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Upon reaching the warm-up arena, Myra expertly mounted Adonis, not reacting when the stallion immediately started walking. She understood he was simply excited, so she knew there was not a need to get angry with him for it. As he walked on, she used the opportunity to double-check the saddle and other things, making sure to pause whenever Adonis became distracted. Myra started to guide him through a few turns here and there, occasionally loping him to get more of a feel for how he was feeling. She noticed Caleb out of the corner of her eye, but she knew she had to focus on Adonis, not him. After a few more minutes, she utilized a cone that had been left out to practice turning sharply; Adonis was talented at helping her calculate distance and when to start preparing for the turn and the barrel. Of course, she made sure they turned to the left of the cone since it was the stallion`s good side. |
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Caleb chuckled to himself as she practiced, his fondness for her growing with every stride her horse took. He kept practicing until SPlash was sweating and in need of water. He smiled and patted the mare's neck before dismounting and putting away the dummy. He grabbed his horse and walked her back to the trailer, happy with their warm-up session. He placed a loose cooler on top of the tack, making sure she didn't cool too fast and sieze up. |
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After about 30 minutes, Myra took the time to cool off Adonis by walking around the arena. She knew that barrel racing was one of the first to go today, so she didn`t want to untack him yet. Adonis was behaving himself like usual, only occasionally flattening his ears when a different horse and rider got a bit too close for comfort. |
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Caleb just doomscrolled for around an hour before mounting up onto Splash and going to practice again |
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Eventually, Myra found herself waiting for her round, sitting atop Adonis as she tended to replying to her parents` messages. She knew they were watching from somewhere within the crowd today; they usually prioritized her runs over Lily`s, which was why they had just arrived today. Myra felt confident that this would be an easy win, yet victories were never a guarantee. |
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Caleb heard her name be called and rushed to jog Splash to the nearest space that offered a view of the arena |
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(Yikes, this was pretty long, xd.) The dreadful alley was the worst part of rodeos in her experience, the usually tight space making both her and Adonis briefly nervous beyond belief. It was rather easy for mistakes to be made there, specifically slips and any kind of spooking; it did not help that barrel racers had to leave it at a full gallop, maybe an incredibly extended canter. Myra held the reigns rather tightly as she heard her name being called, guiding Adonis until they were in position. The stallion stood still for the most part, until the cheers of anticipation rung out. He started shifting to and fro, bobbing his head and flattening his ears. She knew he wouldn`t rear or do anything too drastic, but sometimes accidents happened. ``We got this,`` she whispered to him as she gave his neck a firm pat before they were officially off. Adonis catapulted forward with the strength uniquely his own, hooves thundering as they approached the barrel located on the left side; he was better at turning that way on a dime. Flawlessly, they swerved around the first barrel before heading for the second one. Once again, they executed the turn perfectly; Adonis` nostrils were flaring and his flanks heaving at this point. The last barrel was always the hardest for him, but they managed to turn smoothly around it before heading home. Myra eased him into a halt, grateful that the man responsible for the gate had kept it open per her request; she never wanted to force Adonis into a stop right after a run. She whispered praises to the stallion as he calmed down, more focused on him than the results. After all, she was not surprised to hear that they had gotten a record. It happened so often at smaller rodeos that she was no longer surprised by it. |
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Caleb watched her in awe, her horse turning so beautifully he was beaming. He could tell this was what she loved and he loved that about her. As she bolted back through the timers, he glanced at the leaderboard with her name at the top. He cheered with the rest of the crowd and jogged Splash back into the warm-up arena as the broncs started. The roping was next, and he was honestly nervous as this night had a lot better of ropers than the prior |
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Myra dismounted Adonis and stood to the side as he drank from a nearby bucket of water. She decided to watch Caleb take his turn in roping, wanting to observe him again. Surprisingly, she found herself hoping he did amazing. |
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Caleb heard his name be called and took position beside the calf's chute. Splash knew the drill, so he didn't need to say anything. He nodded to the people keeping time, barely nudging Splash's sides to signal it was time to go. She shot off, Caleb expertly roping the calf before hopping off and hog-tying it. He raised his hands in the air, beaming, to signal the timer's stop. He had the spot of first place, but that could change. He sighed, untying the calf and letting it run to it's pen. He mounted back up onto Splash before jogging her out of the arena and to the trailer |
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Partly Cloudy with Afternoon Drizzle
