Mission Impossible 

Chapter One - The Newcomer

Kat picked up the grooming kit and ran outside to her bike. She shoved her grooming kit in her tatty, old rucksack and got on her bike. Kat was in a rush to get to Applegate Stables, because a new horse was arriving. Kat worked at the stables in order to get rides on the horses there. As she rode along the stony road and over the brow of Applegate Hill, the many acres of luscious green fields that belonged to the stables appeared. Kat free wheeled the bike down the slope and the rest of the stables came into her view.

“ Hey, over here! Kat, slow down!” yelled a voice from behind Kat.

Kat stopped her bike and turned around. It was her friend Kelly. Kelly was 16 years old and very pretty. With her long, blonde hair and high cheekbones she was the opposite of Kat. Kat was also 16 but had shoulder length black hair and green eyes whereas Kelly had blue. But that’s where their differences ended. Everyone called them the ‘ Two K’s’ because they were always together.

 “Hi, Kelly do you know anything about this mystery new horse?” asked Kat.

 “Only that its for sale because no-one can control it” answered Kelly.

They walked together to the stables talking excitedly about the new horse.  As usual Applegate Stables was bustling with people and horses. Kat and Kelly reported to the office and as normal Holly was in there.  Holly was the co-owner of the stables, the other owner being Jon her brother.  Holly signed them in and told them the latest stable gossip,

“Jon is going up to the half way point to meet the owners of the new horse and Gail isn’t here today as she is at the Woodlands annual show on her new pony Benjie”

“Why is Jon meeting them at the half way point, I thought new horses usually got delivered straight here don’t they?” asked Kat puzzled.

 “ Well the owners want to get rid of their colt as soon as possible as he’s so naughty” replied Holly.

“God, he must be bad!!” laughed Kelly “ How old is he?”

“Four years, so he’s almost a fully fledged stallion, it’s going to a mission impossible for whoever is going to train him!” replied Holly

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Holly had asked Kat to lunge one of the younger horses in the outside school.  He was a 3-year-old colt named Goldeneye, and he was a Polish Arab. 

Goldeneye was in a very frisky mood and kept prancing about like a newborn lamb.  He was in the middle of being trained and he didn’t usually behave well so Kat wasn’t surprised.  As she spoke to him softly he calmed down and started to behave.  Goldeneye kept his focus on Kat and Kat kept hers on him.  They were working as one.  As he flowed through trot to canter Kat worked with him, silently edging him on.  Goldeneye stopped when Kat stopped and came over to her, looking for friendship.

“Kat, you have a magic with horses” came a voice from the gate.

It was Stephan, Holly’s and Jon’s younger brother.  Secretly Kat had a crush on Stephen.

“Oh, hi thanks,” said Kat startled.

“ I mean you aren’t pushing him, you’re working with him. It’s great to watch.” Stephan gushed out.

Silently they walked out the school together. Stephan mumbled something about going to see his horse before walking away to the top yard. 

Kat was just rubbing down Goldeneye in his stable when she heard Holly shout ‘Hello’ and a trailer coming into the lower yard. So she carefully shut the stable behind her and ran down to where all the commotion was coming from.  Jon was back with the new horse!!! Jon looked tired, stressed out and was pointing at the trailer despairingly. Kat shifted her eyes to the trailer, it was moving violently from side to side and a great neighing was coming from it.

“Oh my God” whispered Kat, “ what have Applegate Stables got themselves into now?”

Chapter Two - Magic In The Making

Kat braced herself for when they opened the trailer door.  The new colt had pulled away from his rope during the journey and it had broken. Kelly timidly slid open the bolt.  At first nothing happened, but then it burst out the open door, jumped over the ramp and straight at Kat.  She caught his head-collar.  He reared but Kat pulled him down and spoke to him softly yet firmly.  Jon ran towards her to grab the horse but Stephan stopped him.

“ She knows what she’s doing, Kat understands horses.”

So Jon left her and the colt together.           

He stood close by her tense and suspicious, flinching at every movement, bolting away only to come back curious. Kat turned her back to him and started to fiddle with a piece of twine.  The colt stepped closer and closer until Kat could feel his warm breath on her neck.  She walked away from him and he followed, curious, wanting to know what she was doing. Every time she could feel his warm breath she walked away, never once looking at him.

The colt wasn’t the only one who was curious; the whole of the yard had silently crept into the indoor school to see Kat’s magic at work. 

By the end of the session the colt had let Kat groom him.  He looked like a star, standing tall and proud, not flinching or spooking.  He was like a person who had overcome their fear.  Jon had given Kat the honour to name him.  She had named him Magic In The Making.

Chapter Three - Disaster Strikes

Magic whinnied a welcome when Kat came over to his stable door.  It had been nearly a month since Magic had arrived at Applegate stables and they had been getting on like a house on fire.   Today was the day that Kat would try to ride him.  Since then all they’d been doing was lunging and halter work.  Jon and Holly had bought a set of tack for him, which included blankets and boots. 

“Come on boy, out the stable, good boy” Kat led Magic out of his stable.  Magic was spooky in the barn, so she kept a tight hold on his head-collar.  Kat tied him to a ring and went to the tack room to find his tack. 

“Lucky, Goldeneye, King, Sunny, Benjie, ah hear we are Magic In The Making.” Kat ran through the horse’s names.

“Ah Kat I’ve been looking for you, I’ve got some important news” said Holly who was leaning on the doorframe, “ Jon and I have decided that Magic In The Making should go to you for free.”

“But………..why?” stammered Kat

“ Well Jon only took him for a friend, we got him for free. We don’t know what to do with him, so seeing you have been getting on so well with him we decided to give him to you,” explained Holly.

“Oh my god, thank you so much” cried Kat.

Holly walked away smiling to herself, she knew that Kat could handle Magic.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kat grabbed Magic’s tack and ran out to the yard where she had left him.  Carefully laying his tack on a pole, Kat gave Magic a huge hug.

“I love you, and now you’re all mine” She whispered in his ears.

Magic seemed to understand her happiness

Kat tacked Magic up and lead him out the barn to the outdoor school. Carefully Kat mounted Magic and sat gently down on his back.  Straight away he bolted to the left sharply.  Kat was ready for this and sat deep into the saddle.  She let him do what he wanted first, to get it out of him.

He bucked and plunged like a bronco horse

Suddenly Magic stopped and stood still.  Then out of the blue he bucked and Kat flew off. 

His reins twisted round his legs and as a natural reaction he panicked.  He tried to run away but the reins tripped him.

“Magic no, no, no. STOP MAGIC” yelled Kat at the top of her voice.

But Magic couldn’t hear out of blind panic.  He fell onto his shoulder, eyes rolling.  Magic was writhing about like a worm.  Kat ran over to him and laid a hand on his neck.  Magic instantly calmed down but was still panting and foaming at the mouth.

“Calm down boy, there you go shhhhhh” Kat cooed.

“Kat, what happened?” shouted Stephen from behind her.

“He bucked me off and well his reins got twisted round his legs,” she explained shaking.

“I’ll get Jon” and with that Stephan had run off.

So Kat sat there with Magic cradling his head in her lap.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter Four - The Rest Is Up To You

 Kat sat anxiously in the vet’s waiting room. Four hours went past like four days.  Finally after a stressful five hour wait the vet called her into his surgery.

“Magic has hurt four of his vertebrae and also damaged a muscle on one of his hind legs.  But there is hope, I will try and repair the injured parts as well as I can, the rest is up to you.” He explained.

 “But what can I do?” asked Kat who by now was totally stressed and worried.

 “Well stable care for six months then slow lunging and steady work for another six months. And a load of TLC!” Dr. Jody answered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Magic was home in a week. He was weak but still he hated being shut in a stable 24/7.  Kat went down every day to care for Magic and soon it was six months up.

Then came the boring task of working Magic In The Making back to health. Every day Kat lunged him. Only walking at first, then trot, then canter. The accident seemed to have calmed Magic down a lot. 

“Hey Kat, how’s it going?” asked Stephan who had appeared in the sand school.

“Oh fine, yeah great.” Kat gabbled out, very embarrassed.

“Good, I’m just going to, err, feed Whisper Down The Wind” Stephan said quickly.

“But I thought Whisper’s stable was in the lower yard, and you’ve come all the way to the top yard,” Kat thought out loud.

“Oh, err, yeah I know, I’m going to bring Questa in first and he’s up the track in the geldings field so that’s where I’m going,” he said going very red in the face, “see you later Kat.”

Oh well done Kat, she thought angrily, the only boy you like and you go and offend him. On the other hand, maybe he went red because he liked her.

Chapter Five - A Year Since It Happened

It had been a long year since Magic’s accident, and for Kat a very hard one. Every day for six long months intensive stable care, and then another even longer six months of slow progressive lunging. But even when it got to her, or Magic just couldn’t do what Kat was asking, never did she once lose her temper with him.

And then finally when Magic was completely cured and ready, Kat tacked him up for the first time in 12 months, and mounted.

He was as good as gold, of course Kat didn’t canter him, he wasn’t ready. He was an excellent horse and the entire yard came to see Kat on her magnificent colt Magic In The Making.  But of course, Magic wasn’t a colt any more; he was a stallion and a grand one at that.

“You know Kat,” said Holly, “Me and Jon were wishing we never gave him to you”.

Holly looked at the disappointment on Kat’s face and laughed, “Only joking Kat!”

Kat laughed with relief, she and Magic were a team and that was final.

Chapter Six - The End?

Over the next year Magic grew stronger and stronger. Kat took him to competitions and events and soon Magic was winning mostly all the classes he was in. People owning mares wanted to use Magic as a stud, and people even offered Kat huge amounts of money for him. But Kat said no to their offers, however big.

So that’s the end of this tale, and who knows we may even be hearing more of Kat and Magic soon. 

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