Post by creativecause on Jul 4, 2014 7:55:32 GMT -5
We're Both Broken
Prima Donna and Hadley Grayson
“Where’s Hadley? I thought she was supposed to be out here twenty minutes ago?” Jessie asked Steve, while he trotted in on Rose.
“Bonding I’m sure,” Steve smiled.
“You do realize she really doesn’t like Prima at all don’t you?” Jessie asked.
“Oh I do, and truthfully Prima doesn’t exactly like Hadley either.” Steve said thoughtfully, hoping Jessie would catch on, but he knew that was a long shot.
“So why are you still assigning Hadley to her?” Jessie asked, sounding a bit irritated.
“What you two young ones don’t understand, is that Hadley has a lot more in common with Prima than any of the rest of you do. Give it time, and those two will be racking up wins together because they will learn to appreciate and compensate for each other.” Steve said, itching the back of his head, “it really is that simple.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Jessie said, walking Rose past Steve and towards the barn.
“Maybe to you, but you’ll see.” Steve put his hat back on and watched some of the horses run their workouts.
......................................................................................
Hadley stared six feet away from the 16.3 hand bay filly in front of her. She bit her lip pondering why on gods earth Steve decided to put her on Prima. Not that the filly wasn’t good, she had a great two year old season, but she kinda took a nose dive in her three year old season. Hadley was still brewing over their loss to Wishing For A Heroine. They didn’t exactly get along, even in races, Prima had fought with Hadley the whole way around the track in the Orpheus Stakes. The filly was pushy, bossy, and just plain rude at times, and although Hadley didn’t see it, Steve said they were exactly alike.
Hadley grumbled something under her breath, she was supposed to take Prima out twenty minutes ago, but she simply found herself staring at the bay filly, while Prima glared at her and pinned her ears at her. They hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot from the beginning, and Hadley didn’t exactly like Prima, but the feeling was mutual. She couldn’t figure the filly out and it was bugging her far more than it probably should have.
“What’s your problem?” She growled at the filly, walking over to the stall. Hadley dodged Prima’s mouth, just barely getting away from her vicious bites. She pushed Prima back away from her stall door and Prima came back with full force and shoved Hadley back about three feet.
Hadley growled and snatched the filly’s halter off of the hook and stared at her with nothing but pure determination in her eyes.
“You wonna play it that way?” she asked the Prima, “so be it.” Hadley wrestled with Prima’s head, not caring much as to whether or not she hurt the filly. She practically hung from Prima’s head by the time she had finally managed to get the halter on the bay filly. She quickly hooked the lead rope on and avoided yet another ferocious bite.
Hadley tugged on the filly’s head as she tried to throw her off with tosses of her head and ramming into Hadley, and they had only walked a good ten feet from her stall. They continued to battle back and forth until Prima clamped her mouth around Hadley’s shoulder and Hadley cried out, not from pain, but out of anger. Instantly Hadley was on Prima with full force, she took the lead rope and pressed it firmly against Prima’s upper neck, and shoved all of her weight into the filly’s chest. She fought and pushed the filly backwards, Prima fighting the whole way, but Hadley wasn’t going to give up. Eventually they ran out of space to back up and Prima’s butt hit the back of the barn and Hadley stared into her eyes menacingly.
Prima and Hadley huffed and puffed together and they both stared intently at each other. Prima made one last attempt, she threw her head and tried to run into Hadley, but Hadley shoved her back.
“You think you have it bad?” Hadley growled at the filly, “my parents are dead! Get over yourself! What’s the worst that’s happened to you? huh?” She snapped at Prima. “You were at the top of your game and all the sudden you can’t beat a bunch of allowance runners? What is your deal? Even Ripley was willing to give up on you!”
Prima stood where she was still breathing heavily, but behaving. She looked at Hadley and Hadley swore she was looking right into her soul. Which really didn’t make any sense.
“You gonna behave now?” Hadley yelled, and Prima continued to stare. Hadley groaned and turned to start walking Prima, expecting her not to move, for her to toss her head, possibly get trampled, or even bitten again. But the filly followed obediently. Hadley stopped for a moment and looked back at the filly, expecting her to slam her head over hers, but she stood silently.
“Well that’s bi-polar...” she muttered walking the filly forward and began to tack her up. And the filly stood for her, there was no biting, nipping, attempts to kick her, nothing.
Since no one was around, Hadley hopped up on Prima by herself, with some problems, but Prima stood for her.
Hadley tightened her helmet and trotted out onto The Wire’s turf track and Steve looked back over at her on Prima.
“Where have you two been?” He asked.
“Having some major disagreements...” Hadley grumbled and started to run Prima through her warm ups then trotted up to the gate.
Prima loaded without an issue and she stood silently, Hadley brushed away some of her hair that was parted in the wrong side.
The gates flew open and Prima soared out of them with Hadley pushing her the whole way out. They were off and running comfortably, throughout the first turn. Prima flung dirt and turf everywhere in her wake. They fell into a nice rhythm together and Hadley pushed Prima a bit more, thinking that she wasn’t giving her work much effort yet.
Hadley wondered how a horse of Prima’s caliber could have such a bad season after having such a great two year old season and coming out in great form. She hadn’t won since January and couldn’t so much as beat allowance level horses. Eventually Ripley leased her to Grayson Meadows, but she had given up on the filly and it appeared Prima had given up too. Just like Hadley had after her parent’s car accident. Really what Hadley had realized, was that they were both in their own way broken. They were both broken, but not beyond repair.
They turned onto the homestretch and Hadley let her hold on Prima go. Prima accelerated, but not as much as Hadley would have liked her to, so Hadley tapped her once with the whip and Prima exploded, almost making Hadley lose her seat.
“Come on! We aren’t broken!” Hadley half yelled, half talked to Prima.
Prima pushed faster and faster, and they flew past the wire together. It had to have been a solid work, well it atleast felt better than their previous ones had. And judging by the look on Steve’s face, it was better.
They may have both been broken, but they would heal, and they could do it together.
