Zodiac skittishly loads in the trailer, spooking at every movement. She obviously
needs a little more experience with hauling. Because of your forgetfulness, you
forgot to put on head bumpers and knee pads, but by the time you get to the
trainer's, it wouldn't have mattered because Zodiac is scratchless. The trainer,
Bernie Sambar, takes Zodiac into the ring. He flexes her legs and uses "trippers",
slang for rubber strips tied to the horse's legs and pulled to make them move
any given leg. Trippers can easily make a horse learn a trick or unnatural gait.
Many kotzi trainers are against trippers, but you don't see any harm in them.
Bernie teaches Zodiac the basic needs for an Abzudi kotzi horse, then lets her do an
easy walk. She's sweating hard, and panting in fatigue. But Zodie is noticeably more
athletic. Bernie gives her a last pat on the neck and dismounts, then walks back
out of the ring. He tells you she was very stubborn and unwilling, but she's gotten the
moves learned. He said that Zodiac is far from having the potential he would want in
a kotzi horse, but with a lot of training she may make it to a higher level.
