She had 80 lb of body weight against 1,500 pounds of rage. As the heavy oak fence rapidly closed in on her left side, Basia did the only thing she could. She kicked her left foot out of the stirrup, pulled her leg high up onto the saddle pad, and shoved her boot hard against the passing fence rail. The violent friction tore the leather sole of her boot, but the force shoved the horse's shoulders away from the wood.
They careened off the fence, scraping the heavy brass stirrup against the timber with a horrific screeching tear. Ruin squealed a high, demonic sound of pure fury. He stopped bucking forward and started spinning. He planted his front feet and whipped his hindquarters around in tight dizzying circles.
Centrifugal force tore at Basia. Her grip on his mane began to slip. Her knuckles already bleeding smeared slick red across his gray neck. Her thighs were burning trembling violently under the strain.
She squeezed her eyes shut fighting the intense nausea rising in her throat. 50 guineas she thought the words repeating like a frantic drumbeat in her skull. 50 guineas rent medicine coal. She locked her jaw.
She dug the heel of her one stirruped boot deep into his side and hauled back on the left rein with everything she had bending his neck around until his nose nearly touched her knee. Deprived of his balance, Ruin stumbled. He broke out of the spin, his chest heaving, his sides expanding and contracting like a bellows. He didn't stop, but the violent, bone-breaking bucks turned into a stiff, jarring crow hop around the perimeter of the yard.
Each impact was agony on Basia's bruised shoulder but she was still in the saddle. 2 minutes West hollered hanging over the fence now his face pale. Henry stood frozen staring at the woman on the horse. He had seen cavalry officers men decorated for bravery at Waterloo quit after 30 seconds on a horse like this.
They surrendered to the pain to the fear but this small half-starved girl with a bleeding face and ruined boots simply refused to be dislodged. She wasn't fighting the horse with strength. She was outlasting him with pure, miserable endurance. She was as stubborn and damaged as the beast she was riding.