Chapter 13
“So, how are things going with Tempest?” Lionel asked.
“Great, actually,” Michael responded. “He’s a great horse, with tremendous talent. He just needs someone to challenge him. He’s so very intelligent, and therefore very easily bored, and when he gets bored, he gets naughty, making up ways to test his rider. He’s tried it with both Jessica and me.”
“So, is Jessica coping well with him? I didn’t think she was capable enough to handle him after he misbehaved and threw her in Germany.”
“Actually, Jessica is quite a capable rider. She has the talent and guts to ride Tempest. Her only weakness in my view is her lack of international competition experience. I don’t think she has any idea how cutthroat some of the competition can be at these events.”
Lionel noticed right away that Michael’s offer to step in and help Jessica train with Tempest had brought them closer together, and might lead to a training job for Michael even if he didn’t win the competition for Tempest. The more time they spent together working with Tempest, the more likely the competition might end up benefitting both of them. This concerned him. There had to be something he could do to disrupt the positive momentum. He would have to think about it. Maybe he could spend a few days and figure something out. He could not let Michael succeed in any way in this competition.
Michael and Lionel approached a stall somewhat separate from the others in Michael’s wing of the barn. “Here’s the horse I was telling you about. Say hello to Rocky.” Michael moved to the front of a stall. Inside was a rather dull-looking bay gelding, about 16 hands tall, with a nondescript star on his forehead. Lionel noticed that there didn’t appear to be any marks on the horse, but he appeared to tense and pin his ears when anyone approached the door of his stall.
“My student, Corrine, bought Rocky as a trail horse for her daughter, Samantha. When they went to test ride the horse, he had already been taken out of stall, and appeared to be fine. He was comfortable to ride and his price was very reasonable, so she bought him. The first sign of trouble came when they came back a few days later to pick him up, and it took them two hours to load him in their trailer. Finally, the seller took a large whip and chased him into the trailer. When they got him home, other signs of trouble showed up.
It became clear that the sellers had drugged Rocky so he behaved calmly while being ridden. In reality, he is fearful of being touched, and threatens to bite or kick anyone who comes into his stall unless he is distracted by either another person, with an offering of an apple, carrot or other treat. It’s clear that his previous owners abused him. In addition, the horse has no confidence or trust in his rider, and is dangerous to ride. On trail rides, if a rabbit jumps out, or a plastic bag blows across the trail, he bolts away at a dead run, and can’t be controlled. Corrine is ready to have him put down, but I talked her into allowing you to look at him and see if there’s anything you can do.”
Lionel felt rage building within him as he listened to Michael’s description of the behaviors Rocky exhibited. “The bastards should be shot for treating a sensitive animal that way. I definitely want to see if there’s anything I can do to help. I’ll do it gladly.”
“Excellent!” Michael said. “I’ll contact Corrine and let her know you’ll be working with Rocky for the next few weeks. She’ll be thrilled, especially if you can make some progress with him.”
“Don’t get her hopes up too high, mate,” Lionel cautioned. “Fear is a powerful emotion, and Rocky has been ruled by fear for quite some time. It will take a great deal of time and patience to convince him he doesn’t have anything to be afraid of. You have a round pen I can use, don’t you?”
“Yes. You’re welcome to use it any time,” Michael replied. “Will you be staying here, or will you be driving back and forth from your farm?”
“If possible, I’d like to stay here for the first few days, to really get to know Rocky. Do you have a place for me?”
“Actually, I do. Herr Mendelssohn left to go back to Germany, so you can use his room while you’re here. Jessica is actually the only other person staying here right now. Her trainer, Liz Randall, had to go back to the States for a personal emergency. Jessica is communicating with her via YouTube and Skype right now.”
“Really,” Lionel said. “That’s a new development. What’s the ‘personal emergency?’”
“I’m really not at liberty to say, Lionel,” Michael said. “Suffice it to say that it’s more important for Liz to be in the U.S. than here for the time being.”
“All right,” Lionel said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend a few minutes alone here with Rocky, and see just exactly what we have here. Then, maybe we can go to the pub for dinner?”
“Actually, Lionel, I was planning to take Jessica out for dinner tonight,” Michael said, clearly chagrined at sharing this information with Lionel before he had a chance to ask Jessica. He reluctantly added, “I suppose you could come along, though.”
Lionel smiled to himself at the grudging manner in which Michael had, only out of sheer politeness, asked Lionel to accompany him and Jessica for dinner. Feigning ignorance of Michael’s discomfort, Lionel enthusiastically responded. “Of course. I’d love to join you. It will give me an opportunity to learn more about Jessica, especially since I’ll be staying here at the manor for a few days. If you don’t mind, though, I’d like to drive separately. I have a couple of errands to run while I’m out.”
“No problem. We’ll look forward to it,” Michael responded, less than enthusiastically, as he made his way back to the house.
Lionel, finally on his own, made his way to the stable, and immediately looked not for Rocky, but for Tempest’s stall. It wasn’t hard to find. Michael had fashioned a larger than normal-sized box stall for Tempest, with more than the usual stall accouterments, including a beautiful leather halter with shiny brass hardware and his name engraved in gold plate on the cheek strap hanging on the front of the stall. A brass nameplate with his name engraved along with his breed logo graced the stall door.
The stallion himself looked up at Lionel’s approach and graced him with a curious but guarded expression. Lionel approached with a measure of caution. He had worked with stallions before, and they could be unpredictable and frequently aggressive. Not to mention that he was, to this stallion, a stranger. He needn’t have worried, however. This stallion had never in his life experienced even one incident of abuse, and was accustomed to being handled by professionals whose primary interest was keeping him content. His general trust in and comfort around people overcame any fear that a sudden appearance by a stranger at his stall might otherwise provoke.
“My boy, you are a beauty.” Lionel found himself in awe at this magnificent horse. “It’s too bad your interests and mine are at odds. I would love to see you shown by someone who knows what they’re doing, and Michael is absolutely that person.” Feeling more than a slight twinge of regret at what he had to do, Lionel looked around the stable to see if there was any way he might arrange for a small accident for Tempest that would impair both Michael and Jessica’s ability to ride him for the next few weeks. In Lionel’s estimation, such an accident would be all it would take to convince Herr Mendelssohn that neither Michael nor Jessica were to be trusted with his precious stallion, and Mendelssohn would take him home to Germany to look for another match.
Unfortunately, Michael kept an immaculate stable, and there was nothing lying around that would cause an injury such as Lionel might need for his purposes. Lionel noted the grain room was just down the aisle from Tempest’s stall, and when he tried the door, it was unlocked. Brilliant! All I have to do is open the grain room door, ensure a grain bin is left open, and unlatch Tempest’s stall door. In that way, once Tempest smelled the unmistakable odor of molasses, and realized the grain was available for the taking, he would be able to easily open his stall door, and make his way to the grain to feast to his heart’s content. Better yet, there wouldn’t be any clear evidence of wrongdoing.
The fact that Tempest’s stall was left unlatched could easily be blamed on a careless barn worker. To ensure that Tempest didn’t eat so much grain that the damage would be life-threatening, he would wake up within an hour of retiring, ostensibly having heard a noise, and discovered Tempest in time to save his life. His timely “discovery” would ensure that the horse got enough grain in him to only cause a mild if any, colic, or a mild case of laminitis, an inflammation of the feet caused by too much rich feed hitting his system in a short period of time. The only treatment for such an affliction was stall rest in deep footing and inactivity for as long as the inflammation persists. The plan was set. “I’ll be back to see you later tonight, boy,” Lionel said with a grin. “I hope you’ll be hungry.”
Later that evening, as Michael was driving Jessica back to the manor from the pub where he, Jessica and Lionel had partaken of a somewhat strained dinner, he realized that Jessica hadn’t said a word since they left the pub. He glanced over at her as she sat next to him in the passenger seat, and noticed that she was staring out of the side window, but her gaze wasn’t focused, and he could tell that she was mentally miles away. “You’re very quiet this evening, Jess. Is something wrong?”
Michael’s attempt at conversation had startled Jessica out of her reverie, and she looked guiltily over at Michael, flushing with embarrassment that he had caught her daydreaming. “It’s nothing, really,” Jessica said. “I’m just worried about Hailey. I’ve been trying to contact her physical therapist and doctor to get recommendations for physicians and therapists here in the UK so that she can continue her fitness and rehabilitation, but they’re not returning my calls. It’s very frustrating, and there’s nothing I can do about it when I’m over here, four thousand miles away.”
“Does it have to be done right now?” Michael asked. “After all, we can always look into those possibilities once Hailey gets here. In fact, it might be better if she meets with the potential doctors and therapists before committing to anyone to make sure they’re compatible.”
“We?” Jessica asked, suddenly irritated that Michael was taking it upon himself to assume part of a responsibility that had been Jessica’s, and Jessica’s alone, for the past 5 years. “Michael, this isn’t your obligation, it’s mine. And yes, it does have to be done now. I would rather have arrangements made up front, before Hailey gets here so she won’t miss any therapy. It’s critical for her long-term progress that she continue being active and that she maintain a constant level of care.” Jessica felt the anger rising within her, and her next statement was laced with sarcasm. “Of course, not having ever had to experience something like this, you wouldn’t know that.” Seeing the stricken look on Michael’s face after that statement, Jessica immediately regretted her angry reaction, and softened in response, “Please, Michael, I know you mean well, but this is none of your business.”
Michael was taken aback by the vehemence of Jessica’s reaction to his offer to help, and to what he considered to be a common-sense solution to her problem. He realized that there was more to Jessica’s relationship with Hailey and her injuries than what appeared on the surface. He resolved to discover what it was that made Jessica so very protective and determined to “fix” Hailey. He wondered if there was any way for him to really help her, or if she would have to resolve those issues herself. What he did know was that she couldn’t continue to allow Hailey’s condition to rule her own life. At some point, probably very soon, Hailey would be old enough to be on her own, and Jessica would have to let her go. For now, though, it was time to change the subject.
“Lionel said he had some errands to run, then he would be back to the house. Are you comfortable with him staying here for a few days?”
“Michael, it’s your home, and Lionel is your friend. I should have no say in whether he stays or goes, but since you’re asking me, I’m fine with him being here. I do have to admit, though, that he makes me uncomfortable, but I can’t for the life of me tell you why.”
“He’s had a hard life, but I’ve known him for years, and trust him. I think he’s Rocky’s last chance at redemption. I’m very much hoping he can find a way to bring that poor horse back and make him a decent riding horse.”
“For Rocky’s sake, I agree with you. No horse deserves to be abused.”