Phase 2 | Rising from the Ashes
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Checkers stood tall in the arena gateway, he'd been training for last year and a half in a variety of western classes- everything from western pleasure to faster classes such as reining and cutting. Lucky for him he'd had a ton of fun learning the ropes of western pleasure and reining. Cutting proved to be a touch more difficult since each training session wasn't always the same and the cows switched frequently. A few shows here and there and he'd done great but any small mistakes or missteps cost him dearly. Days where he was screamed at, punished, and berated from the human that owned him. Certainly not a human that could claim that they loved him. Other horses in the stable could say confidently that their humans adored them and spoiled them with anything they needed or wanted. Checkers on the other hand, was given all of his needs - never missed a meal or appointment for the farrier or vet (which in his mind he could see less of the vet if he had a choice in the matter) but was adorned with silver glided saddles and expensive blankets while deprived of a human that petted on and treated him as a partner rather than a possession. He was pulled from his thoughts by a pull of the reins.
Here they were in the show arena, ready to strut and do his best. With a tap of his rider's heels, they were off on the reining pattern. A trainer stood near the gate, watching their movements with an eagle eye - looking for any faults or missteps and would be eager to criticize and present "corrections" after they exited the arena - meanwhile anything he got right wasn't celebrated. Going into a smaller circle, he went to ease into a slightly slower stride and he managed it although nowhere near as smooth as they'd practiced.
Dread filled his mind and stomach as he felt his rider tensed - a silent sign that she was upset with that mistake but couldn't take it out of him here. He tried to focus back on the pattern ahead of him - what was next?
Spins? No.
Another Circle? No - well maybe- no we've already done that.
Sliding Stop? Possibly??
His frantic mind kept trying to remember the rest but the silent rage building behind his rider's movements made it harder to focus.
Coming out of the circle, his rider pulled on the reins for him to stop and begin spins. He began winding up, knowing everyone was counting each rotation and he finally came to a stop with some cheering - but it didn't matter that he won some recognition for something he'd done. His stomach dropped lower knowing they were off by 1/4 turn. A sharp dig of the spur and they continued on but his movements were no longer energetic as they were when they'd begun. Either way he'd be punished for their performance not being perfect so as the fear continued to seep in, the slower his movements got before he came to a stop and refused to move another inch.
With his tail clamped down tight, he braced himself as his rider nudged her spurs - the showman smile faltering slightly and getting no reaction from him.
"Disqualified." Rang out a judge's voice after they refused to move after a few minutes and his rider dismounted him, grabbing the reins and forcing him to walk out of the arena.
"What the hell was that?" The trainer seethed once they got out of earshot and back towards the stalls.
"The horse quit on me again! Froze up like he did the other day in training when he wouldn't get the damn transitions right." His rider fussed, glaring at him with disdain and disappointment. "I told you I wanted a winner and that may have been right in the beginning but now he's gone to nothing. No matter how many training sessions we go through or tuning he keeps balking." She snapped. She turned and slapped a split rein on his hindquarters and he jumped over so she could untack.
"Get over." She hissed as he pulled the saddle off and set it aside before putting him in the stall and angrily pulling the bridle off and slamming the stall door. Looking at the trainer, she sighed sharply.
"Let's just give him away and start over. I'll cut my losses."
That's all he could really remember of that day before getting shipped off to the rescue and his story recounted to them. He enjoyed being able to be in the pasture, eating grass, and meeting other horses without having to worry how it would affect his performance.
Finally the day came where his new human showed up, a short brunette with a small smile on her lips. "Hi sweet guy. I see your name's Checkers - how cute! I've got a good home for you and all the love in the world for you. Let's head home." She said as she gently petted his nose and eased over to slip a halter on - not a difficult feat and he hesitantly eased along with her, unsure about following her or if her sweet act would drop anytime soon like his previous owner did but something about this one was different than the last - he just needed some time and patience to figure it out. Hopefully in his new home he could have both. He loaded onto the trailer with ease and they headed off.
With the first week, his new human - who he learned was called Della - let him explore and have his space while spoiling him treats, pets, and brushing out his plum coat. Given everything he'd been through, she understood there was a lot of work to be done and progress to be made in gaining his trust and restarting him under saddle. With the second week, they slowly started working on leading and lunging and easing him into things he'd done prior and let him build his confidence back up. He managed well with both although hesitant in places - as if he was waiting on the catch and was surprised when the catch never seemed to come. Instead she reassured him and praised him for what he did right and gently corrected anything that really needed fixing - fine tuning could come later but right now they needed something that could be worked with and definitely got an excellent horse. He proved to be a lovely mover, fluid in his gaits, with a good mind (although a bit nervous and untrusting at first - but expected). She figured the best course of approach was to treat him as a new colt, let him breeze through things he could do confidently - anything from leading, loading, and tying all the way up to saddling and riding.
Little by little she could chip at the problem and figure out the trigger so she could fix it so far he hadn't shut down on her but she'd yet to saddle and put a ride on him yet. Instead, she chose to build him up and allow him to get comfortable with her instead of flooding him with too much too soon. If they took it day by day, task by task - he could be a new and happy horse. Checkers enjoyed the tasks, remembering most from when he was a fresh two-year-old. At that time, his old owner had yet to purchase him and he enjoyed training under saddle and showing off how well he could do things. Della praised him and enjoyed soaking up her attention and earning rewards for jobs well done. If this bliss could last, he'd be in heaven and never want to leave Della's side.
As they continued their training, they eased through it together as a partnership slowly being built on love and a growing bond that seemed to strengthen each day.
Event: 2024 Loshenka Makeover
Phase Number: 2
Horse ID#: 6421
- Issues: Shut Down, Needs Restarting
- Description: Despite initial success in competition, this horse was sold to an abusive owner who left them emotionally shut down. They seem to be improving after returning to the basics, but can become easily overwhelmed by conflicting or challenging cues.
XP Breakdown:
Word Count 1320 (+13)
Rider +2
Total XP: 15
Submitted By InkedHoofprints
Submitted: 3 months ago ・
Last Updated: 3 months ago
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[Phase 2 | Rising from the Ashes by InkedHoofprints
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