Wynn Inspection

Today is the day: it is Wynn's inspection date. She paced around nervously in the stadium that took almost 3 hours to drive to, a heavy burden especially considering the turns and slopes her uncle's old truck had to scale and chug through miserably; all with a trailer in tow. The excitement was palpable in the air, with many hopeful Teddy Cob owners also performing the same ritual she was partking in of pacing around and talking to people near them for reassurance. The actual inspection process has not started yet, but everything leading up to it is just as electrifying. 

Although it has been a long time coming, but becoming closer to Wynn was a whole process in itself, hence why it has taken quite a while until Wynn even trusted her to put a halter on him. But, this felt like the culmination of days and days of tiring work and patience; and it took a lot of patience in her opinion. While he was a former wild Teddy Cob, a breed of horse known for being friendly with humans generally, he has had a bad experience with a past handler that is the root of all of his anger and aggression towards humans. She knows he is a good horse, she knows from how gentle he is to everything else but her and her uncle. It took a week for him to eat food from her, not from her hand, but from the feed bucket.  It took another for him to grow accustomed to her presence around his feed bucket and to get used to the noise of pellets dropping into his bucket. It took what seemed like an infinite amount of weeks, some unidentifiable stretch of time that she could only classify as long, for her to be in the same pen as him. She could never accurately state how long it took for her to put a halter on him and to teach him halter manners and how to be lead. But, it is finally time for Wynn's progress to be recognized. She's proud of the strides he has made over the months and months of training and he has finally warmed up to her after all. Wynn seems to let himself loose around her more, after holding himself back for short bursts of anger, running around the farm freely and letting the wind whip through his mane. She did not know many details of his past, but she did not want them if it they caused Wynn to become so hostile.

She snaps back in the moment as her uncle taps her shoulder and an annoucement cuts through the arena, silencing any chatter that was going on beforehand. The first Teddy Cobs are to be examined now.  They were to be judged by  the finest breeders and handlers within the Teddy Cob breed, plus a vetrenarian for a more scientific view point. To say she was intimidated was an understatement. The thought of Wynn facing their scrutiny only makes her shift in her seat more. Her uncle must have noticed her nervousness as he grabbed her shoulder and awkwardly side hugged her. 

"Hey, it's going to be alright, you know that? You have prepared so much for this"  He whispers

"That's exaclty why I'm nervous! What if all this work was for nothing? What if I'm not good enough? What if they think Wynn isn't good enough?" She frantically said, the words tumbling out of her mouth like water in a river. 

"But, what if it is? It'll all feel worth it, wouldn't it?" He squeezed her tighter and smiled while she only responded with a shrug. He did have a point though. Maybe the ferrier they splurged on the week before the inspection would be worth it, Wynn now rocking new horsehooes, polished hooves and a fancy new cut. Even if it doesn't all work out, at least Wynn can feel fancier. 

It was a blur of horses and annoucments and judging until it  was Wynn's turn. She doesn't even remember stumbling down the stairs to get Wynn prepped,  she doesn't remmeber combing through his mane or picking at his hooves one last time or even slipping on his halter. She only remembers petting Wynn and her fingers running through his short, choppy mane. But, she's here now. She tightened her grip on his lead rope with sweaty hands, wringing them against the rough cord. She looked at the stallion next to her, ears pricked, ready for whatever the arena in front of them has to throw at them. She smilles at him, scratching him behind the ears in that spot he really liked. 

"We can do this, okay?" She doesn't know if she is saying it more to herself or to Wynn.

And with that, they're off into the arena with a click of her tongue and a tug of the lead rope. The bright lights stunned her for a moment, white and glaring, before she could feel the plush sand of the arena underneath her riding boots. Her uncle locked eyes with ehr frmo the grandstands and smiled, with a big thumbs up, feeling his comfort wash over her. With a determined glance at the judges, she lead Wynn around the arena, with a faux confidence in her step and Wynn was doing his best to follow through as well.  She made another noise and went up into a jog as Wynn listened to her vocal command and followed with a light trot for another lap around the arena. Even at the furthest ends and corners of the arena, she could feel the sharp gazes of the judges tracking Wynn's every movement. From the way he lifted his legs to the ripple of his muscles underneath his fluffy hide; she only hoped she prepared Wynn enough for this moment. After trotting, she tugged on the lead rope twice to bring him to a stop, parking him in the middle of the arena and right in front of the judges.

The first of the judges, a wiry blonde woman with eyes like a hawk, came up to Wynn. He snorted, but I could only watch as she looked at his confirmation. She walked around him, and sometimes she walked so close she was worried that Wynn would get spooked. But, he looked like he did not mind, even calm at certain points, even when the judge's hand was examining his withers. At some point, the judge brought out a ruler to measure his head and she thought the sting of cold metal, despite how lightly it brushes against his hide, would cause him to flinch or even react somehow. But, as steady as the ground beneath them, Wynn stood still and stoic. The judge gave a nod and shuffled away to let the second judge examine Wynn. He was as scrawny as the previous judge and went through almost the exact same process as her as well. This judge seemed to focus on the presentation of the horse and examined his mane and his hooves thoroughly. When the judge asked her to lift Wynn's leg to more closely and thoroughly examine his hooves, she  let out a silent cheer and knew it was a good idea to clean them right before they got into the arena. The other judge eventually relented after one final walk around Wynn, circling him like a shark. Finally, it was time for the vetrenarian, who somehow seemed more methodical that the other two judges before her. But, she reeeled back eventually and Wynn's judging has come to a completion. They smile at me as she took Wynn back to his stall as they discuss their results, scores, findings and ultimate jurisdiction. The results would not arrive until a week later in the mail after all, so the hard part was out of the way and she could finally let herself relax. As she took Wynn back to his stall, her uncle was there waiting for her. 

"You did great. I thought the judges looked mighty impressed" He said, pride tinging his voice. 

"You think so? I felt pretty good the entire time"

"That's real good to hear. Say, do you want to go out for some food later? I could always do with a celebration lunch"  He started rubbing his stomach, probably thinking of a burger to eat.

"Aren't they usually celebration dinners? But sure, after we get Wynn home first of course"  I remarked

"Speaking of Wynn, you did great buddy" My uncle scratched his neck and Wynn seemed to melt in his hands. If Wynn could purr like a cat, she was sure he would be right now. She let herself bask in the moment, here with a horse she's truly started to bond with and her uncle who has been guiding her ever since. Despite all the strong feelings before the competition, it was nice to be able to unwind and reflect on how far they have come.