The New Girl

[klesa]

Rachel led her 17 hand dapple grey dutch warmblood mare into the arena. She was ready to do some jumping. She was new to the stables and needed to kill some time before she could put her two mares where they belonged, whether it was in the stall or in a pasture, she was not sure yet. Rae led Xena to a mounting block and jumped on. The two rode around the arena a little bit to warm up, walk, trot and canter in both directions. Rachel then asked Xena for a canter and headed for a jump, it was only three feet tall and Xena over jumped it. Rachel laughed and kept her moving towards another jump, one that looked to be about four feet. Xena cleared it with ease. Rachel slowed Xena to a slow collected trot and kept to the rail. At the moment Rachel had the whole arena to herself. It was going into late afternoon, so she guessed everyone else was going home for the day.

Rachel reached down and stroked Xena's neck. She looked over to the gate, a few feet away from the gate was dazzle standing tied without a saddle on. She was tied on the inside of the arena to be out of the way. Rachel did not know where else to put her so might as well have her in sight so she couldnt get into any trouble. Dazzle watched Rae and Xena ride around, like she was saying 'when is my turn to ride mom?' Rachel couldnt help but smile at her young horse. She was so cute. She is also very strong and smart for a three year old cattle bred filly. It made Rachel proud.

Rachel kicked up Xena again to jump those same jumps again. Xena was practically flying. Rachel turned her around and jumped them in the other direction as well. This time Rachel accidently leaned too far forward going up and fell forward on the landing. A simple mistake of form. Rachel circled Xena around and did it again, this time, her form was nearly perfect. Rae knew she needed to get signed up for jumping lessons here soon. But first she needed a place for her horses.

[atlas]

Atlas huffed and puffed, jerking against the reins and Alexis led him towards the arena. Funny how he only had a plain snaffle in his mouth. You would of thought he would of needed a harsh bit or a double bite even. He would nudge her shoulder with his nose, and stomp his feet with each stride. Alexis spun around and stomp her boot down hard, and mad an ugly sound at him. He snorted, flicked his tail and walked on. Walking him through the arena gates, he changed a tad. He became more observant and a tad quieter. Leading him to the mounting block, he stood still, he blue-brown eye glancing around. He took note of the horse tied up, and the dapple gray tackling the jumps. Foot in stir-up, weight on back, jostling, other foot in stir-up. Pat on neck. Scratch on his cheek as he rolled over into the bit.

Sitting up straight, Alexis analyzed the arena and what was set up. Under her, Atlas fallowed her gaze. Shifting her weight ever so slightly, Atlas flowed into a walk before she could even nudge him with her left heel. A small smile quirked at the corner of her lips. Good boy she thought. She walked a full circle around the arena, making sure to keep him away from the mares. She knew he wouldn't try and pull anything. She was just being respectful. And besides, mare were temperamental.

After getting a good lay of the land, she lifted her weight into a post and Atlas moved into a free trot at the rhythm of her post. 1...2...1...2...1...2..1...2...
She sat down and hugged him with her knees and he moved into a smooth, collected canter. His tail hung low behind him, and he moved like a hunter jumper and not the show jumper he actually was. Shifting her weight to the left, he turned inside and picked up his stride for the 3 footer the other horse had started with. 1..2..3..1..2..3..JUMP! His hind legs coiled and his knees pulled up and tucked in close to his body. Back legs sprung, launching him over it, he reached with his front, landed 1..2..3..4 He really didn't have to think about jumping, but he put his whole thought into it. The body above him twisted and he rolled his hind around and turned quickly like he was asked and galloped to the 4 footer. He picked up his head to a higher peg and kept his mouth on the snaffle. He kept it at a regulated gallop and watched to see if he would be asked to go slower. She squeezed him with her thighs, and he galloped to the jump until it was time to vault. Alexis arched herself over his neck, keeping her pelvis at the horn of the saddle, and landed sure in her heels. Two strides after the landing she asked him to a walk and he did. He chewed on the bit happily and flicked his tail. His ears turning front and fro, waiting to see what next he would be asked to do.

[klesa]

Rachel watched the other rider come in and fly over the jumps. She had nearly perfect form! It was amazing to watch. Rachel picked up a trot to catch up to the new rider, from a safe distance between the two horses she called out to the other rider. "Hi! I am Rachel, I am new here. What's your name?" Rachel was not shy, well not often anyway. She had no problem trying to make friends with complete strangers. Xena looked over to Dazzle and nickered to her, wanting to go back to her friend sense she was not being worked very hard. Rachel made a soft clicking sound and Xena's attention shot back to her rider. Rachel tugged at some hair that was pulling under her helmet, her hair was curled and in a bun right below her helmet. She wore black riding breeches and a hot pink English long sleeve button up shirt. She had on ankle boots with half chaps, both were black, as well as her helmet, it made her dark blond hair and green eyes pop. It made her look very good.

Not only did Rachel look good but Xena looked good decked out in freshly polished black tack on her dapple Grey coat. Dazzle wore no tack but a hot pink halter and lead. Rachel loves the color pink, though she is not a preppy girl at all, though everyone assumes her to be a prep sense she likes the color pink, but not any pink, just hot pink. Rachel let Xena slow to a walk as she slowly was getting too close to the other horse she did not know. She heard Dazzle whinny by the gate and started pawing the ground. That was Dazzle's only bad habit, pawing. Rae whistled to her and she stopped pawing, soon she would need to go get her and pony her beside Xena. That was Rachel's favorite training aid, another horse. Rachel trained by ponying the horse beside a horse that know what they are doing, then ride the horse with the experienced horse ponied off them then take away the buddy.

[atlas]

Atlas flicked his black tail, shooing away invisible flies. Alexis was good about keeping him free of them. He never made cleaning him easy, but when it came to fly spray he just stood there and took the fly shooing mist like it was holy water. His black coat glistened in the sun, and all in all he was bored. He eyed the horse that was coming his way. She was taller than him, but not by terribly much. She made an impressive looking dapple gray mare to say the least. Alexis still sat up dead straight on him back so it wasn't time to goof off just yet. He felt the reins loosen, so he stretched his neck out and yawned, then dropped it to a more western pleasure position. It was more comfortable right now, what do you want?

Alexis leaned down to rub his mane line. As a pure breed akhal teke, he didn't grow much of a main, if any at all. He would always have a rough two-o-clock shadow, but she loved it anyways. A white toothed smile flashed over her face as the other rider came up next to her. "Hey! I'm Alexis,
She said, pulling a hand up and tipped her hat in a gentlemanly way. She was always old fashioned about meeting people.
I'm new here too. He just came yesterday"
She added, patting Atlas's neck once more as he settled into the other horses presence. Noticing Rachel's attire, she gave an inner shrug to her own. She had plain pair of worn jeans, with half chaps around her calves. She had a simple black and white stripped tank top, and as always, her bracelet glistened as brightly at their horses coats in the sun.
"You have a beautiful mare, warmblood?"

[klesa]

Xena snorted, irritated that her work out was not charging yet. Rachel knew that the mare just wanted to get up and go and do more jumping. "Yeah, she is a pure bred Dutch Warmblood." Rachel smiled and patted Xena's neck. She could still hear Dazzle prancing by the gate. Rachel shot a look towards the mare, but Dazzle seemed to laugh at her and kept pawing at the bottom bar. Rachel held up one finger at the new person she met and asked Xena for a canter and went over to dazzle. She leaned over and untied Dazzle and held the lead rope in her hand and ponied her over to the girl again. "Sorry, she gets restless when she is left alone." Dazzle nickered in approval of her new position next to her buddy.

Rachel got an idea, to see what Dazzle could do. She held on tight to Dazzle's lead and Xena picked up a canter. Dazzle willingly followed. Rachel steered towards a small jump and Xena took it in stride, but Dazzle stopped dead in her tracks, Rachel was holding on too tight and Dazzle pulled her right out of the saddle. Rachel fell on the bar and knocked it down and released Dazzle's lead by accident. Dazzle trotted over to Xena who was standing there looking...no glaring at Rachel for falling off. Rachel brushed the dirt off and caught Xena and Dazzle and mounted back up. Rachel laughed to herself and looked at Dazzle, "Not much for jumping are you?" Rachel walked back over to the girl, "Not quite what I planned.."

[atlas]

Alexis knew she was right when she said her mare was a warmblood. She wasn't as light as say a Trakehner, but she did look like a dutch. She wasn't lanky, and her muscles made her look stocky and built rather than skinny and refined like Atlas. Fallowing the pair back to her stray, clearly bored horse, she figured the other younger mare was probably a quoter or mustang. She looked to small to be an appendix, and that ruled out thoroughbred as well. She did have a thoroughbred head. Looking at her hooves, she settled on quarter horse. She had little feet like most quarter horses. Breeders had failed at that. They breed for looks, for halter, for withers and shoulders. Judges didn't care with a 2000 pound stallion had shoes on that would fit a welsh pony.

"She looks like the type that would get bored in a stall"
She said smiling softly. Atlas could be that way. Alexis just always assumed he would be bad on ground unless she got really pissed at him. When she had a temper, he went out of his way to be good. Farriers never really got that. He would jump around if they tried to hold his foot for longer than 2 minutes, and they would sigh and try and coo him into letting them hold onto his feet. Her current farrier just stop, stomped his cowboy boot hard into the ground and said said a firm "NO". The man had good horse sense. She couldn't stand people she gave a horse everything they wanted. Treating them like people, and trying to befriend them. She didn't buy into all of the famous horse people crap "I'm my horses friend, I'm not dominate. I'm just a herd mate ' Bs. What about when that horse decided he doesn't want to be your herd mate any more? Than what? Horses run into other horses when something bad goes wrong. Flight reaction. She'd seen mares trample over their foals because something scared them. Alexis demanded respect. She trained her horses to think for themselves when something went bad. Not just run. And if they couldn't think, they turned to her for help.

Rachel's horses seemed to do the same. They didn't jump and run away when she fell off. They just stood there. Regardless how stupid her action was. Even Atlas could see how bad that could be if the little one refused it. Which it did. Both Atlas and Alexis just stood in shock. It happened to fast for her to say anything. Its better to free jump a horse than pony it over a jump. It teaches them that if they refuse it, their head will be jerked around, it teaches them to fallow other horses and rely on them. Eh. "Her first time jumping?"

[klesa]

Rachel laughed, "Yeah, if you can call that jumping. I would teach her properly not just play around like that if I wanted her in jumping. But she is too stocky to be a jumper. She is my western horse, she does poles and barrels, mainly speed events but she slows down enough to be a western pleasure horse too." Rachel pat Dazzle while she was riding Xena. "She is pretty good in a stall but she does not like being in one for more then a day." Dazzle looked back at the jump, she looked confused at what had happened. As she passed another jump, Rachel stopped for Dazzle to snif it, to make sure it was not the jump that made Rachel fall. After Dazzle had lost interest in the jump, Rachel let Xena keep walking.

As they walked they past the gate again and Rachel tied Dazzle where she was before and then continued on with Xena. Rachel kicked up Xena's speed and they went around the arena over the three foot jump and over the four footer. It was easy, but Rachel was too nervous to go any higher just yet. She needed a couple lessons on Xena first. She was not used to this place and the people were new and Rachel did not have the best confidence in the world.