When a Polish temper meets an Italian…
Kiempa Equestrian has always been a place where various personalities clashed, but eventually they came to an agreement. Everyone tries their best to ensure that the atmosphere in the facility remains the same, always friendly and open to welcome new people. And with that approach, Barbara signed a contract with an Italian rider, Fezco Lenzini-Zgoda, at the beginning of the year. Well, half Italian, since his father was a Pole.
For most of his life, Fezco lived with his mom in Milano, where his equestrian career began. After some life’s turmoil, Fezco decided to move out to Poland, though still representing Italy in competitions. When visiting a local breed showcase, Fezco learned about Kiempa Equestrian. After reaching out to Barbara, he tried out some of the horses available for sale. The rest happened rather quickly, after Fezco decided to buy two stallions and join the show jumping team.
The end of February was just around the corner, and everyone was fully back on track with their usual duties in Kiempa Equestrian. All outdoor arenas were finally safe to use again after sudden temperature drops, so everyone was eager to break out of the indoor arena walls. That morning, everything seemed to be as usual. Ofelia and Nadia claimed the small arena, Maja took the tiny run for a lunging session with Karino, and since there was some maintenance work happening in the indoor one, the only arena left was the big one. Fezco was just finishing warm-up with Carthago when Halszka brought Furia, since it seemed that both riders were going for some jumping exercises that day.
The whole situation escalated in seconds. Halszka was trotting when Fezco approached the first jump. A shout spread throughout the facility. Carthago almost collided with Furia. Both horses spooked, but none of the riders was going to apologize. Instead, Fezco threw an angry glance at Halszka, immediately throwing his hands in the air.
– Keep your eyes open! That was fu*king dangerous! – Halszka huffed and frowned.
– Nobody taught you that you’re supposed to say it out loud, that you’re approaching a jump? How was I supposed to know your intentions when I was focused on my horse? – That answer was not something that Fezco wanted to hear. His face turned red with anger, his gestures intensified.
– Maybe because you should always keep an eye on your surroundings? And I did say that I was going to jump.
– Yeah, mumbling does not count. I would have moved if I had heard your warning. – Halszka let out a short, mocking laughter. That was enough to enrage Fezco.
– Are you like that in the show warmup too?! No wonder Poles have the reputation they have.
– If you expect everyone to predict your next move, even looking around all the time wouldn’t be enough!
– The only thing I expect from others is not to look only at the tip of your nose. – After that, Halszka just showed him a middle finger, then left the arena. Jumping was not worth fighting more, and a dressage session with Ofelia was much more tempting than the company of an outraged Italian.
