Chapter 15
Horsepower - Chris LeDoux
Wyatt
I sat on the dirt floor of the barn aisle across from Gambler’s stall. The Demon Horse .
He was ignoring me, focused on his hay. Despite his reputation, I couldn’t deny that he was a beautiful horse, athletically built, and a part of me was excited to ride him. However, a knot of apprehension twisted in my stomach at the thought.
“Did he already throw you?” Finn’s voice echoed down the aisle as he approached.
“No, we’re bonding. Can’t you tell?” I picked up a piece of hay and twiddled it between my fingers.
“Is that what you call this? Looks more like you’re avoiding getting on him.” Finn slid down to the ground beside me. “Not nervous, are you?” he teased.
I laughed. “No, not nervous. Just something. I don’t know what.”
“Could it be it’s been forever since you’ve ridden a horse besides Drifter, and with him retiring, it’s making you think about a future with another horse? And that maybe scares you a little?” Finn suggested.
I turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. “Are you for real right now? When did you become a shrink?”
Finn shrugged. “Just a thought I had.”
“This isn’t my new horse. I’m just exercising him for Kins,” I clarified.
“Ah, yes, there’s that too. The ex-girlfriend you vowed to stay away from, yet you’re still drawn to, and the horse that is forcing you together to face your feelings...”
“You can fuck right off,” I snapped.
Finn chuckled. “I call it as I see it! You can’t make this shit up!”
I punched him in the arm, but he kept laughing.
“Get on the damn horse!” He stood up and left.
I shook my head. He was right; I was overthinking this.
I got up, dusted off my jeans, and grabbed my saddle.
As I opened the stall door, Gambler eyed me and the saddle as if to say, You’re kidding, right?
“Nope,” I told him. “You and I are going for a ride. I know you don’t know me, but I promise I’m not that bad, and Kinsley will be out to visit you soon. You know, you gave her quite the bump on the head? So, I’m kind of inclined not to like you very much. That’s my girl you hurt.” I slung the saddle onto Gambler’s back, and he blew out his nose. “I mean, I know the point of barrel racing is to go fast, but you’re a little extra? You need to learn to focus.” Gambler shook out his mane. “We’ll work on it.”
I did up the cinch loosely, then went to grab his bridle. He took the bit easily, and I slid the crown piece over his ears, then led him out of the stall and walked out of the barn. He acted like a champ.
“You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” I mused as we left the barn area. Stopping him, I tightened the cinch. “Do you like to play games, is that it?”
Putting a foot in the stirrup, I swung a leg over and sat down in the saddle. He didn’t move a muscle.
“You’re trying to trick me into a false sense of security, aren’t you?”
He sighed, looking bored.
“No need to answer. I’m on to you. I will not be easy to get rid of.” I urged him forward into a leisurely walk.
As we passed the riding rings, where other people were working their horses, Gambler pinned his ears at the horses passing us on the other side of the fence.
“Oh, don’t be a grump. They’re not bothering you.”
When we got to a nearby field, I let him trot at a nice, easy pace. He was happy out here, super responsive to cues, and a nice horse to ride. I did a few laps around the perimeter of the field at a trot and then at a lope. I had to admit I was enjoying him.
“Okay, so you’re not that bad. But you don’t want to be a trail horse, do you? There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but do you think that’ll be enough for you? I think you like to go fast.”
Walking him back to the arena, I stopped him outside the ring and watched the riders inside go around the barrel pattern.
The guys approached, so I raised a hand.
“How did he do?” Finn asked.
“Great,” I replied. “He’d make an excellent trail horse.”
“So, try him in there,” Finn suggested, pointing to the now nearly empty arena.
I liked ending on a good note, but part of me wanted to see what he’d do. Maybe I could figure out the issue, fix it, and make him a little safer for Kinsley.
“Do it!” Grady hollered.
“Cowboy up,” Finn added.
As the last rider left the ring, I took the opportunity.
Gambler saw the barrels and perked right up. He pawed the ground and tossed his head, yanking the reins from my hands. He was eager to go.
Here goes nothing.
When I let him loose, he took off towards the first barrel too damn fast. I tried to hold him back, but he wasn’t having it. I barely got him around the barrel; he had to dig in deep to make it, but fortunately, it slowed him a bit. He took the second and third barrels easier, then flew home.
I was breathless when I pulled him up. “Fuck,” I breathed out.
The guys were hollering and grinning from where they perched on the rail.
“Damn, he’s fast,” I told them.
“It’s just that first barrel that’s the problem, eh?” Rhett observed, studying the horse. “That’s always where Kinsley had the issue too.”
I nodded. I took him around a couple more times, and the same thing happened.
“He takes off like a bat out of hell for that first barrel, but once he’s around it, he finds his focus and he’s good,” I explained.
“It’s not like he doesn’t know it’s coming,” Finn said. “I’m not sure how you can prepare him any more for it.”
“Maybe forcing him to take it real slow for a while?” Rhett suggested.
I wasn’t sure how well that would go over with Gambler, and going slow was a little counterproductive to the sport.
“I’m sticking to bulls,” Grady declared. “Horses are way too complicated.”
I wanted to argue, but I didn’t have a leg to stand on right now.
I patted Gambler’s neck, and he relaxed under my touch. “You are a conundrum, aren’t you?”