all in a days work

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the morning was cool and the young woman was thankful for it. she had just finished her morning rides on some of the horses at the stable and now she was going to visit her own gelding. jake, her border collie, bounced at her side, his head held high and tail swinging like a banner behind him. she had had the young dog for two years now and he was turning out to be a lovely companion for her. he even seemed to have his own bond with her horse, flint! as she entered the stable, she was greeted with a welcoming whinny, a regal, dark gray head poking out as she approached. the seventeen hand appendix rested his muzzle against her shoulder,wiggling his lips gently. the woman laughed lightly, raising her hand to brush it over the side of his cheek. a snort was what she got in return. reaching to the halter on the side of the door, she slid it over the horse's head and hooked it, doing the same with the lead rope before she flicked open the latch on the stall and led the gelding out.
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her life had been nothing but a routine lately. get up at the crack of dawn, ride her morning horses, exercise flint, muck the stalls, and then head out for a little while and enjoy the town. but, the heat had left her indoors lately, threatening to scorch her to the ground as a pile of ash. she had even been slacking in her forest runs with the collie that bounced beside her. she could tell he didn't mind, but she did. she looked forward to the run through the forest, being able to shift made her feel fresh and free. right now, she was feeling too wound up, to keep it simple. the woman led the horse to a wash stall, hooking the cross ties to his halter and tossing the lead rope aside for the time being. her hands found the body brush and she ran her hands neatly over the beautiful, dappled coat. even now that he was breaking seven years old, flint, still carried his dark gray, dappled fur. he had yet to start whiting. most horses of his breed would have lost the striking gray by the age of three, but he was almost in his teens and still as gorgeous as when she bought him as a two year old.
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jake barked at her side, obviously mad at the lack of attention, but aside from a pat on the head, the woman shoo'ed him off. he got his attention when she wasn't at the barn, and he knew it well. she could have sworn the dog scoffed at her, but she turned her head and focused on her horse. eventually, jake pattered off to do something, and the woman moved on to getting the knots out of the geldings mane and tail. she only paused to fetch her english tack and set it on the saddle rack beside her. the weather was still crisp and cool, and though they had had a hard work out yesterday, she knew the horse wouldn't be happy sitting in his stall for the day.
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with his mane and tail knot free, and his fur shining like he had just had a nice bath, she ran her hand along his broad neck and smiled. "how about a nice trail ride?" she murmured, her voice sweet and gentle as she spoke to flint. a gruff snort and toss of his head was the response she got. with a low chuckle, she grabbed the saddle pad. "all right, let's get to it then." she laughed again, beginning to tack up the horse.