A well trained mare
Known for her poise and confidence
Dominating the show ring
With her grace and charm

Captured from her wild home
Domesticated when young
Turned into a national champion
She was well disciplined
Never failing to impress and captivate the crowd

Thoughts of her wild life
Lingered in her mind
When sitting in her stall
The dim yellowish light swinging overhead
Pictures of vast plains
Miles of fields
The long uncut grass swaying with each burst of wind
Would corrupt her mind
Making her long for the days she could roam free
Not confined to the small world of humans

Each morning she would wake
Not remembering her dreams in the night
But dreading the long hours
Of strenuous work ahead
Trotting around in circles until her stride was flawless
Her only push
The need to please her master
A handsome young man
But lifeless
Dry
His beady black eyes exhibited no feeling
No depth
No passion
Only the need to be the best
Nothing could please him
Except a win
But the mare never failed to try to win his heart

******************************************

Show day was here
The third show of the season
The mare walked into the ring
Holding her head at a slight curve
Bringing her legs up high with each step
Her jet black coat glistened in the spotlights
She was a silhouette against the bright lights
A beautiful shadow dancing across the dirt covered floor

The judge stood up
Tapped his finger to the microphone
Making sure it worked
He shouted
“Timer ready!”
“Go!”
The mare pricked her ears back
Waiting for her beloved master’s command
He breathed a few words in her ear
And she began to canter through the ring
Whipping up the dirt beneath her
She felt the bond with her master grow thicker than ever
He didn’t even have to speak
With a slight squeeze of his legs she knew what he wanted
She slowed her pace and sped up at his silent commands
Weaving between obstacles with perfection
Keeping great posture with confidence and zeal for competition
This would break the barrier
Crumble it to pieces
She knew she had won her master’s heart
She began to gallop faster and faster
Deep in thought
Forgetting about the show
And tuning out her masters commands
Then an image wavered before her eyes
An image only visible to her
A long meadow lay out before her
Miles of grasslands swayed in the breeze
She began to gallop faster and faster
Almost feeling the brush rub against her ankles
She was free again
Her stride got longer
Stretching out her legs to their full extent
She could feel her legs begin to tire
But she didn’t care
She would keep on going
Enjoy the essence of freedom once again
A shriek brought her back to her senses
Her hazy image blew away
Clearing her sight
She was back in the show ring
Running at full speed almost towards the end
About to crash into the wall
She could hear murmurs of disgust from the judges
And shouts of “stop you stupid horse!”
From the excited crowd
The mare dug her hooves into the ground
Stopping before she crashed
Immediately her master jumped from her back
He glared at her for a very long time
Showing his disgust and hatred
The mare dropped her head
And began to walk out of the ring
Trying to blend
Hide herself from the crowd
Become a shadow once more