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Ben took one of the older mares, a pinto quarter horse, out to the arena too, lungeing her on the other half.
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Emma put her horse away a bit later and watched Ben, a smile on her lips
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The old mare, named Poppy, needed a little extra encouragement to canter, so Ben flicked the whip. She transitioned to a slow canter, but broke down after a few strides. Ben gave in and just let her trot, knowing she was 25 or so and needed to go slow.
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Emma watched his consideration with a smile. "You know, she was my first horse." She called across the arena
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Ben looked over at Emma at her words, then back at Poppy. He asked the mare to stop, and led her over to Emma. "Really? Wow, that's pretty cool. She's such a sweetie." As if to prove his point, the mare snuffled at his hair, and he grinned, scratching her neck.
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Emma nodded. "Anything specific you want for dinner?"
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Ben shook his head. "Nah. Anything's great." But he paused, then added, smiling, "Check that. My stomach says it wants pizza. Do you need help? I finished lungeing, she was the last one to do." He looked at Poppy, who was now munching on grass.
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"No, I'll order in." She said, doing just that. Food arrived an hour latr and Emma took it inside
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(Gotta go!) . He nodded and cooled Poppy down before putting her back in her stall and heading to the house, where the smell of pizza made his mouth water.
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Emma was waiting, plates on the table
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