she's just a smalltown girl

[adelle raeanne sinclaire]

a smalltown girl, living in a lonely world
SHE TOOK A MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHERE

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The filly was spooked by the dark. She just didn't know what to make of it. Despite the fact that the indoor arena was bright as daylight, Cloudy knew this wasn't their usual time to work. Not that they had a usual time for training, but it wasn't usually this late! By pattern, she ought to have been munching on her grain, all content in her stall, and then the nasty girl with the curly blond hair had come, and, instead of oats, she had a halter! And then the filly had been dragged out into the dark and into the arena, which always meant work. She pranced and jittered, tossing her head and yanking at the lead rope. Adelle shook her head. "Cloudy, dear, you're being spastic" the lanky blond informed the horse.

The filly really was just being silly. Adelle sighed as she flicked her whip and sent the filly dancing out. The little cremello paint pranced her circle around Adelle. The young western instructor watched the filly carefully, observing everything about her, the way both ears were flicked forward, the way she spooked at someone walking by the open door, the way she snapped her feet up anxiously. The way the filly was totally faking being afraid. The little horse had done far too much to really be this upset by the change in their not-so-steady routine, but Cloudy did love an excuse to be a drama queen. Despite being particularly lazy when it came to work, the horse knew how to stir up trouble. Adelle reached forward to put some slack in the line and then yanked the filly's head toward her when the horse wandered too far out onto the line and started to pull. "Cloudy, we're passed this. You should know better than to pull on me like that" Adelle informed the filly, shaking her head.

Eventually, the filly settled. Her head came down, and an ear flicked in to focus on Adelle, finally giving the girl her attention. When Adelle finally felt the filly was ready, she relaxed completely, and the little paint looked inside, and then wandered into the middle, stretching her nose out to meet Adelle's hands as the young woman gently rubbed the horse's face. Adelle rubbed the horse all over and then started to flick her lunge whip over the filly's body. Clearly this was something the two year old was used to, as she hardly batted an eyelash. "I think, my dear" Adelle said as she grabbed her light-weight barrel racing saddle and started to saddle the filly, talking to the horse as she went to keep her calm and let her know where she was. "That since you're doing so famously, now, we might even try a lope tonight. What do you think?" she asked as she cinched the saddle and flipped it through the keeper without tying it; Cloud was horrible about puffing her stomach, and Adelle would just have to tighten it again later.

Adelle was in no rush, despite the fact that it was nearly nine o'clock. She was planning a trail ride on Rosie when she was done with Cloudy, too, but she wasn't opposed to staying out late, especially when it came to her girls. Adelle absently fixed a strand of mane so it lay on the same side of the filly's neck as the rest of her mane and then grabbed her bridle, a simple D-ring snaffle. Cloudy, for all her stubbornness and laziness, had one of the softest mouths Adelle had ever seen. The filly even detested the snaffle, and, if she weren't training the filly for a possible resale, she might have just kept her on a hackamore, but anyone who wanted to do anything with her, from barrel racing to reining, would have to bit her up, so Adelle didn't mind getting her used to it. She would definitely be careful who got on the filly, though. She hated when people yanked on their horse's mouths anyway, but it was twice as bad with Cloudy. She had never seen a horse buck as hard as Cloud in response to the bit. Things were improving, though; she bitted up well now, and didn't buck at the slightest pressure on the reins.

Adelle tied the reins securely over the filly's neck and then clipped her line onto one side of the bit, sending the filly out on the line. As usual, the paint bucked a little upon the first strides of the canter, but then settled. "Whatdoya think, girly?" Adelle ased, bringing the filly in and rubbing her forehead. "We gonna be daring tonight?" Laughing when the horse bobbed her head, Adelle dropped the lunge line in the middle of the arena, gathered her reins, and slid a foot into her stirrup. She bounced and then swung herself easily into the saddle. She wiggled around a little, rubbed the filly all over, then picked up her reins and clucked purposefully, giving the slightest nudge with her heels. The filly moved right out, bringing a smile to Adelle's face; this was a nice surprise. Usually the little horse balked at the first steps. A few circuits at a walk and trot brought them up to the moment of truth; Adelle clucked and nudged, persistent, but not nasty. The filly snorted, her ears flattening, and threw in a buck. Adelle just laughed, and nudged again. Eventually the filly picked up a lope, and Adelle gave a little whoop that startled the filly and sent her bucking. And Adelle was just along for the ride, laughing a little to herself as she kept her weight centered in the saddle. The mare went for quite a while before she settled, snorting, into a bone-jarring trot. Clucking, Adelle sent the filly into a canter again, reveling in the motion. She hadn't expected Cloudy to be so smooth, especially on the first ride, but the filly had a rocking horse canter, and Adelle got the feeling she was going to be addicted to the motion. Maybe Cloudy wouldn't be a resale horse after all.

DON’T STOP BELIEVING HOLD ONTO THAT FEELING
street light people, don’t stop believing

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notes;yay for Adelle threads! Show her some love.