A gentle jaunt (open)

[Cara]

Cara hummed the tune to the beginning of Beethoven's Für Elise gently as she groomed Truss' sleek dappled coat and then put the saddle blanket and saddle on her back before pulling the girth up. She then gently slipped the bit into the mare's mouth, slipped the headpiece over her ears and fastened the throatlatch, before tightening the girth, removing the cross ties, scooping her helmet up off the ground and leading the pretty Holsteiner out of the barn. "Come on pretty girl." She said to the mare as she placed the Charles Owen helmet onto her head and fastened it beneath her chin. She pulled the stirrups down before she pulled on her Ariat Natural Grip gloves onto her hands, tightened the girth once more and vaulted onto the fifteen hand mare's back. Taking up the reins, she squeezed the obedient horse forward.

They headed toward the trails and the rider checked them all before she turned the mare down the path marked Woodlands. She knew that it would be good for the mare to not only stretch her legs but to also have the chance to pop over whatever logs they might come across. Sure, the girl had never been one for cross country riding, but she never said no to the challenge of a log on the trails.

The halfbred human felt almost naked riding along the trail without her bow and quiver of arrows, but that was one of the many things that had been removed from her person since her graduation. She pressed her lips together, a lot of things had been removed from her since graduation, but now wasn't the time to think of such things.

She let out a small sigh as the mare walked along in perfect collection, her contact on the bit as precise as though she were being asked to ride a dressage test. The rider relaxed in the saddle as she began to hum again, this time the tune to an old Irish folk song. It wasn't long before the humming turned to words and the sweet sound of the girl's lyrics gently caressed the air as they danced with the wind that blew through the trees:

"In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!

A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!

She was a fishmonger and sure it was no wonder
For so were her father and mother before
And they both wheeled their barrows through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!

A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!

She died of a fever and no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!

A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!
A-live a-live O! A-live a-live O!
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!"

The words left her lips and drifted along with the wind as the song ended. The girl smiled as she felt the contact drop as the mare relaxed her neck and chewed on the bit as they plodded along.

[Lottii]

As Harry groomed Casey, the mare became more and more excited. So far, she hadn't really been ridden much at Park, and she seemed to know that Harry was taking her out on the trails. The boy chuckled, once she was out on the trails, the normally spooky mare actually calmed down a lot. Her chestnut coat gleamed like a burning ember, and - as it did every time - the memory of her stark bones and dull coat came into his mind. Sighing, he turned to reach for the bridle that was hanging over the stable door. The Anglo-Arab took the bit happily, chomping on the copper taste.

The boy lead the mare out of the stable and down to where the trails started. He knew that there were three trails, and picked the middle one as it suited what he planned to do - have a nice relaxing ride but with the opportunity for a canter. Vaulting onto the mare's sleek back, he squeezed her on gently. Casey responded easily, walking forwards in a loose gait. A few moments later, Harry noticed Cara up ahead, and pushed his horse forwards into a steady trot. Sitting to the smooth gait, they were soon almost alongside the girl and he smiled his greeting.

[Cara]

The flicking of Truss' ears alerted the rider of an approaching horse and rider before she heard them. She turned slightly in the saddle and saw Harry trotting Casey up toward them.

She bit her lip, pleased that she'd finished the song - singing was something she did alone - and returned his smile with a slight lift of her lips. She rubbed her grey's neck as the mare took up her collected stance again. "Casey is looking good." She commented on the boy's mare, not expecting a reply, as she had seen the horse not long after she had arrived at Blue Ridge all those years ago. Attending the Academy seemed like a lifetime ago. Looking back on it now, she wished that she hadn't asked to graduate early. If she had stayed there until she was eighteen... She shook the thoughts from her head, not wanting to think about that right now.

She returned her attention to her mount. Lowering her hands, she opened and closed them. Encouraging the mare to drop her neck and stretch out,hoping that the simple exercise of stretching out would encourage the horse to relax again. Though she knew that wouldn't be likely to happen while the mare was cautiously eyeballing the boy on the horse beside them.

[Lottii]

The boy was pleased by a slight smile in return from Cara. Whereas he had only spent the summer away from Remii, Cara had graduated early and therefore he hadn't seen her in a lot longer. Forever grateful for the advice she had given when Casey arrived, he acknowledged her praise of the mare with a nod and grin. Harry recognized her mount from the auction, All Trussed Up. A stunning mare, but she behaved too perfectly after being forced when she was too young. He could never understand why people felt the need to mistreat horses. Truss might not have been abused in the cliche way, but what she had suffered was abuse all the same.

For all Truss' tension, Casey was a picture of relaxation. The bright chestnut ears flopped lazily, resting not forwards nor back. Her stride was gentle, not lazy but certainly not in the constantly over-eager to respond way the mare was when she was being ridden in the school. Trails chilled the pretty part-bred Arab out, and Harry was glad to be able to relax too. His eyes flickered towards Cara every few seconds, learning what he could from her calm yet amazing style of riding.

[Cara]

Cara gently closed her legs on the mare's sides and smiled as she moved forward again. The girl released a calming breath, happy that Truss had just stepped forward today rather than jumping forward as she would have the first couple of weeks that she owned the beautiful mare. She couldn't wait to start competing on the mare, but didn't want to push the fragile horse any faster than she was comfortable with so competitions were the last thing on her list currently.

As they walked along, Cara's thoughts whirled around in her head. She bridged the reins in one hand as she clenched the fist of the hand no longer holding them. There were so many things that had happened since her departure from high school and her arrival here, so many things that she would rather not think about or dwell on if possible. She wanted to make a new start here, a new start meaning that she had to let go of the past. The only problem was that it seemed that her past didn't want to let go of her.

She chewed on her lower lip as her loosened the reins so that she was holding it in one hand by the buckle, in an attempt to allow the mare to completely relax. She released a soft sigh and perked up a little when the dapple grey echoed the sigh and finally dropped her head. The girl wished that she had not bothered with the saddle as she watched the mare's neck relax - as she would like to know if the rest of the horse's body had relaxed as well, which she couldn't feel through the synthetic saddle. Why the sigh? She knew a little of Harry's past - his name had come up with during a phone conversation Tony Andrews was having during one of her sessions with the man - and she knew that he had been through the foster system. She didn't know however how he ended up in there, and she didn't want to ask.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "I envy you." She said with a small laugh. "My life would have been so much easier if I had chosen not to speak." She shrugged and faced the trail they were following again as she felt the mare she was riding bring her hindquarters under her. She rubbed the Holstiner's neck as she spotted the log that the mare was eying up. "We can just walk around it if you want." She told the mare softly. She took the reins carefully in both hands as her mount pranced on the spot. "I'm going to try her over that log." She told Harry as she squeezed the mare forward, pleased for the sudden excuse to end her earlier conversation before she said something she really regretted.

Once they were a few strides away from the other horse and rider, the girl asked the mare to canter. She kept the horse in good contact and kept her legs on the horse should Truss decide at the last moment to pull out. As they got closer to the jump, Cara eyed it carefully. After years of training, Cara was able to count the mare's strides as they came closer to the log and she smoothly rose into a two-point position as the mare lifted herself into the air and flew over the jump with the grace and poise of a dolphin.

[Lottii]

Casey seemed to be watching the other horse, which brought a slight smile to Harry's face. He relaxed further on the horse's back, wondering what would have become of his life without the mare. She had done so many things for him, let him form a tentative friendship with Cara, let him meet Remii, and of course causing him to speak that first terrible day he saw her. His mind drifted off as the pair rode along in silence, until Cara's voice roused him. He nodded as she spoke, acknowledging her words. He considered what she had said, she offered no explanation to why, but it was common knowledge at Blue Ridge that she had serious issues with her social worker, and that seemed the obvious reason. He didn't dwell on it though, anything he came up with would probably be wrong anyway. Harry wanted to let her know that she could talk about anything if she wanted to, but that seemed like a long sentence to get out when he hadn't spoken in front of anyone but Remii for so long. He felt secure enough with Cara to breathe a word or two, but not that many words. The conversation changed, she trotted and then cantered Truss up to a log. Harry waited a few moments, allowing a good ten strides between the horses before he applied the lightest pressure to Casey's side. The small horse sprung forwards into a canter, not naughtily but excitedly all the same. He grinned as the flew over the jump together, the lack of a saddle making no difference. He slowed again on the other side, matching pace with the girl again. Truss had jumped beautifully, they made a stunning pair.

"You want to share? The words slipped through his lips almost silently, but he knew she would hear him. She had left the conversation behind, but something in her words had made him wonder if she wanted to talk about it, just thought it was the wrong thing to do. If he has guessed wrong, his words were easy enough to deny anyway. His eyes strayed to her mount as he wondered if she would answer him, and what her answer would be. It was a sign on the boy's trust that he would speak to her, he didn't know exactly what she'd been through, but she had clearly suffered at someone's hand during her life, and that could stop anyone being willing to trust.

[Cara]

Cara was pumped by the mare's jump. Her face glowed, which belied the mood before had asked the young horse for the canter. She wondered if Truss had been trained in hunter jumping before everything had gone wrong for the pretty horse. She was aware that Harry and Casey had caught up with them, but she was also aware of how relaxed her mount suddenly was. Even though the grey had just had a good canter and jump, the mare was breathing easy and her posture was relaxed.

Her upped body turned, her eyebrows lifted as Harry spoke. A smile graced her lips, her thanks for him trusting her enough to speak to her. "There is a line from a song by Cat Stevens, From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen. That's pretty much my life. I was ordered to listen and obey, without question." She shrugged as they plodded along. "If I never spoke, they would never have been able to tell me not to lie." She rubbed the mare's neck, dropping the reins as she clenched her fists as the memories washed over her. "I remember everything that I want to forget, yet have forgotten everything that I want to remember." She pressed her lips together and ducked her head as a blush coloured her cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to lay all of that on you."

She picked the reins up in her left hand once more and held them so that she had a good contact but loose enough to let the mare know that they were still just out here to chill.