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Post by John Berkeley on Oct 10, 2011 14:25:29 GMT -5
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Post by Audrey Felicia McHenry on Oct 13, 2011 15:55:03 GMT -5
---------------------------------------------------------well it’s a big big city and it’s always the samecan never be too pretty, tell me your name--------------------------------------------------------- Audrey had seen Norman go before, and she was always impressed. The horse had style and was clearly a dream to ride, going off how well he and his riders always did. She never thought she'd have the chance to ride him in a qualifier, though. It was a dream come true.
Audrey nodded to the rider before her and took a deep breath before entering the arena. She shoved her heels down and brought her shoulders back, imitating the top equitation riders. She had the knowledge to win, but her muscle memory was a little off. Nonetheless, she trotted into the arena and circled around the three close fences, picking up a canter just past five.
Norman had a fantastic gait; smooth and easy to ride. Audrey shortened her reins just a fraction of an inch, assuring herself that the gelding was still listening. The first fence came up quickly, but Audrey was ready. Norman took off and picked his knees up, although his jump was flat enough that Audrey wasn't popped out of the saddle. She held the position until they were a stride away from the fence, when she straightened up and looked for the next fence. She bent Norman around and made the gentle curve to the second fence, an oxer.
The gelding was pushbutton and predictable, unlike many of the horses Audrey rode. She relaxed into the feel of a truly responsive horse, and by the time they cleared the oxer, Audrey was focusing on her position instead of worrying over Norman's ability. Everything on course would be easy for him; it was just a matter of holding herself together. There was a quick turn to three, which Audrey handled by keeping Norman centered between her legs and guiding him around in a perfect quarter circle. For the third time that course, Norman pulled his knees up and let Audrey fold and look pretty.
The hand gallop was an interesting part of the course, to say the least. Audrey had kept him checked back for the first few jumps to give a sharp contrast to the hand gallop, but it didn't seem necessary anymore. When she applied her leg, Norman extended and quickened his stride noticeably, but not to the point where he was out of control. Audrey saw the distance and kept Norman at the same pace on the approach to four, a wall with a rail behind it to form an oxer.
Audrey straightened up a little quickly and moved her hands just a little too much upon landing, but Norman got the message and slowed down to a regular canter. It was a straight shot to fence five, an airy vertical, but that wasn't the confusing part. Audrey was a little bewildered by the counter-canter; was she supposed to land on the wrong lead, or do a flying change? There was a pretty sharp turn that would be disrupted by a change, so she decided to just ask for the left lead over the fence. Ask she did, and Norman delivered. She could feel the change in his body and the way he carried himself straight around the turn, instead of bent slightly to the inside.
Audrey helped with her inside leg, but Norman didn't even try to change back around the sharp turn. His stride was a little shorter, which made the takeoff for six maybe a foot too far away, but the gelding compensated without changing his jump too much. Audrey was suddenly grateful for saint horses, and decided absentmindedly that Norman would get as many apples as she could carry when they were done for the night.
Another half-circle, reaching its apex halfway between 6 and 7a, and the matched pair were taking off over the first of the two-stride combination. Audrey didn't need to mess with Norman's stride at all, just stay a little bit forward in preparation for the second jump. God, she loved this horse now. The vertical was probably the worst jump of the course so far, but only because Audrey lost her balance a little bit and didn't fold with Norman's jump quite like she was supposed to.
They turned around the bounce combination, Audrey wondering how the hell she was going to stay with him if she couldn't manage to do so in a two-stride. She put a grimace on her face and went into two-point, then just stayed there until Norman had all four legs on the ground on the opposite side of 8b. Probably not pretty, but it was the way she had learned to ride the horror that was a bounce.
Audrey wondered how much she should turn before 9. The course diagram had two straight lines, so she thought it was supposed to be jumped at an angle. She compromised by going a little off-center and turning so Norman would have an easier time landing in line to 10. Norman didn't seem to have a problem making the midair turn, so Audrey grinned wildly on the approach to the final vertical and the final jump of the course, a straightforward arch. Norman pricked his ears forward, investigating the odd shape, but Audrey touched him with her heel. The gelding lowered his head a little and jumped in perfect form.
Audrey kept the canter for her closing circle, until she had passed 10 again to break to a trot and exit the arena. That was the best equitation round of her life, probably, and she thought she had a fighting chance at winning.
--------------------------------------------------------- so if you’re crazy, i don’t care you amaze me if you’re lonely, why’d you say you’re not lonely --------------------------------------------------------- word count: 9 1 9 outfit: here lyrics from: whistle for the choir by the fratellis graphics from: coti-tastic of caution 2.0 template made by: ayla of north creek academy [/color][/sup][/size][/font][/blockquote]
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