Six months later, a steady downpour lashed against the barn. Inside the indoor arena Cori Green was sitting with her head in her hands, gazing at a boy who was riding in front of her. There was much love in her eyes, but of course, since the boy was her brother, it was only sisterly.

Eric Green’s mount was a leggy Thoroughbred mare that had an honest opinion. Each jump he guided her towards she took with great measure and carefully scoped each one. But Cori’s eyes could see none of this. To her, the world was dark and there was nothing to look at.

Leslie Green was circling Glid in a far corner as she cast disgusted looks towards her brother. On the opposite side Jesse Havens rode Beta, his fiery Arabian mare, in figure eights. Eric brought his new horse, Trinket, to an easy halt directly in front of his sister.

“How was it?” Eric asked breathlessly.

“It sounded better than the last one, but you need to clean up your landing after the fifth jump.” Cori nodded, approving of her own words, “Other than that, pleasant.”

Eris grinned broadly, his sparkly white teeth shining. “Thanks sis!”

“No problem.” Cori’s response was quiet, and she listened to her brother as he guided Trinket away again.

Jesse had ridden up on her other side. He cleared his throat loudly, making Cori jump. “Hey.” He said feverishly while grinning.

“What do you want?” Cori was contemptuous, her words thwarting Jesse’s odd sense of security. She turned her back away from him and continued listening to her brother’s riding.

“Well, I was just wondering why you don’t visit the stable anymore, but fine, be that way!” Jesse slumped in the saddle while throwing angry looks at Cori.

“Why do you care anyway?” Cori spoke into the wind, her words falling back to him.

“You see, I don’t have any competition anymore, and I was wondering if-”

“Jesse, how many times have I told you that blind people can’t ride?” Cori’s aggravation was not understood to Jesse.

“Well, if you’ve really been riding all your life-”

“Drop it, won’t you?” Eric yelled, sending Jesse away muttering to himself. “So, do you want to help me groom Trinket? I’m sure she’d like that.”

“Oh Eric, you just don’t understand. I can’t walk in that barn anymore. Knowing that Deci’s dead, I can’t walk where he lived and not feel guilty.” Cori sighed as she gazed off into nothingness.

“I think that it’s just a whole lot of self-pity.” Leslie implied rudely, laughing at her older sister. “She’s so weak that she can’t fight guilt. Phh.”

The doors swung wide and Jenny, their mother, strode in. She was completely soaked and looked as if something had kept her from sleeping for a month. “Can I get a little help? We’re finally back and the stupid horse won’t get off the trailer.”

Leslie and Eric both dismounted, looking at their sister quickly. “No, I’m not going to hold your horses. They hate each other; get a couple grooms to do it.” Both her siblings nodded and strode out quickly with horses in tow.




Out in the pouring rain a half hour later, the young gelding was still standing stubbornly in the trailer. He seemed to have no interest in getting himself wet, and the tempers of the people trying to coax him out were rising. Finally Jenny threw up her hands and walked away screaming and cursing at the five year old cross. Eric and Leslie followed, not realizing that their sister was watching thoughtfully.

Cori ventured into the barn for the first time in six months, finding her way easily to the tack stall. With natural thought she walked to a large wooden trunk in the corner and knelt down. On the top of the box was her name in silver letters that gleamed in the light. Opening the wooden lid roughly, she yanked out a large rain blanket; it was one she had won with Deci. Their picture was splayed across one side, ‘champion’ on the other. It had been won in the Furrow Ridge Classic, which had been their first ever competition that was not divided by age. She also grabbed a leather halter and blue lead, leaving the barn with a smile.

When she entered the trailer, she immediately felt something about this horse. He had an air about him that was hard to describe, but it was what she had always felt when around Deci. Cautious still around the strange horse Cori threw the waterproof blanket lightly over his back and subconsciously clipped it. She slipped the halter she had brought over his eyes, and her fingers lingered for a moment on the gold nameplate that read ‘Deci.’ Slowly, she clicked the lead on and began to stroke his nose lightly. After the second stroke he followed her down the ramp. The one time she slipped he waited for her to grab his mane and continued on. After they were down the ramp Cori brought him into the barn quickly.

Standing in the entranceway was Jenny, Eric, and Leslie, all staring in amazement. “What stall’s his?” Cori asked briskly, ignoring the heat of their eyes.

“Deci’s old one.” Jenny muttered, still gaping at her daughter. “I assume that you know where it is.”

“Yes, of course I do.” Cori led the gray gelding away without another word, merely stopping and opening a door where Deci had once been stalled. She didn’t release the horse until she had checked that it was a secure place with fresh hay and water.

When she took the halter off he stood there and breathed warmly on her face. She realized that he was waiting patiently for his blanket to be taken off, and she quickly undid the clips around him and slid it off. Still, he stood there and looked at her, seeming to expect something from her. “Oh, right!” She stated absentmindedly before giving the gentle horse a light kiss on his nose. He returned the act with a gentle nudge, lapping at her hair.

As Cori shut the door behind her she knew that this was the first time in months a horse had left her smiling. His simple touch to her skin had pierced the cold brick wall that had been building up around her heart, and now the barrier was melting like snow in a hot summer.

“His name is Pip.” Eric said, reaching out for the halter, lead, and blanket. Cori, however, would not forfeit them, she only clutched them tighter.

“What did I tell you three years ago?” Cori prompted jokingly.

“That Leslie and me weren’t allowed to touch your champion blanky till we had won our own and understood how precious it was.” Eric rolled his eyes, but seconds later burst out laughing.

Brother and sister both walked to the large tack room and put the things away neatly before Eric grabbed his show saddle and bridle. “We have a show this Saturday. Are you going to come and watch- sorry, I meant to say-” Eric’s cheeks flushed red; he knew how much the constant teasing his sister received hurt her.

But Cori merely waved her hand. “Of course I’ll be there, and I’m going to help you clean your tack to be sure it’s perfect!” Both siblings laughed, turning around to walk out of the barn and into the house for dinner.


As they entered the house, a pleasant smell wafted through the air and reached Cori, making her sniff the air happily. “What’s cooking?” She asked her mother, slipping her shoes off to run into the kitchen.

“Something special, now shoo! You’re getting the floor wet!” Jenny motioned for her to go and change and Cori nodded. She slowly climbed the stairs to her room, and was passed by Leslie going down.

“Hey mom! Can I go to the movies with Mack on Friday night? Please?” Leslie begged with both hands held by her face.

“No.” Cori answered, shaking her head, “Unless, of course, you intend to spend the night at his house and miss Friday’s show.”

Leslie threw her a disconcerted scowl, obviously resenting her older sister’s opinion. Cori ignored the burning sensation of her sister’s gaze and continued up the stairs slowly until she reached the landing. Behind her the staircase spiraled elegantly, a large living room to the right. In front of her was a vast span of hallway, separate chambers leading off to the five master bedrooms.

Out of habit, she took a direct left and began to climb a second set of stairs. At the first landing there were three doors. She pushed open the one directly in front of her and had to climb another small set of stairs. It opened to a vast room, which had a large desk on one side and a beautiful bed set on the other. The floor was a beautifully crafted wood, and there were several rugs. Lamps and chairs formed a sitting space by an active fireplace; all the way round on the other side there was a library with a huge window that had a perfect view of the stables. There was a sun seat in the window indent with a cushion and pillows. The whole room was painted with a scene filled with splendor; nothing was repeated. There was a large chestnut horse, Deci, with a girl, Cori, on its back soaring over a large vertical spread. Various jumps were painted on the walls of the round room, though the space beside the fireplace was flat. On this there was a Thoroughbred with a blanket of roses over its shoulders, the smiling jockey on his back a fairly young girl. Around the horses was an array of framed photos, even short poem stanzas about horses.

Cori guided herself to a dresser beside another window that looked over a small brook and began to change her clothes. After she had switched into a warm pair of pajamas she walked towards the stairs, which had safety railing around it, and threw her dirty clothes into a large laundry tunnel. Several minutes later when she had descended all the sets of stairs, she walked into the living room. It had been half an hour since she had last been down, and Leslie was now sitting on the couch beside a boy watching years past of horse shows.

“Hello Mack.” Cori said genuinely, taking a seat in the small space between them. Immediately Mack looked at Leslie’s older sister with interest and frustration, wondering why she had spilt them.

“If I wanted to kiss him, I could lean across your lap. You know that, right?” Leslie laughed slightly and Mack joined in.

Cori sunk further back into the sofa. “By all means. I’m just here to make sure you don’t hold hands.” The two younger teenagers stopped laughing at that, and Leslie threw her sister a death glare.

“Like you’ve never-”

“I haven’t! Because I’m a champion Leslie, and boys can’t sidetrack me. Never.” Cori’s expression was smug as she waited for Leslie’s coming response.

“No, you’re a used-to-be that’s too scared to touch a horse anymore. You couldn’t kiss a boy if you tried!” Leslie sneered contemptuously.

Cori whirled on her sister, “I’d like to see you ride without your eyes! Or try to forget making someone die, or-”

“So, who’s winning the fight this time?” Jesse walked in, sitting down on a tarp to clean his saddle. He lived with the Greens because both his parents were divorced and refused to agree over what to do with him.

Cori cast her sister one last disgusted look and jumped up from her seat, striding quickly towards the entrance, but not making it halfway to. She tripped on the side of Jesse’s saddle and fell onto her back. Jesse looked worried and hurried over to help her up, but she sat up and refused his hand, insisting that she didn’t need assistance.

“Maybe if you hit your head hard enough, your sight would come back!” Leslie began to howl with laughter, rolling over in her seat. Cori’s head fell forward onto her knees and a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. Her frustration with her sister’s empowering attitude was building and beside her Jesse waited for the bout he knew would come some day.

CHAPTER TWO

“Shut up, okay?!” Cori yelled, making her sister put on a face of mock concern.

Leslie was about to make a smart comment when Eric descended the stairs and assessed the scene immediately. “Leslie, stop.” He said, shaking his head and going to retrieve his tack. A moment later when he came back he handed Cori his bridle, a toothbrush, and a rag, grinning. “Still want to help me clean tack?”

Cori laughed slightly and nodded, waiting for her brother to lather the rag with Murphey’s Tack Oil. She set to work on cleaning each piece of the tack, taking away a dirty rag after several rubs. Feeling the grit on her fingertips, she made a face at Eric who only laughed.

As each of them absentmindedly cleaned their tack Jesse looked at Cori and grinned. “You know,” He whispered quietly, “that you should start riding again and kick your sister’s butt. She would be permanently shut up after that.”

“You know that I can’t do that!” even though she was slightly annoyed Cori laughed.

“Give one reason why not.” Jesse said, eyebrows rising.

“Uh, one: I’m blind. Two, I can’t see, and three, well, I have no horse!” Cori finished with an indignant snap, pointedly turning her back.

“Well then, sorry!” Jesse snipped, a mood swing making him instantaneously grumpy. Both went back to cleaning their tack silently and watching the previous year’s horse competitions. Leslie noisily pointed out various mistakes the current rider was making while Cori listened to the horse’s hoof beats quietly waiting to contradict her sister.

“Leslie, the horse sounds perfect! What right do you have to insult the pair for riding differently than you do?” Leslie immediately whipped around to glare angrily at her sister.

“Sis, since I happen to be the only riding hope left in this family you don’t seem one to contradict me!” Leslie claimed snidely, leaving an appalled look on Cori’s face.

“Excuse me, but if you’re this family’s only hope, I should say they have failed.” As Leslie turned to make another rude retort, all the people in the room realized that it was not her that had spoken. An old man named Charlie that lived with the Greens had made the comment.

All those in the room had gone silent. Leslie had a look of scrutiny on her face, obviously trying hard to think of a nasty retort while Cori looked like she was staring at a man who had walked out of burning building. Mack was looking away guiltily, not sure what to do. Before Leslie could snap back at the older man, Jenny called from the kitchen. “Dinnertime!” Jesse and Eric looked up hungrily, noticing the fresh smell of steamed lobster.

“She’s overdone it again.” Eric murmured to Jesse, who he nodded. Both waited for Cori before rising and starting into the dining room for their meal.



Cori awoke the next morning to the drum of never stopping rain lashing against her windows. The sky was gray and dark and the stream outside was foaming white. Carefully, she slid off the bed and punched the button on an alarm clock, which bleated out the time in a mechanical voice. It was five in the morning. Cori pulled on a pair of old jeans, a yellow tank top, and a gray hoodie before making her way downstairs. In the living room, Leslie was yawning as she finished putting together her show bridle, Eric was busily attaching his stirrup leathers to his caramel saddle, and Jesse was sitting next to him wearing track pants and an old sweatshirt eating cereal.

“Is it Saturday already?” Cori asked quietly, waiting for an answer in the kitchen doorway.

“Yeah.” Jesse said, jumping up and walking towards the door with an empty bowl in hand. Nodding, Cori grabbed a bagel and banana, slipping on a pair of old sneakers and a poncho before stepping out the door into the rain. She ran toward the stables, puddle water darkening her jeans. Walking through the smaller entryway so that she could get under the roof more quickly, she hummed quietly to herself. Silently, she strode down till she reached Pip’s stall, stopping before she let herself in.

The gray gelding stepped lightly over to Cori, breathing gently on her face. Her bangs fluttered back slightly, the whoof of air making her eyes water. Pip bowed his forehead to Cori’s, and the two pressed against each other gently, looking softly eye to eye, even though the girl could not see.

Several minutes later, people opened the door to the stable. A gust of chilling wind swept through the barn. By the time the five people had come by Cori was standing in the alleyway again.

Eric had Trinket wrapped in a matter of minutes and was soon leading her towards the awaiting horse trailer outside. Leslie and Jesse took longer, making mistakes several times because of their nerves. Leslie put Glid’s blanket on backward twice. Jesse, who was riding a stable gelding, crossed the Velcro slabs on the trailer boots numerous times. Eric was the only one who took after Cori, always calm before competitions.

Jenny Green loaded the riding clothes and duffle bags for each of the riders, along with herself and Cori. Two grooms loaded the three horses, making quick work of the job. A half an hour later, people scrambled into the truck cab and trailer quarters, and everyone was silent for the ride. Jesse and Eric played cards, Leslie texted Mack, and Charlie sat in the corner snoozing. Cori was the only one with nothing to do except for stare out the windows, and it was with pleasure that she jumped back into the rain as the truck came to a halt at the show grounds.

Horses were led around by grooms, trailer occupants letting out wondrous whinnies. In the stables, horses of all likes responded loudly. The chorus of neighs failed to daunt Cori or Eric, though it chilled the other two teenagers to the bone. All the joy of the horses seemed to stress riders to the brink, even at smaller shows.

Leslie, Jesse, and Eric led their horses to stalls that they had rented for the two nights and put them into cross ties. It was only seven and their show started at twelve. However, all three began to tack their horses, leading Glid, Trinket, and El to the warm up ring.

Cori listened intently to their workouts, pointing out faults as they came. Leslie rolled her eyes at each pointer she received, while Eric and Jesse quickly corrected themselves. Their first event was the opening class, a high scale hunter jumper class for the junior riders. After their warm up ride, they took their horses for a cool down, keeping one eye on their watches.

When the first number was called for the class they left their horses tied and watched the first rider. Cori listened to the steps of the large black thoroughbred. The course was taken well, but several faults did not do them any good.

Leslie was fifth to ride. After circling Glid once at a collected canter, Leslie looked up towards the first fence. It was a vertical spread, easy for a horse to misjudge. Glid slowed reluctantly at first, weary of the flowers waving in the wind beneath the poles. He hit his sweet spot graciously, his powerful hocks sending him springing over the poles. Visibly, Leslie relaxed over the next few jumps. In the middle of the course she floundered slightly in the saddle, bobbling from her seat. Glid felt her shift, hesitating, before springing over the jump too early. His hind feet caught on one of the poles, and he stumbled on the landing. Cori caught her breath slightly, waiting for Glid to catch himself.

After their ride was finished, she left her spot beside the ring to wish her brother, who was riding seventh, good luck. When she reached him, Trinket was unusually docile, her head bowed to the bit and tail still. Eric was having a conversation with another rider, who was laughing as if they had been told a joke.

Cori cleared her throat loudly, making her brother turn in his saddle to acknowledge her presence. “Good luck.” she was quiet, hardly audible over the loudspeaker in the arena. But Eric nodded, understanding completely. Trinket flicked one of her ears towards Cori as if to thank her, her whiskers twitching humorously. “Oh, beat Leslie for me, too.”

“I will.” Eric smiled, watching as his older sister wove blindly between the crowds back to her seat in the grandstand. Her well-wishes meant very much to him, relaxing the building nerves that he could not suppress.

The rain had stopped, leaving thick mist behind. Clouds overhead were still heavy and black, threatening to drop their everlasting fury. In the arena, the footing was horrible. Well groomed dirt had turned into mud, splattering each horse and their riders with wet dirt and grimy water. Lights around the ring had been put on, though their light hardly penetrated through the thick fog.

Several minutes later, Eric was called into the ring. Tentatively he circled Trinket once at a trot, twice at a canter, and then started towards the first jump. A light wind picked up, ruffling the fake flowers. Trinket shied, noticing the bright carnations for the first time. As she careened on, Eric pulled in desperation on the reins, begging her to clear the spread. Still waiting for a cue, Trinket loomed worryingly close to the jump, not yet airborne.

In reckless desperation, Eric leaned forward, giving her the signal. She jumped. And came so close to the rails. Cori, who had been holding her breath, released it at their landing. Trinket became extra cautious, adding an edge to her canter.

Their mistake had cost them precious seconds, and now they were merely struggling with the clock. Trinket remained silent on the bit for the rest of the course, clearing each fence with ease. They finished a second under the time, galloping over the finish.


Cori, an experienced rider herself, became annoyed over the next days watching her fellow riders compete. She itched to be in the show herself, as she would be if…her mind would not let her think any further than that without flashbacks of the accident. Her large chestnut gelding lying floundering on the ground in pain, the ceremony they had held for him… She could think of none of this without her throat choking, tears welling at her eyes.

Yet she yearned to ride again. Maybe I will. Maybe Jesse was right. That’d prove Leslie that she isn’t queen of anything. Cori thought bitterly, thinking of her sister as she refused her advice. Because of this, it was with relief that she returned home Monday night, avoiding being asked to help unload the trailer.

She went to bed without dinner, undressing quickly. She crawled into bed tiredly, curling up under the covers to fall asleep. A knock at her door woke her in the morning. Her mother was standing there, wearing jeans and a frustrated look on her face.

“What?” Cori asked with a yawn, standing in the doorway.

“Pip is loose, and we can’t catch him!” Jenny complained, hands on her hips.

“So?” giving another large yawn, Cori pulled out her ponytail.

“Can’t you help us?” Jenny asked, exasperated.

“Oh, yeah. Sure!” Cori put her hair back into a ponytail and pulled on a sweater over her t-shirt. Her mother turned and left and she followed quietly in tow.

When they were outside, Pip was prancing around Beta’s paddock restlessly. His tail was set high, and his black mane taunted the wind as it streamed beside him. An air of elegance, mixed with arrogance, surrounded him like a bubble. Cori cocked her head and stared sightlessly in the horse’s direction. Slowly, she slipped an apple out of her pocket and held it in the palm of her hand.

It only took a moment for Pip to realize she was there. He turned toward her and came to a gradual halt from his daunting canter, directly in front of her. Tossing his head, Pip nuzzled her cheek before taking the apple. Crunching contentedly on it, he allowed one of the stable grooms to slip his halter on and lead him back to his stall.


After lunch, Cori went outside to the stream that she could see from her window. Out of memory, she sat on a large gray rock. The stone sucked the warmth from her body as she listened to the constant roar of the water.

“You know,” a gruff voice muttered, “it does not take eyesight to be great, only a large heart and the vision of your dreams.” It was Charlie, the old man who lived with the Greens.

“But I’m blind.” Cori whispered with her sightless gaze focused on the tumbling white foam.

“Before you insult a man, walk a mile in his shoes.”

“What good would that do me?”

“None, yet you would be a mile away and have his shoes.”

“So?” Cori pulled her knees tight to her chest, shivering from the cold spray coming from the slight fall.

“So nothing. Being blind is no reasonable excuse not to be great, only your safety net from the sea of fear. You think that being blind will keep yourself from hurting again.” Charlie smiled slightly, watching the much younger girl.

“But-”

“But nothing. I shall meet you in the indoor at midnight sharp for your first lesson.”

“Fine.” Cori’s words were lost in the light breeze as the old man walked away, left to think of how she would sneak out of the house without her mother knowing.


When the moon was high in the night, Cori woke to the scream of her alarm clock. Luckily, no one else in her family was near enough to hear it, but its unnerving sound jostled Cori awake immediately. Out of habit, she slapped her hand down on the custom button. The small clock sang out the time in a monotone voice as she pulled open a drawer in her dresser that had not been exposed to air for a good six months.

Blindly, she picked out a pair of breeches and socks. Cori’s paddock boots, which lay in the monstrous pile of unused ballet flats, high heels, and aged running shoes, were retrieved. Walking as quietly out the door as possible, she threw on an old sweatshirt. The stairs did not prove a problem, taken quietly and quickly. She wound through room after room, hearing the faint buzz of the television. Jenny was probably spending her one hour of sofalizing now, so absorbed in other things that she didn’t notice her daughter sneaking out of the house.

Cori squeezed the door shut behind her as she stepped outside. Pausing for a moment, she slipped on her boots, lacing them up to the top of her ankles. Then, blinking dust from her eyes, she rose and began marching once again towards the barn.

Suddenly, she noticed something in front of her.

What? That can’t be… Cori’s eyes could see the lights and shadows that the moon was casting on the ground below her. Other than that, everything was fuzzy and dark. But this sudden step up was enough to put her into a happy and mystified mood while she tacked Pip.

She had assumed that riding Pip was her best option since he was the only horse that she had any attachment to. Instinct made her assume that he would be patient and gentle, maybe enough to help her along. He was patient as she saddled him, not holding his breath when she tightened his girth and taking the bit quickly.

Slipping on her gloves and clicking her helmet, Cori led Pip to the indoor arena. When she entered, Charlie looked up, a slightly disappointed light in his eyes. Cori could feel his gaze, and the emotions coming from it.

“What did I do wrong?” suddenly, all Cori’s excitement at her newfound slit of sight vanished as she realized that in this ring, she wasn’t blind. There were no handicaps for her, nothing to help make her search through the darkness any easier.

“You’re five minutes late. I expect you on time from now on.” Charlie said, turning away to set cavaletti in a circle around him.

“Alright…” Cori sighed, pulling Pip’s girth tighter and lowering both stirrup irons.

“Do the usual warm up. Walk five, trot ten, and canter five.” Charlie didn’t glance her way, trusting her to figure it out herself.

“Usual?”

“From now on, that will be how you warm up each night. There’s a clock on the wall.” He went back to silently setting out the poles while his student made a show of attempting to mount.

Lifting her leg up high enough into the saddle proved a difficult feat for Cori. She hardly could find the stirrup iron, hands floundering about blindly on the saddle. Once she had finally found the stirrup iron, she had trouble removing her hand before it got stepped on, because without it she could not find the iron.

At long last, Cori was mounted in the saddle, fixing the stirrup leathers and finding her reins. Her back iron-rod strait, she sat a comfortable walk for several minutes before gently guiding Pip into a trot.

“Stop!” Charlie demanded, waiting until the horse was halted to speak again. “You ride like someone has put a pole on your back! Loosen up! Ride with feeling, move with your horse!”

Cori nodded slightly, an argument springing in her head. This was the way the best riders in the world had taught her. But the old man was right. Riding was supposed to be a pleasantry, and her style was too serious. Yet the toughest Olympic contenders of America rode this way.

“Move out again. I’d like to see a sitting trot.”

Pip responded well to collection, arching his head inward and floating softly around the ring. “No, no, no!” Charlie sighed, exasperated. “I did not say collect him; I said to sit his trot!”

“But-” Cori was silenced as he cut through her words.

“A flowing trot sat well is much fancier and prettier than a collected trot sat fair. Try again.”

This time, Cori let Pip trot at his own speed, flowing eagerly around the ring. She shoved her heels down, her hands gliding with the movements of the horse. Hardly bouncing, she sat his trot for ten minutes before transitioning him into a walk. From there, she switched him into a canter. Several times, she heard Charlie’s grunts of displeasure and felt the urge to halt, yet Charlie had not directed her to do so.

When her warm-up was done, she brought Pip to a halt directly in front of Charlie. He sighed deeply before speaking. “You are much worse than I feared. Your seat is horrible, your hands move waywardly, and you never smile. Seriousness is wasted in a profession like this. You should be happy when you ride!”

“Yes coach.” Cori mumbled simply, embarrassed.

“Now we will work on your seat. Take Pip out to the rail at a walk.”

Cori did so obediently, lettin Pip walk freely. He flicked his ears back, listening for a command from her. For several minutes, Cori walked Pip, sliding back and forth with him in the saddle. This is going to be different.