"Keep your hands together!
Heels low!
And watch where you're going!"

"What did I tell you!?"

"Eevee, girl, you used to jump massive oxers, fearless, what happened?
It's like you've never jumped in your life!"

" I don't know Sash, I just panic somehow, I always think I'm gonna lose control.
It's been years since I rode, let alone jump!"

"Speeeeeeciaaal!!", Eevee called over the pasture,
trying to rattle the carrots in her hands, only then realizing they wouldn't make any noise.
She walked a little further and called again.
The sun pleasingly warmed her skin while she made her way through the flower blanket in the grass.
The first nice weather of the year made her cheerful, it was only spring,
but somehow they already had some truly summery weather.
In the distance she heard a faint whinny when she called Special's name again.

That was another thing that made her happy today;
even though she had told Matthew a thousand times that it wasn't necessary,
he had finally told her he put Special in her name as a thank you for the renovations of the barn.
She'd had a hunch for a while now, since Matthew was always pushing her to enter clinics,
lessons and competitions and finding a thousand excuses for her to work with the young gelding.
But every time she'd tried to ask him what was going on,
he'd just say he was happy to see Special getting attention
and that he knew it was good for Eevee to be working with horses.
This morning however he had finally told her the truth.
Special was now officially her horse,
well, he had been for a month or two now.
Eevee suspected that it was Sasha's doing that Matthew finally told her,
she had been there too this morning, exchanging some very meaningful looks at both her brother and Eevee.
"Speeeeeeciaaaaal!!", Eevee called once again, also once again trying to rattle the carrots and to come to the same realization.

This time a dark figure moved in the distance, whinnying enthusiastically.
Special came galloping towards her, but gently slowed down to a stop when he reached her to then interrogatively look at her.
Eevee conjured up a carrot from behind her back, which Special nibbled from her hand eagerly.
She ruffled her hand through his little forelock, "So it turns out you're mine, boy. I guess we're really in this together now."
The horse stretched out his neck, trying to get his nose passed her to find the other carrots.
"What do you say we do some training and get to know each other a little better?"
Special snorted, probably more towards the carrots than in agreement, but a girl can dream, right?
That's the moment Eevee realized she forgot Special's halter at the gate, she'd put it on a post to open the pasture and left it there.
"Maybe Special would follow her for the carrots," she thought, "I might even teach him to follow me without a halter?"
"You coming, boy?," she asked the horse, slowly turned around, rattled the soundless carrots behind her back and started walking.
She glanced over her shoulder and there he was, one ear on her, or the carrots, and one backwards, but he was actually following.
"That's a step in the right direction," Eevee thought, with a smile on her face.