Post by LK on Jul 27, 2014 14:47:07 GMT -5
RELIANCE – “Bella” Nottingham
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference” – Winston Churchill
Bella knew today was going to be a wild ride on Reliance. He was in the process of dis-mantling his stall when she found him early this morning. And after a few laps in the round pen, he had gotten even wilder than before. She smiled at Sawyer in sympathy as he was leading the yearling out to the breezing track. Ry was dancing around him in circles and rearing up, whinnying back to the barn where he had left his friends. Bella knew that he would enjoy himself once he got out on the track. Usually the second he was put in his stall, he would proceed to pace and paw for hours on end.
Bella talked to the dark bay as she tightened up the girth for one last time. Then she motioned to Sawyer to give her a leg up. Ry pranced around and it took Bella a second to get her stirrups and gather up the reins. When she did, the colt tried to bolt a few steps and his jockey silently swore at him. He was going to be a handful today.
After a few minutes of fighting, Bella finally got him settled into a walk and going the correct direction. He threw his head up a few times but seemed to be enjoying the exercise. She made him walk a good solid lap around the track before allowing him to move off into a trot and later a slow canter. Ry threw in a couple of good bucks that Bella sat easily. She could see Sawyer shaking his head from the rail. They wondered if he would ever calm down.
When they approached the back stretch, Bella eased up on the reins and Reliance shot out from underneath her. Swearing once again, she pulled him up so he wouldn’t over-exert himself. He usually took the position of preceder in the race, not a front runner. Like expected, he pinned his ears when she held him back. Without another horse to run with, he had no one to challenge or push.
Bella held him until they reached the three-quarter mile marker. Then as they rounded the homestretch, she let him go. The response was an explosion of energy as Ry opened up his stride and headed for home. His ears pricked forward and seemed to focus on the wire. Bella grinned. This horse loved running.
She reined him in after they flew past the mile marker and trotted him back over to Sawyer. The groomed smiled affectionately at Bella and then took the sweat-slicked colt to the hot walker.
