Post by Mint on Apr 14, 2009 15:32:29 GMT -6
'April is the cruelest month.....' Terry remembered, as she looked at the wet, cloudy spring weather outside. It had rained earlier in the morning, drenching the sprouting grass with spring. Chilly and misty, the barn was shrouded in a light fog, hazing out the sun and enveloping the area with muffled silence.
Even Damien's usual friskiness was tempered by the weather, now choosing only to push his head affectionately against Terry's back as she finished up tacking in his stall. Her hand smoothed out the saddle pads as she stepped back to make sure everything was properly in place. Satisfied, the Asian girl slipped off the bridle off her shoulder, approaching the gelding's head. The horse's ears pinned back now that she presented the snaffle to him patiently. How he hated the hard, bitter tang of the iron in his mouth. With a little urging by the girl, the palomino reluctantly accepted the bit, pointedly making faces at the taste of it.
"Oh stop it, D." Terry rolled her eyes. What a drama queen this horse was. She patted off the hay-dust off her paint-splattered jeans - oh, so artfully done by Terry herself - and her neon purple sweater, one of her colorful sweater collection. She tugged gently on the reins that were over Damien's neck, signal him to follow her as she walked out of the stall and the barn to the ring, as she clipped on her helmet. The horse lowered the his head as he walked beside her, stopping a fraction-of-a-second to inspect something on the ground before striding back to the side of the girl.
The floor of the ring was springy with the damp air, but had small puddles of water in the corners of the ring. Terry sidestepped a puddle as she walked toward the middle. There, she double-checked the saddle and the bridle before tightening the girth and hopping on, settling quietly in to the saddle. She sat there making Damien stand quietly for half a minute before allowing him to stretch out and explore the ring as she adjusted her stirrups. Feeling that he had enough time to settle and get accustomed to the ring, she cued him to a trot, keeping her reins long to encourage his head low to stretch. She posted lightly in the saddle in sync with the floaty, smooth strides of the horse, her legs quiet and close the the belly. When they completed a complete round of the ring in both directions, Terry shortened up her reins and cued him for a canter.
Small, fluted ears swiveled as Damien felt the drawing of the reins. Knowing she was about to ask for a canter, he eagerly pushed off into a surging canter, giving his tail an excited flick. Terry asked him to back off. Though, not caught off-guard - she was half-expecting it actually-, it was not what she asked for. Pinning his ears, Damien fought the bit, wanting to race around the ring. He started to throw his head and drop his back, trying the lesson the pressure on the bit. Terry growled at him and closed her legs around his torso, sending him forward, but keeping and reapplying tension to his bit, making him light on his forefeet and round. Rolling her eyes at the obnoxious snort that the horse gave as he rounded out, Terry started to look around the ring for possible jumps that Damien could try.
Even Damien's usual friskiness was tempered by the weather, now choosing only to push his head affectionately against Terry's back as she finished up tacking in his stall. Her hand smoothed out the saddle pads as she stepped back to make sure everything was properly in place. Satisfied, the Asian girl slipped off the bridle off her shoulder, approaching the gelding's head. The horse's ears pinned back now that she presented the snaffle to him patiently. How he hated the hard, bitter tang of the iron in his mouth. With a little urging by the girl, the palomino reluctantly accepted the bit, pointedly making faces at the taste of it.
"Oh stop it, D." Terry rolled her eyes. What a drama queen this horse was. She patted off the hay-dust off her paint-splattered jeans - oh, so artfully done by Terry herself - and her neon purple sweater, one of her colorful sweater collection. She tugged gently on the reins that were over Damien's neck, signal him to follow her as she walked out of the stall and the barn to the ring, as she clipped on her helmet. The horse lowered the his head as he walked beside her, stopping a fraction-of-a-second to inspect something on the ground before striding back to the side of the girl.
The floor of the ring was springy with the damp air, but had small puddles of water in the corners of the ring. Terry sidestepped a puddle as she walked toward the middle. There, she double-checked the saddle and the bridle before tightening the girth and hopping on, settling quietly in to the saddle. She sat there making Damien stand quietly for half a minute before allowing him to stretch out and explore the ring as she adjusted her stirrups. Feeling that he had enough time to settle and get accustomed to the ring, she cued him to a trot, keeping her reins long to encourage his head low to stretch. She posted lightly in the saddle in sync with the floaty, smooth strides of the horse, her legs quiet and close the the belly. When they completed a complete round of the ring in both directions, Terry shortened up her reins and cued him for a canter.
Small, fluted ears swiveled as Damien felt the drawing of the reins. Knowing she was about to ask for a canter, he eagerly pushed off into a surging canter, giving his tail an excited flick. Terry asked him to back off. Though, not caught off-guard - she was half-expecting it actually-, it was not what she asked for. Pinning his ears, Damien fought the bit, wanting to race around the ring. He started to throw his head and drop his back, trying the lesson the pressure on the bit. Terry growled at him and closed her legs around his torso, sending him forward, but keeping and reapplying tension to his bit, making him light on his forefeet and round. Rolling her eyes at the obnoxious snort that the horse gave as he rounded out, Terry started to look around the ring for possible jumps that Damien could try.