Cabistado Stables

Taking small shuffling steps forward in the hallway, Brooke looked around, wide eyed with curiosity. The phrase 'the noblest conquest of man is to have gained the friendship of a horse' was printed on the far wall as part of the company's logo, underneath the picture of a horse's hoof held gently in the palm of a human hand and the name of the stables, Cabistado Stables. The name had been fabricated from the Spanish words for human, horse and friendship. Not surprising, Brooke realised, seeing as the owners hailed from Spain. Brooke had read up on the place on the internet the previous night for the thousandth time, her excitement bubbling from her like a waterfall.

Brooke's love for horses dated back to childhood and when she'd first seen 'Black Beauty' as a young four year old. Ever since then, she'd been obsessed with horses and everything about them. Growing up, she'd collected several hundred soft toy horses, various horse movies and even more books about horses. The only thing Brooke had never done was ride a horse. Her parents had always told her that she was too young just yet, and they promised that 'when she was older' they'd consider it.

Now nearing 16 and new in town, Brooke had been delighted when she'd found a friend in the form of Marlena, a young girl who loved horses every bit as much as Brooke did.
"You're joking!" Brooke said disbelievingly.
"No. My parents have stables on the outskirts of town."
"Really?" Brooke's excitement was so great she could barely contain it, although some of it did seep through in a happy beam.

"Brooke!" Marlena called excitedly. "I'm so glad you came! Excited?"
"Mum's a little skeptical but, do you even have to ask?"
"We'll take care of that. Don't you worry Belleza. Padre is very concerned about safety. It's his number one priority, and he'll be training us so your mother need not worry." Marlena explained. "Now come on, let me show you around."

Marlena finished the tour of the stables by introducing Brooke to a few of the horses. There were four grouped together. There was a pure white Andalusian, a caramel coloured palomino, a majestic looking dark Spanish Purebred and a colourfully speckled Paint horse.
"This is Brisa, Libere, Sonador and Magia. Padre said you could choose from them in terms of who to ride."

Marlena stepped back to let Brooke have a closer look at the horses. She approached each of them in turn. She noticed that Brooke spent the most amounts of time with Brisa the Andalusian horse and Sonador, the Spanish Purebred.
"I think I like Brisa and Sonador most, but from there I can't decide." Brooke turned to her friend. "What do you think Marlena?"
"Well, both are very gentle and patient. Brisa is a little more free spirited, and she can be a little wilder, though she can still be tamed. Sonador would probably be a lot more loyal and he's definitely more disciplined than Brisa."
"I really like them both, but I think I'd like to try Sonador." Brooke decided.
"Great choice, and you know what? You just made two decisions in one!"
"I did?"
"Yeah. Madre made a policy where each rider must select an extra horse, as back up if something happens to your first horse. So Brisa can be your back up."

"Who are your horses?" Brooke asked.
"I was just getting to that." Marlena went toward the caramel palomino and stroked his nose. "Libere here is my back up." Marlena lead Brooke a little way down the hallway of stables.
"This lovely boy is my horse." She extended her hand and another dark Spanish purebred came forward, nuzzling it. She gave him a scratch on the side of the head. "Milagro."

Later on that afternoon, Brooke had her first lesson. A one on one with Marlena, her horse Milagro and her father. He brought his horse Nobleza along, with whom he rode alongside the girls on the trails.
"You're a natural Brooke." He said, his deep voice rich with a Spanish accent. "You mounted very well and you made a good choice in Sonador. He is patient, disciplined and will make a very loyal companion and friend for you as you get to know each other."
"Thank you, Senor Batller."
"Please, you may call me Emanuel."

As the weeks and months went boy, Brooke developed a great relationship with both Brisa and Sonador, though her bond with Sonador was considerably stronger and her friendship with Marlena was becoming closer. Eventually, it got to the point where Brooke was hanging around the stables nearly as much as Marlena was and it wasn't long before Emanuel and his wife began to give her chores to help out.

It was then that Brooke felt she'd found her calling. With Marlena and the powerful, loyal horses they had syrrounding them, both felt they were on top of the world. Brooke could barely remember the day of her first riding lesson. Her second visit to the stables when she'd been a mixture of nerves and excitement. Now, all she felt in the stables was complete joy.

In only a short time, Brooke had come to realise the truth in the saying the Batller's had selected as the motto for their stables. 'The noblest conquest of man is to have gained the friendship of a horse.' Though it sounded silly to some, being friends with a horse was surprisingly rewarding. They were such beautiful, patient, trusting creatures and they were very affectionate and protective of those they were closest to. Unsurprisingly, Sonador seemed to be most protective of her and Milagro of Marlena. Brooke could see the same in Emanuel and his horse Nobleza. They had a strong, indestructible bond and a trust and loyalty between them that must have taken years to build. Now, the pair worked brilliantly well as a team and were a shining model of what Emanuel's students hoped to share with their horses in time and proof that just maybe, gaining the friendship of a horse could be man's greatest conquest.