Private lessons ((Bizz))

[Onzyy]

Bella entered the large barn, and walked with a determined step towards the three stalls that held her angels. Today marked the day that she would be starting her private lessons. She knew she signed up with Peter Pan, but the horse looked off. A quick check confirmed this, as Bella felt some heat in his lower foreleg. Rather than risk Pan being injured, she fetched a bucket, and filled it up with cold water, and soaked his leg for a few minutes. Next she applied some Arnica Ice, and Pan looked slightly better. Some TLC is all that he needed.

So that left the dilemma of which horse Bella would ride. Star was slightly young to do the advanced jumping that Bella had signed up for, and that left Synergy. The black gelding looked at her with curious eyes, and instantly Bella decided that she would be riding him. He was a mess though, apparently deciding that his stall would be a great place to roll. Syn's mane was full of sawdust, and for once Bella was grateful that she had arrived earlier. She combed out the pony's mane and pondered if she should plait it or not. It was the correct length for decent plaits, as she had it trimmed to medium length a while ago. Bella decided against the plaiting, and started a full grooming. By the end of it the pony shone.

Bella had taken Syn over various heights, and that pony could jump a 5 foot like it was a pole on the ground. She walked towards the tack room, and took Syn's tack off the wall, but noticed how dirty the saddle pad was. Thankfully she had extra in her blanket box, and soon found one that would look quite striking against the black of Synergy. The general purpose saddle was polished, and so was the bridle. The saddle pad was white with black piping, and had Synergy's name embroided on the one side. In actual fact it was the one she used for shows.

Bella was wearing beige breeches with a white show shirt that had no sleeves. On her wrist she wore her black sports watch, and her socks were a Pringle design in green. These would be covered by the tall, black polished field boots. Bella quickly saddled up Synergy, making sure that the running martingale wasn't too tight or too loose. She knelt down to put on the open fronted jumping boots, and the fetlock boots. Synergy looked so cute in his jumping attire.

Bella still had 20 minutes until her lesson, and she would use that time to warm up. She reached the arena leading Synergy, and was glad to find it empty. She pulled on her black gloves, and rechecked the saddle. Running down the stirrups, Bella mounted in one fluid movement, and asked Synergy for a walk. Sometimes Bella wondered if he was a pony or horse, as his strides were always so long, but that had to be the Thoroughbred in him. Her usual warm up involved work without stirrups, but decided against that today, so she just trotted Synergy, working him down onto the bit, and making sure that he was going well.

Tag: Bizz
Words: 5//3//8
Notes: The Horse
Outfit: Course I'm wearing clothes
Credit: This template was created by DAN at CAUTION 2.0

[bizz]

Henry had been there all morning with a cup of coffee, and his newspaper. He was settled in at one of the tables in the viewing room. His lesson plans laid out at one end, his newspaper spread across the other. He lazily skimming the paper when he noticed the rider come into the ring. Before turning into a critic he looked down at his watch-- twenty minutes till the start of his first lesson. This couldn't be his kid. Only then did he openly judge the rider. First he looked her up and down-- she was well put together and presentable, her mount well cleaned and her rider gear and attire in a nice state. As the girl began to ride Henry noticed her balanced seat and hands, and her ability to get the horse to move out on the bit. He did not focus on the things he would work on if this was his student-- it was against his nature. Riders that did not belong to him were by all means amazing, his riders only had faults. Henry took a sip of his now cool coffee and went back to his paper.

The twenty minutes passed quickly, the alarm that alerted him that his lesson should be in the ring went off. He let it beep a few times before sighing and switching it off. He folded his paper, finished his coffee and stood. As he went towards the door something thumped against the ground. Without turning Henry knew what it was, the corgi came up beside her owner, looking up at him expectantly as they waited at the door.

"Alright Speedbump, let's go meet the new kid."

The pair walked from the view room into the ring, ready to see a new rider along with the old one. Sadly the only rider in the ring was the same on Henry had watched for a little while. As Henry picked up his clipboard from the seat most trainers took on the wall he looked over his sheets. He check the lesson start time against his watch, then looked from the rider to his list of private lessons.

"Bella?"

He used the nickname that she had listed as her name of choice. It was then that Henry realized that she must have just started working without him. He sighed, and shook his head slightly. He wasn't against riders warming up without their coaches, he just didn't like it. He knew it was Bella, his first student, a list of picture ID's that the school photo copied when students signed up for classes flashed through his brain.

"Walk."

He called out the simple command to the rider, then walked to the center of the ring. He took a seat on a rolltop, and balanced his clipboard on it, Speedbump took a seat by his feet. He watched his rider for a moment, his head turning to follow her around the ring.

"Now I understand this is our first lesson together, but there is something I need you to understand"

He paused as his head turned around to follow the rider. He took a second before going on, just to allow his words to really sink in so that she would remember this.

"I do not want you warming up without me. I understand you are an accomplished rider, and your other coaches allow you to warmup without them-- but I am not your other coaches."

He paused, this time wondering if she even knew his name yet-- he certainly hadn't taken the time to introduce himself.

"I'm Mr. Henry."

He shook his head, his train of thought gone. He tried to get back what he was talking about before he digressed. Oh yeah-- warming up.

"I like to warm my riders up so that we can work on everything. My theory for jumping is that it is hacking with jumps in the way-- so I don't want you to just show up ready to jump, I want give you work for the flat also."

Henry thought for another moment, trying to see if their was anything he had forgotten. He took that second, then nodded. Nope, nothing he had forgot to mention about warming up.

"Will you please come halt in front of me?"

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[Onzyy]

Bella trotted Syn around the arena allowing him to find a stride that suited him. She just posted in a rhythmic way, and watching straight ahead. Synergy’s audits were pricked forward and alert. He just loved the working and somehow he knew that they were going to be jumping. Bella slowed him down to a walk, and allowed him his head when a man walked into the arena, a Corgi at his side. Instinctively she turned the black gelding towards the middle of the arena. She heard the man speaking to her and what she didn’t expect was a scolding. “I’m sorry sir. It won’t happen again,” she said, ducking her head as her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. Usually the coaches didn’t like their students warming up in the lesson, and she had gotten used to that, but Bella realised that she should have waited and heard from the coach what he wanted from her.

Synergy blew through his lips, and gazed longingly at the poles. Bella patted his neck, and raised her head to look at Mr. Henry. He was around the same age as her father, but her dad was a little more worn and older looking. He had the build of the rider, and she wondered how accomplished he was. The only rider’s she really followed on the circuit was the one’s she deemed as competition. And Vince. Well, things with Vince were slightly awkward at the moment. For reasons she knew why. Then she remembered the present moment, and shook all stray thoughts from her mind.

Tag: Bizz
Words: 5//3//8
Notes: The Horse
Outfit: Course I'm wearing clothes
Credit: This template was created by DAN at CAUTION 2.0

[bizz]

Henry nodded as the girl spit out an apology. He stood once again, lifting the clipboard as he did so. Speedbump looked up from his feet but did not move. Henry looked down at her as if he was trying to warn her against moving until he asked her to. Henry firmly stuck his clipboard under his arm as walked to meet the horse and rider. As he reached the halted pair out came the clipboard again. He flipped back to his lesson evaluation sheets and began to circle the horse.

"Who is this?"

His eyes went up and down the little horse before he offered a hand to the geldings delicate head. After standing there examining the build of the animal from the front, Henry started his hands-on examination. Hand over hand he felt down the geldings legs, and neck. Satisfied, Henry stepped back and took the clipboard from his arm. His pen at the ready he looked up at Bella, wrote her name and then the horse's. Underneath he began to scribble notes about the build of the animal, and the natural seat of the rider as she sat still.

"What are you hoping to accomplish in these lessons?"

He asked this over his shoulder as he went to adjust the jumps in the ring. First he moved back to the astroturf covered roll top. It stood at 2'6" naturally so he stuck two pole close together on the top making a solid 3" jump. Next he moved to the single on the end of the ring. This he set at a cross rail, though the sides he pulled up to 2'9" making his warm up jump more of the test then a warm up. Next the outside lines were put up to 3'. As he set them Henry made the jumps on the end of the ring solid and not much to look at while he left the jumps on the gated side of the ring open and spacey. To the single on the quarter line he left it at 2'6", a strategy that would play out later in his lesson. And finally he set up the diagonal line at 3'6".

"Are you comfortable with this jumps?"

Of course she would be, her lesson application said she jumped 5-6' regularly. He was setting these jumps just to see how she handled, and just to get a feel for her riding. Henry hated sending new riders at jumps that were bigger than their horses if he didn't understand their specific riding style. Henry looked around the ring quick, then went to retrieve his clipboard.

"Out on the rail and trot. We'll make the hack a quick one."

As he walked away from the center of the ring, and the dog that had sat so quietly he let out a low whistle. Up went the dog, who loped after her master quickly. Henry seated himself on the gate where most of the trainers to their seat. He looked around at the mugs, clipboards, pens, leather punches, crops and strange array of things that other trainers had left on walk at the trainer's perch of blankets.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Onzyy]

Bella scratched Syn's wither as they were being inspected. She knew he was small, and that he just made horse height, but he was an amazing jumper. The horse flicked back an ear, and she crooned softly to him. Mr. Henry sure was inspecting them thoroughly, and Bella was glad that she had taken the time to neaten up. This is Synergy. Peter Pan turned up lame when I went to go saddle up, she said to answer his question. Pan was at least a hand bigger than Syn, and Star wasn't jumping the heights that Bella had signed up for. Give another year though, and Star would be amazing.

Syn snuffled the coach's hand looking for treats, and Bella smiled. It was almost forced, but it was there. She sat up straight in the saddle, her elbows at her side, and her hands soft and yielding to Syn's mouth. I hope to improve my riding and create a better partnership with my horses. I also tend to lose the motivation I need if I don't have a coach, she answered to his second question. She watched as he set up the jumps. They were easy for the pair, but Bella never underestimated jumps.

Bella waited for her instructions, not moving until they came. When they did she moved Syn towards the rail, and asked for a trot. The horse responded easily, and Bella once again worked him onto the bit. She rose lightly, making sure that she was rising to the correct leg of Syn. She wasn't uncomfortable at being watched, but she wasn't used to it.

Tag: Bizz
Words:
Notes: Not much to say...
Outfit:
Credit: This template was created by DAN at CAUTION 2.0