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March 2006

To: Max, Reags

From: Diana

Re: Road Trip! Last Minute Details

Be sure to throw in hot weather clothes as well as rain and snow gear. If it starts raining, I intend to withdraw, but we'll need the rain gear to get the truck loaded. I'm not chasing points so a slippery field won't be worth Jack or I getting hurt with bad footing.

Remember, only a single carry-on sized bag each. Jack does not know how to pack and will take up all the room with his junk. Max, I found a spot in the truck where your laptop will ride securely.

Anything special to eat on the road? I've got junk food for me, and fruit and vegetables for you guys. You’ll have to share the carrots and apples with Jack. Sandwich stuff in case I'm too drained on Saturday to go out for lunch. Reags, would you mind making a BIG tub of chicken salad? Yours is better than mine.

BTW. I got ride times. Saturday – Dressage is at 9:33 AM; stadium starts at 10. That means I should ride sometime after 11. We'll talk more about Saturday scheduling on the ride down. We go cross country on Sunday at 9:33.

I finally broke down and bought a new cooler. It should be big enough to hold the Cokes for all of us. The old cooler will have to stay at the motel; no alcohol on the show grounds.

Jack and I will pick you up at 8:00 a.m. Friday.

Max smiled at his screen and picked up the phone to call Reags.

“Cara, we can sleep in on Friday. Diana will not arrive until 9:00 a.m..”

TERRY

I left work early to do some of the heavy packing for Diana and to hook up the horse trailer. By the time I got home, she had the trailer hooked up to the truck, blocking the garage. I parked the Jag so its bumper touched the truck's bumper. At least I can insure she won't be leaving in the morning without my knowledge; I'll pocket my keys. Now if I can remember where I put them at 0500, it'll be apples. She's so keen for this weekend she'd drive right over the Jag and never think twice if I can't move it. Dino would forgive her but not me if that happened. I do not want to imagine the convo between Dino and me.

There was no sign of Diana in the paddock; I could see the horses gathered at the round bales. They gravitate to her when she is in the barn. The dogs had been barking their greetings since I pulled in the drive – rather, Holly had been barking her greetings; Okie had been running up and down the fence. Diana must be in the house polishing something else and have leather spread all over the lounge floor, else the dogs would be with her. Leather seemed too much like chew toys for them, particularly Okie. He has a real devilish streak in him and is highly annoyed his humans do not share his sense of humour.

Basenjis don't bark in the traditional sense, but they do vocalize. Unfortunately, he sounds like he is grumpy and growly. He saves his 'pleasant' yodel for stop signs and red lights when he’s riding in the truck. When Diana first got him, he had his mandatory visit with the vet. She tried on the vet trip to see if he could yodel but only encouraged it when she came to a stop. Now he will yodel in the house with encouragement; he voluntarily yodels when the truck stops.

Diana was sitting cross-legged in the newspaper covered floor with an impressive array of jars, tubes, and tins round her. Her portable saddle stand replaced the coffee table; it had both her dressage and jumping saddles stacked one on top of the other. The covers were on both of them; they looked ready to be loaded in the trailer’s tack closet. Jack's bridle was in individual pieces round her. Her boots lay alongside her. The lounge looked like organized chaos. I dare not move anything; Diana's organizational system off the computer is the stacking method. She looked up as I let myself in. She had brown polish on the bottom of her nose and upper lip; an itch had needed scratching at some point this afternoon.

“Hi! I didn't know what time to expect you when you said you were getting off early!” She had jumped up still holding the bridle cheek piece in one hand and had met me in the entrance hall. She looked down at her newly stained t-shirt and stood away from me as she kissed me hello. It was not the full bodied greeting that I have become used to, but at least the suit wouldn't give the cleaners fits. Fuck the cleaners. They might enjoy a new stain to work on. I pulled her into me.

“Getting off? Diana you give me far too many openings.” Diana is the first woman I have known who can make me laugh whilst kissing and doesn't mind laughing at herself whilst involved in a full body kiss. Some day I will have to pay attention to how she molds into me so totally.

Reluctantly I broke from her lips. They found my Adam's apple and followed it as I spoke to her. “Dino says 'Good luck.' Sooze, Sarah and Dolores say 'Hay'. Sooze spelled it H – A – Y. She said it was important to Dolores to spell it for you; Dolores was afraid you wouldn't get her wittiness. How much more do you have to do?”

I stay constantly amazed at how she can talk as she keeps her lips on my neck so I feel as well as hear what she’s saying. “Isn't that sweet of all of them? I need to reassemble Jack's bridle, give my boots another buffing, load two bales of hay, and go through my list one more time.”

“Let's split that up. I'll load the hay and read your list to you. You get the bridle and boots.” I thought my evading giving her boots the last buffing was a sweet trick.

*

Diana did not sleep well last night. From the way her bum ground into my groin, her leg clamped down on mine, and her fingers gripped my hand, I would say she was dreaming of the canter departs. She probably rode the whole dressage test several times in her dreams.

“Terry, where is my lucky driving t-shirt?” Ah, time to get my lazy arse out of bed; it was already 0445.

“Stuck it in your kit last night when I put it in the truck. Thought you might try a new one.” I held out the first of my surprises. The other she will find when she unpacks Jack's gear.

I turned on the bedside light so she could read the silk screen printing on the shirt's back. We both blinked at the light. Around a good picture of Jack and her taking a log fence were the words, 'Dressage, hell. Let's jump something!'

Her complaint grumble over losing her driving shirt changed to a delighted laugh. “Thank you! I’ve never known any man as thoughtful as you. You pay so much attention to me.” Diana has known only knobs then. “I wish I could stay and show you how much this means to me.”

“Tell me Sunday.” Diana had finished tucking in her shirt and was strapping on the medical armband she would be required to wear for stadium and cross country; it goes under her jacket for dressage. She wears it from the time she leaves home until she returns. “Your medical looks a little bulky.”

“I put a copy of my Directive to Physicians and my Medical Power of Attorney in there as well. Just in case. I might as well make it easy on the medical staff to do what I want.”

We had walked to the front hall to talk a little longer. Rather, Diana talked; I held her close.

“I made a chicken lasagna, enchiladas, and some chicken fried steak for you for the weekend. The side dishes are labeled in the fridge.”

She didn't have to cook for me. She's probably feeling guilty about leaving me to my own devices whilst she does something that interests her. Another way I have noticed she shows her care for me.

“We’re staying at the Limestone Inn in Kosse; I sent that to you last week with the phone number. If any of the horses need anything, Dr. Cowan is on duty this weekend, and Nancy will be home.

“Think about me at 9:33 tomorrow morning. Think quiet, soothing thoughts. From 11 o'clock on think bold, courageous. My phone is already in the truck.” She patted her jeans pocket. “License, debit card, Sam's card. I think that's everything. Except for Gran.”

With that she gently took the topaz from her neck and put it in my hand, folding my fingers under hers. I had long since acknowledged that wearing it whilst she was riding would be foolish. “Keep her safe for me till I get home.”

I gently stroked her cheek. I waited to be sure she had run out of steam. “Gran and I will be here when you get home.”

We walked out to the drive together, made one last check of the trailer lights, and began troop movements. I backed the Jag down the curving drive and gave Diana a wide berth to get the truck and trailer turned. I saw her brake lights flash a couple of times as she drove down the road; she must be adjusting the trailer’s brakes before loading Jack into the horse trailer.

MAXIMUS

Bailey was doing his 'Diana Whine'. The only time this dog whines is when Diana is approaching our door; he barks at all others. I checked my watch as I called to Cassandra. It was only 7:15. Aside from the night of the opera, flights, and our luncheon last year, this is the only occasion on which I have known Diana to be on time since meeting her last year and today she was early. The fact that she was an hour early on this day was revelatory of the significance to her of this event.

“Cara? Whatever you have not accomplished must be finished now. Bailey is telling me that Diana has arrived.”

“He came running in here a minute ago. I bet she drove one street down and came round so she could park on the correct side of the street.”

Diana's distinctive 5/2 knock came five minutes later. She greeted the dogs, hugged Cassandra, and then me.

“I hope Bailey wasn't too frantic when I didn't come in right away. I needed to open Jack's window for some air and give him a drink. I dampened his hay so he’ll have some hydration while we're on the road. Speaking of which, you guys ready? Can't keep Jack waiting.”

Her devotion to her mount's care was exemplary. Jack is a handsome, tall Quarterhorse with a kind eye. He did not seem to find his surroundings particularly troublesome and did seem to enjoy sharing my apple.

Diana’s energy on this morning was electric. I must say, I am pleased she and Dino did not become a couple. This was the first I had seen of her in what Cassandra calls ‘manic mode’. Diana in her current state and Dino in his perpetual state of high activity would be exhausting to each other as well as to the rest of the world. As we placed our meagre allotment in the back of the truck, Diana continued with a recounting of her morning activities.

“He was a little antsy when I was putting his shipping boots on him.” With her energy transmitted to Jack, I could understand why. “It took me longer to fill his water jugs than to get him loaded. He loaded himself into the trailer. He even remembered to get in on the correct side.”

I looked to Cassandra for enlightenment on the trailer position. She shrugged. As a youth, I had ridden my horses to competitions; we did not put them in ox carts to drag them to a competition 150 miles away. In that time, traveling ten miles to compete against others in the area was a journey of major import. Whilst in the Army, our competitions took place in the arenas in the various encampments.

“Diana, why is it important for Jack to be on a particular side of the trailer?”

“The roads are higher in the center, particularly two lane ones. If the horse is on the passenger side of the trailer, it could overturn more easily.” Diana had been wiping grease from the trailer wheel coverings with a paper towel. “I always overfill the bearings.” She shoved the greasy paper towel into her pocket.

TERRY

I called Bill first before talking to Nance.

“Bill, I have a favour to ask you.” It sounded like his plowing was going well. ZZ Top on the CD player, air conditioner going, and cell phone at hand. His combine is a top of the line John Deere; his truck is a beat up '85 Dodge. Diana tells me this is normal for North Texas farmers.

“Sure. What do you need?”

“I need to go out of town for the weekend. Can you and Nance watch the place for me?”

His silence was eloquent; I was condemned in his mind. Whatever I was doing, it was nefarious. I would be lucky the next time we shared a pint if he didn't beat me to a bloody pulp, though he was more than gracious when he did reply. “Is that all? Not a problem. Want me to talk to Nancy for you?”

“That would be great. I'll be leaving in the morning and won't be back until late Sunday. I'll need her to feed Saturday night and Sunday.”

“Just be sure you're home before Dee. One piece of advice since you've dragged us into this. Tell her where you've been. I'll leave it up to her on what to do with you.”

Nance hadn't called by the time I left to get my rental. I could only hope that she sussed out my absence and set Bill right.

REAGS

Now that we were on the far south end of the Dallas suburbs Dee was happily munching on a double stuff Oreo; the bag was in her lap. She had pointed out where the off ramp was for the African market as we drove past. Maximus was riding shotgun, holding a copy of the dressage test as Dee recited the moves to him. She punctuated the movements by waving her Oreo and inadvertently flinging chocolate crumbs all over us.

“Now if we can ride the test as flawlessly as I described it, we should score in the low 30's on penalty points. Reags, right after the dressage test, and I mean right after, don't even wait for me to get out of the ring. I need you to get to stadium to tell me where they are in the order. I can take care of myself after dressage; Max can handle Jack. He may have to wake him up to get him to walk back to the barn. We'll meet you at Jack's stall.” She looked in the rear view mirror. I couldn't tell if she was looking at me or checking on Jack.

“Max, when we get there today, we'll mix his water with the Kosse water – mostly home water today, gradually increasing the mix of Kosse water – and then get Jack in his stall. Modern horses can be incredibly fussy about their water smelling and tasting funny. They can drink from the scummiest pond in their own paddock, but God forbid, they have different clean water. Tomorrow after dressage, I hope we have enough time for him to get a drink and relax a bit before we have to warm up for stadium.”

I had started to get my small note pad from my hip pocket when I thought to ask, “You have printed schedules for each of us, don't you?” That was a superfluous question …Ms. Organised to the Nth Degree would have copies of everything for us.

She gave me the fake, sweet smile in the rear view. “Of course, but I can't read my master schedule and drive. Since you’re already in reaching mode, reach under Jack's blankets and get the Land's End bag there.” Jack had his Irish knit cooler, his fly sheet and his heavy blanket freshly washed and folded in the cargo area. I lifted them and found the requested bag.

“Open it,” Dee urged.

I pulled out two matching golf shirts with 'Balcones Escarpment' embroidered in green on the breast pocket. They were red with white and blue accented knitting on the sleeve and neck ribbing.

“Since you guys are essentially my pit crew and NASCAR pit crews all have matching uniforms, I thought shirts would be appropriate. At least you aren't wearing outside advertising; you’re only advertising Jack's registered name. You may want to wait to wear them till we see how the weekend goes.”

I was already holding Maximus' shirt up to his shoulders when it hit me. Of course she would know what size to get him. She snagged one of Terry's as a sample. She probably added the information to her Sizes spreadsheet.

It gave us all a chuckle. “They're great, Dee.”

“I would be honoured to wear your colors, Diana.” It took a lot for Maximus to say that. He had never seen Dee ride and had some misgivings about her abilities. After all, she hadn't charged down a hill on horseback dodging trees and fire pots and wielding a gladius whilst still exerting some degree of control over her mount; that was his definition of being a good rider. I have seen her charging down hills at full gallop, and Maximus will be suitably impressed. “You will be riding in yours on Sunday?”

“No, I'm not tempting fate any more than necessary. I'm riding in my lucky shirt. It's emerald green. My flak jacket is red, white, and blue.”

“Speaking of lucky shirts. Where is your driving shirt?”

“Terry packed it. He got me this one.” I had been reading the 'sage, he' part of the verbiage on her shirt from the back seat for the last 50 miles. She leant forward so I could get the entire effect and then twisted to the left so Maximus could see. Maximus began to relax. The picture of Dee and Jack showed a pair equal to the task ahead of them; I doubt he read the printing.

MAXIMUS

I was delighted when Diana asked me to accompany her on this weekend even though she warned me I would be working as the manual labourer required to keep a horse comfortable. Her own horse-keeping skills are excellent. One spends much more time tending to horses than riding them.

Terry and I had spent several lunches reviewing eventing and horses in general. The whiteboard in the conference room had been well utilised with drawings of dressage arenas, jumping courses, and horse anatomy. I could not rely on his assessment of Diana's riding abilities; his own riding skills are weak, and he views her with a prejudiced eye. He is most thoroughly smitten. I am most anxious to see her ride.

We arrived at our destination an hour earlier than expected. Diana was glad of that as the cross country course had been open since the day before. She was anxious to see what changes had been made in the course and to wade in the water complex to check the footing as that had been added since she last competed.

Diana parked near the barns and walked to the show office to get Jack's stabling assignment. The barns may be permanent buildings of wood and tin, but they appear rough hewn. If I am fortunate, I will not to be asked to sand the interior of the stall Jack will occupy. It was the first time Cassandra and I had been alone since early this morning.

“Diana will need to release some of her energy before tomorrow. Jack will not do well if she does not.”

“She will. Once she starts walking the cross country, she'll get down to business.”

“Is she not denigrating the stadium jumping phase?”

“Alice and Dee both have seen this course designer's stadium courses before. Alice duplicated one of his prior courses, and Dee's jumped several of his courses in prior competitions. She's got another thing going for her. She's dropped down a level; she and Jack have gone Training level before. Their biggest handicap will be if Jack disrespects the stadium fences. If he gets lazy and doesn't pick up his feet, they’ll have a lousy round. She's brought her spurs but will make the decision on whether to wear them or not based on his enthusiasm as they warm up.”

Diana returned with an Order of Go and two maps for each of us including Jack. His would be posted on the front of his stall. Whilst he cannot read, perhaps he will enjoy the various printing styles. Team Balcones leapt into action. Jack's stall was at the far end of Barn 2. She had Cassandra and I walk to the stall with a flake of hay, bucket, water, and hardware to attach the water bucket to the stall wall whilst she drove Jack round to our destination. Jack's water and hay awaited him on his arrival.

Diana draped his lead rope over his neck, and he dutifully backed out of the trailer with no assistance. He stopped to look at his surroundings and whinnied. Answering nickers came from several stalls. Diana led him to his stall, removed his halter and lead rope, and shut his door. Jack dropped his head and began munching his hay. I would not say that Jack is a dullard, but in comparison to my war horses, he has no fire. Hopefully, his rider has fire enough for both.

Diana pulled a bale of hay from the trailer and dropped it in front of his stall. “We now have a bench! Maxi....” She looked round; no one in the aisle had heard her near slip of my name. “Max, could you get the other bale of hay and water bottles out. Oh, and would you open up two of the bags of shavings and spread them around in his stall? The bedding is so thin, and his legs need the cushioning.” Diana began pulling saddles and bridles from the trailer, moving them into the cargo area of the truck; they would be safely locked in the truck overnight. Cassandra pulled a hose and fork from the trailer's other compartment. She handed me the fork and pointed to the shavings bags.

“The aisle manure cart is at the other end. Be sure to put it back as soon as you're finished with it.” I took one bag with me to Jack's stall and looked in. Jack had already defecated – a good sign. I carried his dung to the manure cart; it was only a pitchfork full. There was no need to move the cart from its assigned position. When I returned to begin adding shavings to the stall, he had urinated – another good sign. Yes, the manure cart had been necessary from the beginning. This removal would not be as tidy as the manure had been. I retrieved the cart and trundled it back to the stall door to fork the wet bedding into it. I had only begun spreading the first bag of shavings when I heard a voice from down the aisle, “Anybody seen the manure cart?”

“It is here.” Was Cassandra's statement prescience or merely practice? I took the manure cart to the woman who required it and returned to my work. Setting up stables is another task that has not changed appreciably since my prior life.

I unfastened Jack's shipping boots and felt his legs. There was no heat indicative of an injury during his transport. Cassandra returned with the brush box. She handed me a hoof pick. “You're green.” I looked at the handle; it was coated with a substance to allow the hand a better grip. The coating was indeed green. I began cleaning the manure from Jack's feet.

Cassandra placed a red handled hoof pick in her back pocket. “We have a total of four picks this weekend. Two will stay here, and the two of us will have the other two.”

Diana returned with the lunch cooler in hand. We walked to the end of the barn to see the truck parking was on the far side of the dressage field with the trailer parking behind the trees lining the drive. It would be difficult to get out of that location if it rained. The track would be a bog of mud. Diana’s next comment made it appear she had been reading my mind.

“That's what's wonderful about this place. The local kids all have access to tractors. In case of rain, the show management has a valet service for your trailer. The local FFA gets the proceeds. You give them this ticket,” She pulled a parking ticket from her back pocket, “They retrieve your trailer with a tractor, and you hook it up and go. Pretty cool, huh?

“Has he had a drink yet? How about a poop and piss?” indicating Jack with a tilt of her head. Neither Cassandra nor I had seen him drink, but the level in his bucket was down from where it had been filled on arrival.

“I can attest to the poop and piss, but I did not witness him drinking. It appears he has.”

“OK, scheduling for today. The riders' meeting is at five. Do you guys want to go watch the Intermediate and Prelim dressage tests, go check in at the Limestone though I have a guaranteed late arrival, or do you want to walk with me? I want to get at least two course walks done today, preferably three. I'd like to do only two tomorrow afternoon. I'll need one of you for the last walk tomorrow; I need someone with a map to check me. I'll be going mapless. We need to pray for clouds on Sunday since I won't have a good idea how the shadows will be in the mornings until I ride it.”

“I would like to see the terrain you will be riding. Perhaps I would be able to offer some insight in riding it to your and Jack’s best advantage.” I had been quite used to riding over unmarked earth.

Cassandra’s response did not surprise me. “You guys aren't leaving me out. I can watch paint dry anytime, but can we eat something first? If you recall, someone was early, and we didn't get breakfast.”

“Oreos. The breakfast of champions.” Cassandra raised her eyebrow; she rarely eats sweets and does not care for chocolate.

DIANA

I had really lucked out with the ride times. At past events, my last ride had been at 3:43 on Sunday so I had been one of the last ones out. That was a tough drive home; I was tired. This time I have driving help but won't need it.

The women working the check-in were all new faces to me. I hadn't seen a soul I knew yet. Maybe everyone I knew had dropped out of active competition and was working at other events. I couldn't imagine Linda, Jackie, Faith, Amber or Simone not being around the circuit. Since I was planning on going to quite a few this season, I should know where everyone is by the end of it.

I made Reags eat her sandwich as we were walking; Max had wolfed his down. She was incredibly pleased that the stadium ring was on our way to the start of cross country. She sat down on the bleachers to eat in peace, and Max and I studied the stadium course.

I stood in the center of the ring to locate all the jumps; I prefer that other riders not know my strategy for the course. I would walk the entire course, just not in order and not on the line that I would take. I would do that when other riders weren't around. The jumps were set for Training so there wouldn't be much difference in the heights Jack and I would take; ours would be lower in most cases.

I started my plan. If I made a big circle before starting, Jack could see the majority of the jumps. The only one he couldn't see would be the one in the corner; it was pretty straightforward and looked substantial so I didn't think he would have too much of a problem. I walked to the corner where we would have to change leads and kicked at the sand. It was a little deep.

“I had planned on doing a flying change here. If we screw it up, it will be harder to balance him and get a simple change because of the footing.” We walked back to the prior jump feeling the ground under our soles as we walked. I kept running into Max as we walked.

I apologized. It was one thing to walk down the street intentionally bumping Terry and laughing; jostling Max was an entirely different matter. He tilted his head in acceptance. “I'm walking a curved line to that jump. Are you trying a straight line?”

“Yes.”

“Stand right there. I want to see something.”

I walked back to the deep footing and lined up on Max's figure. When I walked the straight line, I ended up with two less strides to the corner but with much better footing. There is an advantage to having another accomplished rider walk the course with you.

“That'll work. If I start asking for the change here, we should be well balanced by the time we get to the corner. Thanks, Max.”

“You are most welcome, Diana.”

*

The first cross country jump was a solid brick wall that invited the horse forward. It was a really nice first jump; from what I saw at the start of our walk, all the jumps were inviting for their placement on the course. Nothing terribly tricky or scary for horse or rider. The final gallop was a downhill slope to a flat paddock; the finish line was 25 yards to the right of the start box.

I do the same thing checking each jump. Reags is used to it; Max, who had likely only walked a battleground before the fray, may think it strange. About nine strides out, I stop to see what landscape will be around us. I pace off three more strides and stop again. During those 33 feet, I am deciding what cues I have to be giving Jack at that distance to get him to the jump and over it well. From six strides out, I become a passenger till we land; if you are correctly set up at six strides before the jump, not much can go wrong with a horse like Jack. He is as honest as the day is long; if he stands a chance of getting over it, he will. It never enters his mind to try to run out. At six strides, I literally try to drop my heels into the earth; that action will remind me to drop my heels when I am riding the course. I walk to the take off point and begin jumping up. I want to see what I will be seeing at my rider's height. Jack is close to 17 hands (five foot seven inches) at his back where I will be. Add to that my body length, and I am seeing things from a much taller perspective; the world looks different at eight feet than it does at five feet six inches. I have considered carrying a ladder with me on course walks, but that is too anal even for me.

On this trip, I had someone along who has the brawn to lift me and the height to give me a good view. If I see the slightest hint of a laugh in his demeanor about my jump examination, I am climbing on his back. Would I get so lucky for him to offer to hoist me on his shoulders? Probably not.

MAXIMUS

Diana would return to the stadium later this afternoon. Her hyperactivity had abated, and she viewed the cross country course with focus. Her examination of the obstacles is unique but thorough. She strode before Cassandra and me, retracing her steps occasionally and walking a different route from fence to fence. I noted a soft area well away from her chosen track.

“Diana, there is a bog here.” She came to Cassandra and I and tested the outer edges.

“Thanks, Max. That wasn't there last time I was here. This whole area has a really high water table so it doesn't surprise me that there are new spongy spots. We must be getting close to the water complex.”

We rounded a stand of trees; Diana took an outer route from Cassandra and me. Diana held her arm straight above her; when her hand would touch a branch, she returned to her beginning point and stepped outwards one step and began again. She was planning a gentle arc round the trees, whilst staying as close as she could to them in order to save time.

The trees blocked the view of the water until the last moment. The entry to the water that was marked for Diana's group was a gentle beach with good footing underneath. Diana began unlacing her boots, stuck her socks into them, and pulled her pant legs as high as possible.

“Anyone else for a swim? Damn, that's cold.” She waded across a 20 metre expanse of water to another smooth beach with little thought to the cool day nor how chilled she would be upon her exit. She reached the jump on the far side of the pond and smiled. “We can walk through this! I hope the paddock over there isn't filled with people so I can make up some time. Oh, who am I kidding? No one ever comes to these things. If I can do 425 meters per minute once we finish here, no time faults.”

“Finish your strategizing out of the water!” Cassandra fussed at her. “You'll get chilled to the bone, and shivering during a dressage test could give you unintended results.”

Diana looked up and grinned at her. “Yeah, yeah. I need to check something else.” She zigzagged back to us through the water, testing the footing. She sat on a downed tree limb to put on her socks and boots. She fished the greasy paper towel from her pocket and used the clean portions to blot the water from her feet. “I probably should have used the grease BEFORE I went wading. Oh, well. Can't think of everything.”

Redressed, Diana led the way round the water's edge and stopped at the landing point beyond the exit jump. There was a dirt road leading out of the woods. “I think I'll do the easy thing and take the road. It leads directly to the log we should be able to gallop right over.”

TERRY

My rented pick up and I found our way to Kosse and then followed a horse trailer to the show grounds. I parked where the stewards directed and could see the dressage arenas and warm-up area perfectly. If I wanted to see Diana's eyes, I would need the binoculars I had brought. I had a front row seat. It was an hour-and-a-half wait for Diana's dressage ride.

If braiding Jack's mane had gone well, she and Reags would be shaking out their arms to get the circulation back about now. She actually scheduled that; I have a copy of the master planning document. At 0845 Max would start saddling Jack, and Diana would be getting dressed herself. My first glimpse of horse and rider would be about 0900; she would warm up with a whip to remind Jack that he really does love dressage but drop it before entering the ring. She had decided to ride without spurs since she is doing this 'for fun', and placing does not matter.

After the third dressage ride I watched, my lids were getting heavy, though I was picking up on what constitutes a good or bad ride. One rider was bouncing really hard on the horse's back; the poor horse will likely be very sore as a result. That had to be a bad ride. Even the upper level riders get nerves.

I grabbed my binoculars; a chestnut horse with a white blaze was being led from the barn area. It wasn't Jack. I had forgotten how boring surveillance was. I took another bite of the cinnamon roll Diana had left for me, and which I’d tucked into a baggie and brought with me. My cell ringing caught me with my mouth full. I checked the number – Dino.

“Mate, this had better be good.”

“How's she doin'?”

“They're due out of the barn in five. You never were any good at jump off times. Why did I even bother to give you the schedule?” I was glad Dino had called. I was getting nervous for her. Talking to him loosened me up.

“Have you switched your phone to vibrate?”

“Not yet. I’m sitting in the rent-a-dent and have the entire dressage complex in front of me. A little coffee and a breakfast roll in a warm truck; I wish all surveillance was this good. Hold a tic.” Another chestnut was coming out of the barn – no blaze. “How many chestnut horses are here?”

“Damned if I know. You're the man on the scene. Count’em.”

“You’re doing this to keep me occupied, aren't you?”

“Well, yeah. That and I really want to know how she does.”

I flinched at the sight before me. “That had to hurt.”

“What happened? You have got to communicate better.”

“They have traffic cones to mark the letters. One horse just stepped on the cone at A.”

“So instead of entering at A, they entered ON A? Sounds like a shitload of nerves around there.”

I saw a tall, high withered Chestnut with a blaze. What convinced me it was my rider and not another false alarm was the two people in red shirts walking behind the horse. “Irish? Gotta go. I'll call you in an hour or so.” I shut the phone before Dino could say anything else, switching it to vibrate before tucking it in my pocket. Diana was walking tall beside Jack, and he had his head up looking round. Diana turned to say something to Max and Reags when Jack pulled on his reins. Diana put her hand on his neck to settle him, never breaking their walk. Looks like Jack has his game face on.

They walked past the competition ring to the warm up area. Diana checked in with the ring steward, showed him their number, and the man stuck his finger in Jack's mouth. Jack pulled back; too right, Boyo. Some bloke sticks his finger in your mouth? You should have bitten him; Okie would have done. They moved beyond the finger steward, and Diana stuck her left leg back for Max to boost her onto Jack's back. Max cupped her knee in his left hand and her ankle in his right. More boot buffing will be required before she enters the ring. Reags had her all purpose towel over her shoulder.

The flash ground crew in their new shirts walked round to the car park side of the area as Jack and Diana began walking about the grounds to loosen up. Diana was rolling her neck. Damn, Max! I told you to give her a neck rub. She was doing exaggerated shoulder shrugs, and that seemed to be working, as Jack's long tail started moving freely from side to side. He was relaxing himself. She moved him into a trot, holding the rein loosely in one hand. She waved across to another rider and continued a serpentine trot to free up Jack's muscles along his ribs. They tried a canter depart. Jack struck off well and stretched his neck down. He came back up; seems horses enjoy a good stretch as much as some people I know.

They walked into the warm up ring, and Diana trotted an accurate circle both directions, crossed the diagonal, and walked out. Reags took Diana's helmet and whip and held them whilst she dusted Diana's boots one last time and buffed out Max's fingerprints. Max gave her a bottle of water and checked Jack's braids; he put some pink goo from a jar in the bucket Reags was carrying on his fingers and smoothed down some unruly hairs in one of the braids. Diana took back her helmet, re-buckled it, and she and Jack wandered over to another official, apparently to check in there. I turned the truck ignition key to drop the window a bit; I wanted to hear what the announcer was saying. I heard a bell, saw Diana straighten her shoulders and smile, and heard the announcer say, “Number 86, Diana Walker on Balcones Escarpment.” Diana and Jack trotted round the outside of the ring once. Jack's trot looked light and airy, almost like he was suspended in air each step. They made a wide turn at A; no nasty surprises for my girl.

The test looked fine to me; the smile never left Diana's face.

REAGS

Dressage was done …one down, two to go and Jack seemed to know the fun stuff was coming up next; he was going to get to jump something. He had humans all over him, catering to his every need. Max was cleaning up another pile of poop. Diana was unbraiding the last two braids closest to the saddle; she called them her 'seat belt' when she jumped.

“I wish you hadn't felt the need to unbraid him yourself. Look at your boots; they're all dusty. Get out of the stall. Max and I will brush him down. If you want to make yourself useful, go put your dressage saddle in the truck. You have half-an-hour before you need to warm up for stadium.” She grabbed her saddle, took the truck keys from me, and sauntered off giving me a jaunty single finger salute. “Don't scuff your boots.” As usual for me, I had to get in the last word and yes, I know that’s a personality flaw.

Max smiled at me. “Now that Diana is riding, her nervousness seems to have transferred to you.”

“Not really. The issue is that the judges see everything. If her jacket is rumpled or there’s a smudge or scratch on her boots, they’ll see it. It may not cost her points, but it will impact their overall perception of her and won’t be favourable. I want her looking as if she’s ready for the Olympic trials.” He considered that for a moment.

“It was much the same in my Army days. Whilst our horse competitions were done within the encampment and amongst our fellows, we turned out as if ready for battle. If one looks one’s best, one will perform to the peak of one’s abilities.”

“How do you think the ride went?” Maximus might not know the 21^st century terminology, but he knew Xenophon. Dressage was essentially based on his writings. He leant against the stall door and considered before answering.

“Jack’s suspension at trot improved with each step. He was slightly overbent on the circle, but they seemed large enough from what I could see from our position. Diana’s aids for the canter were a bit obvious; that may cost her points. Jack’s suspension on the diagonal was impeccable; she will get high points for that. Carriage was not what it might have been as Jack’s head was lower than is appropriate. The final halt – had Jack not taken that final step to the left – would have been perfect. Overall and for one who has not competed in some time, it was a good ride.” Critiquing Jack was effectively critiquing Diana because she controlled Jack. “Diana looks round her circles very well.”

I’d been living and breathing eventing since starting to ride and thought I had a pretty good handle on it, but I hadn’t even approached noticing what Maximus had. I suppose no one can critique another rider as well as a former Cavalry Officer. I looked at him as another thought flitted through my head.

“Do you know if Terry’s coming today?” His head shot up.

“Not to my knowledge. I made a point of reinforcing to him Diana’s wish that he not attend this event. Why? Have you seen him?”

“I think so …but if he’s here, he’s not in the Jag.”

“If he is here, we shall see how good he is at concealment.” Maximus, of all people, knew how dangerous the cross country could be. If Dee spotted Terry during that ride, both she and Jack could be seriously injured as a result of her surprise. “If he is here and disrupts her performance, he will be accountable to me.” I interpreted that to mean that Terry would end up in hospital along with Dee or at the vet’s whilst Jack recovered from his injuries. I think Maximus is perfectly capable of making Terry move into the vet hospital and stay with Jack through his recovery.

TERRY

I hope tomorrow goes easier than today. It was a bitch getting from the car park to the stadium area, but it was good practice for field work. I was able to stay in the tree line then dash straight over to the stands.

I pulled out my negotiating skills to face what I thought would be public ridicule to attain a place under the stands. I first had to show myself in the stands. I climbed the stairs and checked my sight line to the jumps in the ring – pretty damned good. Several female riders were in the stands and invited me over to get a better view. I explained my plight; they laughed. They all had encouraged friends and loved ones not to attend a show at one time or another; they were very sympathetic.

“You should be fine sitting here in the stands. We’ll all be coming and going closer to our ride times. If you want to sit with a group who won’t have so much activity, let's hook you up with Linda.”

“If you wouldn't mind, I'd rather not be in the stands at all. I'd planned on being under the stands well away from the road.”

“You are bound and determined to be hidden, aren't you?”

“I am. It's my nature – the invisible man.” I had turned on the charm. I knew it; they knew it. It was necessary. I needed some protective colour.

One of the riders shouted over to another group huddled together; the new group was not in riding clothes. “Linda, Terry needs to sit with you.” I was passed along to the next group. It will be a bloody miracle if Diana doesn't find out in the next ten minutes that I'm here.

Linda folded me into her group with a laugh and a pat on the knee. “Don't worry. We'll hide you in plain sight.” That was how I came to be sitting in the stands in the midst of six women with a good view of warm up and the arena.

Diana's rule book came in handy. At least I knew the basics of how to behave in this setting. This group was much more enthusiastic than I had been led to believe was appropriate. They shouted; they cheered; they chatted during rides; I was having a great time.

“So who are you here watching?” The inevitable question had been asked.

“Diana Walker.”

“Hmm. Interesting. That changes things. When she comes into the ring, she always surveys the stands before she starts. She's bound to see you here. As the time approaches for her ride, we’ll have to put you under the stands.” Apparently, Linda knows Diana well. “She told me once she imagines everyone up here in ratty underwear; it gives her permission not to care what we think.”

No wonder Diana has nerves of steel in briefings; imagining admirals in bedraggled underwear would give one the upper hand.

Jackie moaned. “I wish I had known that when I was riding. It would have helped immensely. I'll have to pass that on to my daughter.”

Linda pushed me backwards to lean on the row behind my new found friends. “Dee's going in to warm up. Stay there. Can you see them?”

“No.”

“Good. That means they can't see you. Let's see how we can get you out of here.” She looked at me then down at the space between the benches and shook her head. I was glad she agreed straight down was not an option. She looked at the railing she was leaning against. “Think you can drop down there?”

“No wurries.” I slid under the lower rail and dropped the foot to the ground. I walked under the stands back to where Linda was sitting. I peered through the planks.

“Don't worry that you can't see her warm up. We'll talk you through it. How much can you see of the arena?”

I stuck my head through the seats. “Not much. The yellow and white jump with all the rails in front of us. The two jumps in the middle and the ones on the other side.”

“The line. You can see the jumps on the other line.” Linda corrected me. “Try going over to the space between the two set of stands. You may have to turn sideways.”

I could stand there and be another face in the crowd, and there was enough room to stand forward if I moved my shoulders between the rows; it was a tight squeeze. I was pinned, but I could see the whole arena.

Linda turned out to be an excellent commentator. “Jack is moving smoothly. His trot has certainly improved since I saw him last. Nice suspension; I'll bet they scored sixes on their trot work, maybe a seven on the diagonal. Nice canter depart.”

“They've been working on that.” I felt l needed to contribute something to this conversation.

“She's got a new saddle pad.”

“Is it brown with white?” I needed to know if she had found the other surprise I had for her.

“Yeah, and it's got her initials on it. Don't suppose you had anything to do with that?”

I smiled up at Linda, not that it did me any good. She still stood watching.

“Jack is going well. Some guy I haven't seen before is raising the oxer; that should be her last jump. Jack took a long spot and cleared it with room to spare. She's laughing and coming back to try that again. That's better.”

My phone vibrated – Dino again. “Do you need me?”

“I need you to tell me what's going on.”

“I will later. She's just about to go stadium.” Dino should be used to me hanging up on him by the time this weekend is through.

I saw Jack flash by.

“Oh, nice butt definition. Do you want me to keep up the narration, or do you want to agonize in silence?” Linda must be a school teacher; I felt as if what she really wanted was to pat me on the head for having been a good boy.

“Would you mind giving me your analysis after the round? I would appreciate that.”

“Can do.”

We watched Diana make a large circle round some of the jumps; no one else had done that. As they approached the start timer, Diana's heels dropped appreciably, and Jack sped up just a notch. They took the first three smoothly – the line on the far side of us; Linda would be so proud of me. Jack lifted his forelegs; Diana folded from the waist over his neck. They landed, and Diana sat up looking to the next jump. My two turned and came across the ring. Jack looked very eager but still listened to Diana; his ears were twitching back to front then pointing at the next jump. Near the spot where others had trotted and changed something about their canter, Jack looked suspended in air, and his inside front leg struck out. Linda poked me in the shoulder with her boot toe; she was smiling. Right in front of me, Jack went into overdrive. Diana folded over his neck; his hindquarters bunched under him, and he sailed over the tallest, broadest jump. Diana sat up when they landed and looked to the last jump. They cantered through the finish timer, circled, and trotted. Diana was beaming.

I looked up to Linda with a confident smile. “Was it as good as it looked?”

“They didn't knock down anything and no time faults so it's good. It was a gutsy move doing a flying lead change over there; it saved her some time, but it isn't required at her level. She must have noticed how slow they were going so gunning it on the triple bar was her only option. I'm glad Jack listens to her, otherwise we could have had a messy situation at the in-gate. All in all, she had a good round.”

*

I extricated myself from my viewing spot before my shoulder started really hurting from having a two by four jammed into it. Linda and Jackie welcomed me back to the land of the living. Once I heard some of Linda's other critiques, Diana's sounded positively glowing.

Diana's rules hadn't covered making phone calls from the stands, only receiving them. From the number of phones in use during and between rides, I felt safe in calling Dino from the stands.

“O'Reilly here.”

“I don't have any numbers to report yet. Diana smiled all the way through the ride, so she was happy with it.” Linda was trying to get my attention. “Hold a tic.”

“Dee's dressage scores may be up now,” Linda passed along.

“Linda says her score for dressage could be up. I have to walk past the scoreboard as I leave so I'll check it then. The stadium was smooth.”

“Good to hear. Did she seem nervous?”

“It seemed like she had been here just last week. Not a hint of nerves. She did have to loosen her own neck and shoulders.”

“See, she should have let me come along; I'm good at that shit.”

“I think two grooms is more than sufficient. She does NOT need her own personal masseur particularly one who isn't me, Mate. Christ, we'll end up having to buy a semi to get her carted to shows the way you're wanting to add staff. As it was, the only reason the back of the Tahoe wasn't filled to the ceiling was Diana insisted that she wanted to check on Jack in the rear view mirror.”

“Does she have any idea that you're there?”

“It doesn't appear so from the way she’s riding. Some old friends of hers gave me shelter during stadium; they got me a good vantage point and provided covering fire for me.” Linda and Jackie beamed and gave up all pretense of ignoring my conversation. “Talk to them for a while. I'll run down and check the leader board, if I can get there discreetly.”

Linda chimed in at that point, joining the conversation I was having with Dino. “You can keep talking. Faith will be back in a minute with some results.”

“Could you hear Linda?” I knew from his laughter that he had.

“Been chatting up the ladies to get what you need? Dee better not find out about it. You show up uninvited, then get friendly with the locals? Oh, yeah. This could work to my advantage. You and Okie would be best buds by the time you got out of the dog house.”

“Holly. Holly and I would be best mates. Linda and Jackie were glad to assist me for Diana's sake; they've known her for years.” Faith arrived out of breath and shoved a scrap of paper to me. There were numbers, but they meant nothing to me. They could have been code. I did recognize the website. “Dino, the placings may be up on the website.”

Faith shook her head 'No' vigorously and wrote real words and symbols on my shred. “Ah here we are. Number 86. Dr?” Faith mouthed, “Dressage” to me. Faith had given me a Rosetta stone to eventing scores. I read across Diana's line. 43.7+0 …4th. Diana was in fourth place. I checked the other numbers; lowest score wins.

“Tio? Talk to me, Man.”

“I've got her scores here. I think this means she’s five points out of third and eight behind the first place team.” Vigorous head nodding affirmed my statement.

“You're shitting me.”

DIANA

I was amazed. At the end of the first day, we were in fourth; one of the riders in front of me is a former Olympic rider. He buys horses with promise, trains them, and sells them. He rode one of his young horses. I would absolutely be wearing my lucky shirt tomorrow.

*

Warm-up was pretty good except for the idiot who tried to jump the oxer going the wrong way. Every jump, including warm-up ones, have a flag on the left and right; the red flag is always on your right. This is incredibly important in a relatively small warm-up arena where there are so many horses who are fit and ready to run. You have to have some kind of defined traffic flow. The flags on the jumps are supposed to do that.

I watched the horse before me leave the start box. Jack and I walked around the start area, chatting with the stewards and starter; we would not enter the 10x10 box until 15 seconds before our time, and once in the start box itself, I would keep Jack moving until the starter sent us off with a cheerful, “Have a good time.”

It felt really good to get to the meat of eventing, the cross country. We started off at a walk and took the first fence at a trot. Nice and loose, yet controlled. We had a long way to go. We handled the first part of the course well – a little slow, but OK. I made a mistake and looked down at the ditch as we went over the top of it. Jack galloped over it; he didn't even bother to jump it. From the looks of the log pile, someone had a bad day and crashed into it; I am terribly glad it wasn't us.

The woods were ahead. The water jump was next. This wasn't really the time to change the plan, but Jack was going so well, and I felt incredibly bold and courageous. We did slow down a bit, but I rode Jack into the water at a canter. If the splashing bothered him mid-lake, I would slow down. I had my whip at the ready to encourage him just in case. The first splash caught Jack off guard, but he kept right on going. Most people who stay at the water jump are looking for a crash and burn. We got a cheer from the crowd even though we did a text book approach. After we cleared the water, I bent down and patted Jack's neck. We were homeward bound.

Riding cross country is a very liberating experience. You have a whole farm in front of you, for your pleasure. You have one - maybe two - other horses that you need to watch out for; in my book, that’s damn close to being alone in a beautiful countryside. You would think you would feel the wind on your face or whistling past you; I don't. I'm always the right temperature – neither too hot or cold – on the cross country course, and it's not because I'm stopping to change jackets. Everything else evaporates for me; only the beauty of the scenery remains.

Horse and rider work as one. Once upon a time, I talked Jack around a course; I described the approach to a jump, what it looked like, and how fast I wanted Jack to go. I was so scared of that course; by talking Jack through it, I handled my nerves. To be honest, Jack handled my nerves. Frankly, telling Jack what had to happen on the course was the only way I could remember it. I was so grateful it was legal to talk to Jack, and that I had trained him to know and respond to the words walk, trot, canter, and jump.

I checked my watch after the water; we had time to make up. “Sorry, Jack, gotta pick up the pace.” I asked; he answered in the affirmative. We were rolling across the pasture; everything was right for both of us. I asked for a little more. I got it. We hated to slow down, but the finish line was just ahead. It had been a GREAT run.

TERRY

I waited by Jack's open stall. Most of the competitors were in the process of packing up or had left already so they didn’t get to see Diana's bloke.

She walked backwards in front of Maxie and Reags rubbing Jack's white blaze and talking as fast as she and Jack had just run. She reached for Jack's stall door behind her. He had cooled down enough; he could munch some hay and get a good drink whilst she saw to his every need. She turned in surprise on hearing my voice.

“Nice ride, Lady.”

NOTES

FFA Future Farmers of America

Finger Steward Officially known as a Ring Steward Only certain bits are allowed in competition. The warm-up official, the steward, is tasked with checking the bit. One way to do the check is to stick your finger in the horse's mouth and rub your fingers over the bit.

Line A series of jumps lined up one after another.

Oxer A jump with two parallel sets of rails spread some width apart. It is also known as a spread jump.