Oxford Day off? Let’s go find horses! pv Aiden Sinclair

It was one of those hot July days, when you didn't feel like doing anything at all. The moment the thermostat reached above 24 degrees, everyone swarmed outside like cattle; Some of the neighbours dragged their sunbeds out in the garden to work on their tan, meanwhile the families with children packed their cars with inflatables and picnic blankets, for a day on the beach. Aiden wasn't much for tanning personally, but even he felt regret on a day like this: over the fact that he'd signed up for stable work all summer at the local horse barn.

It wasn't like he had anything better to do, anyway. Caroline was working, as usual. So, who would he have gone with to the beach? He hadn't heard a word from his friends since term ended, and even if he had, all of them lived too far away to come over on a spontaneous visit. Likewise didn't he feel like travelling across the county without an explicit invite, either. As much as he wasn't feeling it today, Aiden packed his bag and rode his bicycle to the stable, feeling the sun frying in his back on the way there. Most often than not, he'd feel better about it once he was there. And it was a perfect day for a lazy trail ride.

The barn was owned by his aunt Caroline's old friend who also held riding classes on the evenings, and she'd manage to put in a good word for him and how responsible he was. While technically not wrong - and it was a nice gesture of her - the boy had been terribly embarrassed when Caroline told him that she'd somehow managed to convince the owner to let Aiden help out in the barn. Outside of his regular horse riding classes, that was. Nevertheless, he'd agreed - his love for the animals had won over his pride. At first it was just chores and grooming the ponies to ease the owner some of the workload. It was fine, he didn't mind the work. But the fun began when he'd finally 'proven' himself consistent enough to be allowed to turn out some of the horses on his own.

Aiden had a clear favourite already: Zeus. A black gelding with a sporty build. An irish horse breed, from what he could remember. Compared to the common misperception of the name, Zeus was brave, a bit cheeky that required a firm hand, but responsive and - when you'd earned it - a total sweetheart. Some may say the name matched the boy more than the horse. But of course, he would just have rolled his eyes if anyone tried to crack that joke again.

If Aiden had been in a position where owning his own horse had been possible, he would have insisted to buy him already. The lady owning the barn had even joked about it at some point. If he hadn't been gone at boarding school the whole year. For now he settled with just riding him whenever he was available. During the summers, he had nothing but time. For better or worse.

Fifteen minutes after kicking off on his bike, he rolled up on the gravel courtyard, the smell of horses and much welcoming him instantly. It didn't bother him at all, if anything he actually kind of loved it. That the smell of horse shit could bring a smile to his face would have sounded mental to most people, but horse people would understand the feeling. Parking his bike, he threw his bag over his shoulder and walked over to the barn to seek some shade. And give Zeus some treats.

There was usually always someone tacking up, or removing tack after a ride, when he arrived. Aiden hadn't expected to be the only one there, but he was somewhat surprised to see a new face that day. The stable was big enough to have classes several days a week, but the group of regular riders that turned out the horses outside of classes was intimate enough that everyone knew everyone. It definitely wasn't one of the regular girls he saw around sometimes. Maybe she was new? Or perhaps she just wanted to look at horses. She looked a bit lost.

Aiden usually never struck up conversations with the people here, but it would be painfully awkward to just move on without acknowledge how out of place she looked. "Can I help you?" He wondered after putting his bag by Zeus stall.

“I dunno, what do you expect me to need help with?”

Pausing, Aiden cocked an eyebrow at her. What do one even answer to that? He saw new people in the barn every week; requests varied from looking for a specific horse, to wondering where the bathroom was. How was he supposed to know what her business here was? Realizing what a strange response that was to his question, she continued to ramble an apologoy for trespassing – she just wanted to look at the horses – and she would just leave, even if no one had asked her to. And really, it wasn’t trespassing; the barn owner offered classes daily for both novices and experienced riders. No one would tell her to leave, as long as she didn’t act like an obnoxious idiot around the animals.

Aiden still hadn’t gotten a word said when she made her departure. He watched her brisk and awkward walk to the exit, his brain short-circuiting. It was almost painful. When she passed his spot beside Zeus stall, he held out his hand in her path to stop her. He sighed, “You looked lost, first of all.” After that rant, it was the only thing he could say. God knew he wasn’t the walking example of social skills (unless he really, really tried), but this girl seemed to be taking awkward first encounters to the next level.

“Technically, you’re not trespassing,” he added, trying to sound helpful and not the amount of exasperated he currently felt. “I was just wondering if this is your first riding class or not. Newbies tend to look lost when they come here the first time.” He fought the urge to roll his eyes — it felt obvious, like he shouldn’t even need to clarify. Grabbing the halter hanging on the door to the black geldings stall, he pushed the door open and slipped inside. Greeting the horse with a rare smile reserved only for animals, Aiden held out his hand for Zeus to sniff. The gelding leaned into him for muzzle snuggles, making it easy to slip the halter over his face.

As more of an afterthought — he honestly didn’t care what she did—he called through the bars, “You can stay and look at the horses all you like. Just be smart about it, I guess.” As long as she acted within reason.