
They glanced back at me, and I could tell right away the blonde recognized me from that one night. She narrowed her eyes, completely ignoring everything Scarlett just said. She looked at me, putting a finger to her lips.
“You’re that girl from the restaurant, aren’t you?” The blonde asks, narrowing her eyes.
“Yeah, that’s me.” I say with a shrug.
“Oh, well, hi.” The girl looks back to Scarlett. “And Scarlett, I’m showing in an hour, so can you have Pumba ready?” There was a touch of urgency in her voice.
“Sure thing, Leslie!” Scarlett mocks, spinning around as I follow her.
Instantly I could see the annoyance in Scarlett’s voice. Even so, I bet she was used to that. But I was especially disgusted with how the blonde, Leslie, didn’t even offer to help and didn’t even ask politely to Scarlett. She then raised her hands, closing her eyes as we walked out the door. I could tell she was taking deep breaths, trying to calm down.
We walk back inside, and Scarlett was still taking the deep breaths, I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering when she would stop. Just then, she pulled me aside and blinked open her eyes. She shook her head, softer now that she cooled down.
“Sorry. Sometimes it takes everything I have not to slap somebody.” She said with a shrug.
I laugh. “Don’t worry, I totally get it.”
We didn’t speak about the girls once after that. Because we weren’t showing in the outdoor and we didn’t really have anything left going on in the indoor, she took me around all the aisles and pointed out all of the well known or rising star horses. I recognized some of the names on them, and more than anything I wanted to see them go. It took a while, but by the time we finished I decided to give Scarlett a bit of a tour of my own. We returned to Shoelaces, who seemed happy to see us, and Scarlett had some bonding time with him. She would run her hands along his coat, coaxing him into resting his big head into her arms. She was a natural.
While I watched Scarlett get Shoelaces so relaxed that his eyelids dropped and she practically held him in place, I couldn’t help but wonder. Was there anything Scarlett was bad at? I hadn’t seen her ride, but she could clean a stall in the blink of an eye. She could control herself so well that not even the circuit snobs could faze her. She was unbelievably kind. Not to mention, she could persuade any horse to calm down so much that like Shoelaces, they would rest their head in her arms and she would whisper into their ears. I could do the same to Shoelaces, but what amazed me was that Scarlett had never even met him before. She hardly knew any of the horses, yet they all listened to her.
Before long, both of us were giving all the attention to my horse. He enjoyed it immensely, rubbing his head on my body while Scarlett scratched his whither. Surely, he must be in horse heaven by now. I even snuck him one of the peppermint treats, which he crunched on noisily and happily. All was going well until Scarlett suddenly jumped back and plastered herself against the far wall.
I leaned away from Shoelaces, confused from Scarlett’s sudden move. I raised a brow, not sure what she was doing. She didn’t seem fearful, because her eyes seemed more testy and confused than glazed over in fear. I was just about to open my mouth when Scarlett did first.
“He looks just like him.” She mumbled, shaking her head.
Just then, she snapped out of it. She leaned forward, slapping one of her wrists to hit some more sense into herself. She walked back up to me, but I was more than confused. Who? Who did he look like, and why did it faze Scarlett so much?
“Looks like who?” I ask Scarlett, eyes bearing into hers. I wasn’t sure what she was saying.
“Nothing, its not possible.” She waved a hand, dismissing the idea. “Nevermind, Just looked like a horse I knew of.”
I bit my lip, still confused. “Ok.”
I wanted to ask further questions, but decided not to. Whatever it was Scarlett saw seemed to greatly effect her, and for what reason I did not know. I didn’t want to make the strange situation to become fused, so I dropped off the conversation with a shrug. We continued caring for Shoelaces for another minute before turning off to do something else.
Because our barns were next to eachother, hence why Scarlett was already there and able to sweep up the shavings, she introduced me to all of their horses. Just as I suspected, they were all extremely nice. She pointed out Leslie’s horses, a big dapple grey and a perfect looking bay. They even had a few pony hunters, but not as many as they did horses. I especially loved one of their smalls, a cute little black one named Perri. I thought we got through them all until Scarlett led me to the most gorgeous one on the end.
He was a big, rich red bay with darker grey and black shading around his face. He was very well muscled, with big strong bulk in his wither and hind end. Not to mention he was very kind, because he came over to greet us straight away. He didn’t have any leg markings, the bay fading to black, but he did on his face. A big, white blaze went from under his forelock and down to his chin. Where it traveled to his mouth turned pink, and overall he was beyond stunning. I gave him a pat, turning around to Scarlett.
“This one is gorgeous.” I say, tickling him under his chin. “whose horse is he?”
“Mine.” Scarlett said with a smile. “This here is Twister, I show him in the equitation.”
That surprised me. Scarlett was a working student, so surely she wouldn’t have enough money to have a horse like Twister? He stood out from the rest of them, and I thought he was the best looking of them all. I cocked my head slightly, and as if sensing my confusion, Scarlett spoke.
“My dad got him for me.” She said with a shrug. “A long time ago.”
That made me even more confused. So it wasn’t as if she worked her way to Twister, but she actually found funds to buy him. It didn’t make sense to me, that if she could afford a nice horse like him that she would be a working student. I shrugged, figuring I would begin to understand as time goes on.
We stayed with Twister a little while longer until finally the peanut gallery came along and Scarlett had to tack up Pumba, Leslie’s big bay jumper. The girl didn’t even ask to help. She stood by while Scarlett shined him to perfection and put on all of the perfectly cleaned tack. I stood by a bit too before scowling in disgust and asking to help. Scarlett at first refused, by eventually let me slide on the bridle. As long as nobody else would be around me helping wouldn’t be a problem, but if her trainer came along maybe it would be. Based on the riders I was seeing I expected another wealthy, angsty lady. And if she saw me helping, then she might feel like I had to be paid. But it wasn’t a problem, because we got finished before anyone else came along.
Nodding in approval, Leslie took Pumba and walked him down the aisleway. Scarlett wiped her sweating brow, adjusting the array of bracelets on her arm. After catching her breath from getting Pumba to perfection in a matter of minutes, she turned back to me. I didn’t mind caring for horses and I’m sure Scarlett didn’t either. It was just a matter of working for people like that, which would cause me to bring on any sense of dislike.
“Some crowd, huh?” I say, leaning against the stalls.
Scarlett glances in my direction. “Yeah. Some crowd.”