horse camp

I sit on the platform, with sweat dripping down my back

I let the kids have the fan, il live

I remember that time last summer, when I almost passed out, and drank out of the horse water trough

That trough had algae in it

A kid walks over, and asks me a question

Huh? 

The kid repeats her question

Then she leads me off, her braids bumping her back with every step

I glance at the hulking beast known as Ivy

I grab the hoof pick off the ground, and lean into his side, 

I smack his leg when he wont pick up the hoof

Sweat drips off my forehead, onto the dust

I pick up his hoof, and do a quick job of cleaning it before he tries to put it back down

The kid continues cleaning the old horse, and another kid comes over

This one, asks me to help her catch a horse

I tell her to go try, and bring a buddy with her into the field

She walks off, to grab a rope

The best way to teach them, is to show them what they can do on their own

A little kid sitting next to me on the platform turns to me

“Have you ever fallen off a horse?”

“loads of times, yeah”

“Oh...”

The kid turns back to her friends

A little boy  walks up to me, limping with blisters on his feet

“Can we have the popsicles now”

“No”

“Why..?!”

“Because we have them on the hottest day of the week, and that's tomorrow.”

“But it's hot now!”

“And it will be even worse tomorrow”

He walks off, stumbling a little

Just then, a clattering comes from behind the barn

I run out, but i'm too late

Riptide broke into the feed again

I grab the rope an embarrassed looking kid hands me

And haul the horse’s head up

I attach the rope to a different spot on her halter, for more control

And remind the kid, that is why Riptide always goes in the other entrance to the barn

I hand the kid the rope, and walk back in to the barn

A kid took my spot on the platform, but I don’t take it back

I stand, and my knees complain

Just then, the kids sitting in front of the fan all start shouting, because somebody put dirt in the fan, and it blew over everybody

I remind them that I will take away fan privileges if it happens again.

I sit on the ground, near all the kids

I'm the only counselor who eats lunch with the kids

I sip my soda, as the little boy with the blisters, who is sitting next to me, 

rambles on about that time he rode his uncles horse, and it galloped

He cries every time we put him on a horse

I am very doubtful of this story.

I stand up, and pour out my soda on some of the plants

I toss the can to the trash 

Then, I shout across the tables, “i'll trade my ice pack for some gummies”

A few kids wave their hands, and I make a trade.

The kid presses the ice pack to her forehead, and I rip open the gummies.

I am helping that kid not get cavities.

Blister kid starts asking me if I have galloped, because he has and bla bla bla

I shove a few gummies into his hand, hoping for momentary peace.

* dont mind my bad grammer/spelling, it is because at horse camp, you are too tired to worry about little things like that.