Page 4 of The Only Seconds that Matter
“Oh.”
“You think a lady can’t be a Colonel?”Johnny asked with another half smirk.
“No!I mean, obviously, of course she can—”
“She’s my horse.She’s one of the horses I board here.”
“So she’s not ridden.”
“God no.Best she can do is a short walk ‘round the property with my niece, but that’s all her old bones can handle.She don’t need to do more than that.She’s more than earned her retirement.”
“How old is she?”
“Thirty-three.I got her daughter and granddaughter on the property, too.Named Lieutenant and Captain.”
“I sense a theme.”
“Once I got a good thing goin’, I stick to it.”Johnny spent a few minutes fiddling with the bridle, making sure it fit.He was nonchalant about the process, but not overly rough.Victor didn’t much care for the cowboy methods of training and riding horses, but he had no goodwill left for this horse, and Johnny so far didn’t seem aggressive with her.After her bridle was fixed, he grasped her reins and led her toward a round pen that was somewhat hidden behind a barn stuffed with round bales and a small tractor.
“You wanna lunge her a bit before you get on?”Victor asked.
“Nah.”
Victor couldn’t help but feel some unease about the process.He always wanted a horse to move out without him on before he slid into the saddle, for his own safety and so that he could get a feel for the horse’s personality.Johnny had no such reservations.
Once they entered the round pen, Johnny threw the reins over her neck and mounted without even bothering with the stirrups—he simply tossed himself on.She was only 14.2 hands, and he was very tall, so it was no trouble for him.The mare took a quick few steps forward, and Johnny pulled her back until he’d gotten his feet into the stirrups.Then he nudged her with his heels.
She moved out, though not happily.It was clear her training was only preliminary, probably because it had only taken her a few weeks of riding before realizing she could dump her rider and save herself the work.
Victor gripped the rails of the round pen with white knuckles, waiting for the moment of her explosion.Now that she’d done it twice, he predicted she’d wait a few minutes before losing her cool.
Just when Johnny asked her to trot, she took two steps into the gait before deciding she’d had enough.She swung her head out and down, throwing herself into a violent leap before lashing out with her hind legs.Victor pressed his lips tightly together to keep from crying out in warning.The first two bucks were vicious, but Johnny only drove his heels into her harder, yanking her head up with the reins.Her next bucks were flat and less powerful, but now she was getting squirrely, trying to toss Johnny by wiggling out underneath him and tossing him into the rail.There was a loudclangas horse and rider brushed the rails of the round pen, and Johnny’s hat went flying, but Johnny yanked her head around, forcing her into a tight circle.This was what got her bucking under control, but the second Johnny gave her release, off she went again.However, it was obvious that her energy had been spent, and after a few more crowhops and angry tail swatting, she returned to a resentful trot around the round pen.
“Yeehaw, ride ‘em cowboy!”Johnny cried out in triumph, grinning from ear to ear.
“Are you alright?She ran you into the fence.”
Johnny shrugged without response.He made her do a few more tight turns until she softened, then continued riding her around as if she’d not done anything wrong.Victor was glad to see that there was no whipping or resentment involved.In fact, Johnny seemed entertained by her efforts.He had surprisingly soft hands for a man of his ilk.
After twenty minutes of circling and rapid fire pace changes, the mare seemed to realize that it was easiest for her to just do what she was told.By the time they were done, her nostrils were flared wide and her entire chest was coated in a thick lather of sweat.She was exhausted, and Johnny emerged as the victor.
Johnny leapt off with the agility of a large cat and left the horse huffing in the center of the round pen to go retrieve his hat.She didn’t move beyond lowering her head and letting out a loud snort.
“Yeah, you can’t always get your way, can ya?”Johnny said with a laugh as he returned, hat on his head again.He patted her twice on the neck.“Sweetheart, that’s life.We all gotta work for a livin’.”
Again Johnny left her to stand in the center of the round pen as he approached Victor by the gate.
“How much you want for her?”Johnny asked, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and using it wipe the sweat off his neck and jaw.He’d made it look easy, but it was clear he’d gotten his workout as well.
“I don’t know.A thousand?”
Johnny turned around and leaned back against the gate, one arm slung through the rail.He watched the mare for a few seconds, then tipped his head back toward Victor.
“Will you take eight hundred?”
Victor sighed.He really did want rid of this horse.“Alright.”
“Let’s shake on it.”Johnny thrust out his hand, and Victor shook it.Johnny had a powerful grip and no reservations in putting his elbow into it.“Nice doin’ business with you, Vic.”
