Forbidden Spirits by Patricia Watters Read Free Book Online Page B

sandy beach, the scene was accompanied by catchy music, the fast rhythm raising the level of excitement of the crowd, who clapped and cheered and stomped their feet with enthusiasm as Tyler took the horses around the arena at breathtaking speed.
    Tyler was dressed like a Roman soldier, in a tunic that came to just above his knees, a Roman helmet with a feather plume, leather wrist and shin guards, and what looked to be soft leather sandals that laced up his legs. He held six pairs of long reins in his hands while driving the horses as they raced around the arena.
    What surprised Rose most was that Tyler looked completely relaxed as he took the horses around at a full run. It seemed odd though, not seeing his long hair streaming out behind like it had when he was on the beach. She assumed he'd twisted it into a coil and stuffed it under the helmet, but she couldn't help thinking that, even though he looked amazingly impressive as a Roman soldier, he'd look even more impressive with his long hair streaming out behind, maybe as the representation of an Indian warrior, or dressed in white as the ghost of a famous Indian chief on his pearly-white ghost horses…
    " The Lusitano is one of the most ancient breeds ," the announcer said, as Tyler continued around the perimeter of the arena. " Tyler uses them for his Roman riding act because they're good at the fast quick bursts of energy the sport requires, and they tend to be calm. They're also the stars of the show as you'll see as Tyler takes the team over several jumps... "
    As the announcer said the words, Tyler headed the horses toward three jumps that were positioned just off the outside track. A huge burst of applause erupted as the pair of horses in front sailed over the first jump, followed by the middle pair, and finally the pair in the rear, with Tyler holding his balance as if he were attached to the horses, when in fact there was nothing on the horses' backs. He took the team over the next two jumps, then around the arena and over the jumps again while the pumped up crowd cheered and applauded.
    Rose could not help feeling pure adulation on watching Tyler with his horses, balanced so perfectly on their backs, with one hand now holding six pairs of reins while the other was raised as he connected with the crowd, something that surprised her, being the recluse everyone claimed he was…
    " The sport of Roman riding hails back to Roman times when Roman generals stood on their horses to survey the battle field," the announcer continued . "It's a feat of balance and control that's taken to the limit when negotiating jumps like what you just saw Tyler do…"
    About that time Tyler guided the horses to the outer perimeter of the arena and again took them around at a fast gallop…
    " Tyler's standing on the backs of Selena and Celeste, the wheel team of his six-horse hitch. Those are the ones that have to each carry half of Tyler's weight while driving hard enough to stay up with the others. These two mares are full sisters so they're well matched for Tyler to stand on . In front of the wheel horses are the swing horses, Gypsy and Estelle, which are the horses in the middle of a Roman riding group, and the lead horses are Luna and Stardust, a pair of almost perfectly matched dapple grays..."
    Tyler guided the horses to the center of the arena and dismounted, and while the announcer continued to tell the crowd about the history of Roman riding, Tyler stripped off the tack. When the mares were free of restraints, the announcer said, "And now, Tyler will demonstrate some liberty work."
    With that, the announcer became silent and the music changed to a playful orchestral arrangement as Tyler jogged around the arena, much as he had in the meadow, with all six mares trailing after him and following him back and forth over a low jump. After that the horses moved into a circle, and single-file, trotted around Tyler like a living carousel. Then without obvious signal from Tyler, they