Post by Oliver Dalton on Oct 8, 2011 21:04:33 GMT -5
Oliver William Dalton
The young Mister Dalton finished saddling his Belgian Warmblood mare, Dark Sherry. He wanted to give her a bit of exercise before moving on to yet another one of his five horses. He left the girth a bit loose with the plan of tightening it right before he mounted. He donned his helmet grabbed a stick before walking out towards the jumper arena with his bay mare. Sherry was one of the newer horses to Oliver's personal string, but the two got along quite well. He liked her stride and the challenge she provided every time he mounted up. She was a big mare, standing at 17hh and had a stride to match. "'Ey, Sherry. How many riders do you think are here that we've met before in competition? I know three girls at the very least are here. The boys are a little harder to find. Of course, it does help that I live close by. Heh, they say that talking to horses is weird. I can say so much more to you than a human. Now, I know you're still settling in to this place, but I want to get some course work in. I hear that there's a show coming up soon and I'd like to participate. You'd be good, right?"
Ollie let himself into the arena, closing the gate behind him. It was deserted, just the way he liked it. Also, there was a course already set up. The jumps weren't outrageously high, but they weren't pathetically short either. The boy mounted his mare and started the warmup at an energetic walk. She tossed her head a bit, but only for a few strides. After walking around the rail once in both directions, he asked for a brisk trot. Sherry responded quickly. Through the first turn, the mare promptly tripped over thin air, but kept on trotting. The boy cut across the diagonal and sat the trot for a bit. Back up to a working trot and then to the canter. Once around and then for a flying lead change to go the other way. The mare switched leads smoothly. "Good girl, Sherry. Another." He cut across the ring a second time and asked for another lead change. The mare complied. Oliver finished his warm up with a few more lead changes and then brough the horse down to a trot and then a walk. He quietly surveyed the jumps, deciding how many strides each line was and how to jump them all. He wanted to challenge Sherry and formed a duable, but difficult course using the jumps he already had set out.
He picked up the canter, circled, and approached the first line on the rail going away from home. It was a steady three, two small verticals. Next was a turn down the centerline towards home for a bending line in seven with slightly bigger verticals. Get the lead change and back down the angle line in two and four, the last jump being an oxer. Around the far end of the arena to the single angle towards home finishing with the skinny tracking left. His mare was good with the lead changes and only tripped four times throughout the course. He let her rest a moment and walk on a long rein before jumping the course again. Oliver wanted a few moments to reveiw his faults primarily in the lines and not getting the right number of strides. He chipped in to the single angle and left long at the oxer. Also, Sherry was trying to race to every jump. He scanned the arena quietly.