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Description

Credit to Ulvar Stock for the ref

Chapter 1 - Cascade Valley Karuselles

Maxwell turned the photo over in his hands, the only shred of personality in the new barn’s office. It was Maxwell’s favorite photo of himself, the one of himself, his father, and their chestnut OTTB, Not A Chance. The one taken by a professional photographer.

Chance was Maxwell’s first horse. His first trot, his first canter, his first jump, his first fall. The gelding’s experience and calm, friendly demeanor made him perfect for the job, and Maxwell had loved the horse more than anything since they first met. His house, his laptop, and his mind were all peppered with images of Chance, but he wasn’t responsible for Maxwell’s newest big idea. That honor went to Told You So, a Karuselle gelding with an equally sassy name who Maxwell first met on a cool morning in October.

He was sweeping the aisle of the barn he worked at when he made his way toward the entrance to the indoor arena. A new boarder had arrived a couple weeks before with her horse, whose arrival quarantine had just ended, and the two were trotting around the arena. The horse’s movement was smooth and graceful, his muscles were defined, and his bay coat shone. Captivated, Maxwell began to absentmindedly sweep the mats around the gate, but his attention remained on the horse. As the horse trotted along past the gate, his owner urged him into a swift canter, and all that remained in front of the gate was a puff of dust. By the time he turned the corner and came into Maxwell’s view again, though, the gelding had slowed to a relaxed gait Maxwell hadn’t seen before, which he later found was called the prance-trot. The horse and his owner made another lap around the arena, and the owner turned to Maxwell when she passed the gate again. Though what he received was a smile and a nod, Maxwell knew he’d been caught, and he went back to sweeping the aisle.

The next day, though, Maxwell talked to the owner. He learned that her name was Wren, her horse’s name was Sebastian, and he was a Karuselle. The unfamiliar gait was called the prance-trot, and it was something all Karuselles were born knowing how to do. This knowledge, of course, piqued Maxwell’s interest, and he began researching the breed, reading everything from information on the breed’s history to interviews of trainers who owned famous Karuselles. Then, one day Maxweel was looking at ads for horses for sale, and he saw one featuring the very horse who’d started his love of Karuselles. After asking Wren about it, he found out that, as much as she loved the horse, she planned on moving and just couldn’t take him with her.

A few months after that, Maxwell planned on moving as well, but he would take the horse with him. For a few years he’d been planning on someday starting a barn of his own, he just didn’t know where it would be or what he would do with it. Now he knew. He found a place in western Washington, near where a few of his friends had a barn, and it would be dedicated to the training, showing, and breeding of his new favorite breed. He called it Cascade Valley Karuselles.

Description

Credit to Ulvar Stock for the ref

Chapter 1 - Cascade Valley Karuselles

Maxwell turned the photo over in his hands, the only shred of personality in the new barn’s office. It was Maxwell’s favorite photo of himself, the one of himself, his father, and their chestnut OTTB, Not A Chance. The one taken by a professional photographer.

Chance was Maxwell’s first horse. His first trot, his first canter, his first jump, his first fall. The gelding’s experience and calm, friendly demeanor made him perfect for the job, and Maxwell had loved the horse more than anything since they first met. His house, his laptop, and his mind were all peppered with images of Chance, but he wasn’t responsible for Maxwell’s newest big idea. That honor went to Told You So, a Karuselle gelding with an equally sassy name who Maxwell first met on a cool morning in October.

He was sweeping the aisle of the barn he worked at when he made his way toward the entrance to the indoor arena. A new boarder had arrived a couple weeks before with her horse, whose arrival quarantine had just ended, and the two were trotting around the arena. The horse’s movement was smooth and graceful, his muscles were defined, and his bay coat shone. Captivated, Maxwell began to absentmindedly sweep the mats around the gate, but his attention remained on the horse. As the horse trotted along past the gate, his owner urged him into a swift canter, and all that remained in front of the gate was a puff of dust. By the time he turned the corner and came into Maxwell’s view again, though, the gelding had slowed to a relaxed gait Maxwell hadn’t seen before, which he later found was called the prance-trot. The horse and his owner made another lap around the arena, and the owner turned to Maxwell when she passed the gate again. Though what he received was a smile and a nod, Maxwell knew he’d been caught, and he went back to sweeping the aisle.

The next day, though, Maxwell talked to the owner. He learned that her name was Wren, her horse’s name was Sebastian, and he was a Karuselle. The unfamiliar gait was called the prance-trot, and it was something all Karuselles were born knowing how to do. This knowledge, of course, piqued Maxwell’s interest, and he began researching the breed, reading everything from information on the breed’s history to interviews of trainers who owned famous Karuselles. Then, one day Maxweel was looking at ads for horses for sale, and he saw one featuring the very horse who’d started his love of Karuselles. After asking Wren about it, he found out that, as much as she loved the horse, she planned on moving and just couldn’t take him with her.

A few months after that, Maxwell planned on moving as well, but he would take the horse with him. For a few years he’d been planning on someday starting a barn of his own, he just didn’t know where it would be or what he would do with it. Now he knew. He found a place in western Washington, near where a few of his friends had a barn, and it would be dedicated to the training, showing, and breeding of his new favorite breed. He called it Cascade Valley Karuselles.