Fatality.

[alicekcrose]

Eclipse stood tall, at seventeen hands high. She was big, bold, and a beauty. At three years old, she had started once, failing to impress. Her closing kick in the July Maiden Turf hadn't happened. The cause? A hairline fracture to her front right when she stumbled from the gate. She carried on running on it, and came out of the race as lame as anything. She couldn't even walk to her stall without Alice and Jacey holding her up. She had soft bones - she was underdeveloped in her legs, and all the pressure had caused the hairline fracture. We'd got a new assistant trainer - her name was Scarlett Green. She was twenty-five, and had tightly curled ginger hair with slightly blonde highlights. I felt Lily's legs that particular morning and her front right felt a bit warm to me. Scarlett? I shouted. Yes Lucy? She replied back to be. Lily's front leg - it feels warm... can you come and check it please? I said. She came over and felt her leg, below the knee, and around her ankle. She'll be okay, see how she goes. Scarlett smiled. You're only having a quick breeze anyway- just three furlongs - determine whether or not she can race this coming January... She said to me.

Listening to her orders, I mounted up and walked her out onto the track. Alice stood anxiously in the wings. The filly looked around. She was rather skittish and not enjoying it too much. I tried to walk her forward, but instead she side stepped and tried to walk back towards the gate. I pulled her right rein and kicked, and she reared up, falling side ways and landing back down on her feet, turning a circle in a trot. Lily! I got my crop and smacked her and she did a large fly buck. After fighting with her, I got her to trot reluctantly to the bend, where she finally broke into a canter. Being nervous and skittish, Lily was unpredictable. In the tree near the track, two birds flew out and in the trees. They flew out near Lily and she spooked, flying forward- but only this time did it all happen... I heard a loud crack and suddenly Lily went down. Shi- I shouted as I fell and hit the floor... everything went black.

Fluttering my eyelids, I woke. Alice was kneeling beside me along with a paramedic, and near Lily, there was a horse ambulance, a vet, Scarlett and Jacey. I sat up. I heard a crack... what happened? I asked Alice. Lily's fractured her sesamoids - it's pierced the skin... she's going in for surgery tonight... I sighed. I knew she wasn't right Alice. Alice hugged me. It's not your fault... this happens all the time. We both burst into tears. Is she going to be put down? Alice shook her head. She's going in for emergency surgery to repair the ankle, and if all is well, we will breed her next year... I hugged Alice again, and prayed everything would be okay. Hello Lucy, I'm Dixie - we need to take you to hospital to check you over and make sure you're okay. I nodded in return and stood up, immediately feeling dizzy. I wrapped my arm round Alice and she walked me to the ambulance.