Back at Chestnut Ranch

The air smelled of fresh-cut grass, bales of hay, and pungent horse manure. The latter was amplified by the scorching midday sun. Mia Myers took a long, lingering inhale. While some people might find the stench of ripe droppings repulsive, Mia found comfort in the odour. Or at least she used to. It was, after all, what she’d grown up smelling every day after school and for countless hours each weekend.
            It had been nine and a half years since she’d last been on a horse or been here at all. Chestnut Ranch used to feel like her second home. Now, standing on the gravel drive in her faded riding boots, tan breeches, and white polo shirt, she felt a pit of apprehension in her stomach. But she had made up her mind.
            Today was the day she would ride again.
            A knot of sorrow blocked her throat as she remembered the final time she’d stroked her sugar-white Thoroughbred, Lily. After the accident, Mia couldn’t bring herself to ride. It wasn’t Lily’s fault—she’d reacted naturally. Mia had known that the saddle wasn’t right before she’d gone out into the stadium on that cool, crisp autumn morning. She’d tried, unsuccessfully, to warn her coach but there wasn’t time. She was up next and had a competition to win.
            Except, she hadn’t won. She’d barely cleared the first jump before being violently thrown to the rough dirt floor. A broken collarbone, wrist, and concussion later, she was too terrified to get back on the horse. Any horse. Including her beloved Lily.
            Her parents had kept Lily boarded at Chestnut Ranch for a year after the accident, but when Mia still couldn’t face getting back in the saddle—even a properly fitted one—they’d had no choice but to sell Lily to someone who would love her, exercise her, and care for her properly. Mia had kissed Lily on her velvety nose and cried into her creamy ivory mane when she’d said her tearful goodbye, silently vowing to one day work up the courage again to be confident on horseback. 
            A tear escaped from below Mia’s sapphire-tinted, rectangular sunglasses, jolting her out of her memories.
            Her helmet dangled from the crease of her left elbow as she crunched along the rocky path towards the farm-red barn. A calm breeze soothed her cheeks and dried her eyes as she determinedly strode along. She could do this. She would do this. Off in the distance, she heard a stallion whinny and the sound of galloping mares.
            Mia paused as she reached the sliding barn doors. She took another deep inhale before gripping the rusted handle and yanking them open. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dimness inside. Sunlight streamed in through cracks in the old roof, illuminating drifts of dust that danced down from the exposed rafters. The floor was perfectly filthy, strewn bits of alfalfa, discarded pellets, and the odd sugar cube.
            “Hello?” she called. A fluffy brown cat emerged from the shadows, wrapping itself around her boots. Mia bent down to scratch it, enjoying the sound of its soothing purr. 
            “Hi, you must be Mia,” a woman’s voice said from behind her. The ranch had changed owners since the last time Mia was here and she wasn’t familiar with the new family or many of their current horses. “I’m Joan, and this is Cielo. You’ll be riding him today.” 
            Mia turned around. Joan looked to be in her early forties with a wide, friendly smile and was wearing a plaid, forest green button-down shirt with muddy jeans and rubber boots. She was leading the most beautiful slate-grey, mottled Appaloosa that Mia had ever seen. His shoulders were broad, his hooves striped, and his mane short and black. Although his presence was confidently commanding, he had a softness in his eyes that instantly gave Mia a sense of relief.
            “He’s gorgeous,” Mia breathed as Joan led Cielo into the barn and hooked his halter onto two short ropes that strung from each side of the rustic corridor. “I’m a bit nervous,” she blurted. “It’s been almost ten years since I last rode.” She had explained everything when she’d called a few days earlier, but couldn’t help mentioning it again.
            “You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Joan reassured her. “Cielo is one of our most mellow. Do you want to start getting him ready?”
            “Sure.” Mia remembered the process as if she’d groomed Lily just yesterday. First, the rubber curry comb. Then, the stiff bristled brush followed by a swift swish of the softer one. Her muscle memory wasn’t letting her down. She picked Cielo’s patterned hooves with ease before whisking over his mane and tail. Mia took her time, wanting them to get used to each other, to get comfortable. 
            Joan lugged Cielo’s tack from the back room and laid it against one of the empty stalls. First, Mia picked up the leather bridle. She gently slipped it on, working it effortlessly into Cielo’s powerful jaw and buckling the brass strap against his smooth cheek.
            “Good boy,” she told him, patting his silky muzzle.
            Mia placed the saddle pad onto Cielo’s curved back, lining it up perfectly with the highest point of his withers. Next, she grabbed the worn-in, soot-black saddle and laid it lightly on top. Tightening the girth had always been her least favourite part about saddling up, and she was almost relieved to find out that, even after all of this time, that had remained the same.
            “All set?” Joan asked.
            “I think so.”
            “Alright, everything looks good to me. Let’s head to the ring. You can walk him, if you want.”
            Mia unhooked the clips, grasping his lead tightly in her clenched hand. Her nerves were beginning to rear their ugly heads again. Her heart thumped as they made their way towards the exit, Cielo’s shoes making their standard clip-clop vibration on the cement floor.
            Outside, ponies neighed and birds chirped. The clear, cerulean sky was punctuated by only a few fluffy clouds, sailing along overhead. The breeze was pleasant and the sun, bright and warm. The barn cat followed along behind them, skillfully weaving its way around Cielo’s heavy hooves.
            Joan swung open the metal gate of the riding ring and Cielo led Mia inside. They reached a wooden mounting block. “Ready?” asked Joan.
            “Ready as I’m going to be,” Mia responded, even though she wasn’t quite sure if that was the truth. There was only one way to find out.
            Cielo stood patiently, waiting for her to climb up the steps and grab a hold of his saddle. Mia secured her helmet before placing her boot into the stirrup. She felt slightly shaky but she had promised herself—today was the day. And even though they’d only just met, she felt like she could trust Cielo. He was the trustworthy type. There was something about his mellow demeanour that encouraged her to go ahead.
            Suddenly and uncontrollably, Mia thought back to the disorienting dread she had felt going over that final jump with Lily before plummeting to the ground and shattering not only her bones, but her spirit, too. It was a blinding flash of fear. But it was over almost as quickly as it had began.
            She had to remember that that was then—a different time, horse, and place. It had been a long time since. Too long.
            Mia hoisted herself up and over Cielo’s athletic back, her feet automatically finding their home in each stirrup. She took a moment to settle in, feeling the grooves of the saddle beneath her and the reins secure in her hands. She squeezed with her inner thighs and Cielo slowly began to walk.
            With each step, she felt her anxieties gradually melting away. She wasn’t ready to run or jump just yet, but she would get there. Leaning slightly forward, she rubbed Cielo’s muscular shoulder.
            “Thank you,” she whispered.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ