{Broadening} Horizons

[raquelle]

V i c t o r i a

It was a chilly day, in the middle of winter, and my fingers flexed painfully in the cold as I opened the latch on the float in front of me. It was snowing lightly, and already i could see the roof and smalls windows of the float covered in a fine sheet of it, icy and slippery with condensation from the heat inside from my two mounts, Quantum and Marco Polo, or Marco for short. They greeted me with soft neighs of welcome, their heads turned and ears tall, interested in all the activity.

In the unloading area, the float was located in the back corner so i could unload the mountains of stuff without getting in anyone's way, but there was probably no need seeing as today it was rather quiet at my new chosen agistment facility. My cousin from just over the border had volunteered to drive me, and she was waiting in the car so she could take the float back. So with this in mind, i set about to hurry.

It took around four trips to get all my equipment into the main barn, with its rather roomy locker/tackroom for each livery. A polo horse isnt light to equip, so first on my list was to get all my saddles, rugs, bridles, and primary gear out of the float. Small things like toys, boots, bandages, etc could come later. So, weighed down with saddles and bits of leather dangling with my every move, i located my locker with ease in the center of the main barn, in a nice spot. I hadn't seen anyone yet, and once i had the two settled in a spare stall, i'd find the person in charge and hand over the rest of my three-weeks advance pay.

As i went back and forth between these isles of well kept looking horses, my eye ran down the little noticeboard where the facilities usually put awards and ribbons. Lots of fancy looking rosettes hung down, and i took this as a good sign for the future. Once i'd organised my locker as best i could, with summer rugs in crates under each saddle, and winter rugs on the little shelves above the saddles, with a hook underneath said shelves for bridles. There was even a little set of plastic wheely drawers, the kind you'd buy from a storage store, so in these went boots, saddle blankets, a few other bits and bobs all thrown in. Martingales and my whip i hung up on the little rack along the far wall, and with a picture or two of my horses, the place was starting to feel quite homey.

So with a small spring in my step i walked back out to fetch the two troublemakers themselves. They were both heavily rugged, Marco is kept short all year round for Polo so i had to make up for this. And Quantum is well...Quantum. She likes to feel special too. I back them one at a time down the ramp, tying them to the back while i fetch the other. Then, taking both, i head back to the main barn after waving goodbye to my cousin. No one in my family is really on the best of terms, so we just do whats needed without too much feeling.

The muffled clip clop of hooves on slightly snowy gravel was the only sound, apart from the occasional stomp or whinny from inside the barn, that accompanied me on my journey back to the barn. THe sound was magnified suddenly once shod hooves hit concrete floor, and the two got their first look at their new home. Needless to say, they were quite excited and the whole affair resulted in a head butt for me, and a squashed toe. But i'm made form stiffer stuff than that. The two stalls i ad spotted just across from my tack locker were the ones i'd asked for on the phone, and iw as relieved to see that they had the correct names written on the miniature whiteboards stuck next to the doors, so an owner could put up details like feed, vet checks etc. What a nifty idea eh?

So i put them into their stalls, and exchanged their rugs for something a little less heavy as i could feel the heating beginning to work. They snorted a little, and began to tell me in their way they wanted breakfast. I fixed their feed form the two of eight tubs i had made up last night, and they munched away happily as horses do.

Having done this, i walked past another locker room with neatly arranged items like mine, to see the office, with a room out the back but a nice inviting sofa with a blanket of sewn together ribbons to provide the warm, pony club-house feel that every rider knows and loves. I sat down, pulling from the little shoulder bag strapped across my torso the cheque, and the appropriate papers. For a second there i thought it was just me, my horses, and the snowy outside that was constantly threatening to break out. What a day.

[Savina]

Delia spotted the truck and trailer, and called to Crystal, telling her their boraders were here.
"Can you go greet her Delia? I'll be down in a minute.."
Delia grumbled, and nodded, before heading out the door and across the snow covered lawn. She entered the large barn, and spotted the two horses right away. They had been put in the foaling barn, since it was the only one really properly equipped for winter. Delia rubbed first Sierra's,then Navajo's, and finally came to Secret's, noses as she passed, giving the new horses a pat as well. They were quite pretty, and seemed rather well behaved, which Delia was grateful for. She headed for the office more slowly now, uncertain on how to greet the girl. Stepping inside, she spotted her, and managed to bring up a shy smile.
Right on Delia's heels, was a small husky puppy, TRomping through the snow and into the barn, wagging it's tail as it tried to reach Secret's muzzel. Secret lowered her large head over the half stall door, and it was still barely enough for the pup to lick her muzzle in greeting. The mare snorted lightly at her, and nuzzled her away. pushing her towards Delia. Delia laughed as the pup followed her into the office, running to meet whoever it was that was sitting in there.

[raquelle]

V i c t o r i a

I heard the door open, after a little chorus of whinnies and other noises reached my ears from outside the little hallway, and i heard the familiar greeting whinny of Quantum's. She used it for new people especially, whom she assumed would give her treats for just being there. It was a good alarm system, but not pleasant in the middle of the night when one of our dogs got out back home and made noise. Its that loud generally, but for some reason, perhaps she had some strange awareness of the way the sound muffled outside sounds and made everything inside louder. I guess i'll never know.

So the door creaked open, and i could see booted feet appear under neath it in the small uneven gap at the bottom. A soft click clack accompanied my new visitor, and I presumed it to be a god of some sort. The door opened fully, and at that point in time i had been looking at the photos on the wall, leaning over a filing cabinet and peering at the horses which may have seemed familiar, but once again the cold was messing with my mind as it usually does. When i get cold, i have more energy, for some strange reason. As a result, my thought process seems, to me, so be faster than usual so it's hard for me to remain focused in the cold.

I turned to face the newcomer, or the not-so-newcomer, depending on which point of view you take, and was a little surprised to see a girl of my age standing in the doorway, moving in to admit a small fluffy dog. Looked like a northern dog breed, but i always got confused between Malamutes, Huskies, and dark Shiba Inus and Samoyeds. But even so with my slightly vague knowledge of those dogs, i loved them. They were so cute and adorable. I looked at the dog for a second before turning the rest of my body to face the girl, a warm expression on, but not one of those ridiculous 'lets be best friends' smiles that i have had directed to me. It was a little weird, and i didnt want to weird anyone out. But apart from the fact i dont do it anyway, so, problem solved.

"uh, Hi. I'm looking for the person in charge? I just dropped off my livery, and I'm waiting to pay the rest of the fee......" i said, waving the envelope in my hand to show what i meant. I needed to rat out some good feed stores, find the reliable farrier, vet, and dentist so i could rest easy later on. I was told there was a list of who the farm used, so i made a mental note to pick that one up. I heard a few snuffly sounds, and looked down to see the little puppy nosing around my boot. It was a cold day, so i was wearing a pair of jeans instead of joddies, with boots and chaps rather than my show boots to keep out the cold. I had my jacket on, zipped up halfway, as the heating was beginning to find its way to me, too. I smiled at the little dog, and once determining it would bite me, i squatted down to pat it, after letting it sniff my hand first. The puppy's cold nose made my hand shiver momentarily, before i scratched it's ears and stood back up, still trying to suss out the other girl in the room.

[Savina]

Delia smiled softly and nodded, before whispering." Crystal will be down in a minut. But.. If your in a hurry you can.. Give to me." She told her, barely above a whisper. Her mexican accent was very distinguishable, and she hoped the girl would understand her slightly broken english."You have.. Pretty horses." Delia told her shyly, gesturing toward the office door. She pointed to the small mostly black puppy who was sniffing the girl's feet and smiled softly." Renga.. Come here." She told the puppy quietly, and she wagged her tail, hurrying across the floor and into Delia's waiting arms, licking the girl's face happily.
The puppy was only about 6 or so weeks old, so she was still rather small.She was a very loving puppy though, and really enjoyed the horse's company.

[raquelle]

V i c t o r i a

I must say, this was an unexpected change of events. But i sucked it up quietly, nodding. Yes, i believe that was the name of the nice young woman on the phone i'd spoken to whilst arranging the livery. I wonder what this girl had to do with it, i don't think she's a relative. The accents, or what i can remember of, are so different. Her dark skin and accent made it easy for me to put it all together. She seemed to shy......all the Mexican's i'd known in the past were all friendly and made it their job to make sure the newcomer (generally me) was at home. But maybe this girl was a special case. Eh.

Her next comment caught me off guard as my eyes followed the puppy's movements still. I looked up, my own chocolate eyes seeking hers. I'm one of those people who is good at reading emotions through peoples eyes. It's one reason why i dont like to hold eye contact with people for long, i don't want to be like a book....open for everyone to read. I hate people inside my head, so for this reason i looked away in case the girl was like me. Besides, i've seen cases when this has happening at the person receiving the look has thought i wasnt happy with them or something. I dont know, along those lines or something. But as i lowered my gaze another thing caught my eye, my chocolate eyes were almost the same shade as hers. I notice things like that. Her comment rang in my ears, and my smile increased a fraction.

"....thank you. I like your puppy.....she's very nice....." i said, not knowing how to counter that. I didnt want to say something that could imply she was a simpleton or anything like that, but i wanted to be nice and i genuinely thought the dog was nice. I watched her scamper over in the funny side to side bum-waggle walk that puppies have when they wag their tail, and smirked a little. Such a funny thing, the waddle kind of reminded me of Quantum and her crab walk when she couldn't be bothered to leg yeild properly. Or if she was lazy in trot.....her butt did that too.

I nodded once, and handed the envelope over to the girl whose hand was waiting as if she didn't know whether to smile or jump back when the cream paper touched her hands. She was a little shorter than me, so i don't know whether she found me imposing, or she was just shy....or what. I stood tight, as opposed to sitting tight, 'cos i wasnt really sitting, and waited for something else to go on.

[Savina]

Delia nodded, taking the cream envelope and carefully tucking it in her pocket,"yes.. She is very sweet." Delia told her, before sighing with releif as she heard footseteps behind her. Crsytal entered the room, her deep red hair up in a pony tail as she smiled a greeting. Delia handed her the envelope, and Crystal took it willingly as she stepped into the room.
"Hi there, I'm Crystal, the one that spoke to you on the phone? And this is Delia. She lives here, and is like a daughter to me." Crsyatl smiled, and patted the small puppy in Delia's arms, rubbing her little stand up black ears.
Crsytal was teh friendly sort, especially when it came to young girls. If it wasn't for that, she probably never would have won Delia over.

[raquelle]

V i c t o r i a

I smiled encouragingly at the girl, before i looked up to hear footsteps. A tall woman entered the room and i smiled in greeting. She looked a nice type, and had a sorta positive energy. I saw the girl, Delia, perk up when the lady entered the room. When she spoke i knew indeed it had been her on the phone.

"Hi. I'm Victoria, nice to meet you. I hope you dont mind....but i've already unloaded my horses and put them in a stall......." i said, flexing my slightly numb-with-cold fingers. I looked at my watch, taking the time to be 9:45am, so i decided i would work out my schedule for the day. I would let the guys settle in, whilst i explored the barn, and did some other little chores, before i'd eat the lunch i'd packed next to their stalls, before taking them on an easy trail ride around the stables to let them know they couldn't slack off completely.

I looked once more at the two in front of me, and pondered over their unique relationship. I wondered what the story behind the girl was. I hope i'll find out in time, but for now i think it would be best if i let her get used to me...she seems a little unsure. I looked up at the clock as a reflex, and blinked my tired eyelids. I couldn't help but yawn......early mornings and snow do not mix.

[Savina]

"No problem, they seem pretty well settled in." Crystal told her, gesturing toward the isle in the direction the horses were." Well, feel free to look around, and use the arenas as well as the trails here." Crystal told her, smiling at her.
Delia was standing beside Crystal, holding Renga firmly in her arms as she watched this 'new' boarder uncertainly."If you need anything, just ask me or Delia here, and we shall see what we can do. Delia, why don't you show her around a little while I take a few of the horses to the pastures." Delia started to protest, but Crystal gave her a look that said nothing will happen,and Delia had no choice but to agree.