[open] controlled & free

[Adriana N. Simmons]

adriana quietly walked into the barn. the silent air around her only filled by the chirps of the crickets and the heavy breathing of sleeping horses. her feet not making a sound as she headed down the large stable aisle to her palomino mare, doll. it was unusually early for a person to be at the barn yet, she loved to feel the cool, morning air slowly warm-up as the sun itself awoke from its slumber to brighten and heat the day. plus, she had plans to groom the four-legged creatures before working them.

she came to dolls stall and leaned over the wall to peek inside. the muscular mare was slowly waking up. her ears flicked as she laid there. she knew the sound of adriana's truck. as the golden horse started to lift her dome, she saw her master turn and walk away. doll hurridly scrambled to get up and greet her. by the time she was steady, adriana had disappeared into the feed room. doll snorted loudly then listened and looked up and down the aisle. searching for another horse. none were around, yet. so her gaze turned back to adriana who, now had her boots on, was bringing her breakfast plus a early morning treat.

while the mare snarffed down her feed, adriana power-strolled out to her trailer to retrieve her grooming box. its contents consisting of mane & tail shampoos and conditioners, body soaps, baby shampoo, and whiteners, hoof healers, clippers, bands, and various kinds of brushes and combs. arriving at her trailer, adriana shuffled through her keys to locate the dressing room key. she had finally found it and shoved it into the keyhole. a faint click sounded and adriana swung open the door. the object she was looking for was just by the door, so access was easy. she placed a hold on the handle and pulled. its wheels rolling across the floor and landing on the grass. after placing the keys in the trailer and closing the door, adriana wheeled her box inside the stable and stopped in front of dolls stall. the mare had just recently finished her grain, and was patiently waiting for adriana to return.

"hey chicka. time to braid you." adriana whispered as she gently stroked the mares jaw. doll lipped playfully at the slender womens hair. backing away from the female, adriana bent over and opened the box. a rouge spider scurried out from under the lid and off to the outside. adriana didn't panic. he meant no harm. she just searched the bottem of the carrier for a brush. it was found in the bottem corner. next, she dug up the conditioner and grabbed some non-slip bands from the top. after placing the lid on again, adriana silently opened the door and slipped inside the stall. doll gratefully moved her body out of the way so her owner could braid her short, creme-colored mane. with a smile, adriana placed most of the grooming supplies on the stall wall, only keeping hold of the brush.

with a few, gentle strokes with the brush, the horses mane was now knot free. next, adriana slipped the brush between her knees and grabbed the conditioner. she squeezed a liberal amount into her palm and rubbing it all over dolls mane. the nine-year old mane breathed heavily and lowered her head, enjoying the attention. once it was rubbed in completely, the twenty-year old brushed it a few more times then, seperated the hair into four peices. each one tightly braided and secured with about three small rubber bands. tightly wrapped so if the horse shook, the braids would not come loose. when those were braided, adriana braided the mares forelock in a tight braid, too.

adriana gently kissed her horses neck before stepping out of the stall, and digging in the box, once again. but this time, she was looking for a bright, baby-blue, three-tubed tail wrap and some black, gorrila duct-tape. once all the items were placed along the wall, adriana headed back to the mares stall. this time, she went to the back of the horse. her small hands lifting the palominos thick, long, creme-colored tail and gave it a quick sniff. it was clean. so she snagged the brush and thoroughly brushed it before placing a lot of conditioner in it and re-brushing it. doll gave a playful flick then returned to her still pose. adriana giggled to herself then took hold of the girls tail. she searched for the end of the tail bone and held it tightly as she tied the tail wrap around and through dolls tail a few times. she tugged on it gently to make sure it didn't fall. when it did not slip, adriana took her sweet time to braid it nice and tight, before securing it two times at the bottem with the tape. when she finished, adriana gave the horse a good pat. indicating she was finished and doll could move again.

stepping out of the stall once again, adriana shut the door and dumped her grooming supplies into the box. doll nudged adriana and gave a quiet squeel. the lady smiled, rubbed her horses nose. "ok. can i get a snack first?" she asked the horse as she listened to her stomach lightly growled. the mare bobbed a 'yes', allowing her rider to grab an apple from her truck to munch on. it only took a few minutes to eat.

once she handed doll the rest, the horse devoured it and pawed as her owner slid the halter on her head and started walking her out to the western practice ring. the palomino jogging happily behind her. as the couple entered the ring, adriana sent doll off for a quick run-around. the horse happily raced off. playfully bucking, jumping, and tossing her head around while her owner shut the gate. after she turned around and saw her horse having fun, she laughed then leaned back on the fence. allowing her horse to have her fun until she was done.

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[glow=red,2,300]word count: 1025
tags: open to anyone[/glow]

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