Endurance //Class One//Students//

[Lottii]

Rowan smiled as she led Lumi from her stable. The 15hh Arabian mare was a real sweetie, a pleasure to be with. Her half-sister on the other hand, you couldn't say the same about. The woman had chosen Lumi for the class as she was the more reliable mount, she wanted to be able to watch her students rather than having to be focusing on her own mount. Cari stood spotless in her stable though, in case a student needed a horse. Rowan would never let a student she didn't know extremely well on Cari, but she would offer up Lumi if she needed too, and then go and get Cari for herself.

The woman vaulted lightly onto Lumi's back and they trotted across the short distance to reach the start of the endurance trail. It was a lovely trail, covering numerous terrains. The longest possible circular route covered fifty miles of the college and surrounding land, but it had small trails which started off as part of the main trail and then branched off to take a shorter, circular route home. Today the class would be covering ten miles, a distance that could be covered by any horse in reasonable condition. The woman walked her white-gray mare round in circles to keep her supple whilst she waited for the students to arrive.

The Endurance Trail

[Onzy]

The dark haired male felt his way around Cody, and laughed as the horse nudged him in the direction of the tack. I know it's there silly, he said lovingly, knowing the horse was only trying to be helpful in his own way. Stand! he said firmly, before sliding the saddle into place, and doing up the girth. The light endurance saddle was a barefoot model, which mean't that three was no solid tree, and it fit Cody's back perfectly. The spongy saddle pad protected the Arab's back. Alex then slipped on the bitless bridle, apparently it was a bright red one, and stood out on the gelding, or so he heard. He couldn't exactly see for himself.

He asked a groom to help him find the endurance track, and like always, Cody followed like an old pro. Reaching the track, Alexi slipped on the helmet, and picked up the sound of a walking horse. Hello. I'm Alexi Killian, he said in his friendly tones, guessing that it was the teacher walking a horse around.

[Lottii]

Anna smiled as she slipped the webbing, dark-green bridle/halter combination onto Lee's head. The flaxen chestnut Arab snorted and raised his head, knowing that they were going out for a decent length ride. She laughed as she slid an endurance saddle onto his back on top of a dark-green puffer pad to protect his back. All his equipment was the same shade, it was the one luxury Anna allowed herself - buying matching horse products. Grinning, she led the gelding out to the start of the endurance track. At fifteen years old, some would say the horse was getting old for his job, but Anna knew he was still capable and enjoying his work. The horse would get bored stiff cooped up with shorter distances to cover.

A warm smile arranged itself on the girl's features as she approached, the teacher and another student already present. Anna didn't know the male personally, but recognized him as the blind student she had noticed around the barns. He'd seemed amazingly adept around his horses, and she wasn't surprised to see him out here like anyone else.

[Lottii]

Rowan smiled as the first student approached. The principal had spoken to her about Alexi joining her class, and she had whole-heartedly agreed. As long as he was safe, which she was assured he was, she didn't have a problem with him. "Good morning Alexi. I'm Rowan Drache, you can call me Rowan or Miss Drache, I don't mind either. Dafydd had a word with me, and I said I'm more than happy for you to join the class as long as it doesn't endanger you. But, if you need anything, just let me know. I won't offer help unless you want me too." Rowan wondered if she had said the right thing. She'd taught a blind student before, when she had been teaching Psychology before coming to Park. Although she didn't really have to worry about safety then, she'd learnt a lesson about waiting to offer help until it was needed. Her instinct was to help any time she could, but it hadn't taken the woman long to realize that her constant help wasn't useful or wanted.

The only other student currently in her class approached soon after, and she was drawn away from her thoughts. "Hello, you must be Anna." She returned the student's smile before continuing with the start of her class. "We have a rather small class, but I think that could work out rather well, better for you anyway. Unless you have gone out and brought endurance tack just for the occasion, I'd guess you've both done a bit of Endurance before?" The teacher hesitated to allow a response before nodding and continuing. "So I think for the first class we'll just go steadily around the ten-mile track and see how everybody gets on. Most of the learning will be rather information, just chats and discussions as we are out on the track. Okay?" Rowan smiled and waited for the students to mount before turning Lumi towards the start of the trail and setting off at a walk. "You can walk in file or as a group, as long as the horses are fine with it." She commented slightly absently, her fingers toying with Lumi's mane as she observed the students.

[Onzy]

Alexi nodded as the woman spoke. He was thankful that Rowan understood that he wasn't fragile, and gave her a small smile. Thanks Rowan. Cody here will take good care of me, he answered, indicating his gelding. Alexi, hearing steps behind him, inclined his head slightly, catching the sound of hooves as well. So there was another student. Well, now that would be something that he was glad of. He nodded at Rowan's question of him doing Endurance before, and waited for further instructions.

Alexi pulled down the one stirrup, and moved to pull down the other one. He then fixed on his helmet, and pulled on the gloves. Cody stood like an old pro, and waited for Alexi. He mounted easily, and Cody waited for the signal for a walk. When it came, the gelding moved towards the instructor, and stopped. This was what Alexi loved about the gelding. He wouldn't move until the other horses moved, but when they were alone, the gelding would take off like a bullet if asked and still keep Alexi safe.

Alexi held the reins on the buckle, allowing Cody to have his head. He trusted the horse not to do anything stupid, but that would be never. Cody was just a horse like that.

[Myssi]

Lesedi loved the fact that her brother's collage had an endurance track. Once she'd made the discovery, she and Mashaka had abandoned the Sand track for this one. Here, the mare could stretch out her legs and go forward without having to always turn and double back for their workout. The mist hung in the air as Lesedi and Mashaka cantered down the path, the zorse snorting with each stride as she moved at a steady pace.

An Arabian was usually the logical choice for such an event as endurance, and Mashaka was actually part Arabian. Her father had been three quarters Mustang, one part Arabian, and her mother was a zebra who'd been found as a yearling and rescued. She had outrun a lioness, barely, as shown by the gaping hole in her side, and had seperated from her herd. She was lucky to be alive. As it was Mashaka could easily trot or walk for miles, cantering at times. Training with Lesedi had increased the zorse's wind by tenfold, and so she was now able to go huge lengths of trail without pause, provided the pace was right.

As it was though, the fifteen year old and her zorse had been riding since about six, and it was already eight. Lesedi pulled Mashaka to a walk, allowing the zorse's breathing to calm as she pulled a water bottle out of the small backpack she'd begun to carry. White sweat was swathed over the mare's chest and forelegs, around the bit, and on her butt. It was time for a break before she trained the horse for another two hours.

Lesedi herself looked to be pretty tired. She was sweating lightly, and her face was a little red. Her slim form was breathing heavy, and her legs felt sticky in the jeans she wore.

Suddenly, Mashaka's head flew up and she gave a small nicker. Lesedi grew still and listened, hearing about three voices ahead. She sighed, allowing her head to loll backwards. She'd been hoping to avoid any classes that might use the trail, but luck hated her after all. She gathered up her reins in one hand and pushed Mashaka forward. The workout would continue on the sand track.

She looked at the teacher and students out of the corner of her eye as she approached, taking in the endurance class. There were two females and a male. The eldest, and teacher, she assumed, was a female. The boy rode a flashy Arabian, a gelding that was a good hand taller than Mashaka. Another Arabian gelding was ridden by the female student, a flaxen chestnut this time, Who was about as small as the pony-sized zorse Lesedi was riding. Finally, the teacher. Her mount was a floating grey mare, a well-made equine a good size taller than Mashaka.

The girl, having scanned the group, now looked away, sipping at her water.

[Onzy]

Alexi wasn't much a talker in new company, but he would provide a comment now or then. He enjoyed listening to the sound of nature as they proceeded down or up, he didn't know the difference, the trail. Cody seemed to be on the lazy side today, but Alexi kept him awake. The birds chirped in the trees, welcoming in Spring and maybe a bit further away he heard the sounds of another horse coming towards them. Towards his back he heard the pastured horses having their fun.

Each registered in his mind as they continued on.Cody snorted at something he discovered, and Alexi nudged him forward. The gelding refused, and soon his rider find out why. There was an absence of hoof beats around them, meaning they stopped. Cody snorted again, and Alexi seemingly confused found his voice. Er, why have we stopped? he asked, wondering what was going on. Sometimes he wondered what was going on around him, because people usually forgot that he was around.

There wasn't panicked horses around him, so there couldn't be anything scary. Cody was being a curious brute, meaning that there could only be a new horse in the surrounds. Other rider, he thought. It seemed that courtesy was paid at the oddest of times, but he allowed it to pass. Pushing his sunglass up back onto the bridge of his nose, he kept silent listening to exchanges.

OOC: I'm breaking posting order, but I wasn't sure when I could post again. (time is lacking in my life atm)

[Lottii]

Rowan smiled and nodded at the reassurance from Alex. The group walked along quitely for a couple of minutes, a steady but ground-covering walk. The woman daydreamed a little as they walked along, slipping happily into the pattern of long distance riding. Most of her time was taken up with training her horses - keeping two horses at optimum fitness for riding up to fifty miles was hard work and time consuming, especially when trying to juggle teaching a couple of classes at the same time. It didn't bother her though, she always had to be on the go, it was just the kind of person she was. She couldn't sit still, she couldn't be doing nothing. The closest she came to relaxing was out on the endurance trails, and even then twenty different things were running through her mind. Some might think she was strange for it, but for Rowan it was just... her.

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Anna nodded at the teacher's correct guess of her name and took in the fact no one else would be joining the class. Was that a good thing? A small class had a whole range of benefits that she could list right off, but at the same time she'd been hoping to find some new friends amongst the group. Without warning her mind jumped back to worrying, her grandfathers death had affected her greatly, having lived with him for a couple of years. It sounded selfish, but her biggest concern was her horses. They were all technically owned by her grandfather, right up to his last moments he'd been managing a yard in excess of fourty or fifty young horses in training. Anna's worry was that there would be no one to take over, and all the horses would be sold. And that would include her three, Roy and Fightstar, plus the wonderful Lee she was riding now.

Trying to snap out of the thought, she concentrated on the trail ahead of them. Still on the main branch, she'd seen this bit dozens of times before. She'd never taken the loop back that made the total ride about ten miles though, so she was looking forward to the new scenery. Taking in what was around her, she spotted a girl probably a year or two younger than herself. That in itself was strange, at sixteen, Anna was normally one of the youngest students at the college. The girl's equine was the other shock, it appeared to be a zorse. Glancing at the teacher, she noticed the woman was in a daydream. Anna could empathize with that, she often fell into them whilst out on the trails on a mount she trusted. "Um, Ms Drache," she spoke softly, hoping to draw the teacher's attention to the student. Lee drew to a halt, his shrill vocals piercing the air as he neighed at the pony.

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Rowan snapped from her thoughts at one of her students' voices. Looking around, she spotted another rider on the trails. She recognized the zorse from the stables, recalling the fact that the girl attended the high school but lived at the college with her brother - a student. She grinned as she halted Luna, and then heard Alex's question. "We are just about to ask someone to join our group," she said softly in reply. Speaking louder now, she called out but her voice still gentle. "Would you like to join us? We are just going for ten miles, you are most welcome to come along." She offered a smile towards the girl, trying to remember her name. It began with a L, she knew that much. And it wasn't a typical English name either.... Lesedi! She grinned, pleased with herself for remembering it. Remembering things, especially names, was her weakest quality. Which probably wasn't best suited for being a teacher, but never mind.