The riding was nice. It had been a while since Dixie and Wayne had been able to get out with the horses and just go for a relaxing ride, they’d been way too busy with chores. Training the other horses in riding, pulling the wagon, different commands and such took a long time and a lot of effort. When they weren’t training, they were cleaning the horses and herding. Hunting sometimes, weapons training, keeping the fort grounds clean and well taken care of, and of course Dixie made her baskets and other relatively useless things when she had the time. Overall they simply had no time at all to relax and be together, unless it was night time and the few hours that they took to sleep.
Even now, as they took this ‘time off’, they were still working and practicing their roping skills. Dixie yelped and tensed her frame up as the rope tightened around her body and jerked her clean from Duke’s back. The small stallion snorted and tried to jump to the side and prevent her from falling, but he wasn’t fast enough. Instead, his hoof came down on her tail, which made her cry out again in pain. Sitting up, she tossed the rope off, ignoring the bruising spots from falling, and grabbed at her tail. The horse skipped to the side awkwardly and dropped his head low, ears flat in remorse. Whining softly, she rubbed at the spot and sighed, reaching out to pet at the stallion’s face softly. It’s okay, sweetheart, you didn’t mean to.
Everyone looked up, ears pricked, when the howl came floating over the wind. Looking over at Wayne, she tilted her head to the side and stood, taking a handful of Duke’s mane and hopping up onto his bare back. She’d been riding without a saddle for a while, trying to get better with her balance and learning the feel, becoming one with a moving beast. Kicking her heels against his sides, Duke whickered happily and jumped into a straight gallop, challenging Fern playfully with a few little nips to her shoulder and side. The scent of horses hit her before Saul’s very individual smell did, and she immediately recognized Gypsy. Grinning widely, she tugged on Duke’s mane gently and he skidded to a stop, let her off, and then ran over to the paint mare that had been his companion for so long.
Saul! I’m so glad you decided ta visit! She ran over to the large grey male and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tight before pulling back and looking up at his face. Who is this pretty little girl, hmmm? Pulling away from him, she moved towards the smaller mare and held her hand out for a few moments, letting the golden horse take in her scent.
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