He took a deep breath before urging the mare forward. They went around the pen, then cut from one corner to another, placing some other things in it as they went. Alexander made sure his posture was perfect and took notice of how Fallen Star moved under him as they went through the routine. Once they had gone through it one time, Alexander had the mare pause for a quick break as he relieved it in his head, seeing if there was anything they could improve on more than they already had. He couldn’t think of anything that seemed off to him so he decided to go through it one more time so both of them wouldn’t be too tired afterwards. He also knew that it wouldn’t help keep it fresh in their heads. He stirred the mare back to where they originally started before pausing again to feel the fresh breeze go past his face. After a moment he urged the mare forward again and started another perfect run through of the routine.

When they were done, Alexander led Fallen Star to the barn so she could get a drink, the extra equipment removed, and her promised carrot. Before they stepped foot into the barn, Alexander slipped off her and grabbed her reins, leading her to her stall. When the pair reached the stall he had her go in before closing the door behind her so he could find a hose or something like that to refill her water. It took a moment but eventually the water in her stall was filled and Alexander had a carrot in his back pocket for her. He started to remove her saddle, then the saddle pad, and the other things. He checked her for any sores or anything like that from the new stuff before being satisfied and taking her new stuff to the room that held the saddles and similar things. When he came back to her stall, the palomino's head was poking out like she was waiting for the carrot he had promised her. When he was close enough, he petted her forehead with a soft smile before pulling out the carrot from his back pocket and handing it to her. She gave a happy sounding neigh before taking it from him and munching on it. He leaned against the stall wall as he waited for her to get done. He must have zoned out as she ate because he was startled a bit when the mare next to him nudged him to get his attention. “Sorry girl. Are you ready to go back out there?” He asked as he undid the lock on her stall. He reached for her reins and grabbed them as he led her out of the stall and soon, the barn.

He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out to the side as he felt the breeze in his face and the mare galloping across the open field. He stayed like that for a little before he opened his eyes to pay attention to where they were going. He noticed the tree line coming up and grabbed hold of the reins. As they approached the treeline, Alexander noticed a fallen tree leaning against a stump in the way. He leaned forward a bit and urged the mare faster, which she gladly did. When they reached the fallen tree, they soared clear over it before slowing down to a safer pace for the woods.

When Alexander stepped out of his truck, he went to the bed and pulled out a sprinkler. One of the round ones with holes along it. It only took asking a friend and eventually having to go to Walmart to get his hands on one. He carried the box to the side of the barn where a hose was and got it set up as far away from the barn as the hose allowed him. When he got it all set up, he stood back up, wiped some sweat off his forehead and made his way inside the barn and to Fallen Star’s stall. He grabbed all the brushes, hoof picks, and combs that he needed before stepping into the mare’s stall. “Hey girl! Last day before we head out for the competition tomorrow. I’ve got something set up outside for you.” He said as he got her set for the day. After grooming her and cleaning out her stall, he grabbed her lead rope and clicked onto her halter. He led her out of the stall and out of the barn, out to a grassy paddock where he had set up the sprinkler.

When the mare was in, he closed the gate behind her and removed the lead rope before going over to the hose and turning it on. The sprinkler jumped to life and sprayed the water high enough that even a horse could enjoy it. He already asked the owner of the place if he could do this and reassured them that he would take care of that month's water bill. He walked up to the fence and watched the palomino horse run around in the fenced area. She jumped over the sprinkler with a happy sounding neigh, enjoying the cool water on her. He could only watch her with a smile as she had fun before the big day for the pair. “It really doesn’t take much sometimes to make you happy huh?” He asked, more to himself as he watched her for a little longer. Eventually he got bored of watching her and pulled out his phone, pulling up a book on it to read with the mare becoming background noise. As he read, he wondered how it could be so hot out still when it's as overcast as it was, but that only lasted a moment.

Eventually thoughts about the following day distracted him enough that he had to put his phone away. Some of his friends from school had claimed that they were going to go to his dressage event. He was a bit worried about how that would go since none of them really knew a thing about horses let alone any of the events he did. At least they were putting in some effort. Or they were just going to cure some boredom. They weren’t necessarily the kind of people who liked places like barns so he was willing to bet that they’d show up all blinged out, noses pinched, and probably accidentally offend someone there. He let out a exhausted sigh and let his hands hang over the edge of the fence and his head hang down.

When he noticed the mare slow down and seemed tired, he made his way over to the hose and turned it off before heading back to her. He whistled a quick yet sharp note and the mare made her way over to him. As she got close enough, he reached over and grabbed her reins. “Let's get you all washed up and inside.” He led her out of the fenced in area, back into the barn, and back into her stall. “I’ll be right back. I just need to put stuff away.” He said as he carefully scratched Fallen’s forehead before leaving.

When he was back out in the fenced area, he removed the hose from the sprinkler and wound it back up before placing it on a hook. After that, Alexander went back into the fenced area and grabbed the sprinkler. It seemed a little heavier than before but maybe he was just tired from the heat. He shrugged it off before carrying it back to his truck. As Alexander walked, he wondered if he looked as weird as he felt in the moment. He could only guess that he looked like he was doing a slightly weird waddle or like the sprinkler was too heavy and he was rushing to his truck before he dropped the sprinkler on his foot. Once he reached his truck, he slid it back into the bed of it and closed it up before heading back into the barn. On his way back to Fallen Star, he stopped in the equipment room and grabbed his brushes and picks and whatnot that he needed for the mare before leaving and continuing his way to her stall. He had found an unused bucket along his way and thought it would be best to put the stuff in it. So he did and brought the bucket over to Fallen Stars stall. He set the bucket down for a moment so he could open the stall door before picking up the bucket again and stepping in. He went through the process pretty quietly as he brushed and combed her. He’d wash her down tomorrow even better tomorrow before they left, but for now this was good enough.