Trotting Poles (open)

[Cara]

Cara had spent the last half hour in Mason Stables, working on Drummer's black coat, mane and tail until the coat shone like Hematite and the mane and tail flowed free of knots. She then carefully found his tack and saddled him up. His notes said that he wasn't the easiest of mounts to handle, but she was sure that the two of them could work something out.

Leading the black Ariègeois into the indoor arena, she left him ground tied as she set up half a dozen trotting poles down the side of the arena, just in from the track with a small cross-pole at the end, before walking back to the pony where she tightened the girth, pulled the stirrups down and swung into the saddle. After adjusting the stirrups again, she took up the reins and squeezed the pony forward. Her eyebrow shot up when Drummer refused to move, he didn't kick out, he didn't hump his back, he just didn't move. She moved her inside wrist and squeezed with her legs again.

With only a few more time of squeezing and getting nowhere, the gelding finally relented and stepped off. The girl rubbed his neck and smiled when he flicked an ear toward her. With leg on and outside hand closed on the outside rein, she walked him out to the track and they began their warm up.

[Cara]

OOC: I'm not well, I can't sleep and I needed something to do, so I'm replying to my own post.

Once they had finished their warm-up, Cara began to work on getting the gelding supple and flexed. She gently encouraged him to move onto the bit, and she nodded when it finally happened. Getting him to relax enough to become supple wasn't as easy. However, she worked through this by asking the gelding to do some circles and figure of eights. Once he had relaxed his hindquarters she asked him for a couple of shoulder ins and some half passes. They were a little rigid, but he did as asked.

After she had tightened the girth and had Drummer ride another couple of laps around the track, she asked the gelding to move onto the inside track and rode him around to where the poles were set up. If everything worked out well, he would just happily trot over the poles and then bounce over the small jump on the other side.

Drummer however, had other ideas. As they approached the line of trotting poles, he lost all form and his back hollowed out as he crabbed away from the poles.

The teen shook her head as she circled the gelding and brought him back into form again. She circled him once more and brought him back to the line of trotting poles. "You can do it." She whispered as she applied a little more leg, wondering if it was confidence he was lacking. "What are you doing?" She squeaked as the pony came to a grinding halt right before the first pole and literally sat down. The girl laughed as she shook her head. His papers weren't wrong where they said he'd do anything to get out of work.

She knew that she would look like an idiot to anyone who came upon the arena, sitting on the back of the seated gelding. She dropped her stirrups and stepped back from the gelding. "You, up!" Her words were firm and not to be argued with as she took his reins over his head and used her hand to slap his shoulder. "Now!" She stepped back as the Ariègeois' front feet moved forward and he heaved himself to his feet. Cara shook her head at the gelding as she put his reins back over his head, ran the stirrups up and looped the reins over one of the stirrups.

Moving the poles and jump so that they followed the bend of a circle, she went back to the gelding and led him over to the edge of the arena where a lunge line had been left behind. Removing the reins, she threaded the line through the bit ring, over the headpeice and down to the bit ring on the other side where she clipped the line into place. Leading the gelding down to the other end of the arena, away from her poles and jump, she began to work him on the lunge.

when she was happy with how nicely he was working on the lunge line, she called him in and led him back to the poles, she then asked him to move out again, at first keeping his circle just inside the line of poles. She gave him more line which brought his circle in line with the poles and jump. She knew that if he really didn't want to do the work, he'd skim the poles and keep on the circle he had been doing. She kept her eyes in his shoulder, rather than his head, this wasn't a staring competition and she didn't want him to think she was bullying him into it. As he got closer to the poles, the girl ordered herself not to hold her breath, not to tense up as he continued on his circle. She nodded her head in time to his movement as he neatly trotted over the poles and bounced over the jump before continuing along his circle as though he would never have thought of doing anything else.

[Lottii]

In Bennett Yard, Melody excited Royal's stall, his dark bay coat gleaming. The four year old was being brought along slowly for a top class show jumper, only just having started jumping. Although Marie often rode at top level shows around the UK on her step-father's horse's when they were just five years old, she preferred to let him take his time. So her purchase from the auction, Light This Fuse, remedied the situation perfectly. The 10 year old stallion has already been around the top circuits, and would be Mel's first chance to prove she could compete just as successfully without her step-father coaching her, and Fuzz - as she had nicknamed him - seemed perfect to prove this. Fuzz was already sparkling, but the slight girl spent a few moment grooming the horse who's height far overshadowed her anyway, knowing it would improve the bond. Tacking him up in swift, light movements. As soon as the bridle went on, Fuzz started prancing with excitement. Mel focused all her effort into holding the horse steady as she led him down to the indoor arena.

Both of them stopped and stared in amusement at they came upon a girl riding a black pony of about 14hh seemingly sat down in front of a row of trotting poles. Melody started to chuckle before quickly stifling it, she knew she would hate if she caught someone giggling at her in a similar situation. Turning her attention to Fuzz, she checked the length of the stirrups and tightened his girth. When she looked up again, the pony was being lunged successfully over the poles and jump. She called out just loud enough for the girl around her own age to hear "Gate" as she entered. Fuzz went back to dancing alongside her as the walked into the arena, staying down the opposite end to where the other girl was working. Pulling the stirrups down she lightly vaulted up despite the height of the horse. As she sat deep into the expensive saddle her step-father had brought, she was shocked at the medium-height rear. She shook her head, leaning forward to move with the horse, kicking him on at the same time. Rewarded with him moving forwards into a canter, she half halted a couple of times until she achieved a walk. Mel had known the horse's exuberant nature when she brought him, but she hadn't predicted it would be this much. She had two conflicting urges, the first to hold tightly on the reins to keep him held in, and the other to let the reins go slack and give the stallion his head. Choosing the latter, Fuzz jumped into a trot and Melody just used the reins to gently guide him in his turns and staying away from the pony and girl. It only took a couple of moments for him to settle into a walk, and she just worked him a circle without using her legs on him.

[Cara]

As she sent the gelding around the circle again, and once more he neatly trotted over the poles and flew over the jump this time as though it were twice the height. Out of the corner of her eye she watched another horse and rider enter the arena. She kept her attention on the gelding at the end of the line. It was like the pony had ADHD as his attention suddenly wavered and he missed the line of poles. Shaking her head, Cara took a step backward so that the next circle would be on the inside of the poles so that they could end on a good note.

Once the gelding had circled once more, the girl called him in and removing the lunge line, she replaced the reins and led him over to the wall where she had found the line. Dropping it neatly over the other side of the wall, she led Drummer back into the middle of the arena, pulled the stirrups down and vaulted into the saddle.

Picking up the reins, she squeezed the pony forward, just to have him dance around. He was now sick of working and just wanted to go back to his stall. Not letting him get away with it though, the rider pulled him in a tight circle to knock him off balance and squeezed him forward once he was already moving. She rubbed his neck as he gave an only 'cause you're making me, sigh and dragged his feet as he plodded around the arena.

[Lottii]

Satisfied a small amount of her attention could be distracted from Fuzz, at least for a short moment, she glanced up at the other girl, who was now back on the black pony. Fuzz at his 17hh dwarfed him slightly, but Fuzz had the ability to do that to most creatures, Mel included. It seemed the pony was rather much a character, and a grin spread across her face. As they passed the girl in the opposite direction, she got her first look at her face. She seemed about the same age as herself, so she smiled and said a light greeting, "Hi, I'm Mel". She half-halted Fuzz instinctively to wait for a reply, but this set the stallion off again.

Fuzz seemed to take the gentle movement of the bit as some personal insult, his front legs leaving the ground. Sighing, Mel leant forwards against his neck, loosening the rein contact to nothing but knowing he would most likely take advantage of that fact when he landed. The second all four feet hit the ground, she pushed him forwards into a trot, turning him onto a 15 meter circle to give him something to focus on. Forcing calm breaths in and out of her lungs, she was reminded of horses back at the stud farm. She had ridden several horses with some of Fuzz's characteristics and tricks before, but never seen them all combined into one horse.

About 10 circles later, Fuzz was listening again, his large frame looking light in a natural outline. Pretending to look dismayed, Fuzz shook his head, not having any of it. Chuckling to herself, Mel's eyes searched for the other rider, the pony now plodding around the arena. She smiled towards the girl, her natural instinct to be friendly to everyone.

[Cara]

Cara was tempted to half-halt the gelding as the other rider spoke, but as the gelding was going as slow as he could possibly move she didn't want to risk him halting all together. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Mel." Came her customary greeting. "I am called Cara." Yeah, she still hadn't quite sorted that part out, too long of introducing herself in other languages. She asked the gelding to side-step away from the stallion as he rose into the air - the gelding had enough wonderful habits without picking up another few.

Squeezing him forward once more, she worked him in a circle. She grew tired of his sluggish behaviour and finally asked for a trot - and got it after a bit of an argument. She continued working on the circle until he was supple and accepting the bit once more, until they were working on a circle just short of where the jumps were. "Behave." She said as the gelding's head bounced up and down as she changed the circle.

They approached the poles at a steady trot and Cara forced herself to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth, as holding her breath would just ask for the gelding to refuse. A smile touched her lips as the gelding floated easily over the poles and then flew over the small jump as though it were twice the height. "Easy." She whispered as the gelding stuck his head between his legs and gave a spirited buck.