The Region 4 Championships......Pre-Show Select Rider The Aftermath Part 2

Making my way back to the stall, my mind raced with the possibilities. Could it really be this red stallion was after my horse? It just didn't make sense to me. I'd never heard of such a thing at a horse show before. It was going to take more information for me to figure this out and what I should do.

At the same time I had horses to show. Remember four of them had come with me to Salem for this horse show. Dandy and Louie both had classes in the morning session and there was still lots to do to get them ready. There was also Rhet's handler to track down so schooling for the colt's class later in the week could begin.

As I tried to keep focused on the tasks at hand I also found myself searching for information trying to make sense of this situation with the red horse. Each person I came across who had witnessed anything to do with the red stallion I asked questions, lots of questions. Slowly a picture began to emerge of a rider unaware and a horse with an agenda.

Included in these witnesses was Jay Goss, the show photographer. It was actually when talking to him that things finally began to make sense. I told him about the previous incidents. He's the one that put them together. It looked to Jay like this red stallion was carrying a grudge against my horse. For the first time, it made sense. Something about the instinct of horses that explained this whole thing.

Unfortunately such behavior in stallions is not fleeting. Once a stallion decides another stallion is his enemy, that will never change. Any time the horses are in close proximity the stallion will be driven by his agenda. In the wild such a stallion would drive the other stallion off or kill him. The question was how would this behavior exhibit itself in the show ring. The only thing that was certain, things were escalating. I needed to do something to be sure my horse and I were protected in the ring.

On the same trip up to the arena where I'd spoken to Jay Goss, I also finally picked up a show program. Rhet's breeder had been bugging e about the number of horses entered in his class. Imagine my surprise when I found my handler, Terry Holmes, was listed showing two colts in that class.

My focus immediately changed to this new problem. I knew looking at the name of the other owner that I was going to be the one without a handler. They were long time clients and there was no way an unknown breeder like me was going to get the priority. I sure didn't have the money to get involved in some kind of bidding war for services even if it should come to that.

I'd tried calling the handler earlier in the week. He had not returned my calls. Now I was thinking I knew why. Instead of trying to call him again, I had Richard make the call.

Richard made two calls before he ever got a response. The first one he just left his name and number telling him he was calling for a client. In the second message he used Angie's name as well. Terry Holmes called back almost immediately after that one. Angie's name carries weight in lots of circles and Mr Holmes had been the one to show Midnite Eclipse to his wins in the open division.

Unfortunately, my assumptions were true. Terry Holmes was not going to lead my colt in the colt's class. Not only that he had no memory of ever talking to me. I guess next time I hear sounds like a bar in the background, I'll pay closer attention. Whatever the reason for his lapse in memory, I now found myself without a handler for Rhet's class.

The way things were shaping up, I was thinking about going home. I sure didn't want to be riding in a class to have my stallion attacked by another stallion. Nor did I want to be leading a colt like Rhet into a class where whose on the end of the lead can affect the outcome. It was looking to me like this regional championship wasn't meant for me..........

To be continued.................

Pre-Show Day Two

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