Coming in from the field - CLOSED

[DJ]

Oh, thank you! If you go up to the hayloft it lives anywhere around the storage. There's a pile of plastic bins and such. Anywhere around there is fine. She put the soft brush away and ran a hair brush through Music's forelock flecked with silver and black shimmers of hair. She ran it quickly through his pulled mane and banged tail before taking the hoof pick to the gelding's four hooves.
You're very well behaved! Hope gave the gelding a scratch on his forehead.

[femalefred]

"Ok, great. Now you behave for a minute and I'll try to get the mud out of your tail when I get back," she muttered to Duke, who was beginning to shift about again. He was getting bored of standing and he was no longer being brushed, which meant that he was going to have his mane and tail combed - which he disliked - and his hooves picked, which he didn't mind, but which meant that he'd have to stand still.
Ella was trying to ignore that her horse wasn't going to behave as she packed the vacuum away properly and made her way to the hayloft. She could see a group of plastic bins in a corner, and she was pretty sure Hope had said it was ok to leave the thing there. She arrived back at the grooming stalls in time to see Duke backing out of the stall and tugging firmly at the leadrope.
"Would you stop that you accursed thing?"
She sighed, grabbing a comb and taking the leadrope just under Duke's chin then walking forwards. It looked like Duke behaving while being groomed was over with for today.

[DJ]

Want me to hold him when your ready to put his tack on or should he stand alright? Music should be fine to wait a moment. Hope watched Duke and she could see he was ready to go and was getting bored of standing and being brushed.

[femalefred]

"He should be alright, but that might be a good idea," Ella replied as she finished dragging the comb through the gelding's tail and grabbed a hoofpick.
"He's a lot better when someone's stood at his head than when there's no one there. I guess he actually realises he's being watched then! I envy you with that one. He looks like he would put a foot out of place even if you asked him to," she added, grinning as she looked over at the perfectly still roan.

[DJ]

Sure. I can do that. Hope walked over to Duke as Ella started picking his hooves.You should be taking notes from Music! She told the gelding who had his nose toward Hope again.
I can wait here with him when you want to grab his tack. She scratched the equine's muzzle.

[femalefred]

Picking Duke's hooves was a quicker business than usual now that Hope had moved over to attract his attention again. There was a lot of mud packed in, but given the amount that'd coated the gelding himself that was entirely unsurprising.
"I can grab Music's stuff as well, as long as it's a saddle I can stack on top of or under Duke's to carry, to make up for you standing by the beast," she offered, patting said beast's shoulder gently once she'd dropped his final hoof.

[DJ]

It's fine. She smiled. I'll have to flip through my tack anyways. I'm not sure what I'm putting him in yet. She played with Dukes lips, keeping him entertained. Thank you for the offer, though.

[femalefred]

"You sure? I'll be as quick as I can then."
Ella knocked the rest of the mud out of the hoofpick quickly against the wall of the stall, dropped it back into the plastic box and made her way quickly to the tack room. Duke's stuff wasn't looking the cleanest it'd ever been, but then she'd planned to clean it after her ride today anyhow. The saddle pad she usually used was another matter - it was actually slightly sticky from something. After a brief investigation, it appeared that it'd somehow got smeared with saddlesoap, and as a result she'd have to use her show pad. Well, it was washable, even if they were going out to the cross country course!
Everything gathered, she trotted back to the grooming stall, smiling at Hope and Duke - apparently just enjoying the attention - as she got back.
"Did he behave himself?"

[DJ]

Yes he did. She giggled. I'll go grab some sort of tack for Music. Be back in a bit. Hope left Duke and Ella and strode to the tackroom. She opened the door and collected a wide tree endurance saddle, a sheepskin half pad, as well as a teal cotton saddle pad. She lifted a larger bridle with a D-ring bit. She walked over to her cubby and lifted the cover to grab her velvet helmet and black riding gloves.
Hope walked back to Music and tacked him up, strapped on her helmet, and Velcro-ed her gloves tightly to her wrists. Ready? She smiled at Ella.

[femalefred]

"He obviously likes you," Ella said with a broad grin, patting him gently on the neck. "I'll see you in a minute then!"
Duke snuffled eagerly at the tack, quite aware of what it was and what was going to happen now. Ella had already unbuckled the nose band of his headcollar and slipped it down onto his neck, and he happily took the bit and stood patiently while Ella buckled and checked the straps. He actually turned to watch, perhaps a bit surprised by the clean, bright red show pad, as she settled and smoothed it onto his back.
"Yes, I know. The other one had saddle soap on it somehow. I really need to get a spare every-day pad, don't I?" she asked, flicking her hair out of her eyes as she bent to grab the saddle.
Duke continued to watch as she lifted the saddle onto his back and brought the girth round under his belly. He exhaled deeply, in what almost could've been a sigh, as she faffed around for a minute with the martingale and barely moved as she tightened up the girth.
It was just as she was putting on her helmet that Hope returned with her stuff and tacked Music.
"Yup. Let's head out to the arena then."