With the Persian Prince (open)

[Ω-Admin-Cara-Ω]

The sun was still hidden behind the trees when Cara slipped into the White Oak barn that morning. She was dressed in a pair of beige jodhpurs, a long sleeved pale blue shirt and her knee high black leather riding boots. She strode down the barn aisle as she walked down to Ghalib's stall. She had painted all of the wood in the box with an anti-crib paste and so far it was doing it's job. Either that or the toys she had scattered around the stall were keeping the gelding occupied enough that he hadn't felt the need to chew on anything that he shouldn't be to pass the time.

"Yes, you are handsome." She told the gelding as he leaned over the door and blew into her face. "Come on, back away and I'll come in." She drew her shoulders up and the gelding instantly backed away from the door so the small human could enter.

Once the gelding was out of the stall and into a set of cross-ties, the girl got to work with giving the dark chestnut a thorough groom and then took her time in brushing out his mane an putting it into a French braid before she french braided his tail down t the bottom of the dock, allowing the rest to flow freely. "Okay, I'm done making you look pretty." She commented as he bobbed his head up and down as he pawed at the ground to show his annoyance at standing still for so long. The small teen then quickly saddled the gelding and led the Arab out into the glowing sunrise and to the arena.

Crossing the arena, she asked Ghalib to stand while she tightened the girth, pulled the stirrups down and vaulted into the fifteen hand gelding's saddle. She pushed her feet the stirrups and gently squeezed the horse forward. She had bought him from the auction house almost a month ago now and this would be the first time she had ridden him, as she had spent the past month getting to know him and letting the stunning horse know that he wasn't here just to be ridden and he was allowed to be a horse.

She sat deep in the saddle, getting to know the feel of the horse beneath her as he walked. He had a long stride in his walk, which would have been developed while he was in his training as an endurance horse, and Cara hoped that she could take advantage of this for dressage as she could imaging that he'd get quite b bit of attention in the dressage arena with his dark red coat and brilliant white blaze and stockings.

[racingbelle]

Early mourning. The sun was still hiding behind the trees but by time Stevie was ready to come out of the barn it would more than likely be over the trees. Stevie was in a red t-shirt, worn out tan jodhpurs, and black, tattered knee high boots. She entered the stallion stables otherwise know as the Brown Orchid Barn. She was going to get her bay Thoroughbred stallion, Secret Lightning. Stevie walked quickly over to Lightning's stall and looked inside. The tall bay stallion was shifting around nervously and occasionally striking at the wall. Man he needs to be worked. Stevie thought.

"Easy now pretty boy." Stevie said, slipping into the stall. She laid a hand soothingly on the studs neck and Lightning immediately calmed. They had always shared a close bond and Stevie's bond with her other horse, Belle, was even closer than hers and Lightning's. The stallion nickered eagerly as Stevie clipped his red lead rope to his red halter.

Leading Lightning out of the stall, Stevie hooked him up to the cross ties. He pawed the ground and got his leg hung up in the tie. "Oh Lightning! What have you gotten yourself into?" Stevie said, exasperated as she came back with and arm full of tack. She put the tack down and then undid the stallions black leg from the rope. He stayed surprisingly calm and that didn't surprise Stevie. Lightning was calm for a stallion but still very hyper. Stevie knew about the potential he had and wanted to improve it and the stallion wanted to please her. Lightning continued to paw and snort while she groomed him making his bay coat gleam.

"There, your all shined up now let's get you tacked." Stevie said. She always talked to her horses as if they could understand her. Sometimes she could swore they could. One the bay horse was tacked up, Stevie led the horse out into the cool morning air. the sun was just peaking above the treetops and the only sounds were of the birds and the clip clop of Lightning's hooves. She quickly decided to ride in the arena called Roscoe's Arena. It was named after some Thoroughbred racehorse and Stevie liked that. She was still a jockey at heart and loved her Thoroughbreds. Stevie entered the arena and, not needing a mounting block, climbed aboard her 16.3 hands bay stallion in one swift movement. It felt right to be sitting up there, seemingly on top of the world. Stevie patted Lightning and the horse snorted. He wanted to be jumping, running, doing anything but holding still. Stevie smiled and knew that was just because he was young but it was also in his personality, his genes. Lightning was born and bred to run so running is what he wanted to do most. Lightning was a horse who wanted to work, one that would never give up doing what was asked of him until he died trying for his owner. For the first time Stevie noticed a girl in the arena with her. Lightning snorted and let out a shrill whinny.
"Easy boy. Calm down, Lightning." Stevie murmured, drawing in the reins and holding them tighter. She trotted over to the girl, as close as she dared until Stevie knew who the horse was. "Hi!" Stevie grinned warmly and hoped that her crazy stud wouldn't pull anything.

[Ω-Admin-Cara-Ω]

The gelding she was riding was moving nicely around the arena, and Cara could see why he had made such a good endurace mount as his strides covered a lot of ground while he was still relaxed. She rubbed his neck before she gathered the reins and asked him to move forward. "Easy." She whispered as a stallion's whinny filled the outdoor arena.

She turned herself at the waist at the sound of approaching hooves. "Good morning, Ma'am." She replied softly to the woman's bright greeting. She dropped her hand down to the geldin'd shoulder as Ghalib bobbed his head up and down, showing his impatience to get working again. She squeezed her leg against the gendling's side to get him to step away from the stallion as the chestnut flattened his ears. She did not wish the spirited gelding to try and nip the stallion as she wasn't up for the fight that may emerge from a mistake like that.

[racingbelle]

"Good morning...um...Cara right?" Stevie was still new here so she was still learning her students names. She patted Lightning. They wouldn't be doing much this morning, just practicing dressage. Usually horses would be a lot older than Lightning about five before they started dressage training but Stevie was sure that her young horse could handle it. "Alright now. Easy now." She murmur soothingly, trying to calm him. Lightning shifted restlessly underneath her. Stevie kept talking and patted the colt but he would not settle. His eyes were always looking toward the other horse. "No boy this isn't a race and you know it. Your just getting used to things today. Easy now. Come on boy. Settle down." Finally Lightning stopped fretting and chomped at the bit nervously. Stevie cued him forward and Lightning obliged into a prancing walk. Stevie held the reins tight and the colt's head curved inward. Why was her normally calm horse acting like such a...a... Stevie couldn't even find the words. Finally Lightning broke out of her grip and reared. Stevie crouched low over his neck and gave him plenty of rein. "Lightning!" She shouted and then "Watch out!" For Lightning had landed on the ground and charged toward the other horse. Stevie wanted to shut her eyes as the stallion came closer and closer to the horse and rider. Then she yanked on the right rein and Lightning sworved just in time, kicking up the arena dirt. He was about to crash into the horse and rider! Why in the world had he done that?! "Lightning! Why in the world did you do that you..." She continued to scold her horse turning him in tight circles on the other side of the arena. "Your in such big trouble!" Lightning only pranced and fought Stevie's tight grip on the reins. He let out high shrill screams ever now and then and tossed his head. Stevie gritted her teeth. As soon as he was calm she would apoligize to Cara. Man their second day here and her energetic stud was stirring up trouble! What next?!

[Ω-Admin-Cara-Ω]

OOC: Just a reminder about no power playing.

"I am she, Ma'am." The teen replied, wondering whom the woman had been talking to for her to know the girl's name. She watched the antics of the young stallion next to her and once more asked Ghalib to step away from the young horse. She was trying to work her gelding through his issues, not encourage them.

She sat deep as the chestnut shifted underneath her as the bay horse rose onto his hind legs and the young rider chose this moment to get her mount moving again and once more concentrating on her. She squeezed gently with her calf muscles and released the pressure as soon as the gelding strode forward.

She heard a noise to their right and saw the young Thoroughbred charging toward them. Cara sat deep as she reined her mount in and asked him to turn on his hindquarters so that they were heading in the opposite direction, thus avoiding a near collision. The girl wasn't one to speak up, but she felt that a young horse like the one the woman was riding should be worked in an arena by himself, and not risking the lives of other horses or riders,

[racingbelle]

OOC: Sorry I didn't realize it till now...

Finally after a long time Stevie got Lightning to settle down. "Come on now boy, you have to apologize to Cara now or rather I gotta apologize for you." Stevie kept Lightning in a tight rein and trotted toward the girl. Then she stopped Lightning about ten feet away from Cara.

"I'm really sorry for my stallion's action. He's never done this before with me. Lightning's just being a brat today. He's been worked with other horses before and it has never been a problem." The stallion seemed to know he did something wrong, his head was lowered as far as Stevie would let him and his ears flopped. The stallion probably sensed how mad Stevie was at him and didn't like it. Well that or he was being a goof. Stevie wanted to laugh at the thought of how funny Lightning looked right now but she bit her lip and tried to look serious. What next? Her crazy stallion had already made himself a reputation, more than likely, of being a crazy wild stallion, when he really was a over excited, gentle stallion as laid back as stallions can be.

[Ω-Admin-Cara-Ω]

After the young horse's antics, Cara now had the job of getting Ghalib back between her legs and listening as the gelding covorted around the arena in his long paced stride. She sat deep in the saddle as she worked on getting him listening to her again without yanking on his mouth. "There's a good boy." She whispered once he slowed down to a choppy walk and finally calmed down to stand trembling after all the adrenaline that was still racing through his system.

She looked over as the woman spoke to her and she bowed her head respectfully. "I understand that horses have their off day's Ma'am." She said softly as she asked the gelding she was riding to back up just to keep his attention on her. "They are living and breathing creatures after all." She had seen too many horse in her past that were treated like machines, and run like them too.

She squeezed the reins as she felt Ghalib snatching at his bit and she pushed him forward from a walk into a trot to stop him from trying anything with the last of the energy she could feel building up in him. "Easy." She breathed as he shot forward into a ground-covering canter. She pulled him back to a walk rode a lap of the arena and once more asked for a trot at the opposite corner to last time. She nodded as the Arabian bounced forward willingly.

[racingbelle]

Stevie smiled again and patted her colt. "Yeah. They all have their off days. I just don't know what possed him like that to charge your gelding. By the way, what is your horse's name? My horse's registered name is Secret Lightning but of course I just call him Lightning." Stevie asked, trying to make some kind of conversation with this obviously quiet girl. Lightning started to shift uneasily underneath her so the backed him up. Then she decided to work him. First she asked him to walk around the arena one time then trot, then canter before she asked for a shoulder in. The stallion responded quickly and easily. Stevie beamed with joy. Then she asked it again but this time on the other side. Again he responded easily. The bay horse's rider patted him before cantering him around the arena and then asking him to hault. "Good boy, good horse." Stevie praised him. Stevie knew that Lightning was still young to be doing dressage moves but she had already taught him the basics. Lightning needed something new to learn or do or else he got bored and dressage was and easy way of curing that. Stevie looked again to where Cara and her horse were working.

[Ω-Admin-Cara-Ω]

"Ghalib of Persia, Ma'am." Cara supplied, seemingly oblivious to the woman's attempt to strike up conversation, as she kept the gelding moving at a trot, working on what they neded to work on if she was going to retrain him as a dressage mount. The gelding might even make a good eventing horse since he had such good endurance.

Moving into the middle of the arena, the young rider began to work the gelding through a figure of eight, paying careful to pay close attention to how well he handled the flying changes at a trot before she asked him to canter the figure.

She rubbed the gelding's neck as he tried to get a handle of the flying change even though he only managed to pick it up every two or three times. "It's okay." She whispered. "You'll be flying like a pro before you know it." She knew from his face that he was easily upset if he couldn't get something - a perfectionist if you would - so she asked him to canter a 20 meter circle.

[racingbelle]

Stevie watched as Ghalib and Cara work. They were going to be an amazing team once they got to know each other. "Looking good. You'll make a great team." She told them and went back to working Lightning.

"Alright boy let's pretend this is a dressage competition. Well do what moves you know and see if you can learn some new ones eh?" She patted the stallion, who was now more interested in working than in being a crazy wild mustang. Stevie cued Lightning into an working trot Then she halted him and saluted. Again Stevie cued him back into his wonderful working trot. There were no letters to mark off where Stevie should start, begin, end, or move toward so she improvise and just guessed. Then she made him track left, at a trot, which Lightning did with no hesitation. Then Stevie signaled Lighting to canter a 20 meter circle to the left. Stevie skipped doing Lightning in a working canter left lead, she hadn't taught him that yet, and instead just cantered him then went into another 20 meter circle to the left. Lightning's head was arched and ears flicked back occasionally, listening for the next comma

"Good boy just a few more."Stevie murmured. Lightning's ears flicked back in response as Stevie moved him back into a working trot. Then she circled right in a 20 meter circle, cantered then did another 20 meter circle to the right. Then went back into a working trot down the middle of the arena and halted and saluted and pretended to exit the arena in a walk with a long rein. The whole time Stevie had worked Lightning she estimated in her head where the letters would be if they were there. Stevie patted Lightning and praised him, and the horse knowing he did right this time bent his head and touched her boot. Stevie giggled and began to circle the arena at a slow walk.

[Ω-Admin-Cara-Ω]

Cara bowed her head in response to the woman's words. The possibly would make an amazing team, but she never intended for there to be a partnership between her and the Arabian gelding she was riding. She was just going to work him through his issues and sell him on.

After their short canter work, Cara cooled the gelding down. She wasn't going to push him too much in case his attitude on the ground was about him resenting being overworked. She saw the woman begin a dressage routine on her mount and decided that this was the perfect moment to leave the young horse and his rider in peace where the youngster would have as few distractions as possible.

She jumped lightly to the ground, just managing to catch herself before her knees gave way as he feet landed on the ground, and led the gelding from the arena.