First Class Cross Country

Cassandra regarded Whitehorse Farms quietly as she brushed at First Class’s neck, his classic champaign color made paler by the roan gene he carried. It was a pretty place and well maintained, the bright colors of the fall leaves only adding to the aesthetic of the place. 

Leaves crunched under First Class’s hooves as they made their way to the start of the cross country race. The red and yellow leaves that he kicked up stood out against the white of his front legs and the darker color of his hind legs, his long tail swishing in anticipation of the coming race. 

Cassandra straightened her red tunic and brushed a few stray leaves from her black pants before turning to make sure First Class’s tack was on securely. “I know you’re looking forward to this, but don’t wear yourself out too quickly, huh?” Cass chuckled as First Class pulled against her restraint. He was still young, and while he wasn’t as well trained as some of her other horses, he was a quick study and driven. That he was opinionated only made most things more fun. 

First Class huffed and tugged at the edge of her tunic as if telling her to hurry up and mount so they could get going. Normally he was going for a treat, but the treats were in her other pocket and he was smart enough to know it. 

“It’s not our turn yet.” Cass murmured, stroking the white mark on his forehead and pushing him gently away from her tunic. “We’ll hit the trail soon.”

First Class flicked their long, curly tail but stilled for a moment, watching the other horses around him and occasionally attempting to bite one of them falling leaves if it got too close. 

“Best not do that on the trail.” Cass laughed as she finally mounted and turned him towards the start of the course. “Can’t have you missing a jump or turn because you want to play with a leaf.” 

First Class sidestepped in annoyance at the statement, clearly offended as the stallion pranced needlessly, snorting and tossing his head. 

“Oh hush, I was teasing.” Cass soothed, fully aware the stallion was more excited than actually angry at her words. Not that he fully understood them, but still. 

First Class pawed the ground, kicking loose leaves about as they waited for the signal to start the course, and on hearing it needed little prompting from Cassandra to take off. 

The first part of the course was a straightaway, giving him the chance to pick up speed and settle into a canter with a long stride, the cool fall air whipping around both him and Cassandra as they headed for the first jump. 

In reality it was three jumps. A series of fences of varying heights, spaced just far enough apart to land, readjust the horse’s stride, and jump again. First Class made it look easy, obeying Cass’s signals as she navigated them both through the jumps. 

“Excellent.” Cass called, leaning over and patting his neck while urging him just a bit faster until it was time to slow the tall stallion for the next turn, which went straight into a keyhole jump. 

The distance between the poles was just wide enough to accommodate them safely, though First Class hesitated just a step on the approach, clearly uncertain if he would actually fit or not. Though his lush, curly tail clipped one of the poles as he swished it fiercely on landing. 

Cassandra signaled First Class to slow his pace as they came up on a sunken road. The classic champagne roan went over the pole easily and bounced gracefully off the bank, fall leaves scattering at the force of his landing before he went up the other bank and over the remaining jump without so much as breaking stride. If anything, he seemed more enthusiastic about the challenge. A sentiment clearly shared by Cassandra as she once again patted his neck and urged him on, keeping an eye on how he was riding and the course around them. Any audience had vanished for both of them as they focused on the task at hand. 

They came around another bend, the red, yellow, and orange of the trees racing by in a lovely blur of color. The next jump was a table made to look like someone had been having a picnic on it, the red and white checkered tablecloth broken by a few fake plates and cups along with a dusting of yellow leaves. Cassandra and First Class cleared it easily enough, only clipping a cup on the way over. Not that there was anything in the cup. 

The road narrowed for a time, Cass only vaguely aware of the sound of people watching along the route. If First Class noticed, his ears didn’t even twitch in acknowledgement. Rather he kept his head down and ran. It was one of Cassandra’s favorite moments on a ride. That moment when everything faded away and only the horse and the ride ahead existed. 

The next jumps were a series of oddly spaced logs, each strategically placed to make the jumps hard but not impossible to navigate if you were paying attention to the signals your horse was giving you. First Class was quick on his feet over the first two, but slowed at Cassandra’s signal as they approached the last two. She didn’t want him going so fast over the first that he ended up jumping into the second. He might have thought he could fly, but Cassandra had yet to see wings sprout from the roan stallion and to that end one jump at a time was the only option she’d allow him. 

The path crossed a small stream, First Class splashing happily through the cool water, a few leaves sticking to his white front legs. Though they quickly fell off as he climbed the embankment and headed for a series of narrow hedge jumps. 

Cassandra felt the bushes brush against her knees as they navigated them together, First Class providing the speed and height for the jumps and Cassandra signaling him directions on his pace between the sets. They worked well together, which was good given she meant to take him out to competitions far more often if he continued to perform this well. 

The stallion listened well, though he still seemed bound and determined to prove he could fly, clearing the jumps with room to spare. Cassandra would have complained but he didn’t seem to be running out of steam just yet, though she was going to try and keep him at a reasonable pace for the rest of the course. Cross country could be tiring and she didn’t want him overly tired. 

The next obstacles came quickly. A table and then a bit of a distance off was a pit with a jump just on the other side. First Class leaned into Cassandra’s grip on his reins, trying to convince her to just let him go, but she held him to his paces. The stallion was clearly annoyed by this, but the annoyance faded as they cleared the next two obstacles. Clearly jumping put him in a good enough mood to be forgiving. 

The rest of the course alternated between First Class listening as Cassandra set the pace, and his annoyed huffs when he really just wanted to run. He continued to listen but as they cleared the last jump onto a final straightaway he pulled hard. 

“Fine… fine… go…” Cass laughed. They were near the end and First Class still showed no sign of being too tired for the task, so she saw no reason to hold him back now. He’d behaved for her the rest of the course so it seemed the least she could was let him race himself to the end. 

A sharp breeze set leaves falling from the nearby tree and they whipped around the pair. The long legged horse tore up the last bit of road to the finish line. It wasn’t until they were across and Cassandra was excitedly patting First Class’s neck and slowing him so she could cool him off from the race that she remembered there was a crowd watching them. 

First Class seemed just as startled by the sudden realization that there were people, the stallion prancing and backing away from the crowd as a few people approached them. Cass managed to keep a firm hand on him, but did guide the stallion away from the people who wanted to talk to them. The last thing she wanted for her horse was him spooking and getting hurt after a pretty clean performance on the cross country course. 

The crowd, mercifully, got the hint and backed off as Cassandra walked First Class for a short period of time and then dismounted and led him to a water trough outside a small turnout. 

“You did good, First Class.” Cassandra undid his saddle and started to brush him down as he drank. There were more races ahead for them, she was sure.