fire in the water

[Snowflake]

Easy, darling. I coaxed the chestnut four year old gently. She snorted, her eyes rolling a little. I didn't blame her, really - it was winter, and Euphoria never had liked the cold or the wet. Fortunately for her, the pool was heated, and she had several grooms waiting with warm towels and rugs at the other end.
James held the other rope, and he gave it a little tug in the direction of the ramp that descended into the deep pool. Euphoria took one hesitant step forward, lowering her head slowly to sniff the water. I could see her reflection in it, shining so bright it could have been fire in the water. Smiling, I took another step, and another, with her following slowly behind. She wandered casually into the water, suddenly without a trace of hesitation. The water's warmth seemed to have changed her mind about it. A surprised snort told us she could no longer reach the bottom.

Good girl! I encouraged with a big grin. James and I walked with Euphoria on either side of the pool, each holding a rope to keep her from going near the sides. She was enjoying herself now; I could tell by the sparkle glinting in her eye. She stroked energetically, kind of trotting in the water but holding her legs much closer to her rather than straightening them out.

The pool was twenty metres long, and Euphoria was nearly halfway there. This was supposed to be a refreshening, rejuvinating workout for her, and I could see it was working. The swim was keeping the stress off her legs, so instead of all her weight crashing down with twice the amount of force than the weight alone (or however much the force is supposed to be), the only stress that was being put on them wasn't really stress at all - just exercise. Her nostrils flared a little from effort to keep her head above the water, and then it was over. Euphoria could touch the bottom again, and she was picking her way back up out of the pool. She shook the water from her coat, grunting a little, and letting out a contented sigh.

Good girl, I repeated, smiling. The grooms with the towels smothered Phorie then, rubbing down every inch of her body. After making sure she was practically dry, they threw on two woolly rugs and then a thick, waterproof one overtop. It was cold outside, and we had to walk back to the heated barn.

finished