Page 8 of Dark Things
“Oh! They must have arrived while we were at class. He’s the cutest boy. Look at those eyes. One brown and one blue. Gorgeous,” Cat gushes. She slips in and gives him some neck scratches, which Peanut gobbles up.
He starts to push me back, nipping at my shirt. “I don’t have anything for you, crazy. Stop trying to eat my shirt,” I laugh. “He’s addicted to the puffy peppermints you get around Christmas. I usually have a case of them in the tack room for when I come to see him.”
“We have some in the kitchen on the other side. We keep them in a temperature controlled room with the rest of the food and supplements. They’re all Starlight will eat before a show, so I know all about the addiction. She’s a fickle bitch, that’s for sure. Let me introduce you,” Cat says, guiding me further down.
That's when I see all the other heads popping out to see what the commotion is about. First a bay gelding sticks his head out, a long blaze on his nose. He snickers when I come closer.
“Hi Rex, baby. I missed you,” I say, kissing his nose before walking over to Cat.
A beautiful cremello mare is watching meapproach like she’s the queen of this stable, and I’m the fool who’s come to dance purely for her entertainment.
“This princess is Starlight. She’s my best baby,” Cat says, opening up the stall door and ducking in. Starlight backs up for her, but keeps her eyes on me. I don’t get any closer, in case she’s not too keen on new people.
“She’s absolutely beautiful,” I say, waiting. I truly mean it. This is one of the most gorgeous horses I’ve ever seen. Her coat is so white it’s almost blinding. Her mane and tail are a corn-silk color.
“That she is. I couldn’t believe it when Daddy bought her for me. I just fell in love right away. And she’s the sweetest. She seems standoffish, but once she gets to know you a bit, she’s a big puppy. Come in.”
I step into the stall, making sure to keep my posture relaxed and my words calm. “Hi, darling.”
She finally gets curious and sniffs the air closer to me. I hold up my hand and wait for her to close the distance. She doesn’t disappoint. As soon as she makes contact, I transfer all the calm vibes I’m pushing out into her.
She steps forward, and then presses her nose to my chest, waiting. I give her some good cheek rubs and then down her neck and back again.
“Definitely a sweet girl,” I coo.
“If you let her, you’ll be here all day doing nothing but loving on her.” Cat chuckles, leading us out of the stall and locking it.
I turn, and then I see him. My tall boy. My jumper. My heart. “Midnight.”
It comes out as a whisper, but he hears me. While Peanut is my expressive horse, my lovey, Midnight Blue is my stoic, silent, presence. He’s the horse that the Romans could have rode into battle. The one thing standing between you and danger. He’s more protective than a pitbull.
“Jesus, he’s huge,” Cat says, awe in her voice. I know exactly what she’s feeling. I was intimidated by him at first, but really he’s one of the best horses I’ve ever owned.
“Eighteen hands. Not typical for a Bavarian Warmblood but he moves like a ghost in the wind. And he picks up new things so quickly. It’s like his brain is ten steps ahead on the course. Wait till you see him move.”
I lift the stall door latch and lean into him when he comes to me. He dwarfs my five-foot-four-inch frame. When I’m next to him all I feel is the quiet love he gives out.
“They’re here,” Haunt calls from down the aisle. I poke my head out and see him rubbing Rex’s nose. “Everything looks okay?”
“Peanut and Midnight seem fine. I didn’t check on Rex, though. Just gave him a quick kiss,” I say, moving back into the stall.
I look over Midnight, making sure he’s okay after the flight. Everything seems in order as I run my hands all over him, looking for any changes in his behavior. Ipick up his front feet one at a time to examine his hooves and then I start on the back ones. He feels fine, but I’ll have a vet come out soon to look them all over to be sure. I can’t compete in good conscience without him being checked out.
“Rex looks good. Hey, Midnight, how are you doing?” Haunt asks, moving to stand with me. Midnight headbutts his chest since Haunt is closer to his height than I am.
“Can I meet him?” Cat asks, still standing in the aisle.
“Shit, sorry. Yes, come in. He’s exactly like his name. Midnight, the stillness in the darkness. He won’t give you much in cues unless he’s super pissed, but he’s basically bombproof. I haven’t seen much that upsets him.”
Haunt moves over for Cat, and she opens up her hand to reveal a peppermint. That gets a shuffle and a lip wobble. Midnight is just as addicted to them as Peanut.
“Bribery. Nice. I should have thought of that the first time I met Star. I’m not sure she even likes me even after all this time,” Haunt mumbles.
“She was super sweet to me,” I grin.
“You’re like the horse whisperer. They all love you. The only one I’ve ever known to scorn your love is Cheshire. That horse had it out for you,” Haunt laughs, probably remembering the time I was thrown into awater feature at one of the competitions we entered when I first got to the compound.
“He was a bit of a diva. Always with the attitude problem. I was glad Midnight was given to me,” I reply, thinking of the day Midnight showed up and how perfect he was right away.
