Post by dari on Feb 3, 2008 20:27:17 GMT -5
Lyris led Rush to the arena and positioned him next to the mounting block. He stood stock still as she adjusted the girth and stirrups, but once she stepped onto the block to get on, he took a tentative step forward.
Here now, stop that, Lyris told him with a tug on the reins. He backed to where he was and stood again, just long enough for her to swing onto his broad back. She settled in the stirrups and gave him a cue to walk on.
He moved off into a fluid extended walk, not too fast, but with just enough spring in his step. Lyris smiled with pleasure; normally it took Bex several trips around the arena to get a walk like this. After a few circuits around the ring at a walk to warm up, Lyris collected her reins and asked for a working trot. Rush responded right away, bending his head and asking for more bit contact. Lyris happily obliged, and they were one.
His trot was amazingly light and fluid. For a seven-year-old, he was surprisingly easy on the forehand, not leaning on Lyris' hands at all. Good boy, she muttered over and over. After a circuit around the arena, Lyris set him up at the quarterline and gave him the cue to leg-yield. He did so with dexterity, crossing his hind legs and going to the rail by B. She then gave him the cue to yield the opposite direction, and by A they were at the quarterline again. Several times of this and Lyris decided it was time to try tempi-changes; she set him up at centerline and gave him the cue; to her surprise, he executed six near-perfect tempi changes in a row before they reached X.
What a good boy, she crowed. His ears flicked forward as he took in the compliment, then he got back to work. Lyris gave him a quick pat with her outside hand and cued him to canter.
Rush kept up the tempi changes as he took up the canter, gracefully switching leads every stride until C. They tracked left and Lyris asked for a counter-canter, which he picked up with ease.
Here now, stop that, Lyris told him with a tug on the reins. He backed to where he was and stood again, just long enough for her to swing onto his broad back. She settled in the stirrups and gave him a cue to walk on.
He moved off into a fluid extended walk, not too fast, but with just enough spring in his step. Lyris smiled with pleasure; normally it took Bex several trips around the arena to get a walk like this. After a few circuits around the ring at a walk to warm up, Lyris collected her reins and asked for a working trot. Rush responded right away, bending his head and asking for more bit contact. Lyris happily obliged, and they were one.
His trot was amazingly light and fluid. For a seven-year-old, he was surprisingly easy on the forehand, not leaning on Lyris' hands at all. Good boy, she muttered over and over. After a circuit around the arena, Lyris set him up at the quarterline and gave him the cue to leg-yield. He did so with dexterity, crossing his hind legs and going to the rail by B. She then gave him the cue to yield the opposite direction, and by A they were at the quarterline again. Several times of this and Lyris decided it was time to try tempi-changes; she set him up at centerline and gave him the cue; to her surprise, he executed six near-perfect tempi changes in a row before they reached X.
What a good boy, she crowed. His ears flicked forward as he took in the compliment, then he got back to work. Lyris gave him a quick pat with her outside hand and cued him to canter.
Rush kept up the tempi changes as he took up the canter, gracefully switching leads every stride until C. They tracked left and Lyris asked for a counter-canter, which he picked up with ease.
