#mystable

yay yippee new home stable

When she saw Lucky Lady in her stall, Juni realised how long it had been since she actually handled a new rescue at the ranch. Travels and adventures had taken up a lot of her time for the past half year, and during breaks she had just enjoyed her growing bond with Dawnflower, one of the ranch’s horses that she had taken upon herself to train. She had been back to South Hoof a few times, but usually just to pick up things she needed before she left again. There were many other helpers at the ranch now, and Hugh only smiled kindly at her and shook his head whenever she returned and asked if there was anything they needed her help with. 

Until this particular Wednesday evening, that is. 

“There’s a new mare,” he’d said. “Came in last night from the Harvest Counties. You could go have a look... they were struggling a bit with her.” 

Juni approached the stall of the seal-brown Connemara slowly. As she got closer, she met a pair of anxious eyes, watching her cautiously from a corner of the stall. The mare raised her head in slight alarm, staying close to the wall. 

“Hello,” Juni said in a calm tone, stopping in front of the stall. She made sure to keep her body language slow and relaxed. 

Lucky Lady was breathing heavier by the second, starting to stomp her hooves to the bed of straw. Juni backed off just a little, but with slow and deliberate movements, just to give the mare some space. Her eyes travelled over the horse’s thin body, seeing a hint of the shape of the rib cage under the dark brown coat. 

“I know,” she said, sighing quietly, the mare looking her straight in the eyes. “Life is rough sometimes...”

While the mare held her ground, head slightly raised, Juni slowly stepped forward again, up to the stall. She stayed there, unmoving, focusing on her own breathing. She let herself enjoy the smell of home, the cool air of the spring evening coming in from open windows. The smell of old stone and wood, and of fixes and additions. The smell of a beloved place. 

She opened her eyes without having realised that she had closed them in the first place. She felt completely relaxed, and smiled a little at how tired she really had gotten from all these months on the road. Ironically, taking in the place almost made her forget where she was. 

Her eyes met Lucky Lady’s again, and now, the mare finally seemed less alarmed. She was still staring straight at Juni, but her head was slightly lower, her breathing a little calmer, her hooves still on the ground. Even if only a little less tense, it seemed enough for now. “End every session on a positive note”, the words of one of the books from Hugh’s many shelves echoed in Juni’s head. “Pressure and release.”

Juni walked backwards, a few slow steps. A reward for having calmed down. The mare watched her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told her. “Make sure you eat. I hear it’s pretty tasty.”

As she walked out of the stable, she reminded herself to keep an eye on Winterborn before he’d decide to break into the feed room again. There was someone who needed those extra scoops a lot more than him right now.