Coming Back by K.L. Denman

Author:K.L. Denman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459822689
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2019-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

Nine

THE ARENA IS a large, covered rectangle with sandy ground. Neither Scarlett nor I have gone in before, but she’s fine with it. She looks around curiously as I scrub the back of my sleeve across my brow. I’m sweating from the repeated attempts to get her saddle in place, but I did it.

The bridle though. I’m carrying it over my shoulder. I’ll need Vicki’s help for that. I did get it on once, but the fit was all wrong. There are buckles to adjust it, but it was too much. Asking for help again with the basics isn’t something I want to do, but I’ll have to.

Vicki strides in and eyes us. “You’re not ready?”

“No. The bridle doesn’t fit.” I almost cringe, dreading another shot of criticism.

But she merely says, “Hmm. Let’s have a look.” She takes the bridle and holds it up alongside Scarlett’s head. “It’s too long.”

“Yes. The bit was practically hanging out of her mouth.”

Vicki adjusts some buckles and says, “Let’s try this.” I watch closely. She works fast, removing Scarlett’s halter and slipping on the bridle. She leaves the bridle on to make another adjustment and says, “That’s perfect.”

“Thanks.”

She waves a hand. “No worries. Now, where’s your helmet?”

“What?”

“Your helmet.” Vicki frowns. “No one can ride here without one. It’s not safe.”

I don’t have a helmet. I look helplessly at Vicki, and she sighs. “I’ve got some spares, so you can borrow one for today. But you’re going to need your own.”

She leaves and returns a few minutes later with a black helmet. “In case you’re wondering, even most Western riders are wearing them now.” She hands it to me. “Try it on.”

I plunk the helmet onto my sweaty head, and it seems to fit. Except for the chin strap. Vicki instructs me to tighten it and then glances at her watch. “All this has wasted lesson time. I hope you can see why I wanted you ready at one o’clock sharp?”

I’m tempted to say, “Yes sir,” but I only nod. She moves back and says, “All right then. Take your reins and mount up.”

A deep breath in. Exhale. I grasp the reins and swing up into the saddle. I settle into the seat and once again am flooded with delight.

“That needs work,” Vicki says. “And you didn’t check your saddle girth. Plus your stirrups are too long.”

She tells me to get off and check the girth. It feels snug enough to me, but Vicki tightens it. Then she shows me how to hold my arm along the length of the stirrup leather to check for the right length. I wonder why she didn’t do this before. It almost feels like she was expecting my mistakes. Finally she says, “Okay. Mount up again.”

Then she talks me through mounting correctly. I just thought it was a matter of sticking my foot in the stirrup and pulling myself up. But no. There is a right way and a wrong way. She gives reasons as we go, and it all makes sense.

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