Eager beaver

[DJ]

"There's a deer in the forest," Hope said quietly motioning with her head toward the area.

She tugged lightly on the mare's reins attempting to regain her focus. She tugged harder, bouncing the mare back into reality as she walked forward, taking long stretched strides. Hope gave the mare a pat.


"Alrighty, then." Hope continued along her way behind Duke, Dazzle still half-attentive to the deer somewhere behind her.

[femalefred]

Ella had finally succeeded in getting Duke to stop, even if it was a fidgety halt that involved side stepping and prancing when he got bored - which was every few seconds. Nothing seemed to be working as regards getting him to be still, so she'd really given up now, and was just trying to keep him in the same vague place.

The deer didn't seem to distract him at all, but Ella nodded, keeping quiet. Turning to see where Hope pointed, she could just make out the figure of the animal, and smiled. The brief moment seemed to be over though, as Dazzle was now continuing along the trail, and Duke was more than glad to get back to moving.

"It must be getting late," Ella murmured when Hope was back along side them. "Getting a little dark."

[DJ]

Hope nodded, looking upward past the tree canopy. At the darkening sky, she became almost dizzy and nauseated, yet in trace by the trees. That always happened when she looked up. But she looked forward, regaining her brain and stomach.

She gave Dazzle a pat, now calming down. She was ready to head back, agonizing the fight with the stream again.

"Shall we turn back?"

[femalefred]

Ella glanced wistfully up the rest of the trail. She liked riding at night, even if it was more dangerous, but she knew it would be best to turn back. She could leave Duke out to pasture for the night and do some proper work with him tomorrow, and hopefully he'd use all his energy up that way.

"I suppose," she replied, somewhat reluctantly, asking the gelding to halt and preparing to turn back down the track.

[DJ]

Hope spun Dazzle around and she started on her way back. She looked around the tail at the lovely greens of the spring. She allowed Dazzle to trot when she wanted, half-halting her when she got too eager and forward.

She silently struck up a left lead canter and moved over the log easily. She asked for a walk and turned around to watch Duke clear it.

[femalefred]

Duke needed reminding not to simply follow on when Dazzle picked up first a trot, and then a canter. Ella had to bring him back to a walk on both occasions, but he did seem to have expended at least some of his energy and his jump over the log was much cleaner and much less insane this time.

"Let's hope they both behave when we get to the stream again," Ella said, smiling as she brought the gelding once more to a fidgety walk.

[DJ]

"I hope." Hope laughed as they neared the water.

Dazzle stared at it once before walking through the small stream. "Good girl!" Hope exclaimed stroking each side of the mare's neck, encouraging and rewarding her.

Hope waited until Duke had made his way over the stream before trotting. She went along, but her heart sunk when the barn came into view.

[femalefred]

Ella paused her gelding as Dazzle walked through the stream, and smiled, glad to see that the mare had calmed down a little. Duke, on the other hand, didn't walk on but rather took up the showy, high-stepping trot that he would sometimes take on if he was bored or being forced to be calm when he was actually full of energy, splashing water everywhere.

"You never act like an ordinary horse, do you?" Ella asked, grinning and giving him an affectionate pat, as he bounced back into a walk as the barn came into sight. It almost seemed like he didn't want to go to bed.

[DJ]

Hope laughed out loud as Duke prancing through the stream speckling his light coat with dark muddy water.

"Is he staying in or out tonight?" Hope asked Ella as they went through the grassy field toward the barn, knowing the gelding sometimes stayed outside rather in his stall at night like most of the horses did. "It's supposed to be warm tonight."

Hope frowned at the barn, halting Dazzle.

[femalefred]

"I'll leave him out, I think. It'll be warm enough and I can just put a light sheet over him. If I stable him tonight he'll be hyperactive tomorrow," Ella replied with a slightly grim smile. The gelding was tossing his head now, prancing a little on the soft grass of the field. He still had all the vim and vigour of a foal really, and though she did usually stable him in the evenings it was easily warm enough for him to be staying out at the moment and she was pretty sure he'd start cribbing or some other horrible stable vice if she left him in tonight.

"Dazzle staying in? She looks a lot calmer than the beast now."

[DJ]

"Probably. Unless Duke wants a friend. She'd a wimp outside by herself."

Hope smirked at the timid mare, always spazzing in the dark, cantering around and shaking.

"But if Duke would rather be alone, she's staying inside," Hope smiled.

[femalefred]

Ella grinned, suddenly glad that, of all the things that scared Duke, the dark was not one of them. "He's happy without pasture-mates but he likes to have friends to play with. It's up to you though, she's your mare," she replied, giving Duke a long rein as they got to the end of the field closest to the barn.

The gelding for once didn't stick his head up given this opportunity and instead stretched out, shaking himself a little before they got into the yard.

[DJ]

"Well, I'm sure Dazzle would love hanging around Duke tonight." Hope laughed at the mare now scratching her leg. She reached down and snatched a bite of grass and pulled her head back up, fighting with the grass attempting to get it past her bit.

"And she's usually pretty good abut not getting clingy." Hope smiled at the mare's phobia of the dark. "It's not too bad, she just won't leave you alone when you try to leave." She laughed a bit and leaned forward to dismount.

She grabbed the loose grass and tried to pull it out of the mare's face and she closed her teeth, not letting Hope pull it out. She laughed and let her keep fighting with it, trying to get it past her bit.

[femalefred]

Ella smiled and nodded, bringing Duke to a halt. He seemed bored now, looking around and huffing as she swung her leg over to dismount. "Well, I'm sure he'd be delighted with that. They'll probably get on like an absoloute house on fire inthat case" she replied, rolling her eyes at the mention of the TB's clinginess.

"Duke can be a pain about leaving you alone if he thinks he hasn't had enough attention before he's put out," she added. "Bad pony," she added, grinning at Dazzle's reluctance to let go of her hard earned stalk of grass.

[DJ]

"Perfect," Hope breathed, smiling. "I guess you two can get yourself into trouble tonight." She laughed, reaching to scratch the mare's large ear.

She led her inside to be untacked.

OOC:: Tiny post. :3 Basically the finishing post. -nod-