Start of Something New

Shauntel rubbed her eyes as they blurred once again and glanced at the digital clock on her desk. 1:35 am. She knew that the owners of the new arrival were going to be coming late at night, but 2:00 am? Really? Suddenly, she heard a trailer rumble up the driveway, and she pulled the lacey curtain away from the office window to see a silver featherlite with a green horse decal park carefully in front of the stallion barn. The new arrival was trained, but young and untested in competition, surely a gamble for a barely established stable. The owner of the young horse stumbled out of the truck, smiling. She was an older woman, but walked fiercely towards Shauntel, a sharp grin on her face. Legado was a 7 year old thoroughbred  stallion, and boy was he all legs. He unloaded fairly quietly, ears flicking wildly and eyes aglow. "Where would you like him?" The woman asked, petting the stallion's neck carefully. He appeared to be good mannered, stepping quietly towards the stallion barn. She removed his bandages and halter carefully as he was put in the stall which had been prepared earlier. He sniffed the walls and ground, taking a bite of hay. He nickered at the sight of the other horses, especially Arrividerci, who circled his stall. "Well, thanks so much for delivering him, Susan. We really appreciate it." Susan nodded and placed a hand on the stall. "You're very welcome, now I have to head home." She said abruptly, wiping her eyes as she hopped in the truck again. Shauntel had heard that the woman from Idaho was selling all of her horses upon the loss of her husband, who owned and managed the stables. She walked out of the stables, flicking off the lights as she left. Her breath clouded in the air. She had noticed on the weather radar that a storm was brewing off the coast, and it was due to leave at least 4 inches of snow on the ground overnight.
______________

Sure enough, as Shauntel woke the next morning, snow had poured onto the ground, and was still fluttering down from the sky. She walked into the barn, where the grooms were already busy turning the horses out. Legado was last, and he nickered impatiently. Shauntel opened the stall door and grabbed a leather halter off of a hook on the front of his stall. She slipped it over his ears and clipped the gold buckle on, leading him out into the crisp morning air. He danced impatiently as she unhooked the halter and let him loose in the pasture. He trotted happily through the snow and raced up and down the fence for a while before resorting to pawing through the snow in the search of grass. Legado's training would begin soon, but first a few days of relaxation were in order.


<sub>Stock

maplefilly.deviantart.com/art/…
maplefilly.deviantart.com/art/…
maplefilly.deviantart.com/art/…</sub>