feeding time

[tam]

Tamara yawned as she made her way into the stable hall her eyes drooping and her whole body slumped slightly. She hated mornings but she had to get Sunrise fed, it was that time of morning. She wandered straight to the feed room, not stopping to greet her mare just yet. Pale hands grabbed a bucket and she began eyeing the feeding bins, she was so tired they all looked the same. Finally locating the correct one she drug the bucket into it and then set it down. Making sure she didn’t need anything else she turned and hauled the bucket back into the isle. Another yawn erupted from her small form. Turning she walked down the hall ignoring the calls of other horses to get the feed of her mare. This was Tequila Sunrise’s breakfast no one else’s.

Reaching the stall she opened the door and slid inside dumping the bucket into its appropriate bin. She pushed the pin to refill her water bucket a bit more before swinging around again. She latched the stall and headed for the hay loft. It was too early today. Morning had come far, far to fast for her taste. She winced as a sunbeam crossed her eyes and she glared at the door to the barn and the small crack that always remained even when those doors were closed. Shaking her head she grabbed a full hay net and once more returned to her girl. She hung the full hay net then wandered from the stall grabbing the mare’s head collar as she went. She wandered to the pasture and stared out for a moment before sighing and calling out. Her voice was a bit horse, she needed to drink something she hoped it wasn’t sickness.

She didn’t have to wait too long as Sunrise wandered over a nearby rise and straight to the gate. She opened the metal door and quickly harnessed her up. With that they wandered towards the barn, both quite lazily it seemed. She yawned again and glanced to sunrise with a small grin, ”Looks like you lucked out you silly thing I am too tired to do anything but a normal work out. We will see how I feel later but for now you just get to eat.” Tam stroked the mare’s head then unclipped the lead as she let the girl into her stall. Nodding slowly she locked the door behind her and sat herself down to wait. From her back pocket she pulled out a small notebook and a pencil and began to doodle. She needed to keep her hands occupied or she would pass out right here leaned against the door of Sunrise’s stall.

The mare grunted happily, not pleased with her rather informal greeting but she was being fed so that made up for it she supposed. The mare wasn’t one to be too temperamental but she was in one of her moods, so she ignored Tam for now and just ate. She clearly was one content gypsy cob, hardly a flick of her tail or so much as a stamp of her foot as she dug her nose into her feeder. The constant crunching permeated the air but oh well it was natural to chew. The mare had no care for the social qualms of human society she just ate nothing more or less. Occasionally she would swing her head over the door while chewing and spill wet food down onto Tams head but tam hardly seemed to noticed she would just brush it off and continue with her current work.

[poppies]

Today was time to make a fashion statement. Rocky and her had already gone for a morning gallop on the trails, she ahd investigated every speck of land. It had taken her four hours to go on every trail out there, some she left for another day where there was more sunlight. However, it had been only like three in the morning when she had gone for her trail ride. Azalea had stayed out during the night and Juniper had been in her stall on stable rest. The vet said she had pulled a tendon out in the pasture probably while she was playing with Rocky. Also she had a knot in her back from when she rolled which would take her out of riding for a few days.

Rolling in the cot she tossed and turned as she snapped her body upwards. After her trail ride she had given all the horse's water and filled their hay nets for about half a flake before taking a nap. She hadn't yet found a condo or an apartment to take into lease while she was there. So she had talked with the owner of the stables, Chey, and they made an agreement that she could stay in one of the extra stalls with a cot. It worked out nicely because she couldkeep an eye on Juniper, Azalea, and Rocky.

Giving her body a quick stretch she saw that she wasn't the only one in the stables. Delilah her austrailian shepherd who came on the trails with her was laying next to her and looked up at Shawna. "Go back to bed. I'm gonna feed and groom Juniper." Smiling she slipped her hands through the stall guard and unbolted the door. With a scarf that was multicolored in tans, reds, pinks, blacks, and more she looked like a fashion statement. A black turtle neck shirt that was rolled a little and a pair of skinny leg jeans. Paddock boots still attached to her feet.

Leaving the stall open she looked at Delilah who watched her leave. Sending a smile as she passed the other girl and then went outside to the hay shed she grabbed three bales of hay. Dropping them ontop of her tack trunks she opened Rocky and Juniper's stalls. Putting up teh stall guards as she entered Juniper's stall she put a bale and a half into the mare's hay net. The same for Rocky. Grabbing a small cup of water with her hands she poured it onto the gelding's hay. It had to be a bit softer because of his teeth.

Immediately Rocky dug into his hay net while Juniper took a small whisp of it. "You gotta eat!" Shaking her head at the mare she grabbed the mare's leather halter and her lead line. Sldding the halter on she clipped on the lead and led her into the aisle slowly. Her limp seemed to be getting a little better but the knot in her back was still there. Running her hand over the mare's back bone she felt tie knot there and noticed how hard it was still. The vet had come yesterday and drained some liquid from the small speck.

It was much larger than it was that morning but it was still defidently a conflict between the mare's comfort. Unclipping the lead line she clipped both cross-ties onto the side of the mare's halter. Her front leg was wrapped in a bright pink cast after she had almost broke her leg but had managed to strain a tendon. Patting her neck she grabbed a grooming kit and began the steady process. In seconds Rocky popped his head over the door and whickered to the strange girl and her horse. He always made quick friends, and he always did whatever he could to make them.

[tam]

Tam was exhausted to say the least and despite not noticing the oats falling into her hair she hardly noticed the girl wandering through. Tam wasn’t the most social soul so she didn’t notice most people because many did not notice her. She went about her happy business with just Sunrise and her sister as company. She did not consider her sisters flighty mare much company the mare had too much energy and was far to high strung for Tam’s taste. She was almost dozing when sun began to chuff and wuff at the passing mare sticking her head out farther to sniff. She was almost done with the solid mixture and was considering the hay but the new passerby had piqued the friendly horse’s interest. Tam opened her eyes at the sounds and glanced up. A cascade of oats tumbled from her head and she stood shaking out the pellets and grains, some days she wondered if Sun did it on purpose.

She turned her head to see what had caught the mares eye and snickered. Just a girl and her horse. Tap cooed as she grabbed Sun’s nose and began stroking the antsy mare. ”Calm yourself just another horse. No need to be silly about this. You have met plenty of horses.” Tam knew that was true but her cob was not satisfied until she had met every animal at the barn. The horse was a social soul ironically living with a master who would be happy living her life a hermit outside of the Palomino mare. It was nice to see another person up and about, though from the looks of things this girl had been up far longer, and riding.

Tam honestly wondered how people got up before six. It was an impossibility for her so she always was in around 6:30 to feed and water her mare. Suddenly realizing she was staring she averted her gaze to another horse who was staring at her. Well she had been staring herself. His wicker made her jump and glance to sun before patting the mares neck softly, ”I’ll only be gone a minute.” She cooed before wandering the few stall lengths to greet the brute. She paused and began stroking his nose, ”No need to cause a commotion…” she paused to look at the name on the stall door, ”Rocky.” She patted his nose a second before noticing the intent stare from sun. Sun didn’t know this one either. She sighed at her mare’s odd habit and shook her head, ”Excuse me my mare calls.” She rubbed the middle of rocky’s forehead and nodded, ”Nice to meet you.”

Turning on her heal she wandered down to Sun again, the mare stomping as if frustrated. ”Oh give up your quest you silly thing this place is a revolving door too many people in and out to meet them all.” She glanced over to the other girl again. Internally she was fighting whether or not to introduce herself, it would be good manners but she really didn’t want to. It meant she had to be social and the poor bookworm was horrid at that. Finally she made up her mind and stuffed the tiny notebook and pencil back into her back pocket and approached Shawna as one might approach a bear trap, she hoped the girl didn’t notice. Tam just had little to no practice with this sort of thing. Normally other people approached her and her shyness was deemed cute and she was left alone.

Tam had mad a promise to herself though, when her father had shipped them off to this Podunk down. She promised herself to be more social and out going like her sister. She idolized her sister so for now she was trying. She made herself visible and thingyed her head. ”Um hi… I am Tamara… I haven’t seen you around the stalls before are you new?” it was awkward with odd pauses but she couldn’t help herself. Still it was better then doing nothing at all.

[poppies]

Settling Juniper down for a minute the mare stood calmly. The sedatives had calmed her down a bit but it also showed that she had lost her appetite since the sedatives were put into her feed last night. They were for her safety since the mare hated casts on her leg and each dose lasted twenty hours. The other four were usually spent when Shawna was with her and sometimes when she took her for a slow walk around the pastures which took all of the four hours really. Rocky was usually following them either by himself or Shawna rode him and lead Juniper on a lead line.

Watching as the other girl approached Rocky she smiled, he was a very social horse and it matched Shawna's personality. Pricking his ears he grunted as he accepted the attention from the stranger and once she left he pawed the ground and looked at Shawna with panicked eyes. His attention giver had left. Walking to him she stroked his neck before scratching his nose and giving him a piece of a peppermint. He accepted it and turned to pull at his hay net. "At a boy."

Looking back at Juniper she hated to see the mare so down and low, ecspecially because of medication. Pain killers were also needed every twenty four hours becuase the strain hurt her dearly. The knot in her back required fluids to be drawn from it every other day by the vet. Suddenly a small brush against Shawna's leg shook her from her thoughts. Delilah stood there looking at her expecting to be picked up. Grabbing the dog from where she stood she rubbed her head and picked her up for a second.

The sight of a dog usually terrified Juniper to death yet the mare was so sedated that she wasn't even bothering. Her ears were flopped to the sides like a bonkey it was a funny sight. Placing the dog down on the tack trunk she laid on her side and seemed to smile at Shawna. Turning around she noticed the girl talking to her. With a wide smile she learned that she was Tamara. "I'm Shawna. That's Juniper, Delilah, and Rocky who've you met." She pointed to the bay mare in teh cross-ties first, then the dog, and then to Rocky as she went in order.

"I have another mare who is about to be two years old acording to the Jockey Club out in the pastures, her name is Azalea. She's a nice bay coloring and has a star. Really docile but skittish." Realizing that she was talking really fast and really to much she stopped and then smiled once more. Juniper was listening and pricked her ears best she could and looked at the two. "I got here not to long ago. So I guess you could call me new."