Fame's Story: After The Fall

This is what happen after "Thrills and Spills"

After the Fall

Fame lay still on his side, buggy shaft cracked over the top of him. I sat momentarily stupefied in the cart.
"Get out of the buggy Janell, quickly." R said quietly.
I bailed as fast as I could and immediately started unfastening any piece of harnessing I could get at.
"Get him unhooked Janell, when he comes up he's going to come up big," R finally managed to say as he stood off to the side staring blankly at the scene of the wreckage.

I had heard stories of Fame's younger years. About bolting, fence and hedge jumping...with the cart still attached. I was expecting him to get up quickly and I was expecting an explosion of epic proportions. I cannot really say how long he laid there. It was long enough that I remember worrying the he wouldn't get up.

Fame's ears flicked and he raised his neck to look over his shoulder.

"Get ready Janell," R spoke at me in barely more than a whisper.

With a heave Fame was back on his feet, and where we were prepared for sudden explosion the horse just stood there looking at me with his usual pleasant and alert expression. There was no blind terror, no bolting, no panic. He just stood, bits of broken and loose harnessing hanging haphazardly all over him. R quickly pulled the buggy off him. Fame shook as if he'd just gotten up from a good roll. Harness flopped to the ground. I picked it up and flung it over my shoulder. Rich told he to take my horse back in the barn.

I pulled the blinders off of Fame and stuck my arm through the ear holes. The head stall was broken, the egg-butt snaffle I had been driving him with dangled at the side of his face. I walk back into the barn, numb feeling, watching my feet drag in the dirt. My good sweet horse followed me. I led Fame all the way to the other end of the barn, removed the broken bridle, haltered him and, led him into the cross-tie. I set the harness on the cross-tie wall and prepared to un-tack him.

"Get the what ever pieces you need off the other harnesses and get your horse in the arena."

However perplexed I was about R telling me to get me horse ready to work after we had just crashed and screwed up the buggy, I numbly obeyed. I soon had my horse back in full harness. I stood at Fame's head, directly in front of him so he could see me, and waited for R. My numbness was wearing off. Like he had the first day met Fame rested his beautiful head on my chest. The flood gates bust open and a cascade of fear, sadness, frustration, anger, panic, and hopelessness burst forth in the form of tears. We were left undisturbed for several minuets. Eventually R had me finish Fame's workout, ground driving at the walk.