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Post by Morgan Cohen on Mar 4, 2009 15:26:02 GMT -6
Morgan briskly entered the large indoor arena pulling along her mount Fireside Bonanza, or Bonz for short. The chestnut gelding walked proudly into the arena. Morgan scouted out the course, noticing some oxer combinations, sharp corners, and few verticals. Groaning, she checked Bonz'z girth and saddle, then walked to the mounting block. After hoisting herself into the saddle she asked Bonz for a walk.
Bonz answered swiftly and walked with his head held high around the short course set up. After a while he became anxious and trotted. Punishing the gelding for being too rowdy, Morgan pulled him back down to a walk. She would not let him get away with that, not again....
She hadn't seen her instructor, Chasing March, around the barn too much today. Must just be a coincidence. Bonz slowed down and walked loosely. Smiling, Morgan urged him into a trot. The gelding, excited now, trotted swiftly around the arena, his stride swift and graceful.
"I'm not riding you to be pretty boy." Morgan laughed "I'm strictly learning!" But Morgan was enjoying the bliss of it anyways. Bonz seemed pretty well warmed up, so she slowed him down to a walk and waited for her instructor to arrive.
OOC: What should Morgan call Chasing when speaking to him?
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Post by Chasing on Mar 4, 2009 17:25:32 GMT -6
He had just gotten back from Burdet with a load of feed for his two dogs, the handful of goats he kept behind his house and fish food for the fish in the various ponds. Chasing didn't get to fish much but when he did go, he wanted to make sure he caught something. Besides there was something refreshing about feeding the fish. He parked the farm's truck under an overhang, either he or Baer would get to it later, and walked into the indoor arena.
"Sorry I am late Morgan had to get some feed", he called out, pulling a whistle out of his back pocket. Chasing's clothes came off the rack dirty, he got out of the bathtub dirty, for whatever reason the man could not keep himself clean and today was no exception. Pale grey t-shirt was a sweaty and dirty mess and his blue jeans looked like they had been trampled by a horse. "If he is warmed up take him over the oxers a few times we'll see how he is handling them today before we go about setting a course up", he added, moving to the center of the ring.
As usual the indoor arena was a study in organized chaos. Poles and various instruments to torture young riders took up one end of the arena while a set of bleachers ran along the side opposite the locker rooms, lounge and his office. At one time the indoor arena had been the barn but Chasing had demolished the barn down to the foundation and rebuilt it into an arena. It was usually where his private lessons were held, regardless of weather, while his group lessons were often held outside.
ooc; Chase or Chasing
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Post by Morgan Cohen on Mar 4, 2009 20:01:50 GMT -6
Bonz reacted first to Chasing's presence. He gave a slight nicker in his direction and flicked his tail. Morgan looked in Chasing's direction and nodded a slight greeting as she tried reining in the excited Gelding. "Great, oxers. Well, we'll see how this goes." she muttered jokingly. Getting positioned in the saddle she urged Bonz on with her legs. The gelding responded quickly as his stride extended into a rocking canter. Sitting deep in the saddle, Morgan steered him around the arena and positioned him in front of the oxer combination. The jumps weren't too high, but it wasn't the height Morgan was worried about.
Bonz's stride lengthened as he saw the jump. It was when he took off that he realized it was an oxer, and he stumbled over the jump. Morgan sighed as the poles fell with a thud into the dirt and Bonz stumbled, but she urged him on anyways. Since the gelding was still in a daze he jumped the second oxer with flying colors.
Morgan turned the gelding left and towards the second oxer. She thrust all her energy and concentration on the jump as Bonz strode towards the poles. This one was slightly wider than the first two. Concentrating with all her might she urged Bonz on until he took off. The gelding jumped the oxer perfectly.
Turning him around she trotted him over to Chasing. "Well, I don't know what I did on the first one, but whatever it was it didn't work too well...." she muttered. Looking down at Chasing she waited for his critique.
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Post by Chasing on Mar 4, 2009 21:25:40 GMT -6
Chasing watched her set the horse up for the first jump and Bonz seemed to be doing well until he realized the back pole was higher than the front pole, in which case he forgot himself and knocked both poles down. The gelding took the third and oxer, if not perfectly, at least clean and was trotted over to Chasing who was already crossing the arena to reset the oxer. "I am going to set the jump up lower. When you rejump it, I want you to make him jump it higher, have him clear it by a foot if you can", Chasing gave her an encouraging smile as he set a pole in the cups.
"The higher pole caught him by surprise and it reached out and bit him when he didn't keep his legs up. Make sure he looks at the jump clearly as you pass it then come around to jump it", he advised her, lowering the second and then the third oxers. "And don't worry about knocking the rail down, you have to believe he'll jump it clean", he gave her the go ahead nod and stepped back giving her plenty of room. He could remember taking lessons here, his grandfather telling him the exact same thing. It seemed like only yesterday he'd been riding a fat shetland pony.
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Post by Morgan Cohen on Mar 5, 2009 6:28:33 GMT -6
Morgan nodded thoughtfully as he talked. She was a little surprised by his tactics, but he was Chasing! He's always bound to surprise you. Urging Bonz to trot she made sure he passed the oxer. Keeping his head to the inside of the arena so he could see two poles. Halfway around the arena Morgan squeezed him into a comfortable rocking canter.
Turning the gelding to face the jump, Morgan urged him hard and concentrated with all her might on the jump. She blocked out everything else. Bonz responded to her attitude and pricked his ears forward, he too was concentrated to the fullest. But when they got to the jump, when Bonz was about to jump low Morgan pulled him up and threw him over the jump. (Metaphorically) The gelding in response jumped higher than normal. Morgan didn't know how high he jumped, but it certainly wasn't as low as usual.
Bonz, still a little shaken, jumped the second oxer and the third the same way. High and a little shaky. Morgan cantered him in a circle gradually slowing his pace. Looking over at Chasing she waited for his reply and critique.
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