World Champion Material

Prologue

A low hum filled the barn as rain pelted against the tin roof on a cool spring night. The only other sounds that could be heard were the occasional neigh and the ticking of a silver vintage alarm clock. The night was calm. Everyone was fast asleep, or so it appeared.
Young Tim Evans, considered an up-and-coming trainer to a majority of those in the American Saddlebred industry, anxiously paced a straight line following the tiles of the floor, back and forth across the barn office. His black leather riding boots clicked with each step. Arms crossed, he stopped and glanced at the clock—12:30 a.m. He sighed as he walked out into the dark barn aisle and down to the third stall. He had been waiting five hours already for his favorite mare, Molly, to birth her colt. Tim was especially excited for this colt to arrive, as it would be the very first colt that he could train from the start, and the first colt from Molly, known in her show ring days as Miss Molly B.

Tim looked into the stall as he had several times that night. Just as before, the dark chestnut mare stood facing the back corner of her stall, dozing in and out of sleep. He sighed again and traipsed back to the barn office. As soon as he entered the room, he heard his cell phone’s annoying, high-pitched ring from where it sat on his desk that was piled high with papers.
"Hello?" he answered with a yawn.
Tim’s wife said, "Hey, it’s Alice. How is Molly?"
"She’s fine, but there’s no sign of anything yet."
They said a few more quick words to each other and then hung up. Tim shooed away a gray barn cat and lay down on the black leather couch against the wall that was, like all the walls in his office, lined with ribbons and pictures, to take a short nap before checking on Molly again.
Several hours later
Tim woke up sensing he forgot something important. He had an empty feeling. He looked at the clock—5:30 a.m. Molly!
He ran down the barn aisle as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart beat so fast, he thought it would burst through his chest as he neared the mare’s stall. He caught his breath as he looked in to see Molly standing proudly looking over her sleeping newborn colt.
Tim gasped and hurried back to the office to call Alice. He snatched his phone from the desk and swiftly dialed his house number.
He nearly shouted into the phone, "Alice! Come down to the barn!"
"Huh? What?" She was still half asleep.
"Molly had her colt last night!"
She snapped out of her drowsiness. "Oh, Tim! I’m coming! What does he look like?"
He ran back to the stall and his eyes widened when he
looked at the colt. He smiled and said, "Looks like he’s liver chestnut—just like his mare! And I don’t see any markings."
"Just like his sire!" Alice added jubilantly. At that moment, nothing could overpower Tim’s excitement, pride and happiness.
Later that day, Tim helped the little colt to his feet and watched him as he poked his curious nose around the stall. The foal was a bundle of energy; every baby step was more like a rambunctious prance. His fuzzy nose nuzzled against Alice’s hand, and he nibbled at her fingers.
"Hey, stop that! Just because you’re cute doesn’t mean you can get away with everything," she told him, stifling a giggle.
That evening, Tim and Alice watched Molly and her colt. The sunshine through the window of the stall cast a square of light onto the floor. The little colt walked cautiously toward a patch of sunlight and looked at his own shadow across the sun patch. Tim and Alice laughed as the colt jumped back toward his mother in surprise.
"Shadow," Tim said aloud.
"What?" Alice asked.
"Shadow. That’s what I am going to name him," he said proudly.
That little colt will be a great horse someday, Tim declared to himself.

This was a portion of the prologue from one of Mill City Press' authors, Sarah Hinds.

Sarah Hinds was born in 1992 in St. Louis, Missouri. Since she was four years old, Sarah has ridden, shown, and loved American Saddlebred horses. She shows her Pinto Saddlebred gelding, All Riled Up (also known as "Riley") under the direction of Mark and Kelly Hulse. She also owns a 25-year-old Saddlebred gelding, Reedann's First Award (affectionately known as "Mickey") who was her first horse and best friend. Sarah writes a monthly column for Saddle and Bridle Magazine, and has written articles for the American Saddlebred Magazine, Missouri Horse Show Association's newletter, and ASHA's Junior Junction.

Her book will be available for purchase soon--look for it on Amazon.com! To publish your book with Mill City Press, click on the link above.