Phase 3

Valerie’s POV In the months Marcy was here, she had made incredible progress. The infection her ears had cleared completely, and despite still being deaf in ear, it was clear the pain had stopped and she was getting comfortable in her own skin again in this wild place. While she was still uncomfortable with touch around her ears, it had gotten a lot better and she confidently walked anywhere with purpose. And due to her confidence, she was started under saddle and learning how to work properly. They decided she clearly had some training in the past, but the cues were… backwards; like a child had trained her. Maybe this was true.. and it gave me some idea where she came from. She was a child’s pony, just sent wherever the child wanted, thinking this broke my heart and I wondered if there was some sort of way I could find her kid all over again. however, that would be something i would attempt later on, for now, i would tack her up to go on a small ride.

Having her saddle and everything on, all that was left was her bridle. Marcy had a special bridle, one that was made for mules and their long ears, it buckled together over her crown, behind her ears instead of slipping over them. Though it was inconvenient at times, it kept her comfortable and safe as she never had to worry about her ears being touched without her consent. I found this setup made her much happier and less anxious about the tacking up process. i fastened it to her before guiding her out the barn to mount up.

A short walk’s distance from the exotic barn, the place she now lives instead of the foaling barn, we were in the arena. the owner of the facility was currently teaching one of the students and this made me happy.. it would be a good practice experience for Marcy as there was a new horse and different sounds while still being in a familiar environment. She still had her spooky moments, but with each day she got more and more confident with them, along with slowly getting into shape and seemingly content mentally as working gave her something to focus on. We used the half of the arena Kyden wasn’t working with, limiting our space but that too was helpful. By now, Marcy understood basics, like how to turn, stop and continue to the next gait.. it was staying with her rider and not throwing a fit when she didn’t understand was the issue. nonetheless, she was an amazing horse who had potential to go wherever she could go.. and a discipline is what I wondered about, what would Marcy do for the rest of her life.

Her and I trotted around for a while, nothing more than that, we worked on circles and keeping rhythm. I tried to stretch her muscles and help her help build them up so she could be stronger and happier. By time we were done, she walked around with her head low and deep breathing coming from her chest. he hadn’t worked for long, but she was weak and just getting used to it all.. not to mention the heat that beamed down on her despite it being the middle of fall. Kentucky was always hot. Marcy swatted her tail to the side only to prove my point. she huffed as we exited the ring. i was proud of her, at the beginning she was iffy of the other duo but soon settled into it. Before long, we were on a small hack, alone. her head perked up and looking around kind of frantically for any possible threats.. riding alone was something that was still weird for her, it was understandable. Because of this, our walks were short as she jumped at little noises. I made sure to rub her neck and speak soothingly to her, maybe this walk wasn’t the best idea but nonetheless, we were here and there was only one way to get back and that was to keep down the path that went around the outside of the pastures and other useful things around the property. this was proof to her that they still had things to work on but it would all take time and patience, as everything with Marcy does. I don’t mind at all, it kept Alicia and I busy.

Finally, we arrived back at the barn and she was much more peaceful, glad to be back home in her barn. I untacked her and sponged her down before allowing her to graze for a short while to let her catch her breath completely and settle down before returning to her pasture for the rest of the day. She had been living with one of the ponies on property, a Teddy Cob to be exact. the little hellion of a pony was a wonderful friend for Marcy, and they got along well. Tostada kept Marcy company through scary moments, showing her to was all okay and nothing was going to hurt her. with time, we all noticed Marcy becoming happier in her pasture.. which was a medium-large size to begin with, a happy haven for two little mares who wanted nothing but to be buddies.. happy buddies. Whenever we arrived at the pasture, Tostada was already beyond excited to see Marcy again who perked up at the sight of her friend. It made me happy how close the two had become in the short time they lived together. and truly it was amazing to see Marcy flourish under new care and a good, healthy home. upon releasing her, her and Tostada went trotting off, the pony nipping at her side and squeals coming from the spotted mare. I noticed her whinnies and noises started to become unusual, maybe because of her partial hearing, listening to herself became difficult and she struggled to know what she sounded like. but it was amazing to see how happy she was despite her disability.

I sat on the fence and watched them for a while as the sun began to go down. how they played and ran around, then moved to grazing side by side. This is what made all of it worth it, putting horses in the happiest home imaginable and soon, I hoped to add Dusk and maybe Valkyrie to the mix, Dusk being our project horse from the previous year. who was also happy and working well in Malachite. Everything was coming together and I couldn’t be happier. Before I knew it, Kyden showed up at my side and leaned over the fence, a witty smile stricken on his face, both of us looking off to the duo.

“You did amazing with her.. Again.” Kyden spoke in a gentle voice, crossing his arms on the board.

“As long as she is content. I think we did well. Plus, Alicia did a lot of elbow grease.” I admitted, thinking back to the nights of Alicia texting her around 10pm saying she was finally going back to her dorm after working with Marcy. A small laugh came from the brown headed boy beside me.

“What do you plan to do with her?”

“I want to keep working with her. I believe she was a kid’s horse and I want them to meet once more; and maybe even start riding here.” I replied, watching Kyden nod.

“Marcy will be happy about that, assuming she remembers.”

“Surely,” I said, hopping off the fence and beginning to walk with the man back to the barn to begin feeding.