Seasick

The only storm that was forecast for the whole week happened to fall on the only day SLS was competing on. A bad omen, perhaps?

Malakai had an average-at-best start in terms of placings in his short career so far. The potential was there in his blood but something was... lacking. He shared the same hotheadedness of his sire which was accountable for his tendency to rush and sometimes ignore Josie’s aids, but that didn’t explain why he did so well in training back home and not away. At shows, he would knock the odd pole down here and there, or unexpectedly refuse a jump Josie had previously thought he mastered pretty well beforehand, which inevitably cost them their round. Was it the crowded atmosphere of events that had an affect on him; an uncharacteristic discomfort that fell upon him; or was it his rider?

The thought that she was the problem lingered on Josie’s mind every time it came to riding the stallion. The perfectionist who couldn’t achieve perfection. It dampened her mood just as the thunderous rain did of the now-muddy ground outside.
Malakai had been jumped by Colin, Laura and herself, yet she was the only one of the three to experience and seemingly conjure up his out of the ordinary mistakes. She questioned whether she truly knew him, which was becoming more and more apparent to her that she didn’t, and why at the age of 10 years old it felt harder to break him out of his bad habits they thought they had ridded. Maybe him becoming the same quality jumper as his parents just wasn’t meant to be this time. Maybe they should have taken him down the dressage route after all?

Malakai was lead out of his stall by Laura under the watchful eye of Josie, his head up and alert to the sound of the rain everything in its path. "He doesn't seem to be off at all?" She told her as she unclipped his lead rope.

"For now," Josie sighed softly. "I think I’ve forgotten what it feels like for him to be 'on' at competitions."
Malakai leant into the hand she placed on his face. A way of saying ‘trust me’? A 'sorry'? Who knew? Her deep love for him never faded away despite their troubles. 
"Thing is, we lose more money than we win by showing him internationally. If I can’t get a podium finish on him soon we may have to stop bringing him overseas until we work things out.”

Laura pursed her lips. “What if... I were to show him?”

“Oh, I don’t-”

“Let me ride him at the Masters next month, see how he feels there. That way we may be able to find and eliminate a problem or two if it goes well.”

“And if not?” Josie mulled over that idea for a short moment. On one hand, it was an incredibly prestigious show for them both to have the tremendous pressure of entering. It could end up as a complete waste of time and resources. On the other hand, Malakai was more than capable, skill-wise, to compete at Grand Prix level and so was Laura at this point; it’d be precious experience for them both. And they may find out the reason Malakai hasn’t been doing so well... Or they might not. It could be worth the shot, regardless, she thought.
“Okay,” she nodded, looking over Malakai who was now busy nudging at an empty bucket on the ground next to him in hope that food would spontaneously appear the more it span in circles. “I’ll be taking Fly and Dot anyway, it could even be the fact that he’s usually alone when we fly him out. But I trust you.”

Laura smiled and rested her hand on her trainer’s shoulder. Always the one to bring light and optimism to a troubling situation. ”We’ll get there with him.”