Post by sepia on Oct 1, 2010 0:45:46 GMT -6
"Hello," Pel greeted the little piebald gelding as she rolled up outside his door laden with tack and grooming equipment. "Apparently, you're both an absolute sweetheart of a pony, and someone who sometimes randomly snaps. That's quite impressive, really, though currently I'm going for the first assessment of you." Halfway through her little soliloquy, the pony in question had come up to stick his head over the door of his stable, inquisitive and friendly as he wodnered who this new person was.
Carefully dropping her load outside, Pel let herself in, armed with a carrot with which she proceeded to make friends with Cosmo. She was so not above bribery, and carrots were almost always the fastest way to a horse's heart. "You are a pretty little boy, aren't you?" she commented as she slipped a headcollar over his head and tied him up, "Even if your white bits are rather grubby. Now I remember why I have a black pony..."
A few minutes of concerted grooming later, and Cosmo's white sections were looking dingy rather than downright grubby, which Pel felt was quite the improvement, and so proceeded to tack up the pony whom, so far, was fitting into Miss Carr's assessment of 'as sweet as a button'. Giggling as he gently lipped at her sternly hacked short hair as she did his girth up, Pel decided that she'd have to see if she could have more to do with him then just this once (assuming, of course, that they didn't totally hate each other when she got on him). Grit was wonderful, there was no denying it, and would always be first in her heart simply because he was hers, and because he was a glorious symbol of her triumph over her parents' point of view, as well as being equally stubborn as she, but it would be nice to ride some other ponies, and Pel had to think that the Academy would appreciate the help exercising some of their smaller animals.
She'd ask, anyway, she concluded as she stuck her hat on and pulled on her gloves before leading Cosmo out of his stall. Maybe this whole little assessment was to see if she could help out with Cadfael, but it might give her the opportunity to ride other ponies, too.
The indoor school had been the agreed upon venue, and shortly Pel was leading the piebald pony inside. Unsurprisingly, given the time of day, the place was empty and they had the large arena all to themselves, as Miss Carr didn't seem to be around yet. Well, that was good. It meant she definitely wasn't late, though did give her the slight dilemma of whether to mount up or not.
Her first instinct was yes, but giving that this was a little trial of her riding, Miss Carr might want to see her right from the first moments that she got on. Procrastinating on her decision by tightening Cosmo's girth and fiddling with the length of her stirrups, she decided that if Miss Carr hadn't shown up by the time she'd gotten the stirrups to approximately the right length, as judged by experience and the age-old trick of measuring with her arm, she'd hop onboard.
Carefully dropping her load outside, Pel let herself in, armed with a carrot with which she proceeded to make friends with Cosmo. She was so not above bribery, and carrots were almost always the fastest way to a horse's heart. "You are a pretty little boy, aren't you?" she commented as she slipped a headcollar over his head and tied him up, "Even if your white bits are rather grubby. Now I remember why I have a black pony..."
A few minutes of concerted grooming later, and Cosmo's white sections were looking dingy rather than downright grubby, which Pel felt was quite the improvement, and so proceeded to tack up the pony whom, so far, was fitting into Miss Carr's assessment of 'as sweet as a button'. Giggling as he gently lipped at her sternly hacked short hair as she did his girth up, Pel decided that she'd have to see if she could have more to do with him then just this once (assuming, of course, that they didn't totally hate each other when she got on him). Grit was wonderful, there was no denying it, and would always be first in her heart simply because he was hers, and because he was a glorious symbol of her triumph over her parents' point of view, as well as being equally stubborn as she, but it would be nice to ride some other ponies, and Pel had to think that the Academy would appreciate the help exercising some of their smaller animals.
She'd ask, anyway, she concluded as she stuck her hat on and pulled on her gloves before leading Cosmo out of his stall. Maybe this whole little assessment was to see if she could help out with Cadfael, but it might give her the opportunity to ride other ponies, too.
The indoor school had been the agreed upon venue, and shortly Pel was leading the piebald pony inside. Unsurprisingly, given the time of day, the place was empty and they had the large arena all to themselves, as Miss Carr didn't seem to be around yet. Well, that was good. It meant she definitely wasn't late, though did give her the slight dilemma of whether to mount up or not.
Her first instinct was yes, but giving that this was a little trial of her riding, Miss Carr might want to see her right from the first moments that she got on. Procrastinating on her decision by tightening Cosmo's girth and fiddling with the length of her stirrups, she decided that if Miss Carr hadn't shown up by the time she'd gotten the stirrups to approximately the right length, as judged by experience and the age-old trick of measuring with her arm, she'd hop onboard.
