1.3 Candy Lane - Anya and Razz

Their next area for inspection was what had been lovingly designated the “Candy Lane” as several participants expected to bring their kids. They had decided to turn it into a mix of a pony ride and trick or treating. Most of the ponies however would be either their lesson horses or the families’ own. For their test run Anya decided to have some fun with Razz.

The stallion had a large teddy bear strapped to his back as a pretend kid. She figured it’d be helpful both for checking the clearance height of some of the covered areas as well as to desensitize him. He was still fairly young so this event was an excellent opportunity to get him used to all sorts of noise and unknown things. He had never experienced having so much going on at once with something strange on his back. She was hopeful as long as they took it slow he would handle it alright.

The entrance was covered in colorful wrapping paper, various fake giant candies making it up. There was an arch they were attached to which the kids would need to fit under but her makeshift rider made it through just fine. Razz on the other hand was extremely curious about the various objects surrounding it. Anya let him sniff them and brush his lips across the wrapping paper. Once he realized it wasn’t food he let out a snort and shook his head, completely losing interest in it. She laughed softly and gave him a pet on the neck before they proceeded.

The rest of the “lane” was a mishmash of various set pieces. Since everyone participating in the candy hand out had their own section, they let them decorate it as they pleased. None of it was scary however since this area was for kids of all ages. Slowly she walked Razz from station to station, most of them still in progress with at least one person around. Each was kind enough to hand her a piece of candy to add to her saddle bags even though she repeatedly told them it wasn’t necessary.

As they reached another station which featured skeletons it made Razz pause. Being closer to them he tensed up and almost shied away from them. The space wasn’t particularly large however so instead Anya carefully turned him around in a circle. Forcing him to focus on her and the movement over the stranger danger before him. Finally once he was listening to her over his instincts she let him face the decorations again. Being this close she allowed the stallion to sniff at them. Their owner carefully held them in place to prevent the skeletons from falling over and spooking him worse.

After he seemed to accept they weren’t actually dangerous he nosed around at the ground, looking for snacks. The person running the station pulled out a treat, asking if it was alright to give it to him and Anya gave them a smile and a nod. That got Razz to perk up immediately and he quickly consumed the delicious bite. They gave him plenty of pats before soon they were back on their way through the rest of the area.

The remainder of the “Candy Lane” went without a hitch and even their bear companion was no worse for wear as they exited. Anya praised Razz and gave him plenty of pets and one last treat as a reward. They had a few more things to inspect before they were done for the night but for now she took the huge teddy from his back and set him down in a spare chair beside the candy area. Leaving him to guard the exit she guided Razz onto their next task.