Alles Isi oder was?

John had rebuilt the shelter at Mary’s place into a small, fenced stable — together with Rowan and Jamie.

Gillian: “Guys, this is incredible! What you’ve turned that shed into is amazing. Now we’ve got extra space.”

John: “Wasn’t exactly easy — but with those two assistants, it went faster than expected.”

Rowan: “Now Mary won’t have to keep sending visitors out to catch runaway animals.”

Jamie pulled me aside.

Jamie: “Wait, Gillian. Do you remember Theo? He rents out the Icelandics in New Hillcrest. He asked if we could take in a few of his horses for sale. He’s very ill and has to give up the business.”

Gillian: “All the stalls are occupied right now… although… maybe we could use the new open stable. It’s only temporary until they’re sold. Tell him we’ll help.”

Jamie brought the horses from New Hillcrest to Meadowland.

Gillian: “How many are coming?”

Jamie: “Let’s see. There were supposed to be five, but Theo has interested buyers right now. I’ll unload these two and then head back.”

In the end, it was three horses. Claire and I went to take a look.

Claire: “They’re so cute! We could ride them while they’re here. That way they won’t have too much extra energy when someone comes for a trial ride.”

Gillian: “Good idea. And it’ll be fun.”

Claire and Jamie went on an Icelandic trail ride together. Claire used the opportunity to talk about something important.

Claire: “Jamie… I want to quit professional show jumping. I just don’t know how to tell my parents. What do you think?”

Jamie: “Claire… with me, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. My father’s domineering — he cut off contact.”

But Claire’s parents were different. They adored their only child. Still, they had a clear life plan for her: one day she would take over their company — breeding, training, and selling show jumpers for the professional sport. Claire didn’t want that. Either she would have to give up her own dream — or her parents’.

Claire: “There’s another competition next weekend that I’m supposed to ride in. When I see how some of those horses are treated, it breaks my heart. I don’t want this anymore.”

Jamie: “I understand. But don’t rush it. Make a plan that works for everyone. Talk to Rowan. You matter a lot to him. Even if he doesn’t fully agree, he’ll stand by you.”

Rowan would stand by her. He saw how she worked at Meadowland. He understood her. But his goal was to reach the top in professional show jumping. He didn’t accept many of the harsh training methods either — but on his way up, he had to tolerate them. He depended on sponsors. And among them… were Claire’s parents. Meanwhile, Jamie had set up a Western-style obstacle course in the arena to see how the Icelandics handled it. It worked surprisingly well — and Jamie clearly enjoyed learning their unique gaits.

Jamie: “You’re a pretty cool guy, Dizzy. I think we could become real buddies.”

Then Theo called.

Gillian: “Hey Jamie, Theo just called. He’s coming by later to pick up his horses. He sounded really happy.”

Jamie: “What?! Today? Why? I just got used to those bouncy gaits!”

Theo arrived with his son Jonas — and good news.

Theo: “You won’t believe it. My son Jonas is coming back to Jorvik. That means the business can continue. Thank you so much for your help.”

Jonas: “If I’d known how sick my father really was, I would’ve come back much earlier. But the old man always thinks he has to handle everything alone.”

Jamie looked at the small dark chestnut.

Jamie: “Well… if it works for you, I’d love to buy the little dark fox. What would you want for him?”

And just like that — Dizzy, the little dark chestnut Icelandic, stayed at Meadowland.