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Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Dec 5, 2011 0:35:57 GMT -5
Cara cringed as the coach barked instructions at the rider they had passed at the gate. Although she felt bad for him, she was glad that the negative attention was not on herself. She hated being yelled at at the best of times and knew that there was the possibility of her falling to pieces if she was yelled at now. But there again, she was trained to preform like a robot, and to excel in everything she did - and that training had never been easy - so falling to pieces really wasn't her style, it just made her work harder to gain the approval of whomever had reprimanded her - and that would be the biggest thing she hated about herself.
When instructed to canter, Cara was glad that they were only a few strides away from the corner. Sitting to the mare's trot, she took up the reins a little more and gently closed her legs on the pony's side. Please don't buck She begged silently as the Connemara's ears pricked forward.
However, even though she had been a dream so far, the thought of going faster was too much excitement for the pony and as she was asked to move forward into a canter she kicked up her heels to show her appreciation.
Sitting deep and wrapping her legs around the pony, Cara moved with the mare so as not to get left behind and as soon as Shay's back legs were on the ground again, the girl drove her forward with her seat and legs and the pony obediently cantered forward.
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Post by onzy on Dec 5, 2011 5:48:12 GMT -5
Morgan resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the coach's orders to him. He knew Amber, the coach didn't. If the mare felt the reins being tightened, she would automatically change and either collect herself in the trot or move into her rolling, uphill canter. Sorry sir, he called, grinning as he did so. Not my fault I haven't ridden in a month. Blame the quarantine laws, he went on, not really into the whole jesting side of things just yet. It was how he was, but he had a feeling that he shouldn't rub up his coach any more than he already had with his late presence.
At the order to canter he waited for the rider in front of him to move off first, and as she did so, her horse gave an excited buck. Amber, already deciding she was going to be bipolar mare for the day, snorted violently and went up on her hind legs. It was half- hearted rear, but without stirrups, Morgan needed an action plan. He loosened the reins, and squeezed her forward. Now that his mare was feeling her month long quarantine, Morgan needed space for the mare to really stride out in her working canter, or collect her enough not to go beserk.
After the rearing incident, Morgan first calmed Amber, before even attempting a canter. Gathering his reins a bit more, he asked for a trot, sat deep and squeezed her into a well balanced canter. Her audits flicked about, nostrils still flaring and every now and then she twitched in annoyance. Morgan kept his seat still, the only movement coming from his hips as he moved with Amber's rhythm.
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Post by Thoroughbred on Dec 5, 2011 20:46:49 GMT -5
Summer watched with wide blue eyes as Amber reared a bit. Thunder, being the sensitive green horse that he was, started side stepping nervously, picking up on Amber's angst. "Shh," Summer cooed softly in an attempt to calm down Thunder. Now, her full attention was on Thunder rather than Amber in order to not cause a scene and/or fall off. I have too much pride to fall off in front of Sasha, Summer thought.
"Keep your horses calm," the coach said in an annoyed tone.
Thank you, captain obvious, Summer thought, hiding her eye-roll under the visor of her helmet. After a few minutes, Summer finally managed to completely calm down her high strung thoroughbred.
Coach Jaeger began setting up a few jumps throughout the arena. "I want you to all line up here," he said, gesturing with his hands where everyone should line up their horses, "and take turns jumping this fence." The jump was 2 and a half feet high, which could pose as tricky to some riders, considering they did not have permission to use their stirrups yet.
Sasha was the first to line her horse up, and she did it quickly before everyone else, ready to show off her skills.
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Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Dec 6, 2011 3:35:54 GMT -5
After the mare's buck after first being asked to canter, Cara managed to keep the spirited pony between her legs and keep her moving nicely forward from her hindquarters.
Even though her eyes were forward, as the pony was known for following the eyes of her rider and if Cara looked either side and her weight moved, the pony would follow the weight change and head in that direction.
At the words from the man in charge, Cara reined the mare in and lined up with the older girl she didn't know. She took a good look at the jumps, not knowing whether to be excited or not as the idea of jumping the mare with no stirrups filled her with not only excitement but also a little trepidation as Shay loved jumping and also liked bucking like a bronco afterward. The girl had no problem with the mare bucking - as it never got out of control - but she had a saddled between her and the mare's back which made things a little different to jumping bareback.
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Post by onzy on Dec 6, 2011 4:51:52 GMT -5
Morgan was slowly getting into the swing of things, and after Amber's little episode, had managed to calm the mare enough to have her moving forward at a relatively good stride. Morgan knew his horse, and she was unfit. I really am starting to hate the quarantine laws, he thought as he felt the mare huff slightly under him. It was going to take work to get her back into the shape that she was before the quarantine, and for Morgan it meant putting in more effort than he had time for. Despite the coach's cold attitude, Morgan wondered if he couldn't approach him afterwards and ask for help. Unlike other guys, Morgan wasn't ashamed to ask for help when he needed it.
Slowing Amber to a walk, Morgan lined up with the rest of the riders. He ended up next to the girl on the Thoroughbred that Amber had affected with her high antics. Morgan observed the jumps, but instead of actually paying attention whispered to the rider next to him. Sorry about earlier, he apologised, making sure that he wasn't going to be heard by anyone else. Amber stood at attention when she saw the jumps, her ears pricked forward in an alert manner, and pulling herself up to her full seventeen hands. Morgan was the last one in the line, so he didn't mind much and waited for further instructions. Either she's an eager beaver or a stuck up cow, he commented softly, once more only for the blond next to him to hear. Morgan wasn't one that could keep quiet for long.
Talk like this
Tagged! Thoroughbred; Cara; Open
Inspiration! 7de Laan
Outfit! Coming
Lyrics! Only Human by The Parlotones
Words! 266
Credit! To Onzy!
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Post by Thoroughbred on Dec 6, 2011 16:46:58 GMT -5
Summer's blue eyes widened in pleasant surprise that this guy was apologizing to her. Most of the guys she knew were too prideful for that.
"It's cool. Thunder is really green and stupid, he's only five," Summer said, giving Thunder a loving pat on the shoulder. At first, she laughed loudly at Morgan's comment [about Sasha], and quickly raised her gloved hand over her mouth to mute her laugh. "She's just a cow," Summer whispered with a humored gleam in her eyes. She leaned a few inches closer towards Morgan so that he could hear her whisper.
"Once you go over the fence, line back up behind everyone else. Sasha, you may begin," the coach said.
Sasha nodded excitedly. She quickly jabbed her heels into the side of her Paint horse. The mare cantered forward obediently and gracefully curved her legs over the fence. Sasha had enough leg strength to pick up her body into two point, barely leaning on the horse's neck. She landed without a jolt and trotted back over the line proudly, waiting for the coach to comment on her performance. He didn't say anything - No surprise, he rarely gives out compliments, Sasha thought.
"Is it bad that I was hoping she would fall off?" Summer whispered to Morgan. She knew that she shouldn't wish mean things like that upon other people, especially after having a bad fall herself. But Sasha is just so...irritating, Summer thought.
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Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Dec 7, 2011 17:24:56 GMT -5
Cara watched as the girl in front of her, Sasha, rode her paint mare forward and over the fence. She admired the way the girl rode, but kept her full concentration on the animal between her legs.
Once Sasha had cleared the fence and circled around to the back of the ride, Cara closed her legs gently around the mare's sides and they moved forward. Sitting deep and applying more pressure, she asked the mare to canter. Keeping a point beyond the fence in her direct line of sight, they rode toward the fence. Without any problem, Cara moved into two-point position and gave the mare enough of her head to that she didn't interfere with the pony's striding and they arched over the fence with the precision of a hunter.
Landing on the other side, Cara immediately took up contact and drove the mare forward, circling her away from the jump, before asking for a trot and riding back to the group. "Good girl." She whispered to the pony as she leaned forward and gave her a hug.
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Post by onzy on Dec 8, 2011 4:58:41 GMT -5
Morgan watched the younger rider, taking his chance to respond to Summer's comment.Not at all, he whispered back, a mischievous gleam on his features. He waited for Sasha to finish jumping the fence, and already he felt Amber shivering from excitement. Collecting his reins, he nudged the bay mare forward, asking for a trot and then a canter. He circled her once, feeling her natural balance and cadence underneath him. He got out of the circle and aimed Amber toward the fence, keeping the excitable mare collected. Counting down the strides, he tightened his legs, went into the natural two point position and slid the reins through his fingers slightly, giving Amber her head.
The mare rounded over the fence nicely, her legs tucked in neatly and her power coming from underneath her. As the pair came out of the jump, Morgan sat back and deeper, collecting Amber once more through his seat. He brought the mare back down to a trot and went to the back of the line. Amber just couldn't settle, and she pranced slightly in place, mouthing the bit and pulling on the reins. Dressage had been his parent's idea, but Amber and Morgan loved show-jumping. The mare was bred for it and threw her heart over every fence. For Morgan he just loved the thrill of jumping and nothing came close to it.
Talk like this
Tagged!
Inspiration!
Outfit! Coming
Lyrics! Only Human by The Parlotones
Words! 228
Credit! To Onzy!
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Post by Thoroughbred on Dec 8, 2011 21:03:32 GMT -5
(ooc: summer didn't jump yet, it was sasha)
Summer carefully watched the way Morgan jumped the fence. He's good, she thought. It was soon her turn before she knew it.
Thunder was picking up on her and everyone else's excitement. He frolicked in place. Summer quickly calmed him down before cantering him up to the jump; she didn't want to be jumping with a frisky horse stirrupless. He gently squeezed his sides. At the moment, it wouldn't take much to get Thunder going. He leaped into a canter and headed for the jump. Summer half halted him in between strides to get him to lazily go over the jump. Although Thunder ignored her half halting cues, Summer still managed to stay on her horse as Thunder flew over the jump. "Easy," she whispered to her horse as he landed choppily. She headed back towards the others.
"Go over the jump one more time and then we'll start the course," Coach Jaeger instructed to the whole group, making the jump higher by one notch.
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Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Dec 9, 2011 3:41:41 GMT -5
Cara watched as the man raised the jump another notch, but busied herself with keeping the mare beneath her, exactly where she was - beneath her.
When it was her turn, Cara released her grip on the reins and the mare shot forward. Closing her hands on the reins, the young rider asked for a halt halt and nodded as Shay listened and slowed down a notch. Making sure she didn't hold her breath as they approached the first fence, Cara gave the mare her head as she moved into two-point and they flew over the jump.
On the other side of the fence, the girl sat deep and pushed the mare on. This time however, she didn't turn her away from the fence, but rather asked her to head toward the next one. "Easy girl." She whispered as the mare picked up her pace in excitement. Once she got the mare's head back to the task at hand, they continued around the course. Their only hiccup was when Shay decided to throw in a hearty buck after the last fence. Cara was ready for the buck though as she sat deep, and even without stirrups she remained in the saddle as they joined the back of the group.
"Good girl." She whispered as she reined the mare in and leaned forward to give her another hug. Cara always believed in rewarding a horse for a good performance. Praise the good and ignore the bad was how she worked.
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Post by onzy on Dec 18, 2011 16:25:14 GMT -5
Morgan knew he had a lot of horse to control in Amber. When the jump was raised another notch, Morgan grinned. Finally they were getting somewhere. Amber stopped to look at the jumps, her ears pricked forward and her nervous energy becoming more focussed. Tickling the mare's withers, he waited for the rider before him to go and then he did the same thing as before. He cantered Amber in a circle, keeping her totally balanced and aimed for the first jump. Once more Amber cleared it neatly and Morgan rode her toward the first jump of the course. Once they were done, Morgan slackened the reins, giving the mare her head and an affectionate stroke. Slowing her to a trot, Morgan noticed that Amber was slightly darker. The horse was sweating from being unfit, but Morgan wouldn't push her too much. One thing he did was take care of Amber, and he would stand up to the instructor if he felt that Amber had had enough.
Talk like this
Tagged!
Inspiration!
Outfit! Coming
Lyrics! Only Human by The Parlotones
Words!
Credit! To Onzy!
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Post by Thoroughbred on Dec 19, 2011 22:29:01 GMT -5
The coach nodded his head slightly after everyone went over the jump. "You make take your stirrups now," he commanded, waiting for everyone to take them back.
Summer quietly sighed to herself and slid her boots back into the stirrups. Her legs were killing her. She made a mental note that she needed to spend more time without stirrups.
Sasha also took her stirrups, confidently staring down the jumps - and everyone else in the arena.
Coach Jaeger quickly explained the order of the eight jump course - it was a simple setup. "Who would like to go first?"
Immediately after the coach said this, Sasha spoke. "Me!" she volunteered. She nudged her horse into a steady, moderately paced canter.
Sasha aimed L'artiste at the center of the first jump, a simple 3 foot jump. L'artiste willingly hopped over it with a happy bounce. She easily cantered over the next few jumps, which gradually rose in height. She finished the course with the double oxer. She didn't even flinch as she landed the jump.
"Whose next?" the coach asked.
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Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Dec 20, 2011 2:48:19 GMT -5
Without losing a beat, Cara uncrossed the stirrups and slipped her boots back into them, letting the balls of her feet rest gently on the pads, pushing the weight into her heels and making sure her toes weren't sticking out too much or looking pigeon toed either.
She ducked her head as the female she didn't know cast a superior look around the arena. The girl instantly knew who she needed to avoid at the school.
While she kept the mare warm and supple by walking and trotting in a number of different sized circles, figure of eights and spirals, watching as the older girl and her steed took the course of fences.
When they had finished and the coach asked who was next, she lifted a tentative hand. "We will, Sir." She replied, her voice soft but enough to carry across the arena. The first words that had left her mouth since the start of the lesson that weren't directed at her mount.
Taking up the reins, she asked Shay to move from walk to trot and then to canter, increasing the size of the circle they were working on so that when the mare came out of the circle at a canter she was lined up for the first fence. Asking for a half halt, the girl gave Shay her head and they flew over the first fence, the mare's good bascule carrying them over the jump nicely.
They completed the rest of the course without fault - other then the mare looking a little boggle-eyed at the final combination - and the girl circled the mare at a canter at the end of the course and asked her to drop back to a trot. The girl sat deep as her mare had other ideas and bucked in protest of slowing down, she wanted to have another turn at the fences.
With a deep sigh, Cara got the mare to listen to her aids and slow down to a trot and then a walk. The girl let the reins slid through her hands as the pretty pony stretched her neck out long and low.
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Post by Thoroughbred on Dec 22, 2011 17:37:09 GMT -5
"Hmm," the coach said in unsatisfied tone (which Summer knew meant nothing good), "You're going to have to work on collecting your horse immediately upon starting a course. In most shows you will not get the opportunity to fool around and make circles," Coach Jaeger said.
Summer couldn't tell if her father was angry or indifferent - his face and tone weren't giving away much. She felt a little bad for Cara, she had gone over the jumps well and her father was still being extremely hard on Cara. "I'll go next," Summer volunteered.
Thunder, who was already fired up from the other horses's tempers, immediately shot into a fast-paced canter directly after Summer asked him for it. She aimed him towards the center of the first jump, delicately leaning over Thunder's neck as he launched over it. She was already looking towards the next jump as Thunder was landing.
Before she knew it, she was heading towards her final jump. Finally, she thought. Thunder seemed to know it was the last jump as well and began speeding up towards it. "Easy," she said, half halting him to keep him from speeding up. But Thunder, being more than 1,000 heavier than Summer, chose to not listen to her and sped over the jump. Summer felt him uneasily leap over the jump; his bad jump left her with a crappy two point position and bad balance. Summer tried to stay on as Thunder awkwardly landed, knocking down a rail. Dammit! Summer thought as the rail clattered to the ground. Disappointingly, Summer trotted back towards the others.
"That was awful. Do it again," the coach said. Summer sighed heavily and turned back towards the first fence.
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Post by onzy on Dec 23, 2011 3:50:48 GMT -5
Morgan had had enough of the bullying coach, who was not only working on his nerves, but starting to annoy him as well. Actually sir, the point of cantering a circle is not collection as such, but balance. I mean you can't jump a 6 foot fence if your horse is collected, but not balanced, he said, keeping the annoyance out of his voice. He hated coaches who bullied, because ultimately it did nothing but break a riders confidence. Mr. Jaeger seemed to be the type that would still say it was a bad round after one of his riders cleared a course. His heart went out to riders like Summer, who actually had a pretty good round despite her horse charging around the course like his tail was on fire. Green horses had that problem, but it would just take some time and work to get them not to charge.
Morgan nudged Amber into a walk so that her muscles wouldn't go cold while he waited. He was going to be the last rider, and even though he wasn't out to prove anything, he didn't want to ride a bad round for his horse. Morgan watched Summer appreciatively as she went around the course again. Guess it's me then he thought to himself as she took the last fence again. Morgan waited until she was back with the group before asking Amber for a lead change to a trot and then a canter. Amber snorted bobbing her head slightly. Morgan kept his hands still, mentally counting the strides, going into a two point as he squeezed slightly. The mare jumped neatly again, and Morgan allowed her to speed up slightly between each fence.
Just before the last fence, Amber started fighting for her head and Morgan had to collect her more than he usually would. The last fence wasn't as cleanly jumped as the others, but they cleared it. He allowed the reins to slide through his fingers slightly, giving Amber the cue to just speed up slightly. The mare took it happily, and Morgan gave her a few strides before bringing her back to a trot and finally a walk.
Talk like this
Tagged!
Inspiration!
Outfit! Coming
Lyrics! Only Human by The Parlotones
Words!
Credit! To Onzy!
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