Friends and Music... Ahh The Life. - CLOSED

[DJ]

Hope brought Music out to the cross-country course and ran down her stirrups. Hope put her left foot into the stirrup and swung over the geldings broad back and settled herself. She gave him a squeeze and allowed the equine to move his neck down and stretch his back. She watched Ella bring Duke onto the course. The young gelding looking thrilled to be out and moving, his head held high. Hope brought her attention back to the Warmblood under her. He had a strong walk and moved out easily, covering a large amount of ground with his large strides.

[femalefred]

Duke was almost jogging along as Ella led him out to the course, his ears perked and his nostrils flared. You could've been fooled into thinking he'd never been outside before, when he'd only been outside about an hour or so ago. Even with the excitement he managed to remain still as Ella drew down the stirrups and mounted up, only starting to fidged when he felt her settle into the saddle.
At the first nudge from her heels, he leapt forward, and only a quick half-halt from Ella kept him from breaking into a canter rather than the two quick strides of trot he used before slowing into an excited, fast paced walk.
"You'd almost think he was gaited, wouldn't you?" his amused rider asked Hope, lightening her seat and turning him in a small circle. Hopefully, he'd have to concentrate now and would calm down a little. Fat chance of that.

[DJ]

Oh, you'd think so. Hope smirked at the prancing equine as her mount stayed quiet and well-behaved under her. She moved the roan into a trot. It was long and low as he kept his head down, but rounded. Hope posted to the light bounce of the gait, moving up and down with each foot fall of the horse. What a good boy! She gave him a pat on the neck as she moved him around in circles around fences. How's Duke doing? Hope asked the other rider as she peered at the other horse.

[femalefred]

The small circles seemed to be forcing Duke into a slightly more focussed mood, but as soon as Ella let him walk for more than a few paces in a straight line the gelding still pranced forwards in either or a trot or an odd trot-walk half gait due to his rider's pre-emptive action. Keeping him in a jittery walk in a straight line, Ella tried letting the gelding trot for three beats and then walk for three, trot for three then walk for three - which, while a good plan in the basics of it, took a little more effort than she'd originally thought. The first time she asked Duke to trot on, he broke into a canter, but he was slowly beginning to concentrate more.
"He's getting a little bit better. It feels like riding something that's drunk one of those huge cups of black coffee from Starbucks though!" she called back, laughing a little at her mount's exuberance.

[DJ]

Haha. Good luck!! Hope moved Music into a canter allowing him to bend and move out. He ate up the ground with his long stride.Hope took him over a small log located toward the middle of the course. She pointed him toward it and sat up, not allowing herself to get onto his forehand adding extra weight. He approached the fence and easily popped over it tucking his knees nicely and Hope followed easily without getting left behind.

[femalefred]

When music began cantering towards a jump, Duke's pace quickened again, even if he was actually listening to Ella's aides. His ears, for a second, had been in the optimum position of one flicked forward, and the other back to listen to his rider, but now were pinned on the other pair. Despite that, he was now focussed enough to walk in an easy line without trying to pick up to a trot or canter, and was listening to Ella's commands without over-interpreting any forward indication, and she decided it was probably safe enough to ask him to canter.
"Good boy," Ella murmured softly, moving him round into a wide circle and smiling as he bent neatly about her inside leg. His attention was still almost entirely focussed on Music and Hope, and watching them take the jump apparently distracted him enough that he lost his inside bend and almost veered off toward them, his pace quickening.
"Stop that!" Ella was a little surprised, she thought that she'd managed to regain his attention, but evidently not and she quickly brought him back to a trot.

[DJ]

Hope slowed Music to a walk and peered over to Ella. He's being a beast, eh? She asked Music for a canter and moved up into two point and pushed him to a hand-gallop. He was headed for a brush fence that he happily cleared and turned to vault a coop. Although he was well behaved, he was certainly enjoying himself.

[femalefred]

"I never expect any less of him," she called back as Hope took Music to a hand gallop. Ella watched the two easily clear a brush and fly over a coop as Duke trotted in yet another slightly frustrated circle. He was certainly warmed up enough to try a jump, and she almost felt guilty keeping him doing flat work while the exemplarly behaved Music was clearly having a whale of a time.
"Alright, Prince Charming. We're going to jump something, and you're going to behave and do it at a trot, alright?" Duke took the opportunity there to snort, though Ella was almost certain it wasn't in response to her telling him what they were about to do.
Collecting up his trot, she turned towards the log Music and Hope had jumped initially. It was only small and easily low enough for Duke to take at a trot. The very sight of it seemed to enliven him again, and the pleasant steady gait he'd been using sped up. "Calm down," Ella murmured, shortening the rein a little to keep him at a trot and smiling as the gelding listened, steadying a little and popping easily over the log.
"Now, isn't it much more fun when we concentrate, eh?"

[dari]

Lyris walked to the course and stood a safe distance from the jumps, waiting for Hope to finish the course. She had never seen the horse that Hope was riding; she assumed he was a new training project. He was a handsome gelding, and his form over the fences was pretty good from what she could see. Of course, she didn't know much about cross-country, but she tried.

[DJ]

That looked nice! Hope yelled over to Ella after she'd completed the log.
Hope debated going through the water, unsure of what Music would do.
She decided to try it and if anything went wrong, she'd just get wet.
She moved Music into a rhythmic canter, navigating around a few other fenced on the course, and turned him to the water hazard. She aimed for the ditch into the water rather than the log. It was a shorter drop and she'd exit with the ditch on the other side. She could have taken the slope down gradually into the water, but Music was athletic enough to go over the ditch.
Music easily jumped into the air and Hope moved into safety position as the horse decended into the water. Music bounded through the water and happily bounced up onto the other bank. Hope reached up the horse's neck and clapped the large roan's neck.

[dari]

Lyris applauded quietly at the roan's performance. Hey, Hope, nice horse, she called, careful not to spook Ella's horse. He new?

[DJ]

Yes. This is Music. I'm hoping to offer him for lessons. He's really doing a nice job out here. Hope clapped the roan's neck again. Do you need anything? She held onto the bucke of her reins and allowed Music to wander over to Lyris. Hope kept an eye on Duke making sure not to excite him in any way.

[dari]

Yeah, actually... Bex hurt herself out in the field earlier and I can't ride her for a few days. I was wondering if there's anyone you need exercised, since lessons aren't going yet. She held out a hand for Music to sniff and stroked his nose. The gelding snorted, and she smiled.

[femalefred]

Duke was beginning to concentrate a little better, and barely changed the focus of his attention when Lyris approached the course. Ella looked up quickly and nodded to the other girl - they'd met a few times before, she was certain - before grinning over at Hope. "Thanks! Hopefully he'll carry on concentrating if we take it at a canter."
Taking care to keep well clear of Music and Lyris, Ella circled round once again, asking the gelding to pick up a canter as they cornered around to approach the fence. Duke, again, began to quicken his pace as he approached the fence, and with a sense of dread Ella realised that he was going to have to either take out a stride or put in a quick one - something he was fine at on a sandy showjumping course but which he generally had a little more trouble with on a cross country course.
The log seemed to come up in a sudden rush, and Duke launched into the air a good metre before he needed to, sensing his rider's sudden trepidation. Luckily, he also jumped a good metre higher than he needed to, and as such cleared the fence safely, but in a somewhat terrifying manner.
"Ooook... Maybe we'll try that one again.."

[DJ]

Ohh. I'm sorry. She's okay? Hope looked concerned. And I'll be happy to find you someone to work if you'd like.
Hope watched Ella take Duke over the fence, Duke finding a long spot to take over. She cringed at the fence, but was relieved when both made it over safely. That's be a good idea, she giggled to Ella's comment.