West Coast Friendship: Part Two

Hello, blog. Long time no see.

I think I'll continue with my West Coast Friendship story. Here's Part One, in case you haven't read that yet.

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Walking into Magnolia was like walking through the gates of Heaven. It was love at first sight, un coup de foudre.

The barn was much smaller than I was used to. Pulling onto the property in the back of Reyna's SUV (well, her mother's SUV), I could see the entire scope of the farm. A large covered arena; a few compact paddocks, barely more than corrals; a small field for grazing; and a single, thirty-horse barn. It was all fresh--recently renovated and very homey looking. The air was calm and quiet as we unloaded Reyna's horse. She was busy dealing him, and I was busy falling in love.

Beautiful horses nickered at me, their heads swinging curiously over their simple stall doors. They a front-row seat for any show going on in the barn, as the stables were constructed in an open, airy manner with the tack room and cross-ties and wash stalls as the center point. A few lean barn cats were perched lazily on the tops of stalls, and the barn smelled like fresh cedar and warm oats.

This warm, serene place was unlike any stables I'd ever been to. It was an oasis, and I had grown used to roaming the desert.

That night, I dialed Carousel Farms and let them know that I would never be coming back.

I had a few weeks' hiatus as I tried to get in touch with the owner of Magnolia. I hadn't really thought my plan through, and I'd 'resigned' from Carousel before I even so much as had a phone number for Magnolia. I didn't know if they'd even have room for me, and I spent a few days in a miserable game of phone tag.

Finally, about two weeks after the show at Carousel, I was able to reach the owner of Magnolia over the phone. I briefly explained to her what I'd been through my trainer back at Carousel Farm, and she didn't blink twice.

"Of course." Her tone was professional, yet she somehow managed to convey in those simple words that she understood. The horse world is small, and no doubt, she knew exactly how awful things could be at Carousel. "You can come on over whenever you'd like. I'll give you the number of our new trainer. Her name's Maura, and I think you two will get along."

To be continued...