|  Author | Topic: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed (Read 320 times) |
Cole Summers
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Joined: May 2007
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|  | Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Thread Started on May 8, 2007, 9:25pm » | |
Cole groaned as he turned over and tried to hit the snooze button on his alarm. He didn't want to get up this early. It was four in the morning, and he knew he had to leave that day. He finally woke himself up, and threw the covers back and then let his legs dangle over the edge of the bed for a moment. He didn't exactly know why he was leaving home. He had everything he could want right here, yet it seemed that he wanted more. He put his feet on the floor, and quickly grabbed a shirt, a pair of jeans, and some socks. He threw them on, and then on the way out of his room he grabbed his baseball cap, and his jacket and headed downstairs.
His parents and siblings weren't anywhere to be found, so he headed down to the barn. He knew that they all got up this early, and usually he was the last one down to the barn. He finally made it down to the barn, and decided to help out with the chores one more time before he left. He could tell his parents were sad about him leaving, and his siblings look even sadder. He told them all not to worry, that he would be fine. He knew that much was true.
After he finished the stalls, he decided that now would be the time to get A Secret In Time, his bay QH stallion, and Any Given Saturday, his bay TB stallion, ready to go on the road trip from their home in Lexington Kentucky, to their new home in Cold Springs, Michigan. Since his parents had already pulled the trailer up for him, he just concentrated on the horses and getting everything ready. He groomed each horse, and then wrapped their legs in protective wraps. Since they were almost done eating, he decided to put them back in their stalls. He went into the tackroom, and grabbed two western saddles, one was beat up, the other like two, his western show bridel, a regular bridel, and then two English saddles in roughly the same condition as the two western ones. He then grabbed an English show bridel, and a regular d-ring snaffle bridel. After putting all of this in the tack compartment in the trailer, he quickly went and got the horses, and in no time had loaded them.
After saying goodbye to his family, Cole headed off towards the interstate. He knew it would take him probably a good 12 hours to get to the new barn, probably even more since he had to drive slower than normal because of the horse trailer. He stopped and got some breakfast after about an hour and a half of driving. Before he ate, he quickly checked on the horses and led them out of the trailer and around the parking lot, just to stretch their legs. After that, he drove for about another 2 hours before checking on the horses again.
By six at night, Cole was pulling into the driveway that led to Barmarton Ranch. It had taken him about 13 hours to get here, and although he was exhausted, he could feel the beginning of nerves starting to get to him. He parked the truck and trailer in front of the barn, and then quickly went inside, looking for the owner, or someone, to ask them where his horses were supposed to be going.
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Laura Hamilton
Trainer
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| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #1 on May 10, 2007, 2:37pm » | |
It was later in the evening, and Laura was finishing up her nighttime chores of feeding and watering when the new client wandered around the side of the barn. She smiled at his exhausted face and said, “You must be Cole.”
He nodded. “I just need to get my horses in first thing, if you don’t mind. They’re been in the trailer all day.”
“Definitely,” she answered, nodding. “I know how that is. Barb got two stalls ready for you earlier, so you can bring them both in. They’re those two open stalls at the end of the barn, there.”
He smiled thankfully and disappeared once again, and Laura busied herself making sure that his horses’ new stalls were equipped with fresh water and hay. Once he’d returned, she introduced herself. “I’m Laura, by the way. Laura Hamilton. I think you’ll be working with me here? I look forward to it. Barb is around here somewhere. I’m sure she’ll be here shortly.”
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Cole Summers
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It's all or nothing, there is no in between
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| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #2 on May 10, 2007, 3:01pm » | |
Cole couldn't help but smile to himself as he quickly headed back towards the trailer after talking to the lady in the barn. He had to admit that he had been having some doubts about coming here and being away from home, but seeing as how she had been so nice to him, it kind of made him feel a bit better. She also seemed to be all about horses coming first, just as he was. He hadn't been very shocked to hear her agree with him when he had spoke about getting his horses in before doing anything else. He knew that any true horse person would take care of their horses before themselves.
When he finally got back to the trailer, he smiled softly to himself. He couldn't believe that this was it. He quickly went and unlatched the trailer door, and was instantly greeted by a set of whinnies. He shook his head and said in a soft voice, "Yah guys, I know, just give me a minute and I'll have you both out of here.." He knew that the horses were probably anxious to get out of the trailer, and see their new surrondings and everything. He led Any Given Saturday out first. The bay Thoroughbred stallion danced at the end of his lead rope, but he quickly calmed down with some calm words and a soft touch from Cole. The black haired teen quickly tied Saturday to the trailer and then went in and got A Secret In Time. The bay QH stallion stomped his hoof, as if asking Cole why he had taken so long. Cole gave Secret a pat and then said, "Sorry boy, I had to go find out where you two were going to be staying.."
He quickly led Secret down the ramp and halted him next to Saturday. He quickly untied the Thoroughbred's lead from the trailer and then led both of them back into the barn. He found young lady in front of two empty stalls and smiled as she introduced herself. Cole smiled softly and said, "It's nice to meet you Laura.." He quickly led the two stallions into their stalls, and then decided to take their halters off. They wouldn't need them anytime tonight, and he trusted them to be good boys. He hung the lead ropes on the stall doors and then turned back to Laura and said, "Is there somewhere where I can put my tack?" He had kind of forgotten about the tack he had brought. He had been to intrested in getting the horses settled. They seemed to be doing fine now though, so he had decided to ask about the tack.
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Barb Ide
Barn Owner
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Gender: Female
Posts: 8
| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #3 on May 14, 2007, 4:44pm » | |
"Other end of the barn, sonny," came a voice from outside. As she stepped over the cement threshold and into the barn, it became apparent that the caller was none other than Barb Ide, who presently stood and surveyed her newest boarder.
"Thanks," he said in reply, cutting her inspection short to get his gear. He turned and walked away, giving Barn the perfect opportunity to shoot Laura a somewhat suspicious look, hinting that they would talk later.
Simultaneously she said, "Marty saw the trailer from the porch and sent me down. Everything goin' good down here so far?"
"Yeah, yeah, he just got the horses in. He only just got here," Laura assured.
Upon learning this piece of information, the redhead meandered down to the stalls she had prepared previously, wanting to catch a glimpse of this lad's horses. Before she reached them, however, the young man waltzed back in with gear in tow, most prominently an english saddle.
"You crazy kids and your english riding," Barb mused, seizing the opportunity to tell a wonderful story. She turned to her trainer friend as the other third of their enterprise headed toward the tack area. "I gave it a whirl once, ya know. There was this girl down the road from us in Milaca that I went to high school with. She had these little english thoroughbreds she used to jump around on and wanted me to try. So I put on the little cap and the little pants and she puts me on one of her gildings and takes us out into the woods. We come to the first log. Her horse clears it, I send mine to follow. Well, let's just say I got over it, but my little saddle and my little pants stayed with the horse on the other side." At this point, Barb broke into voracious laughter, scaring the horse whose stall she stood in front of. "Sorry, boy," she told the horse, "but it was over twenty years ago, so the mental picture shouldn't be that scary."
About this time, the boy trudged back down the aisle, on his way out for more tack and the woman's chuckles faded. "So you're the stallion guy, huh?" It had not exactly been Barb's want to bring studs to the property, but upon being faced with the proposition, she caved in her adamance. "We've got two paddocks out there, two roundpens - we'll work something out, huh, Laura?"
The trainer nodded on command as Barb's blue orbs shot in her direction, soon thereafter redirecting their gaze to the young man. "Well, I guess you're pretty much acquainted with everything. Use whatever lockers or racks you want over there for your gear, there's plenty of room. There's a door over there that'll go into the lounge - all the comforts of home. And of course, I'm Barb. So far so good?"
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Cole Summers
Amateur Competitor
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It's all or nothing, there is no in between
Joined: May 2007
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Posts: 20
| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #4 on May 15, 2007, 2:05pm » | |
The young black haired boy couldn't help but lean against the horse trailer once he got outside. What was he getting himself into? Was he really ready to be on his own, at someone else's farm, without his parents? They had always been there for him, and he had taken his lessons from them. Was he really good enough to be here, and train Saturday and Secret? He knew that both horses were great, and that they loved him, but would that be enough to make sure that they turned into the best show horses they could be? He shook his head to himself as he opened the door to the tack compartment and quickly grabbed his English saddle and pad, and all of his bridles. He figured he would come back out for the other stuff in a moment.
With his hands full, he quickly headed into the barn. He couldn't help but smile slightly as he heard what the owner said. Yes, he knew he must look funny with the english saddle, him being a guy and all. He knew that most guys wouldn't ride english, but he had done it enough that he felt comfortable with it. He stood there listening for a moment, but then the tack started to feel heavy and his arms started hurting. He quickly headed into the tack room. He could still hear her a little bit, and he half way paid attention to her story as he set his tack on the rack.
When he came back out to get more tack, he heard her, and stopped and nodded before saying, "Yah that's me.." He remembered from talking to her on the phone that she hadn't exactly been thrilled about him bringing two studs here, but Secret and Saturday were well behaved, and he was sure that everything would work out fine. The two horses had been around mares at his farm, and they had never once acted out of control, so Cole was pretty sure he would be able to handle him, although he didn't voice this opinion. He didn't need to sound boastful or anything on his first day here.
He smiled softly and nodded and said, "Yah, I was kind of looking at what you guys have here, and I think it's great.." He smirked slightly and listened to what she told him, knowing that he would need to know what to do. He was glad that she had said he could use whatever racks and lockers he wanted, because he didn't really feel like moving all of his stuff. He nodded slowly and looked at the door that she must have been talking about and made a mental note to himself to remember to check the lounge out when he had a spare moment.
He smiled and said, "I'm Cole, nice to meet you.." He thought a moment and before he could answer her question, he heard a horse kick their stall door. He glanced around, and cringed when he realized it had been Secret. Great, now they were in for it. He quickly went to his horse and said in an easy, soft tone, "Come on big guy, calm down. Why are you so anxious? Saturday's right next to you, you don't need to worry.." The quarter horse seemed to calm down slightly and Cole's words, and nuzzled his shoulder. The teenager smirked and gave him a pat and said, "Now be good.." With that, Cole turned back to Barb and said, "Yah, so far so good.."
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Laura Hamilton
Trainer
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Gender: Female
Posts: 8
| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #5 on May 20, 2007, 8:34pm » | |
Laura watched the young man as he rushed over to fawn over his horses, something that she didn’t wholly agree with. The stallion, at least in her opinion, was simply pawing at the door for attention, which was thing lavished upon him. Laura would have to correct him about these things, she knew, but not now. She would let him get settled in and get to know him before she immediately began harping on his case. She knew that it was easier for people to receive criticism once they realized that you were on their side.
“Well, I’m glad you’re settling in well,” she said, nodding. “There’s trailer parking in the back lot, just around the side there,” she added, pointing around in the correct direction. Barb nodded in assent. “I’m sure you’re tired and ready to settle into your apartment. Just make sure you swing back up here. We need copies of your horses’ coggins and registration papers.”
Once he’d nodded and left a few parting words and a promise to come right back, Laura let her gaze wander over to Barb. “So,” she said, unsure of her own feelings about the matter, “what do you think?”
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Barb Ide
Barn Owner
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Gender: Female
Posts: 8
| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #6 on May 27, 2007, 3:42pm » | |
She gave Laura a knowing look, and thinking better of her poised response, formulated another reply.
“I think I pity you young ladies,” Barb settled on. “At least, I wouldn’t want to be young again now.”
The blonde smiled spitefully and both seemed to subconsciously look around themselves for the new boarder, but he was well out of sight and earshot.
“You’ve got him, you’ve got that cretin at the show following you around, you’ve got the other guy that lurks around here . . . what happened to when boys were, I don’t know, boys? But I’m being an old hag about it, aren’t I? I’m sure he’s a nice young fella’. And if he’s not, well you can deal with that accordingly - or I can, however you want to play it.” She declared, gnashing her teeth for effect.
“You don’t like him, do you?” Laura ventured when her giggles had subsided.
“I never said that,” Barb responded whole-heartedly. “I only observe my surroundings and know that a pretty young girl like you has to deal with a fair bit of antagonizing in her day. So you just remember this is your barn and whenever you need the hounds released, they're at your command.”
Overprotective, perhaps, but it had annoyed Barb to no end to see Laura be put on the spot by scummy young men and she refused to see it happen on her own property. The barn owner knew Laura could stand on her own two feet, but that didn’t keep her maternal instincts from oozing out every once in awhile.
“I’m keeping my mouth shut before I land myself in trouble,” she continued a bit sarcastically. No matter what, Barb rarely cared about who she offended, but this was Laura’s client and she didn’t want to botch the deal on her.
Making her way to the feed bin, Barb picked up the galvanized scooper from amidst the aromatic pile of grain, the sweet scent still lingering after the lid was shut. She dropped a little into the corner feeder of her three stalls before returning the scooper to its place, looking out the barn door as she turned back around.
“He’s on his way back - paper time, eh? Well, I’ll leave you to it and bring my three beasts in.”
With that, out of the barn with halters and leadropes in tow, leaving Laura to her business.
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Cole Summers
Amateur Competitor
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It's all or nothing, there is no in between
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Posts: 20
| | Re: Arrival - 5/08/07 - Closed
« Reply #7 on May 31, 2007, 2:45pm » | |
Cole walked out of the barn, running his hand through his hair. He growled to himself, telling himself that he had to stop doing that. Running his hand through his hair was a habit that he had had for a while, but it was also a habit that he had been trying to get rid of for a few years now, although no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it. He shrugged to himself, and made a solem promise that by his first show, he would have that habit licked. Whether he actually would or not, he had yet to find out.
He finally made it back to his trailer, and he quickly made sure that everything was out of it. He didn't need to be going to get stuff that he had forgotten when he got up in the morning. Once he was satisfied that he didn't forget anything, he hoped into the F-150. He looked around again, and smiled softly. Seeing the horses out in the pastures, and the arenas and stuff, just made him think of home. Back at home, that had been the one thing he had come home from school looking forward to see. All of the horses running around in the green pastures.
He shook his head, knowing that it probably wasn't best for him to be thinking about home right now. He wasn't usually one to show his emotions, and he wasn't going to stop now. He knew it was alright to feel a little bit homesick, but if he could help it, he didn't want to. It's not that he was scared to get homesick, he just would rather not have to deal with it is all. He sighed as he started the truck, and drove around to the back lot. He quickly and skillfully parked the trailer and truck. Before he got out, he remembered that he had to get the registration papers and the coggins for the horses. He quickly grabbed them, and grabbed his suit case and everything before getting out of the truck.
After he had done all of that, he headed back towards the barn. As he entered the barn, he saw Barb leaving the barn with halters and lead ropes. He smiled to himself and then walked over to where Laura was standing. He smiled softly and said, "You said you needed me to sign some stuff? And you needed some stuff from me right?" After she had nodded, Cole handed her the papers she had requested and waited to see what else he might have to do.
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