PHASE 1 - First Impressions...

“Kassie, can you not drive any faster? I know we’re hauling a horsebox but this is just criminal!” Amaranthine pouted at her sister, before slumping in the passenger’s seat of their truck. They’d been on the road for an hour now and still had another hour and a half to go.

“Mare, I’m going the speed limit. I don’t want to jostle Sunny in the back!” the older sister retorted, glancing over at Mare before locking her eyes on the road. “The horses at the sanctuary aren’t going anywhere. Remember we signed up weeks ago! So we’re guaranteed a horse regardless of what time we get there.” 

“I know but still! I want to make sure we have time to just see them move in the enclosure before loading them up and taking them back. Plus, aren’t you excited for a new pony?” The younger sister clapped her hands together, unable to keep still for more than a few minutes at a time.

“Yes… I am excited for a new horse..”

Mare eyed Kassie. “But?”

Kassandra sighed, glancing over again. “I just don’t want you hurting yourself trying to train this problem horse.”

Mare’s expression softened; she knew this was going to come up. Kassie had been incredibly protective since the two siblings had started training and competing horses. She was just worried, like any older sister. “Sis, I’ll be fine, I promise. It’s not like I’m doing this completely on my own, right?”

“Absolutely not, I’m going to be watching every step of the way!”

“Exactly! Together we can give his horse a second chance… if we ever get there!” Mare grinned, even as Kassie whacked her with the back of her hand.

Passing through the gates and over the cattle-grid of the sanctuary, Mare leaned forwards in the seat, pressing her hands to the dash. There was still a good one hundred feet till they could pull into the car park, but the corrals holding the horses were still visible from the edge of the property. And Mare could see that, while mostly empty, there were a few that still had an occupant. Finally, Kassandra pulled into an empty spot, which wasn’t hard considering most of the lot was empty. 

“Alright sis, you go get the ticket and I’ll unload Sunny.”

Mare was out the door and already halfway to the front of the main office building. Pushing through the squeaky door, Mare went straight to the desk where the haggard looking man was scurrying back and forth with papers. Before Mare could even open her mouth, he rounded the desk with a sheaf of files.

“You’re Amaranthine and Kassandra Cliffdale right? You’re the last show for today. Glad you can make it. 6420 really needs some help.” He made a beeline for a side door, which Mare followed him through out to the paddocks. “She really just needs a firm but patient hand. The previous owners just didn’t handle her well so she’s learned a few bad behaviors.” He barely stopped to breathe, handing over one of the files.

Mare nearly dropped it trying to catch up. She quickly righted herself and the thin manila folder, stopping abruptly when the man did. 

“Here, we are! 6420, though I’ve taken to calling her Dragon just cause of her snorting. I’m sorry I can’t help load, but you’re welcome to put your horse in the adjacent paddock for a meet-and-greet. We close in an hour so you just have to be out by then. The blue rope halter here is hers too. Good luck! And contact us should she be too much to handle.” And with that, he turned and back tracked to the main building.

Mare though was barely paying attention, instead transfixed by the gorgeous blue-black mare in the far corner of the paddock. “Hey Dragon.”

The mare’s ears flicked at the sound of her voice, but she didn’t move, continuing to nibble at the few sparse pieces of grass poking through the sand.

Approaching hooves signaled Kass approaching with Sunny in tow, the friendly mare already wickering towards their project pony. “What problems does she have?”

Mare handed over the file with a frown. “Isn’t she gorgeous though?” 

Kassandra gave her sister a look. “Pretty coat doesn’t mean she’s got a pretty personality too. Least she’s not completely feral,” she glanced over the paperwork, scanning through the last vet checks and background information. 

“Well, let’s put Sunny in the next paddock so they can meet.”

Kassandra nodded in agreement, handing the file back and moving Sunny towards the adjacent corral.

“‘Significant gaps in education.’ Apart from halter-breaking, she doesn’t have much else. The man working the desk calls her Dragon cause she snorts so much,” Mare looked up from reading the file intime to see Sunny prance up to the fence line, snorting.

Kass came back, holding Sunny’s leadrope and leaning on the fenceline. “Well, least that means we can probably get them into the trailer.” 

The dark mare finally acknowledged their friendly dominant white mare, who was reaching over the fence and sniffing.

“First contact, here we go.” Mare gripped the top rail as she watched, praying this first meeting went well.

Dragon, true to her name, took a great heaving snort, glaring over at Sunny. Suddenly the blue-black mare lunged over towards the other mare, squealing. Sunny scrambled backwards, flinching back in time to avoid the mare’s chomping teeth. 

Kass flailed the leadrope, “Hey, shhhh!! Git!” 

The still snorting mare swung her head to Kassandra, backing off but still swishing her tail and flinging her head up and down.

Mare’s shoulders dropped, “That didn’t go great.”

The older sister sighed, patting her sibling on the shoulder. “We didn’t think it would all be sunshine and roses, remember? Why don’t you get Sunny and I’ll see if I can get a halter on her okay?”

Mare nodded, taking the leadrope and moving into Sunny’s temporary paddock. The young mare came up to Amaranthine immediately, sniffing for a treat. “Silly girl, sorry you got a fright,” Mare apologized, fishing out a strawberry-flavored treat from her pocket. She led the mare out of the corral, moving a short distance away to wait for Kass and their new charge.

Kassandra picked up the blue rope halter, grabbing a stubby carrot from her back pocket. The mare snorted again, long and deep as she regarded the short-haired girl.

Stepping slowly into the paddock, Kassie waited until the mare took a step towards her. She looked away, keeping her horse in her peripheral view. “You really do sound like a dragon huh?”

More snorting and ear flicking, before another step. Kassandra matched the step, and when the mare didn’t back down, she moved within touching distance. She put the carrot through the muzzle loop of the halter. Dragon took it, flinching a bit but otherwise chowing down the carrot as Kass slipped the halter up and over.

“Well, that’s a good sign!” Mare called.

Kassie nodded, “Yeah, that was the one thing she retained.” She started leading the mare towards the gate, then on to their rig, going at the pace Dragon set.

“You load Sunny up, then we can put Dragon on the outside!”

“Got it!” Mare gave Sunny a pat as they headed towards the trailer. They’d left it open for easy loading, and Sunny trotted right up and maneuvered her frame sideways. Mare gave her another pat, along with another cookie before closing the partition.

“Alright Dragon, you saw how Sunny loaded up right?”

Kassie shook her head, “We’re just going to have to hope she’s a quick learner.” The girl took a step onto the ramp, letting the lead go slack so their project pony could sniff at the dented ramp.

She placed a hoof on it, then backed off.

“Good! That was good!” Mare praised, holding out a cookie from where she stood just inside the trailer. 

That seemed to get the blue mare’s attention. Slowly, but surely the horse stepped up, reaching out for the cookie. She lipped it from Mare’s hand, munching as she got all four hooves on metal, front feet in the trailer and back feet on the ramp.

Kassandra clucked softly, encouraging the horse the rest of the way up. But upon reaching the tie where she’d stand, the rest of her body was still angled wrong.

“I’m going to apply pressure to her hind end to see if she’ll swing around.”

Mare nodded, now gently holding the lead.

Kassandra whistled softly to get Dragon’s attention, then gently tapped on her hindquarters. Dragon swished her tail, but otherwise did nothing. The older girl repeated the action, pressing firmer with her hand. Dragon suddenly flung out a hindleg, ears flat against her skull.

“It’s okay girl, shhh.” Mare held out her palm so the mare could sniff it, ears flicking forward again. “I’ll move her head towards me and you push, that might work.”

“Alright, try it that way,” Kass agreed.

Mare gently pulled the blue Loshenka’s head around to the left, while Kassandra pushed once again on her hindquarters. This time, the mare swiveled her body so she was oriented sideways in the trailer, parallel with Sunny.

“Yay, atta girl!” Mare praised again, feeding two more cookies while she latched on the trailer tie.

“Alright sis. let’s head home.”

Mare nodded, pulling the safety gate closed and raising the ramp.

“I think we have a good project don’t you?”

Kassandra sighed, frowning as the blue mare kicked out at the trailer. “We’ve… something on our hands..”