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“Riley is going to tack him up and you can take him out. Tomorrow, you’ll be able to get him under saddle—only if you want. You can always scratch if it isn’t working.”

They called Chloe’s class and she trotted to the lineup, chatting with another woman in the open division. Of course she now had even more friends! This time, Chloe trotted in, shoulders back, and chest up. She held the reins in one hand, the other pulled up in the familiar girl-riding-horsemanship stance Piper taught her. I always dropped my arm, but women were a different story. In all honesty, she looked great.

Once called out for her pattern, she rode straight into the first stop, then backed. She picked up a canter to the left, then serpentined, switching lanes with very little thought in the middle. Dressage was all about a pattern. It made sense she’d nail every transition. Chloe went full zen, her head gently turning to watch where her horse should go, but her body’s lines remained calm. In the end, I realized why Piper’s transition to dressage had been so easy. The disciplines had a lot in common.

“She’s improved.”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Gorgeous,” Dad murmured.

“She’s beautiful,” Mom approached. “Both of them are.”

“She’s recovered,” I said.

Dad patted my back. “She’s tough.”

I watched Chloe move, stop, and complete a 270-degree turn before loping out. Success. It was a truly beautiful pattern. Chloe shrugged, slowing her horse at the gate and walking out calmly.

“Don’t go anywhere, honey,” Dad said. “They’ll call you back for a ride-off on the rail. You did a beautiful job.”

“Oh, I tried. Was it good. I think we might make it,” Chloe said with a big grin.

“Flawless,” I chuckled, patting Opal’s shoulder. “You did well. I don’t know that Piper could have asked for much more from this horse.”

Chloe beamed. “Cool. Well, they have like twenty more riders, and I want to get up on Mack, so I’m going to hop off, then hop on. Can you just keep her walking?”

“Sure,” I sighed. “You know, it’s better if you⁠—”

“My mind won’t slow down right now, Cole. Trust me.”

I did. I had to trust her.

27. KNOW YOUR HORSE

CHLOE

“That wasn’t bad!”

As I won my equitation class, a few trainers shot me nasty looks—trainers I’d beaten. These were the same people who had no idea that I’d once been a big equitation rider before leaving those bitches to go to dressage. No, stock horses were not the same, but I could make a pattern pretty.

“You’re a ringer,” Cole’s Dad laughed.

“I’m still a mess,” I admitted. “But I figured her out a bit.”

“She was great,” Piper chirped.

“I want to do one last class,” I said.

“What?” Cole asked.

“I think Mack could have fun in hunter hack,” I answered.

He did a double take.

“Look, if he tosses me, I’m already worse for wear. Can you get him tacked up in the next few minutes so I can warm him up a bit while the juniors ride?”

“Sure,” Cole sighed. “Good god! You’re nuts.”