HOME | DD

Description
Horse: GR's Darker Colour
Age: 11 months
Handler: Erwin Beck
Age: 42
Stable: Granite Ridge Racing
Show: CT Youngsters Show 2020
Class: Scary Course
Placing: First (bravest foal of the day )

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fitting four people and a rather large dog into a small two-bed hotel room in Kentucky was not a situation Erwin had ever considered having to prepare for, but here they were. Erwin got out of bed as quietly as he could, unplugging his phone and digging a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out of the drawer where he’d placed them the afternoon before. Cooper, lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, raised his head and thumped his tail against the worn carpet.

“Heya, Coop,” Erwin whispered, giving the dog a scratch behind the ears. He stepped into the bathroom to get dressed.

He stepped out and began feeling in the dark for his sneakers. His wife sat up in the bed, blinking blearily at him. “What time is it?” she whispered.

“6:30,” Erwin responded. “I’m going to go pick up breakfast; can you wake the girls up around 7:30 if I’m not back by then?”

“Mm-hmm.” Mikaila reached out to pick her phone up off the nightstand, blinking and squinting at the bright screen. She fiddled with it for a moment, setting an alarm, and snuggled back under the sheets.

“Come on, Coop,” Erwin whispered, grabbing the dog’s leash and cracking the door open. Cooper stood up and stretched before giving himself a shake. He trotted over to Erwin and sat down obediently at his feet, and Erwin clipped the leash to his collar and led him out into the hall.

They headed downstairs and outside, where Erwin found a patch of grass where Cooper could relieve himself after being indoors overnight. Once the dog had finished, they headed off down the street. Erwin had seen a little donut shop as they were driving in, and figured he’d treat his girls to some sweets.

“What do you think, Cooper?” he asked aloud as they walked. “Should I get a solid dozen? We’d have leftovers, but it gives us more choices. Mikaila likes old-fashioned, Claire’s not too fussy....I know Rose likes all things strawberry.” Erwin glanced down at Cooper, who wagged his tail happily at the attention. “Alright, a dozen it is.”

He ordered the donuts, asking for the specific one Mikaila liked, a strawberry frosted cake donut for Rose, and a plain glazed for himself, and let the boy working the counter pick the others. He and Cooper took their time walking back to the hotel, enjoying the cool air and the beautiful sunrise.

When they got back, Mikaila and the girls were up. Mikaila and Claire were dressed, Mikaila folding her pajamas and putting them in her suitcase while Claire sat on the bed reading a novel she’d brought for the trip, while Rose was in the bathroom. “I brought donuts!” Erwin announced.

Claire glanced up from her book. “Oh, sweet.”

Erwin set the box of donuts on his and Mikaila’s bed and opened it up. He picked up the glazed donut he’d gotten for himself and a napkin and settled himself in the chair by the window to eat. He was just finishing up when Rose emerged from the bathroom, so he washed his hands and went into the bathroom to change into his show clothes. He stepped out a few moments later, still in the process of tying his tie.

“Ooh, look out, everyone,” Claire giggled, “Dad’s wearing his fancy jeans.”

“And the paddock boots,” Rose chimed in through a mouthful of donut, nodding to the boots Erwin had just picked up from beside the bed.

Erwin chuckled, ruffling his elder daughter’s hair. “Gotta look nice for shows. You know that.”

Claire snorted, reaching up to push her father’s hand away and try to rearrange her ice-white hair into some semblance of order. “Don’t gotta look nice for polo. Just gotta wear somethin’ you won’t get beat up in. Can’t be worried about gettin’ it dirty.”

“You look very nice, Erwin,” Mikaila smiled, entwining her fingers with her husband’s.

“Thanks, love.” Erwin pressed a kiss to his wife’s cheek, while the girls groaned and feigned gags. Erwin smirked devilishly and swept Mikaila into a deep tango-esque dip. Mikaila laughed, wrapping her arms around Erwin’s neck as he kissed her deeply.

“EEEWWWW!” Rose shrieked, getting up from her spot on the bed and bolting for the bathroom. “COOTIES!”

“I’m not picking up your mess!” Claire called after her.

Mikaila was still giggling as she and her husband returned to an upright position. “You should get going.” She adjusted Erwin’s tie.

“Right.” Another quick kiss and he was stepping away, grabbing his coat and keys from the hook he’d hung them on and stepping out the door. He stepped back in after a second. “Mikaila? If you and the girls do decide to bring Cooper, make sure he’s on a leash. He listens but--”

“Better safe than sorry, I know.” Mikaila walked over and gave her husband a wink as she shooed him out the door. “We will. Get going before you’re late; don’t keep Joey waiting.”

Erwin headed downstairs and found Joey already waiting in the parking lot. He jogged over to the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. “Sorry,” he grinned to Joey, “we were having donuts.”

“Did you save one for me?”

“I mean, I can show you the place where we got ‘em after the show.”

“We have all day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Did my text not go through?” Joey looked quizzically at Erwin as he shifted the truck into drive. “We’re only putting Wednesday in for the one class, the Scary Course. Dad wanted to see how she handles it. She’s a weird little critter. Anyhow, that class runs all day. You can take her through anytime there aren’t other foals in the arena.”

“Oh, that’s good to know. Wanna swing through for donuts on the way over to CT Dutch, then?” Erwin waggled his eyebrows comically at Joey, who laughed heartily.

“Well, you know, we’re gonna need to keep up our energy since we’ll be at a horse show all day.”

“Exactly!” Erwin directed Joey to the little donut shop. The boy behind the counter seemed surprised to see him again so soon, and a few minutes later they were on the road again, each with a donut in hand.

It wasn’t a long ride to the stable, and soon they were crossing the bridge over the stream, heading toward the guest parking lot. Erwin let out a low whistle. “Nice place.”

“Their facility is gorgeous,” Joey agreed. “No place like home, though.”

“You’re biased.”

“Maybe a little.” Joey grinned as he parked the truck. He cut the engine and hopped out, grabbing Wednesday’s grooming kit out of the back seat. “Come on, she’s in the guest barn. It’s a bit of a hike.”

Joey led the way up the path, past pastures and barns and arenas. Leaves in all their bright autumn colours littered the ground, and occasionally the breeze would pick up enough to send them dancing through the air. There was already a foal in the big outdoor arena, a colt, making his way through the scary course with his handler. Erwin watched him balk at a tarp on the ground, snorting and launching himself sideways with his eyes rolling wildly. His handler calmed him and they tried it again. A moment later, Erwin and Joey were entering the spacious guest barn and being greeted by a chorus of whinnies and squeals from the many horses, mostly youngsters, who were being housed there.

“Hey, Wednesday,” Joey called, leading Erwin to a stall about halfway down the row. When the filly’s face didn’t poke over the door to greet them, the two men looked into the stall and found Wednesday lying comfortably in the shavings, ears laid back as she glared at them as though they’d just woken her up.

Erwin took her halter from Joey and stepped into the stall, haltering the filly and coaxing her to a standing position. “Sorry, baby girl,” he murmured to her. Wednesday shook herself off, but quite a bit of bedding still clung to her fluffy coat and stuck in her mane and tail. He tied her and began working the shavings and tangles out of her tail while Joey took a brush to her coat.

“They want her in a leather halter.”

“Yeah, I saw. She should be fine. I’ll swap her over once she’s groomed up.”

“Don’t get your show clothes all dirty before you even step into the arena.”

“I won’t!”

“Hmm.” Joey stepped over to Wednesday’s other side, following the curry comb with the stiff brush. “Don’t even think about picking up a brush,” Joey warned as Erwin stepped toward the grooming kit.

Erwin huffed but changed course to grab the black leather halter from where Joey had hung it outside the stall. Wednesday’s ears pricked as he stepped back into the stall, and he laughed. “Oh, so this is what finally gets your attention?”

The filly reached out to sniff at the oiled leather before quirking an ear toward Erwin in an almost “okay, now what?” sort of expression. Erwin untied the rope halter and slipped the leather one on in its place, just as Joey finished up brushing the filly. He picked her hooves quickly and gave her a pat on the hip.

“She’s good to go,” Joey said approvingly, looking over the filly’s now-shiny coat. “You can take her through the course anytime the arena’s free.”

“Alright.” Erwin checked his watch; 9:24. “I promised the girls they could watch, so I suppose I’ll be waiting for them.”

“We’re gonna end up having to brush her again,” Joey chuckled as Wednesday pawed at the shavings, clearly considering lying down and going back to sleep.

“Nah. We’ll go for a walk.” Erwin untied the filly and led her out of the stall. She flicked her tail irritably at the prospect of a nap being taken away but walked nicely alongside Erwin.

“Hi, Dad!”

Erwin looked up to see Mikaila and the girls walking toward the barn, Rose holding Cooper’s leash. Mikaila waved to him. “I was going to text you, but we figured we’d surprise you instead.”

The group entered the barn, Rose hanging back a bit with Cooper while Claire approached to stroke Wednesday’s forehead. The filly snuffled the girl’s pockets for treats and, not finding any, huffed and gave herself a shake.

“This place is huge,” Mikaila was saying. “I had no idea where we were headed, but we were lucky enough to run into some of the stable staff and they told us where this barn was.”

“It’s kind of overwhelming at first,” Erwin agreed. “Anyhow, you ladies ready to see whether or not I get dragged across the arena on my arse by this little lady?”

“I don’t think she’s strong enough for that,” Rose said skeptically.

“You’d be amazed at just how strong a spooked horse is,” Claire grumbled.

Joey stepped outside for a moment before returning to Erwin’s side. “No one’s using the arena now, if you wanna take her through.”

“Yeah, I think I will.” Erwin stepped forward, Wednesday following obediently as Mikaila and Claire stepped aside so they could pass. They headed to the arena and talked to the staff member standing by the gate, who gave them the go-ahead to try the course.

Wednesday was not impressed in the least with the first several obstacles she faced. She walked across the little wooden bridge without batting an eye and sneezed at the ribbon archway when Erwin guided her through it. When it came time to walk past the little pen with the cow and the goat, though, the filly seemed to take things more seriously.

Wednesday stopped short as the cow poked her head over the fence. Erwin kept an eye on her, braced to hold her back if she bolted but keeping the tension out of the lead. He just wanted to see how she’d react.

Instead of panicking, the flashy filly squared up her stance, stomping one little hoof in the dark sand. She laid her ears back and stared the cow square in the eye, letting out a challenging snort, while the docile bovine simply blinked at her. Erwin chuckled under his breath. “Nothing spooks you, huh, Wednesday?” He gave the lead a gentle tug, getting Wednesday’s attention back on him, and they continued through the course.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Word count: 2069
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Background refrenced from various provided images; no pose references used. My work may not be copied, traced, or heavily referenced without my explicit permission.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Description
Horse: GR's Darker Colour
Age: 11 months
Handler: Erwin Beck
Age: 42
Stable: Granite Ridge Racing
Show: CT Youngsters Show 2020
Class: Scary Course
Placing: First (bravest foal of the day )

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fitting four people and a rather large dog into a small two-bed hotel room in Kentucky was not a situation Erwin had ever considered having to prepare for, but here they were. Erwin got out of bed as quietly as he could, unplugging his phone and digging a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out of the drawer where he’d placed them the afternoon before. Cooper, lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, raised his head and thumped his tail against the worn carpet.

“Heya, Coop,” Erwin whispered, giving the dog a scratch behind the ears. He stepped into the bathroom to get dressed.

He stepped out and began feeling in the dark for his sneakers. His wife sat up in the bed, blinking blearily at him. “What time is it?” she whispered.

“6:30,” Erwin responded. “I’m going to go pick up breakfast; can you wake the girls up around 7:30 if I’m not back by then?”

“Mm-hmm.” Mikaila reached out to pick her phone up off the nightstand, blinking and squinting at the bright screen. She fiddled with it for a moment, setting an alarm, and snuggled back under the sheets.

“Come on, Coop,” Erwin whispered, grabbing the dog’s leash and cracking the door open. Cooper stood up and stretched before giving himself a shake. He trotted over to Erwin and sat down obediently at his feet, and Erwin clipped the leash to his collar and led him out into the hall.

They headed downstairs and outside, where Erwin found a patch of grass where Cooper could relieve himself after being indoors overnight. Once the dog had finished, they headed off down the street. Erwin had seen a little donut shop as they were driving in, and figured he’d treat his girls to some sweets.

“What do you think, Cooper?” he asked aloud as they walked. “Should I get a solid dozen? We’d have leftovers, but it gives us more choices. Mikaila likes old-fashioned, Claire’s not too fussy....I know Rose likes all things strawberry.” Erwin glanced down at Cooper, who wagged his tail happily at the attention. “Alright, a dozen it is.”

He ordered the donuts, asking for the specific one Mikaila liked, a strawberry frosted cake donut for Rose, and a plain glazed for himself, and let the boy working the counter pick the others. He and Cooper took their time walking back to the hotel, enjoying the cool air and the beautiful sunrise.

When they got back, Mikaila and the girls were up. Mikaila and Claire were dressed, Mikaila folding her pajamas and putting them in her suitcase while Claire sat on the bed reading a novel she’d brought for the trip, while Rose was in the bathroom. “I brought donuts!” Erwin announced.

Claire glanced up from her book. “Oh, sweet.”

Erwin set the box of donuts on his and Mikaila’s bed and opened it up. He picked up the glazed donut he’d gotten for himself and a napkin and settled himself in the chair by the window to eat. He was just finishing up when Rose emerged from the bathroom, so he washed his hands and went into the bathroom to change into his show clothes. He stepped out a few moments later, still in the process of tying his tie.

“Ooh, look out, everyone,” Claire giggled, “Dad’s wearing his fancy jeans.”

“And the paddock boots,” Rose chimed in through a mouthful of donut, nodding to the boots Erwin had just picked up from beside the bed.

Erwin chuckled, ruffling his elder daughter’s hair. “Gotta look nice for shows. You know that.”

Claire snorted, reaching up to push her father’s hand away and try to rearrange her ice-white hair into some semblance of order. “Don’t gotta look nice for polo. Just gotta wear somethin’ you won’t get beat up in. Can’t be worried about gettin’ it dirty.”

“You look very nice, Erwin,” Mikaila smiled, entwining her fingers with her husband’s.

“Thanks, love.” Erwin pressed a kiss to his wife’s cheek, while the girls groaned and feigned gags. Erwin smirked devilishly and swept Mikaila into a deep tango-esque dip. Mikaila laughed, wrapping her arms around Erwin’s neck as he kissed her deeply.

“EEEWWWW!” Rose shrieked, getting up from her spot on the bed and bolting for the bathroom. “COOTIES!”

“I’m not picking up your mess!” Claire called after her.

Mikaila was still giggling as she and her husband returned to an upright position. “You should get going.” She adjusted Erwin’s tie.

“Right.” Another quick kiss and he was stepping away, grabbing his coat and keys from the hook he’d hung them on and stepping out the door. He stepped back in after a second. “Mikaila? If you and the girls do decide to bring Cooper, make sure he’s on a leash. He listens but--”

“Better safe than sorry, I know.” Mikaila walked over and gave her husband a wink as she shooed him out the door. “We will. Get going before you’re late; don’t keep Joey waiting.”

Erwin headed downstairs and found Joey already waiting in the parking lot. He jogged over to the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. “Sorry,” he grinned to Joey, “we were having donuts.”

“Did you save one for me?”

“I mean, I can show you the place where we got ‘em after the show.”

“We have all day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Did my text not go through?” Joey looked quizzically at Erwin as he shifted the truck into drive. “We’re only putting Wednesday in for the one class, the Scary Course. Dad wanted to see how she handles it. She’s a weird little critter. Anyhow, that class runs all day. You can take her through anytime there aren’t other foals in the arena.”

“Oh, that’s good to know. Wanna swing through for donuts on the way over to CT Dutch, then?” Erwin waggled his eyebrows comically at Joey, who laughed heartily.

“Well, you know, we’re gonna need to keep up our energy since we’ll be at a horse show all day.”

“Exactly!” Erwin directed Joey to the little donut shop. The boy behind the counter seemed surprised to see him again so soon, and a few minutes later they were on the road again, each with a donut in hand.

It wasn’t a long ride to the stable, and soon they were crossing the bridge over the stream, heading toward the guest parking lot. Erwin let out a low whistle. “Nice place.”

“Their facility is gorgeous,” Joey agreed. “No place like home, though.”

“You’re biased.”

“Maybe a little.” Joey grinned as he parked the truck. He cut the engine and hopped out, grabbing Wednesday’s grooming kit out of the back seat. “Come on, she’s in the guest barn. It’s a bit of a hike.”

Joey led the way up the path, past pastures and barns and arenas. Leaves in all their bright autumn colours littered the ground, and occasionally the breeze would pick up enough to send them dancing through the air. There was already a foal in the big outdoor arena, a colt, making his way through the scary course with his handler. Erwin watched him balk at a tarp on the ground, snorting and launching himself sideways with his eyes rolling wildly. His handler calmed him and they tried it again. A moment later, Erwin and Joey were entering the spacious guest barn and being greeted by a chorus of whinnies and squeals from the many horses, mostly youngsters, who were being housed there.

“Hey, Wednesday,” Joey called, leading Erwin to a stall about halfway down the row. When the filly’s face didn’t poke over the door to greet them, the two men looked into the stall and found Wednesday lying comfortably in the shavings, ears laid back as she glared at them as though they’d just woken her up.

Erwin took her halter from Joey and stepped into the stall, haltering the filly and coaxing her to a standing position. “Sorry, baby girl,” he murmured to her. Wednesday shook herself off, but quite a bit of bedding still clung to her fluffy coat and stuck in her mane and tail. He tied her and began working the shavings and tangles out of her tail while Joey took a brush to her coat.

“They want her in a leather halter.”

“Yeah, I saw. She should be fine. I’ll swap her over once she’s groomed up.”

“Don’t get your show clothes all dirty before you even step into the arena.”

“I won’t!”

“Hmm.” Joey stepped over to Wednesday’s other side, following the curry comb with the stiff brush. “Don’t even think about picking up a brush,” Joey warned as Erwin stepped toward the grooming kit.

Erwin huffed but changed course to grab the black leather halter from where Joey had hung it outside the stall. Wednesday’s ears pricked as he stepped back into the stall, and he laughed. “Oh, so this is what finally gets your attention?”

The filly reached out to sniff at the oiled leather before quirking an ear toward Erwin in an almost “okay, now what?” sort of expression. Erwin untied the rope halter and slipped the leather one on in its place, just as Joey finished up brushing the filly. He picked her hooves quickly and gave her a pat on the hip.

“She’s good to go,” Joey said approvingly, looking over the filly’s now-shiny coat. “You can take her through the course anytime the arena’s free.”

“Alright.” Erwin checked his watch; 9:24. “I promised the girls they could watch, so I suppose I’ll be waiting for them.”

“We’re gonna end up having to brush her again,” Joey chuckled as Wednesday pawed at the shavings, clearly considering lying down and going back to sleep.

“Nah. We’ll go for a walk.” Erwin untied the filly and led her out of the stall. She flicked her tail irritably at the prospect of a nap being taken away but walked nicely alongside Erwin.

“Hi, Dad!”

Erwin looked up to see Mikaila and the girls walking toward the barn, Rose holding Cooper’s leash. Mikaila waved to him. “I was going to text you, but we figured we’d surprise you instead.”

The group entered the barn, Rose hanging back a bit with Cooper while Claire approached to stroke Wednesday’s forehead. The filly snuffled the girl’s pockets for treats and, not finding any, huffed and gave herself a shake.

“This place is huge,” Mikaila was saying. “I had no idea where we were headed, but we were lucky enough to run into some of the stable staff and they told us where this barn was.”

“It’s kind of overwhelming at first,” Erwin agreed. “Anyhow, you ladies ready to see whether or not I get dragged across the arena on my arse by this little lady?”

“I don’t think she’s strong enough for that,” Rose said skeptically.

“You’d be amazed at just how strong a spooked horse is,” Claire grumbled.

Joey stepped outside for a moment before returning to Erwin’s side. “No one’s using the arena now, if you wanna take her through.”

“Yeah, I think I will.” Erwin stepped forward, Wednesday following obediently as Mikaila and Claire stepped aside so they could pass. They headed to the arena and talked to the staff member standing by the gate, who gave them the go-ahead to try the course.

Wednesday was not impressed in the least with the first several obstacles she faced. She walked across the little wooden bridge without batting an eye and sneezed at the ribbon archway when Erwin guided her through it. When it came time to walk past the little pen with the cow and the goat, though, the filly seemed to take things more seriously.

Wednesday stopped short as the cow poked her head over the fence. Erwin kept an eye on her, braced to hold her back if she bolted but keeping the tension out of the lead. He just wanted to see how she’d react.

Instead of panicking, the flashy filly squared up her stance, stomping one little hoof in the dark sand. She laid her ears back and stared the cow square in the eye, letting out a challenging snort, while the docile bovine simply blinked at her. Erwin chuckled under his breath. “Nothing spooks you, huh, Wednesday?” He gave the lead a gentle tug, getting Wednesday’s attention back on him, and they continued through the course.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Word count: 2069
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Background refrenced from various provided images; no pose references used. My work may not be copied, traced, or heavily referenced without my explicit permission.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------