Evelyn's POV:

" Hey! You get! "

The dun stallion snorted as he reared on the end of the lunge line before settling back into a trotting pace around me.

After Ash had called me, I had taken a whole five minutes just to figure out which outdoor arena she had been referring to in her call. When I had finally found it, Ash had explained that she thought Dante could use a lesson in respect and handed me a lunge line and whip she had gotten from the barn.

When we had attended the various horsemanship clinics during the summer and winter holidays, we had learned a few things to get a rebellious horse to respect its rider. One of the instructors of those clinics had told us that Ash had a natural connection to horses, which is why they seemed to like her almost instantaneously.

" The instructor for one of the final clinics we attended said that Eve had a natural herd leader instinct with horses " I could hear Ash explaining to Sky as they watched from the fence surrounding the arena. " She's like a stallion herself, stubborn as they come, so she's good with getting horses to listen to her and telling them what to do "

I rolled my eyes playfully. " I heard that! " I called.

" Well, it's true! " Ash's voice was teasing and I giggled before setting my eyes back on the stallion on the end of the lunge line.

Dante laid his ears back as he finally gave in and lowered his neck, moving more calmly and without tugging against me.

" Good boy... " I praised him. We had been lunging for almost an hour and he was just now starting to resemble a properly trained eventing prospect, not like a wild horse who had never seen people before.

" He really is beautiful Sky " I commented as I let Dante come to a halt and gathered the line in my hands, making my way towards him.

" Thanks " Sky replied. " He has some great bloodlines too, real jumpers... " She cleared her throat. " He'll be a great breeding stallion, as long as he doesn't pass down his misbehaviors to his offspring "

I hid my smile behind Dantes' neck so Ash wouldn't see. I could tell she was suspicious about how we had all been acting around Florence, but we couldn't help it. Pregnant mares weren't something to be taken lightly and keeping it a surprise for Ash's birthday was even harder than I had imagined. Dr. Candice had been out early this morning and confirmed exactly what we had thought, that there was a 99.9 percent possibility that Florence was going to be a mom. She would be back after the tryouts to confirm though.

I hadn't even thought about how trouts were only a week away. Saturday would be the dressage and show jumping testing while Sunday was cross country and the results day. I felt the nerves in my stomach every day the tryouts got closer and closer. Navarre was doing well, but he still wasn't as ready as Hugo had been, and that made me nervous about what may happen during tryouts.

Not just for me but for Ash as well. Dr. Candice had assured me that this early in the pregnancy Florence was still okay to be ridden and jumped, but honestly, I hoped Ash may choose to ride Beauty for the tryouts, since, if she made it, he and Venus would be the horses she would bring to EFA.

" Want to give me a leg up? " I asked Sky as I set the lunge line and whip on the ground.

She nodded and I calmly hopped into Dantes saddle. The stallion seemed much calmer than when I had first started lunging him and as I cued him forward into a walk, then a trot, he felt like a real pro.

I could see why Sky bought him. His stride was as smooth as could be, but he naturally used his hind end to give him a really powerful, yet flowing movement.

" Wow " Sky spoke up. " He looks great! "

I smiled, happy that I was able to help Sky for once, instead of her always helping Ash and me with our problems.

It seemed to have finally sunk in that as famous as the twins were, they came from the exact same spot Ash and I had. They were beginners once too, they've been through all the ups and downs that come with a career in eventing and at the end of the day, they were human too.

They made mistakes just like everyone else.

I didn't feel nearly as nervous as I had when we first arrived here, and Sky and Jewel felt more like friends than coaches.

Now if only the nerves about the tryout could leave the pit of my stomach, Hugo could get better quicker and Ash's birthday could get here faster so we could tell her the news about Florence.

Everything would be perfect...