Lead Change

Frankie

“Let’s go! Every horse and pony must be ready to load in five minutes!” My trainer Michelle yelled as she finished preparing the trailer. I finished hanging hay bags in the trailer and then walked down the ramp. The barnyard was scattered with riders much older than me to as young as five. The young pony riders were accompanied by their mothers who ran around barking orders like crazy. One young rider named Willow was standing outside the barn with her pony Buckeye, fully equipped with purple shipping boots and a matching rug on. As I walked over to her the smile on her face got brighter.

“Hi Willow! How’s this little man doing this morning?” I say, gesturing to the no more than thirteen hand high buckskin pony standing patiently beside her.

“Pretty good! When can we get Buckeye loaded?’ She said as her blue eyes bursted with eager joy and excitement.

“Very soon. I am going to grab The Dragon and then we can start loading them.” I say with a laugh as I disappear into the barn.

Michelles barn was nice. It was your normal high class stable full of horses and riders with all the money in the world. I wasn’t one of them though. I have shown in hunter/jumpers all my life. Until I was fifteen I rode on the summer circuit each year in Kentucky and also travelled around on weekends to compete. One weekend I was riding this beautiful hanoverian mare for their owner in Tryon when my life changed forever. I had just gone clear and was exiting the ring when my mom came over in tears. Immediately, I hopped off and handed the mare to one of the grooms and went over to my mom. That very day, during a ride of a lifetime, my dad had passed away in a military base in Afghanistan. He had been shot in combat and they couldn;t save him in time. After, every record or mention of me in the local papers vanished, just as I did from the horse show world. At the time, I had ridden with my old trainer Grace in California. Once everything had settled down my mother and I left our home in California and moved to North Carolina.

When I turned seventeen I decided it was time I be around horses again. I saw Michelle was looking for a groom and exercise rider after school and on weekends and applied for the position. I started working almost immediately. After a little while I found this cocky thoroughbred for sale named Unspoken Wisdom. With the money dad left for me, I bought him. While going to highschool and finishing my senior year as I worked to keep my horse who got nicknamed The Dragon shortly after he arrived at Michelle’s barn. I never went back to competing, but I rode and trained him on the side.

This year I was taking him to Kentucky with me. Maybe someone will show him in class for me. I only am taking him for the experience. As I walked down the barn, many stalls were vacant. Even more riders and horses were scrambling around in the barn and I was ducking between them just to get to Dragon’s stall. I found him munching on the remainder of hay that was left in his stall. Quickly, I grabbed his halter off the door and went into his stall. Dragon stood seventeen hands so I really had to reach to get it over his head. I wasted no time leading him out and placing him on the crossties. Dragon was a beautiful dark bay with no markings besides for a pastern on his hind right leg. Reaching into my tack box, I pulled out his navy shipping boots and rug. I checked him over, making sure he was ready to go before unclipping him from the crossties.

Outside, Michelle and a few of the other grooms were loading horses into the trailer while others finished loading tack. I pulled out my phone and checked which trailer Dragon should be on. We were taking two different ones in order to get all of the horses down. Once I read trailer one I walked him over. Once a groom loaded up Hollow, an overly priced show jumper that was owned by Ally Whitaker’s parents, they helped me get Dragon settled in his spot. The WHitaker’s where by far the richest family at the barn, and that's saying something. Their family is from Sweden but they moved to the states soon after Ally was born. Ally was seventeen and was well known because of her last name and she was often mentioned because of her winnings on her horse Hollow.

After I was sure everything had been taken care of with Dragon I headed over to the other trailer to help them finish loading. Willow was waiting with Buckeye still, but now standing closer to the trailer.

“Ready to go?” I said as I came towards her to retrieve Buckeyes leadrope.

“Yes! Make sure he gets a good spot. I’ll see you in Kentucky.” She said to her adorable pony before I walked him into the trailer.

The only place left was next to one of Michelle’s project horses named Rodney. Buckeye looked absolutely ridiculous next to a horse as big as him, but it would do. I exited the trailer and latched up the ramp. Willow was still outside the trailer, waiting for her mom to get off the phone. Willow was ten, turning eleven soon is how she would say it. Her mother was very competitive and hard on Willow, even though she was plenty talented.

“I guess I will see you in a few days?” I say walking towards her.

“Yep. Take good care of Buckeye for me please?” She asks in a very polite tone, unlike her mother.

“I always do. I’ll see you in a couple of days!” I say with a smile as I head towards my SUV.

Before I left, I told my mother goodbye along with our old yellow lab Fred. It was a plain name but he was my dad's dog so he got to choose. I started the engine and watched as the first trailer pulled out and was soon followed by the second one. A few grooms pulled out before me but I was in the middle of the tailgate party to Kentucky I’d say. So here we go, my first summer in Kentucky… since everything has changed. You get this Frankie Christopher.