[CARA-JEAN KITCHI]

our voices carry

careful words we can barely speak out loud

“Education is
the most powerful weapon,
which you can use
to change the world.”
— Nelson Mandela

It was an early spring evening and Cara was in her happy place. She had finished her work of looking after the Clarke-Thone twins and Kyoto was in the capable hands of her grandparents as the family ate their dinner - sweet and sour chicken, with rice and egg foo young - and now she had some time to herself.

She smiled as she watched the ponies as the moved around the pasture, knowing that a whistle from her would have their attention, though she was happy enough just being an observer for now. The herd had changed over time, she had gained a couple of new ponies that needed retraining, and had brought over the two foals, Fish and Bankroll, from her wild herd once they were at an age where they could be weaned. Ice, however, had been weaned for a long time (though she still tried to see if her dam would let her try and nurse), and Cara decided that it was time for her training to move on.

She looked over at the bay filly, who was trying to challenge Blossom, which the mare wasn't having any of and gave the youngster a warning nip before she turned around and gave the filly a very firm kick. "Silly girl." Cara whistled and smiled when all of the ponies turned to her as one and Cara gave the filly her whistle, smiling as the pony flicked up her heels at Blossom, earning her another nip, and daintily trotted over to where Cara was standing. "Hi, baby." She said softly as she offered the filly her hand and then rubbed her forehead. "Casey is going to come and do some work with you." The filly knew all the basics; how to wear a halter, stand still while being groomed, lift her feet to have them cleaned and trimmed. She was still a year or more away from being ridden, but there was still a lot of training to do without needing to tack a pony up.

CASEY ALEXANDER LLOYD

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NOTES

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