Equus Asinus

Luna was in town shopping for food a few days later when she stepped back, attempting to see if pasta sauce she wanted was up there, and crashed into Julian. Spinning she jumped back away from him with blushing red cheeks. "Oh god I'm so sorry Julian." She said with wide grey eyes. "Are you alright?" She mentally cursed out her love for the red wine and herb sauce that lived on the top shelf above her head.

He was barely concentrating on what he was even in the shops for. Most of his attention was on the upcoming demonstration he had to do, and he was almost worried that Ghost wouldn't be up to it. The stallion had been acting up recently, playing around more than usual, and while Julian encouraged the stallion's playful personality, it wasn't helping the prep work. Registering faintly that he'd bumped into someone, he murmured a quick apology, and kept going, whizzing through the last of his shopping, and heading to the supply store. he needed some mineral licks for the dun mare, and it wouldn't hurt to have a look at some new gear for Ghost - not that the spoilt horse needed it.

Luna watched bemused as Julian muttered an apology and kept going distractedly. Shaking her head she was soon finished her shopping and since she had picked up and order all the feed before the food she headed back to the farm. Arriving she jumped out of her car and unpacked all the food before heading out to leave the salt licks she got in the feed room to be placed out when needed. Taking the smallest one she placed it into a container and pit it into Nyxs stall for her to enjoy.

The following weekend she left early and headed out to the sales I the next town. She still felt slight upset that she wasn't sitting beside Julian heading off because she did value his opinion as so far he hadn't steered her wrong. With his advice in mind she had skipped the auction the week before but the promise of a potential bareller pushed her to the sale. Arriving she parked in the grass parking lot that had been sectioned off for the event and entering she spotted a sign with what was happening. Seeing there was a demo coming up she made her way to the area and found a spot by the railings. Settling in she waited to see what was to be displayed.

He'd given not many thoughts about the girl as he worked with Ghost, readying the horse for the demonstration they had to do on the weekend. The day arrived quickly, and soon enough Julian was loading Ghost and Ned up, leading Ned in first as always, and they were soon on their way. He didn't need the dogs for this one, it was pure cow cutting, and he knew the stallion was excited. Arriving in his usual place with a sturdily fenced paddock for him, the horses were turned out to settle and graze, and Julian wandered over to the officials to check himself in and get the latest news on what was happening in the town. Seeing that his demo was scheduled for the afternoon, he relaxed a bit. That was good, Ghost could get settled nicely, and he could have a wander around, see if there was anyone else he knew in the crowded showgrounds

He'd been talking to a good friend when he got pushed into. Stumbling, he looked down at her, amused at how red she'd turned. "No worries, sheila. Crowd's a good one today. Be good for the demos." He pushed his hat back, putting his hands back into his pockets as he nodded goodbye to his friend. They'd have a good chat later on. Eyeing the sun and gauging the time, he determined that there was still a while to go before he had to get Ghost ready, and looked at the girl again. "Come for the show, or for the buying?"

He grinned a bit, wondering how she'd enjoy herself. "The cutting should be a good one, heard the guy who's doing it is somewhat of a legend in his hometown. 'sides, the horses for sale here are usually good workers, occasionally good brood mares, too. Too bad I don't need any more just now, there's a couple of nice stock mares around."

He gave a half shrug. "Nah, not good breeding season for the mares. With the brumby one, I got more than enough work on my hands. I always keep a couple of spare paddocks for clients either way." Noticing her glance at the sale yards, he lifted an eyebrow. "Scared to ask for help? Gotta lose that if you're gonna survive in the horse world, darlin'. What are you looking for? I got a half hour on my hands to spare."

"Oh sure, sheila. A half hour's time enough to find a good old reliable. This way." He led her through the maze of pens, eventually finding the one he was looking for. "Don't worry about looks, you want the sound ones. Stock horses don't need to be pretty after all." He pointed to a solid-looking chestnut. "Like him. These ones are all a bit older than what you'd find further up the other way, but there're gems to be found in here, that's for sure." He ducked through the rails, tangling his hand in the chestnut's mane, and brought him over for a closer look. "Good conformation, and he's already trained well. Think I mighta done it, actually. Looks familiar."

Julian rubbed the horse's neck, watching her as she examined the horse. "Watch him move first," he advised. "For all you know, I could be lying about training him, and he could be not at all sure footed. But you're getting the idea." He knew it had been a horse he'd trained, he recognised the scar over the horse's rump. "There's a free paddock just behind this row of pens. Get talking with the seller, he'll be happy to help you out. I've got a few people to meet, so I'll leave you to it. Should be a good one, though." He ducked out of the fence, and wandered off, heading for where he'd parked the float and truck so he could start saddling the excited stallion. Ghost knew exactly what was going on, and his ears were perked as he prancing, having drawn an appreciative crowd on onlookers. It didn't take Julian long to saddle the horse with the heavy stock saddle and simple stock bridle, and before long, he was trotting the horse through the crowd, his hat firmly on his head, and the stallion on the tight rein to keep him focused.

Ghost pranced in the waiting pen, and Julian didn't bother to try and hold him steady. The more eager the stallion was, the better the demo would turn out to be. He knew the horse adored this fast work, and cutting was one of the things the stallion excelled in. Watching as the officials let the small herd of calves into the area, a quick grin flitted over the man's face. he rested the reins on the horse's neck, and shifted his weight forward just a bit. The movement made the horse go still, and as soon as the gates opened, he was a blur of grey, Julian apparently glued to the saddle. he barely shifted as the horse moved, cutting the chosen calf out of the herd and keeping it against the wall. he barely used the reins, simply resting them on the muscled neck occasionally for direction, the bit not touched at all.

Grinning, Julian ignored the crowd as he reward the stallion, letting go of the reins as the horse kept walking to pat his neck. "Atta, boy. haven't forgotten at all, have ya?" Gathering the reins in one hand as was his habit, he guided the sweating horse out of the arena, lifting an eyebrow at the girl who showed up beside them. "Ah you found the demo. What'd you think?" He took his hat off and dragged the tie out of his hair, running his fingers through the long strands to try and dry off a bit. he was nearly as sweaty as the horse, since it was a hot day, but it didn't seem to bother him too much as he retied his hair and tugged the hat back on. Ghost didn't seem to notice that his reins weren't being held, tired enough to simply walk along calmly.

He offered her a quick grin. "Been working with him since he was was a yearling, ever since my parents bought him, actually." The stallion snaked his head out suddenly, aiming to bite another horse, but Julian reined him in sharply before he could do any damage. "Side affect of that is he won't tolerate anyone but me riding him, but it suits us well. Plus he adores the work, so that just makes him better at it." Patting the horse again, he glanced at the girl. "Find the horses you needed to, then?"

Ghost danced away from the touch, merely amusing Julian. "Yeah, the bastard loves it. Don't you, cheeky?" He aimed the question at the horse, who happened to toss his head, his ears flickering at the noises of the crowd. Arriving back at the paddock, and with the stallion cooler now, Julian slid off and began to untack him, dumping the heavy saddle on the grass for the moment while he sponged the stallion down. "Good, the chestnut's a good choice. He'll last a few good years too." He indicated the bay gelding grazing in the paddock. "Learnt to ride on this one, think he came from these sales. Still going well."

He gave a short nod. "Yep. Good with the foster kids, good with the cattle. Gonna be a big loss when he goes, but that's still a good ten years away if I'm lucky. Loves his work, he does." Finished with Ghost, he turned the stallion out into the paddock to rest for a few hours while the man roamed the sales, and scouted for any potential clients. They'd get going again in a few hours. "Him and Ghost get on pretty well too, which is a good thing, considering the silly bugger dislikes being in a float. Not that I really blame him."