First Look [open]

[whisperingdancer]

Trixie put her foot in the stirrup and got into the saddle. She didn't feel like walking around so she decided to ride her horse around. That way he would also get to know the land a little bit. She touched him lightly with her heels and off they went. They walked down the path and looked at their surrounding. It was beautiful. The big pastures with all the different kinds of horses and the nice arena with the jumps. Especially she liked the round pen that they passed. That one she would probably use a lot during the winter when she couldn't ride Dancer like she wanted to. She also liked the trails that went off into the forest. It'd be nice to go on these when it was too hot to really train on the track. Southern Dancer also looked around intently. But he didn't notice things like the round pen and the trails. No, he saw the mares. His nostril fluttered and he shook head when one of them came up to the fence. He proudly held his head up high and started trotting majesticly. Trixie laughed and held him back until he walked again.

Soon after, they got to the race track. Trixie could see a few other riders here, but right now she would focus on her horse. She could get to know those people later. She gave Dancer the cues to trot and went around the track once, partially posting and partially in a sitting trott. Then she put her stirrups up high and got into position. She let him trot for a few yards again and then gave in. In the beginning she only cantered him, but then the gallop began. It didn't take long until they both forgot everything around and were in their own world again. The rush of the race.

[whisperingdancer]

Trixie felt her smile grow bigger. How good this felt! She loved the speed and always had some kind of rush when she let him run. She leaned farther forward, putting her hands farther up his neck. That was all he waited for and he sped up even more. All her surroundings were only a blur anymore; all she could see was the track right in front of her. All she could hear was Dancer's strong legs beating on the ground. She felt the play of his muscles on her legs and couldn't help but laugh out loud. His ears perked up at the sound of it, seeming to understand her happiness. She loved sitting on him and letting him run. She loved the feeling of having this strong body under her and the sound of his hooves beating the ground. She felt like she was in her own perfect world and nothing could destroy it at this moment. Who cares if he won races and colorful ribbons and trophies? This was much more important. The bond between her and her horse never felt as strong as when they are on the track together, just by themselves, not caring who won. She saw the finishing line coming up way to fast, but she did not want to ruin this moment. The training should have been over already but she did not ask Dancer to slow down. She did not want him to heat up too much or hurt his legs. But she let him go as long as he felt like going and once he came to a stop, she just hugged him while she was still sitting on him. Laughing happily she sat up and patted his neck.

She hopped off and took off his wraps to check his legs. They were a little warm, but that was normal. She put the wraps aside and walked to a mounting block. She did not have a problem getting on his back without one, but her old trainer always made her do it because it was better for the horses' backs. It was just another habit that was hard to lose. But at least it was not a bad one. Dancer shook his head and pranced by her side when two horses galloped around the track. He did not care about the young boy's horse, but the other one, the stallion, bothered him. Again she patted his neck and whispered some calming words, which did not really help much. She got back in the saddle fast, because that way it'd be easier to hold him back. Just in case. Again she let him canted slowly for a little bit and trotted around the rest of the track. She didn't want him to cool down too fast. Once she was done and off the horse again, she took the wraps in her hands, left the track and carefully closed the gate behind her. Today was a good day and she was proud of her baby.

While she was walking back to the barn she thought about his future. He'd only be racing for another year or two. After that she wanted to concentrate more on her jumping career again and maybe train some horses too. Whichever one she'd get the chance for. She's jumped Dancer over some small jumps before, but he wouldn't be the perfect horse for showing. She needed someone who could jump higher. Her mom offered her to bring Hidden Wings, her gelding, to the ranch. She's showed him before and he was a good horse. She won several ribbons on him, but he just wasn't what she was looking for. She would try again with Dancer, but he would probably end up being a trail horse for her. Never would she sell him, but she needed a new horse anyways. Maybe she could find a mare she could breed with and get a son of her horse. By the end of Southern Dancer's career she most likely would know which way to go with the foal. She could train it herself and then decide wether to go in the direction of a show rider or a trainer. Yes. This she will do.