a long road to wisdom [open]

[chase]

Chase had the morning planned, it was his to do as he pleased typically as most students were in regular school classes. Though recently the man found himself running out of time to get his horses worked in the morning, when he liked to. In accordance to get both horses done this morning in order to go out after his lessons that afternoon the young man had woken up at 7 that morning. He didn’t struggle with early mornings, he just needed to set an alarm as once he was awake there was no going back to sleep for the poor soul. He rose with no urgency and took his time to shower, he skipped breakfast on schedule and got dressed to ride – outside. He wanted to school Calvin in the outdoor, the horse was very well behaved generally and it would do him good to deal with the outside environment and it would give Chase a chance to try the new quarter sheet he had ordered out. Gathering his tack he placed it outside of Calvin’s stall, the large liver chestnut pinned his ears at the sight of a person and Chase just rolled his eyes and swatted at the stall bars. The gelding was a thingy in his stall, it was a fact that Chase accepted about him and as a result just slipped a halter over the cranky horses head and lead him into the aisle way. Once clear of his stall the horse’s demeanor changed completely, and Chase could take his blankets off without the worry of getting kicked.

“Oh cranky pants, I know it’s early but suck it up.”

Chase thought of his father, the man had been an early riser and when the two men had been on speaking terms it was often the only time they really communicated throughout any given day – it made Chase miss the man a little. As he finished brushing Calvin the wind hit the side of the barn and the horse flinched, perhaps the outdoor wasn’t so ideal. Chase decided to tack up and head out there regardless – he could always come back and finish up inside if problems were created by the weather. Though in light of preparing to deal with outdoor show arena’s he expected Calvin to work through essentially everything. He finished tacking the horse in all his schooling tack, the back on track pad and quarter sheet were signature items as Chase was a firm believer in the products. Leading the horse to the outdoor he was content to see that it was empty, though the wind was a touch brisk. Leaves scattered periodically and he could feel the buzz that ran through Calvin – it was a good buzz, the kind that made his trot those chilling 9’s and 10’s in tests. Mounting up with the use of the block Chase sat tall and centered in the saddle, he was light with his seat finding his balance instantly. His hands were soft on the snaffle reins and he let the large liver chestnut horse step out under him. Running a glove covered hand through his hair Chase zipped up his vest and collected the reins slightly, encouraging the gelding to find his carriage while stepping up strongly and fluidly from behind.

Calvin shied away from some leaves after the second lap of a medium walk and Chase decided to put him to work, picking up a working trot Chase posted to start – it was kinder to the geldings back and encouraged him to get further ahead of Chase’s leg. Calvin obliged and stepped out, the suspension and elevation combined with the swing through his hind end was an example of why he was the dressage horse he was, even just in his snaffle he was light and supple to Chase’s hand that carried itself and allowed the gelding to flow. His contact was elastic and the horse steady, Calvin responded by snorting and foaming at the bit – both signs of a relaxed and working horse.

ooc - open to any!
clothes & tack

[daine3]

Lukas had always enjoyed early mornings... it never mattered what time of year it was, spring, summer, autumn, winter... he liked mornings and had always been a morning person. The type who could awaken at the drop of a pin and be immediately wide awake. Though, he put it down to being ADHD. He'd been able to wake up like that for as long as he could remember, and, at night, he was always literally wired and wide awake until he took a moment to sit or lay down, then he was out like a light. Typical of ADHD people.

It was with a spring to his step and a smile on his face that he bounced into the barn. He checked on his mare first, making a mental note to take her to the vet for a check-up soon. She wasn't looking too well... not that she'd looked well since their fall, but still... After checking to make sure she was ok, he left her with a full haynet and headed towards the other barn to grab his gelding for a quick ride. Lukas knew that he needed to get the flashy blue roan out and actually work him instead of just trail riding...

The horse's head appeared over the stall door as the roan heard Luke's whistling, and he nickered a soft greting to the young man, recieving a scratching between the eyes in return. Luke grabbed the side of the halter after opening the stall door and led the horse to the crossties, removing the lightweight stable blanket after clipping the ties to the sides of the halter.

"Be right back, buddy." He told the horse that had now become his main riding companion as he jogged inside the tack room. He was planning on schooling the animal in the outdoor. Luke wasn't worried about it; he knew full well that the gelding wasn't bothered at all by anything nature could throw at them. The man studied the western saddle for a moment before picking it up, along with the bridle and rest of his tack, and carting it back to the taller horse. "Remind me to soap your saddle later, Deuce." He said as he tossed the tack over the horses broad back like it was nothing.

He took his time tacking up, instead of getting it done in the few moments he usually took. It was nearly a full ten minutes before the man unclipped the crossties and picked up the reins, letting Deuce follow him out to the outdoor. Lukas paused for only a moment upon seeing someone already riding in the place, but then continued on towards the gate, waiting until the other rider was close enough so he didn't have to shout to be heard, "Hey, this arena got room for one more?" He called, friendly grin on his face as he relaxed, propping up on the gate and awaiting an answer.

[chase]

The gelding was relaxing beneath him, his stride remained animated though it was easier him to step up with less tension in his frame. The horse instantly swung through his hind-end more, Chase sent the horse forward now allowing him to stretch down and low and encouraging him to be quicker with his hind end. In order to collect properly and to achieve the cadence that took his trot work from a 7 to a 9 the horse needed to drive from behind to get the swing and achieve working over his back properly. The gelding obliged and stretched out and down, his hind end quickened as requested though he didn’t lose the natural balance and rhythm his large stride presented. Switching reins he changed his diagonal to match and continued to push the horse forward, insisting the quick hind end stayed engaged. Putting the horse on a 20m circle he started flexing him from left to right, ensuring he stayed supple and soft. Calvin had forgotten the flying leaves and was all business, the horse was attentive and responsive to Chase’s cues.

“Good”

He spoke to the liver chestnut and let a hand fall to his shoulder in reward, keeping the forward and swing he gathered his reins slightly and cued the horse to canter. Calvin obliged and the lofty stride was as light as his trot work had been, adjusting his own posture Chase sat deeper into the saddle and drove the horse forward more encouraging the quick hind end to push his shoulders up and round his back. Snorts escaped his breathing nostrils, it was evident Calvin was relaxed in his job and Chase loved a good school. The horse felt wonderful today, he had really come into his own in the past few years and was providing Chase with usually exciting rides - he was the example of hard work and persistence paying off. Through the diagonal he asked for a simple change, once more to attract Calvin’s attention and ensure his mind was on the task at hand. The simple change came with no hesitation or loss of rhythm and a pat as a reward from Chase. A man and an interesting colored equine were perched at the fence, his question caught Chase off guard, he didn’t stop cantering but spoke out as they passed by – his tone light though distracted.

“Knock yourself out, we can share plus there’s plenty of room in here.”

ooc - ahh, not great but done - sorry!
clothes & tack

[daine3]

He waited until they had gone on the other side of the arena before opening the gate and leading the blue colored QH through, swinging and latching the metal gate closed behind them. Lukas gave the other man a friendly nod as he led Deuce towards the far corner of the arena so as to not get in the way of the other horse and rider pair.

He asked for a halt and asked the blue roan to flex laterally as he swung into the saddle after reaffirming that his helmet was buckled. Lukas once again asked for a lateral flex to both sides before squeezing Deuce’s sides, asking for a long, low walk on a loose rein. The horse started off slowly, though he picked up a little speed at his rider’s cue, walking in frame without being held there.

Lukas let him walk on for a few more minutes, warming up the muscles, and then asked for a western job, grinning when the horse merely swished the tail and moved into the pace lazily. “Feeling a little lazy, huh, bud?” He asked the animal softly before cueing a little stronger, letting the horse know they were working and not playing. The effect was instantaneous. Deuce immediately became more animated, though nothing like an English dressage horse. The Quarterhorse wasn’t a dressage animal, he was a western trail and competition champion, and he wasn’t trained nor asked to move like a dressage mount.

[chase]

Chase noted the man’s manners, he waited till they were clear of the gate before entering, circling to avoid the pair he set Calvin forwards more. Their canter was balanced though forward, the horse was stretching down with a longer frame than he would compete in but he was still warming up the horse. Flexing the horse from left to right, there was some resistance when he asked the horse to counter bend. Not forcing the horse instead he sent him forward once more and put him on another circle, staying out of the other man’s way. Asking the horse for the counter flexion once more Calvin obliged this time, it still wasn’t as supple as he was to the inside but it was better. Bringing the horse down to a walk Chase let the liver chestnut stretch down into the walk, his snort was immediate and in response Chase laid a hand on his warm shoulder and pet him. He would let him walk for a few laps before picking him up and working on some lateral movement – they were the focus of his ride plan today. His tone pricked the air as the man checked for a helmet strap,

“I thought cowboys wore cowboy hats…”

Chase smirked he was kidding and hoped the stranger understood that, he watched the man and his horse. The quarter horse was obviously well schooled, it showed in his self-carriage and the way he drove from behind but had the natural collection and cadence that those western pleasure riders desired. Chase did admit, a good western horse like the one before him was something that he could watch for a while – before getting bored and wishing the horse would do something more impressive. Plenty of the quarter horses seemed to be well schooled in changes and reiners were always interesting too. While he could appreciate other breeds and disciplines Chase knew he would never change his mind about where his riding passion lay – he was a dressage rider through and through.

“Nice looking animal you have there, and just so you know I was kidding about the helmet – I should probably get one myself actually.”

Chase smirked all his students were required to wear helmets – he didn’t because he hadn’t been asked too. The man grew up in a time of helmets being reserved for those who worked over fences and on the cross country course – and even then many people preferred hunt caps, which were pretty and non-functional. Shortening his reins he made sure the horse was staying forward, his trot was more collected now but the same drive created the animation. He was riding a collected trot/passage but thinking medium trot – it was what gave the horse the fancy suspension that made jaw’s drop. Letting a hand fall to the horses neck in a pat he changed directions through the diagonal once more, the more drive he added the higher the horses steps became. Sending him forward through the diagonal the animation and quality to his gait was an example of why he was a grand prix horse on an international level. Once more Chase spoke again, offering a yet again warm tone to the younger man,

“I’m Chase by the way, new to the academy.”

ooc - done!
clothes & tack

[daine3]

"Who ever said I was a cowboy?" Lukas shot back good-naturedly as the other man came around again, "I ride both styles." He admitted, raising his voice so the other could hear him before focusing once more on Deuce. The Quarterhorse was showing his training in that he wasn't paying one once of attention to the other horse and rider and was focused solely on Lukas now. The man cued the horse to fall back down to a halt and once again asked him to flex laterally, which the well-trained mount did without issue.

Lukas leaned forwards to scratch Deuce between the eyes before letting him return his neck to the usual position and picked up the reins, asking with just a movement for a walk-lope transition. The powerful horse exploded into a fast lope down the one side of the arena, staying on the rail. Deuce definitely wasn't a western pleasure horse; his lope was too fast. Lukas kept him straight until they were almost at the end of the arena, where he sat deep in the saddle and picked up the reins only slightly, asking with the lightest of cues and receiving just what he was asking. The blue horse immediately brought his hindquarters underneath his body in a sliding stop and whirled around when the reins touched his neck, though didn't take off again, as his rider hadn't given him the cue. Lukas smirked down at the horse, rubbing along the muscular neck, feeling the horse almost quivering, ready to go again now that his attention was caught. Deuce acted the same at any competition they went to… he 'got into the groove' of it and that's when he did his best.

The man took a moment to watch the other. Lukas had indeed grown up riding both styles; western and english. He could easily appreciate the beauty of a dressage horse. Deuce himself knew some of the maneuvers, but not all, as his focus was on obstacle challenges… In fact, Deuce knew a pretty good bit of several different riding styles. Lukas had taught him a bit of reining, cutting, dressage, and jumping, as a person never knew what to expect in the types of competitions they did, and the man was a firm believer in knowing as much as possible.

"Thanks." He said, tilting his head in acknowledgement. "I'm not a helmet advocate, so I won't tell you that you should or shouldn't." He added, grin coming back, "Nice to meet you, Chase. You yourself also have a very magnificent animal. I'm Lukas… also fairly new to this place."

[chase]

Once he hit the corner again he collected the liver chestnut back and was amazed as usual by the power and suspension his step now had, ears flickering the gelding snorted once more. Smile lit the man's features, Calvin was being a good boy today, he might ask for more drive from behind but he was being soft and supple in his snaffle, that was enough to keep Chase happy at the moment. He wanted to get on with the lateral movement before the horse got tired and didn't want to play anymore, that's when things would start to go downhill. Down the long side of the arena he cued the gelding for a shoulder in, the horse obliged and his front end tracked on a different path from his hind while he continued to travel straight. Looking up and forward Chase released the shoulder in through a circle.

"Fair enough, my mistake I was under the impression people who rode western usually considered themselves cow-people."

He was smiling still, evidently joking with the man. Chase wasn't actually stereotyping on a serious level, more or less just sticking to the titles people seemed to give horse people. Aside from the common knowledge that they were all crazy other things seemed to stick as well.

"Though by the same logic I would be gay; which is far from true."

He smirked to the man on the quarter horse who now that he was moving Chase could see was evidently not a pleasure horse. He was comfortable with people naturally, he liked to chat and joke around stranger or not he could tell right away if he was going to get along with someone with how they took his humour and jokes. Thus far the young rider who swung both English and western was holding his own, and seemed comfortable, Chase was glad he hadn't offended the poor soul yet - but also glad he seemed to enjoy the chatter too. It was nice to interact with someone his own age, all he had done since arriving at the school thus far was teach and ride. Which was truly what he had signed up for, though the man had hoped for some adult relationships to pop in and out of there as well, and perhaps this individual would be a friend of some sort. Attention went back to Calvin, the gelding was straight beneath him, soft and forward. Turning down the quarter line he used a half-pass to return to the rail. Twice in each direction the chestnut gelding crossed over, ensuring that his forehand was that slight bit ahead of his haunches in the reach across the ring. Watching the other horse come to a sliding stop Chase smiled and asked Calvin for a walk. Letting the horse stretch down into the contact he decided they would do some trot work and call it a day. He still had Donny to work as well.

"Good, to each their own, and truth be told I have no interest in wearing one."

Silence passed for a moment and the wind blew at Calvin's quarter-sheet, ensuring it stayed in place Chase altered his attention back to Lukas, putting a name to a face was nice.

"Well thank you Lukas, so you're teaching here then?"

ooc - slow again, sorry!
clothes & tack

[Margret Tyler]

Finally the clock had hit that time of the day where she could take her break. In her pencil skirt and high heels, Maggie made her way back to her apartment. Changing into old faded blue jeans and a tight fitting purple shirt. Grabbing and slipping her favorite Western style boots on she left the staff house and made her way to the White Oak barn. She was looking forward to riding the Morgan mare. Blue, her foal, had just recently been weaned off of her. Clipping the mare's rose colored halter she drop tied her. Running to the tack room she grabbed the Western tack and grooming supplies. Currying and brushing the mare down quickly, she tacked her up. The saddle was a lot for Maggie as she hadn't lifted a Western saddle's weight in a while. Slipping the bridle on her face, Dart slightly fought it as she wasn't use to the tack, she hadn't worn it in a long time. "Good girl." It was a fairly nice day outside and so she made the quick choice of the Outdoor arena. Coming close she saw two men already on their mounts, one English and one Western. "Gate." Opening the gate she let Dart in and then close it. Checking her cinch she swung herself up into the large comfortable saddle. Her eyes drifted to the men working their horses, beautiful animals. Maggie nodded and smiled at the one in the Western tack and then the same to one in English. The Morgan moved forward into a long strided walk. Maggie could tell she liked being worked once again.

[daine3]

Lukas had allowed Deuce to stop and simply stand as he watched Chase and his horse ride across the ring. The main could tell a Dressage rider when he saw one, as, when he opted to turn in his western attire to english, he also rode the style well. The horse he rode wasn't an english mount, though Lukas had made sure he knew the basics of so many types of riding. Deuce had been started in Dressage and knew how to jump and run cross-country... the horse knew a little of everything, it's what made him such a good trail horse, Lukas thought.

Lukas bit back a bit of laughter for only a few seconds before allowing it to escape his vocals as he listened to the other man, though he nodded slightly. "Not me. Don't think I've ever wrangled a cow. Never even been close to one." He asserted, "Definately not a cow-person."

The man decided that Deuce had stopped for long enough and placed a rein across the left side of the neck, also pressing his heel into the horses side and shifting his weight slightly. Lukas clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth several times in quick succession, giving the verbal cue as well as the pressure-cues for a spin, and Deuce spun, kicking up sand as he went. Several rotations later, the man dropped the pressure and the blue horse stopped on a dime.

Just in time too, as Lukas heard another call of 'gate' and glanced over to see a woman enter with a horse of her own. Luke gave the woman a smile back and nodded to her in return before looking back to Chase while picking up the reins and asking for lateral flexation once more, keeping Deuce light on the reins. "Yeah, I'm teaching here. Trail Class, actually. And you... let me guess, you either teach Dressage or have something to do with it, right?"

[chase]

Chase waited for Lukas to respond to him, he figured the man taught a western discipline despite his young appearance as he recognized the names of the other English coaches. He didn’t spend too much time trying to figure it out; he let Calvin walk for a few quick laps before asking the horse to gather himself up once more. Picking the horse up at the trot now he asked the horse for a higher and tighter frame, while at first Calvin considered just pushing on the contact Chase provided a touch of his spur reminded him otherwise. He broke over into a light contact, his self-carriage was coming from behind a proper due to the way that Chase had warmed up. Once the gelding softened his jaw and relaxed Chase mirrored the softening with his hand and drove the horse forward with a touch of his leg and seat. Calvin was in working trot, Chase asked the horse for a Travers while the initial steps were slightly stiff the liver chestnut was crossing over behind in no time, maintaining the bend and forward. Lateral movement often displaced the forward riders worked so hard to establish, so as he changed directions through the diagonal he asked the gelding to extend. The result was a stunning extension, straight, correct and best of all the horse was relatively light in his snaffle and not rushing but truly extending each leg in what Chase felt to be a 8 or 9. Cuing for a walk halfway through the corner he noted that the horse was a little pushy in the down, which was a sign of him growing tired. The man decided to finish his lateral movement at the walk, not nearly as exciting but certainly effective.

“Note taken, you’re not a cow person – or a stereotype.”

He smirked, attention back to Calvin who was light in the bridle and still moving forward. Down the long side once more he asked for the Travers and the horse obliged. The walk was easier on the gelding, the bend and crossover behind were all fluid. Chewing lightly at the bit he reminded Chase to soften his hand a touch and let him move forward. Ears flickered and the gelding snorted once more the movement ended and he returned to a normal medium walk, a walk pirouette was an exercise the horse knew well and very effective. Calvin’s front legs and outside hind leg travelled around the inside hind leg, while he remained bend slightly to the right – his direction of travel. Ending the pirouette he sent the horse forward once more before the word gate caught his ear,

“Morning.”

He nodded to the new addition to the outdoor, a woman with a dark bay mare – western tack but not a quarter horse. Something like a Morgan or perhaps a cross of some sort, no matter the case he recognized her from somewhere. She was part of the faculty he just wasn’t certain where exactly. He returned the nod and smile; he was warm and friendly individual and especially now that Calvin was finished work could focus more on conversation and not making an idiot of himself. Letting Calvin stretch down at the walk he would cool the horse out and go tack up Donny, his hand gave the large gelding a pat on the slightly damp shoulder and looked over to Lukas who had spoken once more.

“Trail, well there’s something I have never tried. As for me, yes I am the new dressage coach.”

ooc - done!
clothes & tack

[daine3]

Lukas nodded as he concentrated solely on Deuce, asking with barely any pressure at all for a backup. The horse resisted at first, but when Luke finally picked up the reins and gave a gentle tug on the bit, Deuce ducked his head and obediently reversed. "We gotta work some on that, boy. That'll break us in a competition." Lukas told the horse, letting Deuce stop after four steps and asking him to simply stand and give to the bit.

It was all Luke's fault, he knew. He hadn't been working Deuce like he should, what with everything going on lately. Deuce wasn't an older horse who knew exactly what he was supposed to do, he was young and still challenged Lukas at times. Luke asked him to give to the bit several times before once again asking with leg and seat cues for a reverse, and this time Deuce did beautifully, tucking his head and rounding his back as he moved back so quickly he almost was jogging. The horse knew what to do, but he just was a brat at times when he hadn't been worked and the cues hadn't been reinforced enough.

Lukas asked him to back halfway down the arena before releasing all contact he had with the horse and letting him stop. He leaned forwards and petted the muscular light bluish neck. "Atta bud." He told the horse with a grin before looking back to Chase. "Trail's great." He said lightly, "'Course, we get some major nutcases competing in it, but it's fun and you get that in every discipline. It's turned into my life, basically."