Taking it easy//OPEN

[Onzy]

Quinn glanced at his reflection in the mirror in apprehension. Dressed in his breeches, field boots and a long sleeved polo shirt, rather than his usual jeans and t-shirt, made him feel awkward. It hadn't always been like that, but after the accident he knew that would never really have the same confidence aboard a horse that he usually had. He knew the exact layout of the scars that criss crossed his knee, and especially the one that adorned his back so nicely. A month ago he had decided to buy a horse, and in so doing had bought a Cremello stallion named Gleam of Hope. For the last month, Quinn had been working with the horse in hand, spending time in his paddock, and just building trust. Today, he was confident enough to actually ride Glee.

Walking towards the stallion barn, the cold biting through his breeches, making the constant ache appear in his knee. Glee had his noble crown over the stall door, and gave a whinny at his master. They ebony black stable rug was dusty, and Glee had sawdust stuck in his mane. Playing in your stall again? he asked the horse who bobbed his head as if agreeing. Feeding the stallion a polo mint, Quinn began grooming the horse.

When he was done, he went to fetch his tack, and looked at the saddle. Riding with a saddle put his knee under a lot of stress. Riding without one did the exact same thing, but bareback it would be. He hung the bridle over his arm, and limped back towards his horse. Glee accepted the bridle, and bobbed his head again. Pulling on his helmet, Quinn took a deep breath before unlatching the door.

Leading out the horse, Quinn went towards the mounting block, and gauged Glee's reaction to him leaning over his back. The horse merely flicked an ear back, but stood stock still. Both seemed to know the risk. Quinn slipped his leg over the horse's back, and so they went towards the indoor arena which was thankfully empty. In the arena, Quinn did nothing more than an easy walk, but already pain was shooting up his knee.

“…”

hey it’s, DONE
cause you’re awesome, ANYONE
they’re all, ...
i love them, template @ + stockholm syndrome / lyrics @ the script *live like we’re dying
just letting you know, “ notes ”

[Cara]

Cara stood in the stables, a beautiful chestnut pony in a set of cross-ties as she was groom until her red coat shone like fire.

Anyone who walked into the stables now and looked at the mare who was half asleep in the ties with her hind foot resting easily on the concrete floor, would not believe that this was the same mare as the terrified animal that had been at the auctions those many months ago. The poor pony that spooked at the sight of her own shadow, now dozed comfortably as her handler busied herself, getting rid of the mud that the pretty mare had manged to get under the winter rug that she wore to protect her coat from the winter chill.

Once the grooming was finished and the mare's firey coloured mane sat in neat buttons on the top of her neck, Cara carefully tacked the mare up in her shaped numnah, all-purpose saddle and snaffle bridle. She then led the pony down to the indoor arena.

She halted outside the arena when she heard the noise of a horse already moving on the other side of the door. "Gate." Her soft voice came out clear as she waited until the horse she was listening to had moved to the other side of the arena and she opened the door and led the chestnut mare into the arena. "Easy little one." she whispered to the mare as Mistress threw her head into the air at the sight of the other horse and rider. While working with the pony, she had been doing research on the pony's past and found out that Stylish Mistress had not only had the best training that money could afford, but that the pony had also made a name for herself on show circuit before her life had suddenly take a turn for the worse, and everything had gone down hill. Due to the mare's past, she was unsure if the mare's sudden tension was from apprehension or competitiveness.

Leading the mare into the middle of the arena, she waited for the rider, whom she recognized as Mr Quinn Carlilse, manager of Masons stables. Before she even thought of mounting, she would ask for his permission to be able to work in the arena with him.

[Onzy]

Glee was getting tired of the walking, but Quinn didn't know how his knee would hold up if he went any faster. The stallions strides were becoming jerky as the horse lost patience. It was then that Quinn heard the soft call of gate, and he looked up to see Cara at the gate. Glee tossed his head, and started prancing on the spot. He swished his tail, and snorted. Quinn shortened his reins to restrain the stallion. Gleam kicked out at being restrained, and instantly he felt a stab of pain shooting up his knee and entering his back. He grimaced, and instantly regretted the choice to buy a horse and enter the saddle after his accident.

Cara seemed to be waiting for something. “Hello Cara,” he called in his Scottish accented vocals. Glee protested at being restrained. He sent a bellowing neigh into the arena at which Quinn just sighed. So they were going to go faster after all. Asking for a trot, Glee sprang forward eagerly, his strides long and smooth. Quinn worked with half of the arena, and allowed Glee to stretch out and work low.

“…”

hey it’s, DONE
cause you’re awesome, ANYONE
they’re all, ...
i love them, template @ + stockholm syndrome / lyrics @ the script *live like we’re dying
just letting you know, “ notes ”

[Cara]

Cara bowed her head as she heard her name spoken. "Hello, Mr Carlilse." She replied softly as her hand worked careful circles down the mare's neck and over her withers. She stiffened as the other horse called out, causing her mare to scoot backwards. Taking a deep breath, the girl's circles continued down the mare's neck and over her withers until she felt the pony relax and lower her head with a sigh.

Walking around to the mare's side, not bothering with the mounting block, Cara grasped a handful of mane in her left hand with the reins, tucked the fingers of her right around the pommel and prepared to vault onto the mare's back. As she bounced up though pain ripped through her left shoulder as she used that arm to pull herself up. Letting out a tiny whimper, she released her hold of mane and reins and her feet landed on the ground again.

She leaned her forehead against the mare's neck as she clenched her teeth, furious that she'd let pain stop her from doing something. She had been warned though, they had told her that the fracture would give her ongoing problems if she didn't learn to slow down and limit her psychical activities. She had listened, she had behaved herself, while the doctors were trying to figure out if the girl's anorexia was going to kill her.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts, she led the mare over to the mounting block in defeat. Since her left shoulder screamed with pain, she lined Mistress' offside up with the mounting block and mounting on the "wrong side" so that her right arm would be doing most of the work. Once settled into the saddle, she squeezed the mare forward into a walk and they headed to the track of the opposite end of the arena.

[Onzy]

Riding at a faster pace seemed to have allowed Glee to calm down to an extent, and the horses strides were becoming smoother and less agitated. It wasn't the same for Quinn though. His knee protested horribly at the work, and soon it was shooting into his back. The more he told himself to slow down, the more he refused. If he gave up know then he would have proved nothing to himself in his abilities. He knew that he would have to persist in riding, and he knew that tonight he would have to wrap his knee in Ace bandage and take a pain killer if he was to walk tomorrow.

Quinn asked Glee for a canter, and the horse changed strides easily, his gait slower than what would be expected. It was if Glee felt his master's discomfort, and had deliberately slowed down.

“…”

hey it’s, DONE
cause you’re awesome, ANYONE
they’re all, ...
i love them, template @ + stockholm syndrome / lyrics @ the script *live like we’re dying
just letting you know, “ notes ”