Rain. Why was it always rain? Tabby stood at the white safety lines, her nerves combing with the chill of the rain to make her skin prickle. The spectators had all scurried to the shelter of trees and shade tents, umbrellas popping up to form little islands of dry land among the sea of green fields. Tabbitha however, stood at the stretch, her steely eyes on the course. Hooves thundered over the white noise of the relentless drizzle, a large, well built grey barreling up the straight away. Each hoof beat chewed up the soggy earth, the track becoming increasingly muddy. As fast as he was there, he was gone again, he and his rider disappearing around the bend and down to the embankment. 

It had been five years since she'd entered Kanya in a cross country event. God, where had the time gone? She remembered the last event, the ASH course. It had been miserably hot and arid, a challenge for her at the time coming from the dreary US coast. Kanya had performed admirably, coming in second only to her own sire, Volcanic Ash, but there had been no elation. No grand after party. Just a quiet ride in stuffy cabin of Hugo's pickup. Tabby had still been consumed by the loss her of mare, December, and the entire month long stay in Australia seemed like one big blur.

It had also marked the beginning of her new life.

In a remarkable turn of events, the taffy Waler had come into Tabby's own possession. With both of them back on the mare's home turf, it only seemed fitting that Tabby revamp the mare's show career and once again challenge her sire. 

But was she ready?

The goosebumps returned tenfold and Tabby turned her gaze back to the course's start. She needed to get herself in the right mindset. Each sloshing step was a reminder of just how slick the course was going to be, making it harder by the moment to swallow down her nerves. She knew Kanya could handle the course, and that she herself was by no means out of practice, but this event symbolized so much. It was a culmination of so many events coming together so she could reach this point. Her move, the purchase of the taffy mare, all their training and efforts. She expected nothing less than success from herself.

Reaching the rider's staging area, Tabbitha attempted to shake away the nerves as she looked over the crowd. The brief escape from the rain as she dashed under the makeshift pagoda made the air feel even more brisk against her bare arms, making a shiver run down her spine. It wasn't a long wait before Kanya was led out by the vet assistant, cleared and ready for competition. Tabby took a moment with the mare, standing in the drizzle, before she mounted up. With a deep breath, she exhaled the last of the tension in her stomach as her feet slipped into the stirrups. On top of the sturdy little mare, Tabby felt invincible, like no one could catch them.

It was time to shake things up.