7. Tamarind's Stud Ad

Tamarind's Stud Ad

It was a chilly day at EA Equestrian and long planned events were being put into motion...

"Right, so that's it then." Abigail nodded, shifting the heavy camera on her shoulder slightly. "I think so. Anyway, it won't do him any harm!" David smiled. "Yeah, I think he'll enjoy the whole experience, after all, showing off is his speciality!"

Smiling, they made thier way across the field in search of thier model but he was nowhere to be found. Abigail frowned and put the videocamera down. "Where is he?"

David shrugged. "He was here earlier... I definetly saw him mooching polos off the tourists at the gate...he'll be around here somewhere. Tell you what, why don't I go back to the yard and get the tack sorted while you set up here?" Abigail nodded and a few minutes later David returned with Tam's saddle and bridle slung over one arm.

"I see you found him then!" David laughed. "Yep" said Abigail "He was making a nuisance of himself and killing the hedge again. I must have told him off about a thousand times for doing it but he just keeps eating the blooming thing!" She shook her head and smiled. "But, the most important thing is that he's here now!" She ruffled his forelock and he tried to eat her fingers.
"Tamarind, we're going to make you a star!"

The Lusitano stallion looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face.

But...he was already a star...surely everyone knew that!
Gradually it dawned on him - he was going to have to earn his keep and advertise the yard's stud as an example of the quality stallions there. Abigail had set up the yard’s website (with a lot of help from David) and hoped to include a short video of some of the horses to intice in breeders and other clients for the riding school.

Tamarind definetly approved of this idea.

"Right, should we do the ridden stuff first or the in hand clips?" asked David. Abigail pondered it for a moment. "Probably the ridden stuff first, he'll get too excited if we lead him around for a while, you know what he's like! I'll hold him steady while you tack him up"

That idea was shattered when David realised that the stirrups were missing and that the leathers were broken.

"Well..." sighed Abigail. "This certainly does cause problems. We'll just have to do it all in hand and leave the ridden work for another day."

David shook his head. “I’ve got an idea!”

*A few minutes later*

“David, I don’t think this is a very good idea. It’s terribly unsafe.”

David shook his head and kicked Tamarind on. Who needs a saddle and a hat when jumping? As they approached the large cross country jump Tam checked his pace.

He didn’t like the look of this one bit.

David held onto the mane as tightly as he could but it was all in vain. He just knew he was coming off one way or another.

“Ouch.”

“I told you we should have left it for another day” Abigail remarked as she helped David to his feet. “You should NEVER ride without a hat and especially not when you’re jumping!” David muttered something in response and shuffled off to grab Tamarind who was now trying rather unsuccessfully to hide behind Abigail.

“Come on then monster, no more jumping for you.”

Pah. That’s what he thought.

The words had scarcely left David’s mouth before the lusitano broke into a canter and popped over the large jump as though it was nothing at all.

“Show off”

Once he was safely caught and calmed down with a handful of polo mints, Abigail positioned herself in the best place to capture the next part of the film. With his favourite purple bridle on and a fresh, minty taste in his mouth, Tamarind strutted his stuff in front of the camera, walking, trotting and cantering on the spot like a well trained Lippizaner in Vienna..

“Right Dave, hold him there for a moment…I’m going to zoom in…it’ll look really good when it’s put to music…"

Sadly for Abigail’s video, Tamarind chose that very moment to spook at a blackbird that had just flown past. Taken completely by surprise, David let go of the reins and Tamarind reared, thrashing his forelegs around and roaring at the top of his lungs like a stag in the rutting season.

“WOAH!” David fell back and only just managed to stay standing as Tam’s legs lashed out at the spot he’d been standing in only a moment before. “Down boy, come on...you’re alright!”

Tam darted and dived, throwing his head up and squealing. Clearly, it hadn’t been a blackbird…it must have been a monster. Just as David reached out to take his reins a light breeze caught Tam’s mane and set him off once more.

“Come baaaaaack!”

David set off in hot pursuit through the long, wet grass of the meadow, his quarry getting further and further away with every passing second.

“David, get him back quickly, I don’t know how to put the video off…it’s still recording!” Abigail cried.

Several minutes and a significant amount of camera battery later, David returned leading a now very bashful horse behind him. David sighed, sat down on the grass and groaned.

“He was eating the hedge again.”