HLM -Chapter 1405 Knights, GO

Fifty riders—having Marlon alone to guide them wasn’t reliable at all—so Wang Bo, Peterson, Cosi, Cousins, and the others all joined in.

“Today, we first need to let the children get familiar with the horses. Remember, pay attention to their emotions. Let them become friends with the horses; that’s the most important thing right now,” Marlon said.

About five children could be managed by one adult. Wang Bo took Dale and Ron along with three others, then said, “Let’s go find a perfect spot, and Teacher Wang will teach you how to win the championship.”

Some townspeople and tourists watched from around. Atulu had brought a few auxiliary police officers to maintain order. People were allowed to watch the training and the race; otherwise, how would they place bets?

Wang Bo mounted Tuhao Jin, patted its head, and Tuhao Jin snorted and started running.

Dale also mimicked him and patted Red Tiger. Red Tiger snorted too, then didn’t react further, though its big eyes looked quite spirited: “What an idiot!”

Ron ran over holding the reins. “Dale, you need to kick it in the belly with the spur, but don’t use much force!”

Dale frowned. “I know, I know! I don’t need you to teach me. I have a unique way of communicating with Red Tiger.”

Everyone else had walked off, but Red Tiger was still standing in place.

Dale had no choice but to lightly tap its belly with the spur. The little red horse understood the signal and began trotting slowly.

Catching up to Wang Bo and the others, Dale complained, “Red Rabbit is so disobedient. I don’t like it much. Brother-in-law, can I ride Niuniu in the race instead?”

After being moved from the castle, the little white yak Niuniu had been sent to the ranch, stored on the edge so Dale could play with her from time to time.

Wang Bo shook his head. “No, white yaks aren’t fast runners. If you ride it, you definitely won’t win.”

Dale pouted. “Fine, I’ll ride Red Tiger then. Red Tiger must win, or I’ll be very unhappy!”

The little red horse shook its head twice, completely oblivious to what she was saying.

Eva had prepared some carrots and hay. She drove over in her SUV and handed a portion to each rider, then gave Dale and her group a pile.

Wang Bo said, “First, you need to gain their trust. Here, give them the carrots… Shit, Riola! These are for the horses, not for you!”

The Brazilian boy smiled brightly. “They taste pretty good.”

The black horse next to him drooled—the scent of the carrot was too tempting.

Wang Bo fed one to Tuhao Jin. “Crunch, crunch,” it quickly devoured the carrot.

The children gave their carrots to their horses as well. With carrots and hay, the mini horses gradually filled up and became even more attached to the children who fed them.

“All right, now we’ll take them to drink water. See that little stream? That’s where we’re going.”

The town had more than twenty spring sources, and the ranch had one as well, forming a small river. Wang Bo planned to eventually connect them into a river network.

Gradually, most of the children brought their ponies and mini donkeys over.

Marlon, mounted and holding a horn, said, “Be patient. Horses won’t drink immediately after eating, so you need to wait. Meanwhile, you can hug them and talk to them. Remember, horses understand your words.”

Dale patted Red Rabbit’s mouth. “If you can understand me, behave. Otherwise, you won’t get any carrots later.”

An alpaca walked by with a young girl. With light but steady steps, the girl jumped off and patted its legs. The alpaca lay down, and the girl leaned on it to play in the water.

Dale tried the same with Red Rabbit, but as soon as she touched its leg, Red Rabbit lifted it as if to kick her…

“Be patient, Dale. Patience,” Wang Bo quickly advised, seeing Dale ready to call for help to subdue the little red horse.

By the river, the children chatted with their horses. The bright sunlight reflected off the clear water, showing their shadows. The atmosphere was simple and relaxed.

But after eating and drinking, the ponies needed to pee and poop. Little Si noticed the tail lifted and thought an insect might be bothering it, so he went to check.

As he leaned closer, “splat!” a pile of horse manure shot out.

“Fuck!” the good-natured Little Si screamed in frustration. “It pooped! This bastard actually pooped!”

Wang Bo sighed. “Can you all be a little patient? Horses naturally poop. Come on, lead them away. After drinking, we can start running.”

Over at Anliya’s, her pony stood stubbornly still, refusing to move, making the little girl frantic.

Wang Bo didn’t know what was wrong, so he went over. “Anya, step aside. Let me see what’s happening.”

Anliya moved aside. Wang Bo approached, and just then the pony lifted its hind legs and started peeing—“swish swish swish!”

Wang Bo’s brand-new riding boots quickly got soaked…

After handling both pee and poop, the mini horses were finally comfortable.

Now it was the children’s turn to be uncomfortable. Someone brought over small shovels and buckets for the children to pick up the manure.

“Why do we have to shovel poop too? I’m not doing this!” some children complained.

Wang Bo said, “If you won’t even clean up their poop, how can you claim to love them?”

Dale was excellent here. She didn’t mind getting dirty and had often helped Wang Bo clean stables before. She grabbed a shovel and cleaned the manure quickly and efficiently.

Next, they had to brush the horses. Each child got a brush and started at the pony’s head, brushing all over its body until its coat was clean and neat.

“Are we really here to ride horses? I feel like we’re here to serve them,” Ron grumbled.

Wang Bo said, “Quiet, Ron. This requires patience. Riding isn’t that simple. If you want to ride them, you need to give real effort… Never mind, you wouldn’t understand this topic yet.”

After going through all the steps, more than two hours had passed. The mini horses had become much more familiar with their young owners. Some now followed their owners even without a lead rope.

It was finally time to ride. The children stepped into the stirrups and mounted. Wang Bo waved forward and said, “Come on, start running slowly. Remember to run in a straight line and help your horses develop the habit of running straight.”

Dale and the others’ excited faces lit up. “Okay!”

“Then, knights, GO!” Wang Bo waved his hand, leading the little riders forward.