Love and Horses at Bracken Page 3

  ‘That was fantastic,‘ Bobby told him breathlessly, as he brought The Dark Miller back under control and turned to rejoin them.

  ‘You like him then?’ asked James,

  ‘Yes, I certainly did,’ agreed Bobby and Guy laughed.

  ‘Do you need to ask’ he said. ‘I think Jack’s Frost may have to settle for galloping in soft Surrey in future.

  The horses, accepting that the fun was over, jogged cheerfully back towards the stables and Bobby patted Frost and hoped that Shelta would not be jealous, but Shelta had her own concerns for now.

  James black horse snorted, shaking his head, and Guy asked what James had meant when he said the horse would not start.

  ‘He doesn’t look nappy’ he said, and James agreed

  It’s not nappiness,’ he said. ‘He just doesn’t like the start, something about the crowding and the tense, group excitement. He’ll go, when the rest of the field are well away, but then it’s too late. The owners got tired of wasting the entry fees and no-one else wants to take the risk. He’ll go to the sales, and take his chance. I’m glad you like the little horse though, Bobby, he’s thoroughly nice, he deserves a good home.’

  Back at the yard Bobby brushed Frost down and settled him with some horseage, the more dust free alternative to hay for these speed specialist aristocrats, and then they all went up to the house where Anwen had a late lunch ready for them. Bobby and Guy meant to set off for home as soon as possible rather than leaving Heath with another full day to organise tomorrow, and after the meal and coffee all round they were ready to go.

  ‘I can get the horse down to you’ James said. ‘We’ve an empty box going down to pick one up from Lambourn and he can go a bit further to drop the grey off’

  Bobby and Guy agreed, glad that they did not have to arrange collection, and James and Anwen came to see them off, Anwen with Morgan, wide awake, in her arms. Bobby thanked Anwen for feeding them and put out her hand to touch the one that Morgan was waving in the air.

  ‘Bye Morgan’ she said, and the baby grasped her finger in a sudden strong grip. Anwen laughed,

  ‘Its one of these you’ll be having some day’ she said. ‘Not so much time for horses then, as I’ve found out. I used to ride out all the time, but there, they aren’t this size for long, I’ll soon be back at it’.

  Bobby laughed, and turned to see Guy watching her. Somehow they had never talked about wanting children, but she suspected that Guy would like some. She wouldn’t change anything to spoil her relationship with him, but for a moment she did feel the shadow of a possible trap closing around her.

  Chapter three

  It seemed a long drive home. They were both tired, but Bobby felt that it had been worth it. She was looking forward to having Jack’s Frost in the yard. Guy was quiet, and Bobby wondered if the fast ride had left his back hurting but he seemed cheerful, and happily shared the driving.

  Bobby was at the wheel when they turned into the drive to Bracken. It was after nine, but the yard was a blaze of light.

  ‘Something’s happened’ she exclaimed. She stopped the car outside the yard gate instead of driving on to park by the house just as Snow Goose, the big grey thoroughbred and the stable clown, appeared on the other side, and Heath appeared in pursuit, holding a head collar and looking flustered.

  ‘That wretched foal,’ she called, as Bobby and Guy scrambled out of the car. ‘He’s worked out how to undo a bolt and he’s let them all out’

  She grabbed Snow Goose by the nose and shoved his head into the head collar as Bobby and Guy squeezed in without risking opening the gate too wide. There were six horses loose, Goose now captured, Phoenix, who was squealing nose to nose with Francine, two of the coffee ladies horses, and Shelta, who was standing just outside her stable calling anxiously for her son, who was skipping about among the others.

  ‘You get Shelta in. I hope that the foal will come after her,’ Guy was on his way for more head collars. Bobby seized one herself, and Shelta put her head down for it with almost a sigh of relief, seeing her mistress as a sign of the end of anarchy.

  Bobby turned her back into her box and the mare looked round with another shrill whinny. This time, seeing his mother disappearing, Folly decided to come, and as Bobby turned Shelta inside her stable he arrived with a skip and a scuttle and dived his head under her for a drink. Bobby shut the door, and Heath appeared with a padlock.

  ‘Thank goodness’ she said. ‘The little horror worked that one out after tea and this is the second time.’

  With the door safely padlocked they all surveyed the mess, droppings and hay and woodchips everywhere

  ‘Leave it until morning’ instructed Guy. ‘Bobby and I will see to it since we were away, and Bobby’s horse made the trouble, so that’s fair isn’t it love?’ He appealed to Bobby, who agreed. Shelta’s son was certainly going to make his presence felt.

  ‘Right,’ said Guy next morning, when the feeding and early stables chores were done. ’Now let’s get that little horror in a foal slip, first lesson in control.’

  Heath laughed. ‘This I must see,’ she said, as Bobby went to get the tiny, simple halter from the tack room.’ He’s going to love this.’

  Folly was quite happy to have the strap over his head and behind his ears, he was used to having his head rubbed and fondled, but when he tried to move away and found his head held he was furious.

  He shot backwards until his tail hit the wall, then tried to dive forward again. Bobby held on, and Guy said ‘gently…the moment he stops let all the pressure off. He needs to learn that giving in makes him comfortable.’

  Folly was not easy to stop. He was strong and angry, and not in the least intimidated by Bobby trying to make him do something. Shelta turned her head to watch and the colt squealed. Then, for a moment, he paused and Bobby immediately loosened her hold. Folly seized the chance to turn his head round and nipped her hard on the arm.

  ‘Hold on, don’t let him think he’s got away with that’ Guy told her and as the colt dived forward Bobby pulled him up short. This time she was ready for him when he tried to nip, and pushed his nose away hard. Startled, Folly stopped fighting for a moment and Bobby immediately loosened the strap. Gradually Folly began to learn that doing as he was told led immediately to things being more comfortable, and at last Bobby was able to lead him forward a few steps and stop.

  ‘That’s enough for now’ said Guy and Bobby took the halter off and, on Guys instructions, scratched the colt behind his ears before coming out. Shelta, who had watched carefully all the time, turned to nuzzle and reassure her baby herself, and Bobby came out of the stable. She was almost in tears.

  ‘Why is he such a horror?’ she asked Guy. ‘Shelta’s so sweet and gentle.’

  ‘I suspect the father wasn’t’ said Guy. ‘Some of those travellers’ colts are quite independent characters. Don’t worry, we’ll tame him, it’ll just take time. We should have started work on him sooner.’

  Bobby was not convinced. Would she ever persuade a little rebel like Folly to become anything like his kind, loving mother?

  They were saddling up for the first of the mornings hacks when Heath met Guy in the tack room.

  ‘Can I ask you something?’ she said. ‘Would you mind if I had a cat? When I called at the vets yesterday for some wormers Edwin the young vet, asked if I knew of anyone who would give a home to a Siamese cross. The owner is elderly, and has had to go in a home. I met the cat and he’s quite a character.’

  ‘Of course I don’t mind’ Guy assured her. ‘There should be a cat about the place. Let them know you’ll have him. He might keep the mice down.’

  Heath did so, and that afternoon Bobby came home with another hack to find Heath in the yard beside a van from the vets practice, a large brown cat with big ears and a pointy Siamese face in her arms while a nice looking youngish man with fair hair and a small beard looked on, smiling.

  ‘This is Ming, my new housemate’ said Heath. ’And this is Edwin from the vets
who kindly brought him over for me.’

  Edwin said ‘Hi, pleased to meet you. Heath’s told me all about you and your surprise arrival. I’m over here from home in the States to get some experience at a different practice to the ones at home’

  Bobby said ‘hello’ and Edwin rubbed Ming behind his ears. The cat made a Siamesey remark and Edwin laughed.

  ‘He’s looking pretty settled already’ he said. ‘I must get back, see you tonight then, Heath’.

  He got back into the van and drove off, and Heath looked defensive as Bobby grinned at her

  ‘He’s asked me for a drink, that’s all’ she said. ‘He’s a bit lonely over here. I can leave Ming shut in, Edwin says he’s used too being left alone. He won’t be any bother’

  ‘That wasn’t what I was thinking’ Bobby told her, expecting Heath to laugh but instead Heath said quite sharply ‘I do have a life of my own, you know, however it may seem. Come on, Ming, lets sort your bed out and you can settle in while I get back to work‘.

  She went off down the yard leaving Bobby rather shaken. Heath had never showed any resentment about her life before, but Bobby realised that she and Guy had always rather taken her for granted. Good, reliable Heath, always there, as much a rock behind their everyday lives as was Guy’s housekeeper, Mrs. Joyce. As she had thought before, how would they manage if Heath did decide that she had been a rock for long enough?

  There was time before lunch to give Folly another lesson with the head collar. This time he and his mother were out in their paddock. Bobby put a head collar on Shelta and handed her rope to Guy before taking Folly by surprise while he was nibbling her sleeve and slipping the strap over his ears. He ran back at once, while Bobby hung on, and the moment he stopped Bobby said ‘go on’ to Guy who led Shelta towards the gate. Folly followed, and Bobby let him press close to his mother, so that he hardly realised he was being held. He made a dive forward into the yard, but Shelta whickered to him and he decided to stay with her as they crossed the yard and got into her stable. Bobby scratched and petted him and let him go.

  ‘That was better,’ she said. ‘But mostly because he wanted to go that way’.

  ‘He’ll learn’ Guy insisted. ‘He could be quite a horse, you know, if we can get his co-operation. He’s a strong, clever chap, and there’s a lot of intelligence there.’

  But Bobby still wished, if Shelta was going to have a foal, that she could have had a sleek and beautiful one with her kind, and gentle nature, not a little changeling like this one.

  Opening his mail at lunchtime Guy found a surprising letter, which he showed to Bobby who read it in amazement. It was from a property developer asking if Guy would be interested in selling Bracken for a proposed large housing development. The offer would be in the region of two million pounds, subject to planning permission. Bobby stared at him.

  ‘Would you?’ she asked him. ‘Would you think of selling Bracken?’

  ‘It’s a lot of money’ Guy pointed out. ‘But no, this place is too much part of my life. What do you think, though? You’re part of my life as well now and if you feel it would be good to take the offer I suppose I would consider it.’

  ‘I would hate it,’ said Bobby at once. ‘I owe so much to Bracken and it’s the first place I’ve really called home. And what would we do with two million but without Bracken? Tour the world and come back to nothing?’

  Guy laughed. ‘I know exactly what you mean’ he said. ‘I’ll certainly write a firm refusal.’

  Bobby was relieved, but she could not help feeling that they might hear more of it. Several big riding establishments and show centres in popular areas of Britain had accepted similar offers and closed down, but surely there wouldn‘t ever be a chance of that happening here?

  The new horse was due to arrive next day. Bobby had put a shavings bed down in one of the few spare boxes and scrubbed out the automatic drinking bowl, one of the luxuries they had been able to afford during the rebuilding, and she was in the school helping Isabel give Phoenix some work over grids when she heard an engine and Guy looked in from the balcony.

  ‘The box is here’ he called, and Isabel stopped Phoenix and said ‘go on Bobby, I’ll be out soon to have a look at your race horse’.

  It was one of the small handy two horse modern boxes that had come, with Windy Heights Racing sign written along it. The driver was a stocky Welshman, and after checking that he was at the right place he lowered the ramp. Frosty Morning’s aristocratic nose appeared over the bar, ears pricked as he saw the strange place, and from beyond him came a loud, deep whinny.

  ‘I thought the new horse was being collected for James from Lambourn later’ said Bobby as Guy joined her, but he put his arm round her shoulders and gave her a hug.

  ‘Wait a moment,’ he said, as the driver opened the bar to reach Frost.’ Just take your horse.’

  Bobby went forward to take the rope as the grey clattered down the short ramp, and then she stopped him to look back. Guy was inside the box untying the other horse, and for a moment Bobby thought she was seeing things. The other horse was a big black, with a white streak down his face. It was The Dark Miller.

  The big horse came down the ramp beside Guy, snorting at all the strange smells, Heath had come to watch, Ming at her heels and Guy said, ’would you mind putting a bed down for this one as well? I wasn’t sure he’d be coming until James ‘phoned.’

  ‘Guy’ Bobby hung onto Frost as he tried to swing round. ‘But…’then she suddenly understood. ‘He’s for you’ she exclaimed. She remembered Guy’s expression when they pulled up from that glorious gallop and he had only been able to follow along on the safe old horse. It had been too much for him to accept, and this was the result.

  ‘That’s right’ Guy agreed. ‘At least I can give it a try.’

  And while all the other horses stared over box doors and gates Bobby and Guy led their aristocratic pair into their new stables.

  ‘He’s crazy’ Heath told Bobby later, as she brought Frost’s travelling boots into the tack room. ‘Is that the horse you told me about, the steeplechaser who won’t start?’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Bobby. ‘I think you might be right, but I think Guy’s right as well. He won’t know how much his back will accept now unless he tries, like he did when he started riding again on Coffee. ‘Although it’ll scare me to watch’ she added silently to herself as she went back across the yard to settle her own ex-racer.

  ‘He’s not a rogue’ Guy told her later. ‘Just opinionated. James said he’d arrange to send him to the sales if he doesn’t work out. He’s a beautiful horse, reminds me of Sergeant.’ Sergeant was Guy’s old eventer whom he had be trying to rescue in the fire when the roof fell in on them both, and killed him.

  ‘Yes, I remember him. He was great.’ Bobby could understand why Guy had been tempted. ‘But you will be careful, won’t you?’

  Guy laughed, and hugged her. ‘The times I’ve said that to you’ he said. ‘And did it ever make any difference?’

  ‘I suppose not,’ admitted Bobby. ‘I suppose we’re both a bit crazy, but that’s what horses do…tempt you all the time to try a bit more’.

  Chapter four

  As soon as they had time next morning Guy suggested trying the horses in the indoor school. The first problem was mounting. Frost did not like the look of the mounting block and so, with Heath holding the offside stirrup but leaving his head free, Bobby put her foot in the stirrup and swung up as quickly and lightly as she could as the horse walked forward. Then it was Guy’s turn. The Miller took one look at the green plastic mounting block and stopped dead. Guy immediately turned him away and instead led him round the yard to the upward slope that led to the field gate. As they reached it he turned the horse sideways and in one movement he stepped from off the slope into the stirrup and let the impetus of the horses walk swing him into the saddle.

  ‘Clever’ said Bobby.

  They kept the horses walking round the yard a couple of times and then Bobby led the way
into the school. Frost was quite happy about going in, just pricking his ears and looking round. The Miller hesitated for a moment and then came with a rush when the grey horse was out of the way. Guy was careful not to catch his mouth and both horses settled to walking and trotting round and a few changes of rein. Heath went into the balcony to have a look with Ming following at her heels and Bobby called ‘what do you think?’

  ’They’re a nice looking pair’ Heath called back. ‘Yours looks fun Bobby, I’m not sure l’d call the other one fun exactly. He looks quite a serious lot of horse.’

  Bobby knew what she meant. Frost, sharp, slight and quick on his feet felt just that, fun. The Miller was all power and a sort of brooding presence. She just hoped that Guy knew what he was taking on.

  They didn’t keep the horses working for long, and Guy proposed turning them out together in a field. They had been used to a few hours a day out since coming out of training. There was quite a lot of land at Bracken, well sheltered by the wooded slopes on most sides but in one direction the land fell away enough to show the houses of the nearest development. Bobby could see why the property developer had made his offer. She asked Guy if he had replied.

  ‘Yes, with a firm not interested,’ Guy told her. ‘This is our land, and it’s staying that way, not turning into some luxury, overpriced executive estate which is what it was for.’

  Frost and The Miller, well protected by turn out boots, were delighted to see freedom. The moment their head collars were off they were away, full speed towards the further fence. In the other fields turned out horses swung round to stare, some charging off themselves, others prancing on the spot. Folly was one to think it a great idea, he charged at his mother, demanding that she ran, and when she did not immediately join in he was off on his own, racing round her, kicking and bucking, while Frost and The Miller spun round to stand on their hind legs, boxing and nipping. Bobby, Guy, Heath and two of the coffee ladies watched the circus anxiously.