Katie
After school, Wyatt drives us to the barn.
We bring Ripley and Sammy into the barn and I teach Wyatt how to tack a horse.
He does okay I guess. At least he didn't put the saddle on backward.
After an hour and a half, Wyatt can trot around the arena with no problems. Like I said he's a really fast learner.
He wanted me to teach him how to neck rain, which I thought was stupid but he said he wanted the 'full cowboy experience'. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
"Kate, please tell me that was my last time doing that!" Wyatt yells.
He was weaving through cones at the trot.
"Yeah Wyatt, that's it!" I yell grinning.
"Thank god, I don't think my legs can handle it anymore."
Wyatt halts Sammy and starts to dismount. "What are you doing?" I ask.
"Getting off." Wyatt snaps and sits up.
I walk Ripley over to Wyatt. "Sorry Kent, lessons not over, follow me."
Wyatt follows me to a big field. "Kate, what are we doing?"
"You need to learn how to ride outside of an arena. The cross-country field will be a perfect place to learn," I say.
"What's the difference?" Wyatt asks.
"You'll see," I say, grinning.
I ride Ripley towards the gate and stop when he is parallel with it. I lean towards the side to unlock the gate. After I open it I ride Ripley through, holding onto the gate.
"That was awesome!" Wyatt exclaims as he rides Sammy through.
I push that gate shut. "You have to teach me how to do that," Wyatt says, smiling like a kid on Christmas.
"Maybe someday." Wyatt sighs after I say that.
"Sam is going to be more excited, so stay focused," I tell Wyatt, sternly.
"Baby, when am I not focused?" Wyatt says, smugly, which earns an eye roll from me.
We ride side by side along the fence line.
"If you don't mind me asking, why is this endurance ride so important?" Wyatt asks, breaking the silence.
I sigh. "Because Clearbrook College is hosting the ride. The head of the riding team is the one organizing the whole thing."
"Maybe if I win, it might help them accept me."
I add, looking anywhere but at Wyatt.
"Is there a reason you only applied to one school?" Wyatt asks cautiously.
"Don't tell anyone but I applied to two other colleges." Wyatt raises his eyebrows at my confession.
"Last year Izzy, Tyler, and I went to tour Martinsville College, (the college Ty and Iz are going to) and Tyler loved it. Probably because that's where Derek is going, but either way they accepted him onto the football team."
"Izzy went with me to tour Clearbrook and I loved it. They have an amazing barn and a great campus. Izzy didn't want to be an hour away from Tyler so she applied to Martinsville. She got in immediately."
I glance at Wyatt and see him watching me intensely. "I had to decide if I wanted to go to school with my friends or branch out and go to the school I wanted to go to."
"I decided to apply to Clearbrook, then the next day I applied to Martinsville just so I would have an option in case I changed my mind. I also applied to another college about five hours away because my dad wanted me to."
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