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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 13, 2008 15:42:18 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. Meredith checked Ares girth, while she was walking him out from the barn, tugging back on the reins, which were over his head, instead of folded in her hands. He struggled, trying to continue walked forward, ignoring her demand. Applying more pressure, he finally stopped, though he was still fighting the aid, tugging the reins back even more yet, she backed up him up several yards, till he stopped square. Pulling a needle-loaded syringe out of her pocket, along with a several ounce bottle of rubbing alcohol, and a cotton ball. Filling the cotton with seven dropped of alcohol, she rubbed it along a small part of his neck, above the atlas wing, and cervical vertebrae. Pulling the cap off of the needle on the syringe, she rubbed the hair one last time with the cotton, in the wrong direction, she the hair stuck up, giving her a clean shot to the skin.
Meredith looked over to Emma. "Hold your girl steady okay?" she warned. "This really isn't pretty. Ares is such a baby." she laughed. Taking a firm hold with her left hand on the reins, she took the syringe in her right hand, touching the side of it to Ares's skin. Bracing herself with a firm stance, she pierced the needle into the skin, puncturing it. Ares jumped, flipping himself around. Meredith followed, trying to keep herself calm. Ares stayed tense, struggling while Meredith pushed the sedate medicine into the vein. Ares jumped again, his hind legs leaving white skid marked on the black road. She pulled against the reins, Meredith remained, calm, pulling the needle out. Ares immediately began to relax, though his ears stayed pricked.
Meredith laughed, rubbing the hair down. Patting his neck. "Now there Ares, it's really not that bad, I promise." she said. She narrowed one eye. "Or I don't think so." she muttered. Her tone of voice sounded as if she were about to plunge a whole bunch of medicine into her veins too....to sample how it felt. But that would probably kill her, so she threw that though out of her mind. Pulling him forward, he pranced, not walking, simply too wound up from the previous matter. Meredith jerked on the reins, "Quit." she scolded. Though it wouldn't do any good. Walking towards the mounting block, she pulled down her left stirrup. Climbing the several steps on the block, she hopped on, running the right stirrup down with her right foot. Pulling the girth up on the left side just another whole, she took an immediate hold on the reins, as he began to walk off.
"Oh Ares." she said calmly. "You are a piece of work." she laughed. "Okay.....sooo...." she said, calculating. "Do you mind going to the field with me first?" she asked. "We need to blow off some steam." she said, referring to the extraordinarily excited pony she was on. "Then we can go ahead to the indoor arena." Beginning to walk off, as she waited for an answer from Emma, she turned her whole upper torso around in the saddle. "Also, I'll have you know, as you are riding with an instructor, I won't be able to help myself, but give you some constructive criticism. No instructor, that I know, included myself can help ourselves. So just tell me to shut up when I correct you on something okay?" she said with another laugh.
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. |
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 14, 2008 12:16:28 GMT -5
“Oh trust me, I know!” Emma laughed, thinking about her and her sisters, always correcting, except it’s more in a sisterish “What you doing!?” way. “Yeah, a quick hack would be nice, I don’t know where I’m going, mind!”
Emma stood up in her stirrups, leaning forward slightly, gave Lily’s mane a ruffle. “Thank god I’m not taking Abbie out – I wouldn’t be seen for a week!”
She squeezed Lily’s sides, getting her to walk more forward, but then though to herself “Relax, it’s a hack. There’s plenty of time to school!” So she leg the mare have her head, instead of going onto the bit.
“Watch, mind.” Emma warned Meredith, “Lily can get a bit… well… excitable. She not that old, you see. So, in new places she can go a bit funny. But she’s not bad. Abbie’s the one to buck and bolt.” She smiled, knowing that Lily could get a little strong.
Emma sat back down in the saddle, taking onto hand of her reins to sort her hair for a second, knowing that her mare wouldn’t do anything. “Yeah, Abbie’s got a lot of go in her. She not that traffic proof either. But Lily’s fine.”
She walked behind Ares & Meredith, keeping her distance. She didn’t know Ares, and didn’t know if he kicked. That’s the last thing she would want.
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 14, 2008 13:39:00 GMT -5
“So,” Emma started to make conversation. “Who takes the lessons? I’m going Level 4 on Abbie, and 5 on Lily.”
Her mare tossed her head about, giving a little whinny to the stallion in front of her. “Hey, you, stop being so flirty!” Emma laughed, giving her mare a friendly slap on the neck, more a pat than a slap, not something that would hurt her in anyway.
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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 14, 2008 15:10:06 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. Meredith laughed, "Du'worry," she said with a shrug. "Ares is right along with her." As if Ares could translate human language, he began half leg yielding to the left, next to Lily on her right. Meredith dug her spur into his left side, forcing his hidequarters to the right, straightening his stride out. "God, u ezelsgat!" she yelled out in Dutch. "What the hell are you doing?" she scolded, forgetting there was anyone else around her. She put more pressure on the right rein, than she did the left, putting pressure with her heel, on his right barrel, making him bend his head right. He through his head up in the air several times, while Meredith stayed steady. After a minute of fighting her aid, he rounded her neck, putting his head slightly closer to the ground and his chest. Meredith immediately loosened the contact, as a reward. "Good boy." she cooed.
She suddenly remembered Emma and Lily. "Oh! Sorry, excuse my french." she said, referring to her 'potty' mouth. "Well....err....my Dutch." she laughed. "If you get my drift." she joked sarcastically. Letting him face forward, to discontinue the bending, he stayed in a rounded position obediently. "Good boy." she cooed again. "Like I said," she started. "A work in progress." Squeezing his flanks, he picked up a trot, moving down a steady hill. Turning a left, taking the lead to show Emma where they were going, Ares began cantering without her asking. She kept him collected, so that his canter matched Lily's trot, he nose practically buried in his chest, from trying to move through the reins. "Ares...." she began saying, shaking her head. "Really, you are going to get discombobulated, and then you'll spin around, spooking Lily, terwijl u buck en tik uit, door uw eigen te doen." she pointed out to him, translating to Dutch in mid-sentence.
But he continued to canter, oblivious to the true fact Meredith had pointed at. Finally getting him to a working trot, they made another turn, this time to the right, through a tunnel of trees, for a quarter of a mile, before finally opening up into a racetrack. Turning around in the saddle to Emma, she spoke. "I though maybe the racetrack would be even better. Since we have two excited-hot horses, we'd go on the safe side. There's better turf here too." The footing was taken up of lush green 'short mowed' grass. "You ready to go?" she asked Emma. "We can jog them for a quarter of a lap, and then open them up. If that's okay with you?" she offered, lining up into one of the gates, nodding to the steward, who would release the gate doors for them. Waiting for Emma to follow into one beside her, Meredith shorted her stirrups several holes. She put her feet back in the stirrups, standing up into a partial jockey position.
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. |
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 14, 2008 15:19:28 GMT -5
As soon as they turned to the track Lily bolted forward without warning. “Whoa!” Emma cried, getting a shock. She immediately started to attempt to pull the mare up, resulting in bucking. Emma lost one of her stirrups, and automatically pulled her foot out the other one. That’s what she had been taught. It was incase she came of and got her foot caught.
“Hey!” Emma sat up tall, pulling the mares head up.
This was so odd, so unlike Lily. This was more of an Abbie thing to do. Sure, Lily did have her times, but not like this. Soon she found herself galloping down the track, full pelt.
Finally, at the end of the track she managed to pull the mare up, with difficulty. At first the mare rear, still wanting to go, before obeying the command. Emma sat up and turned Lily.
“What has gotten into you?” She asked.
Emma looked up, looking for Meredith. She spotted her and her horse. Suddenly she started to blush. She must of look stupid.
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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 14, 2008 15:33:35 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. Ares's ears pricked all of the sudden. His legs suddenly wide apart. Meredith watched, scared for Emma. But, she looked like she had a great idea of how she could get Lily under control again. Emma dropped her other stirrup. Good job. Meredith rewarded in her thoughts. So many kids didn't know to do that, but Emma had obviously been very well instructed. Meredith quickly nodded at the steward, to open the gates up, all 12 of them opened in unison. Ares, out of training, bolted out of the gate stall, but Meredith made contact with the reins, sitting up in the saddle. Ares slowed to a trot, and Mere kept it, posting down the track to it. Emma meanwhile, now had control over Lily, "Well done." Meredith called. Picking up a canter, she stopped over by Lily. Emma looked embarrassed. "Hey Kiddo, don't worry about it, it's just the atmosphere, even lazy horses like my old horse, would light up when they put a foot on the turf.
"It's instinctional," Meredith said truthfully. "Let's trot her back to the gates, and see if she's okay to run." She suggested. "And are you okay?" she asked. "That was very well ridden." She said, again truthfully. "I've had so many students totally lose control of a run-away-train like, fall off, and f**k something up." she said. "Excuse my French," she said again.
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. |
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 14, 2008 15:36:31 GMT -5
Lily turned liked she was told, one automatically going onto the bit, ears pricked, like nothing had happened. Emma looked down at her legs. They had come right up, higher than normal. She pushed them back down quickly, fidgeting around for her stirrups.
She still felt embarrassed. More shocked, to be honest. She just didn’t get what had gotten into her mare. “She probably just needed to let off some steam.” She told herself, but she still wondered.
She pushed the mare into a trot up the track, back to Meredith. Lily whickered, trying to sniff Ares. Emma pulled on the rein, turning her head away from the stallion.
“Look, I’m sorry about that…” Emma started off, but truthfully, she didn’t know what to say. “It’s just isn’t like her…” Emma stopped to think. “Yeah, just trot her up. I’m ok though.”
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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 14, 2008 16:23:31 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. Meredith was sympathetic. "Don't be embarrassed. I used to fall off and get run away with all the time. I still do!" she said, comforting Emma, hoping to give her her confidence back. "Really, I don't judge people. That happened to me last week. A friend of mine, riding in the Grand-Prix and St. George Dressage Finals, and who won, got run away with two days ago." she said. "So seriously, don't worry about it." she said with a shrug.
The two of them continued to move down to the gates. Meredith turned in, to one of the gates, waiting for Emma again. When they were both settled in, Meredith nodded to the operations steward to close the gates. "You ready," she asked. Sitting up into moderate jockey's position. "Oh....." she said, reaching back in her jean pocket, putting the reins into one hand, and pulled out two pairs of goggles. Putting one pair on her face, she handed the other pair to Emma. "Helps with the speed wind." she said. "Remember, it's not a race, so just breeze her along with Ares for a quarter of a mile. Then, open her up and we'll see what she can do." she repeated the instructions. "Say when, and I'll give the OK to the steward." she said, staring straight ahead, completely focused on getting out of the gate safely.
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. |
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 15, 2008 2:02:08 GMT -5
“Alright then.” Emma said, taking the goggles from her, and pulling them over her show jumping hat.
She wasn’t exactly in jockey’s kit, but hey. She gathered her reins, this time ready for her mare to bolt. She gave Meredith the nod, and they were off.
Emma stood bolt upright at first, but lowered into a better position for the first two strides. Lily took over Ares in a frenzied gallop, head up and racing on the inside track.
“Hey!” Emma scolded, as her mare snatched at the reins.
She lowered her hands, taking a better contact and got her to slow down so she was comfortable galloping beside Meredith and Ares.
Lily galloped along beside Ares, neck slightly arched. She was loving this, having thoroughbred blood in her, and just being who she is. She ears were pricked, forelock and mare blowing back to Emma. All the wind was coming back into Emma’s face, blowing her hair back. She lost her hair bobble. Now all her hair was flowing through the wind, like Lily’s.
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 15, 2008 2:08:48 GMT -5
It came to the corner, and after that was the straight to the finish.
Lily started galloping fast round the corner, Emma trying to stop her. Her legs were coming close to slipping under her, so Emma straightened her up.
This made Lily rear up, she wanted to keep going, and Emma was trying to slow her round the corner. Emma sat to the rear, putting her arms forward. Once Lily landed, she asked her on, by this time they were inline with the straight.
Lily started to gallop hard & fast. “No! It’s to early, you!” She pulled on the reins, but Lily was set on going forward. She squeezed down one rein then the other and regained some control, but it was impossible to pull up altogether. Emma waited for Meredith to let Ares go before She did so with Lily.
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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 15, 2008 17:04:13 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. The gate doors released, syncronized. Ares shot out of the stall immedietaly catching the outside track. Meredith kept her reins short, holding him back from wasting himself out. Lily seemed to be naturally faster at this speed than Ares, which is as it should be. She appeared to have a lot of thoroughbred in her, maybe three quarters or so. Meredith buried her hands in Ares's thick mane, as he rounded his neck in attempt to push through the short speed. "Easy." she murmured in his ear. "Give it a bit." she whispered, a bit louder this time.
They began to make a move to catch up with Lily and Emma, as they bent around the railing. They made it in plenty of time. When she was at their side, she kept the speed continuous, counting out his strides to herself. "So!" she said, yelled over the wind, but in a calm tone of voice. "Is this your first time on the track?" she asked. "Your doing excellent!" she shouted again, though it didn't come out loud, do to the wind that whipped around at her face, weaving through the several loose strands of hair that tickled her cheeks. The pair of horses and riders got to the quarter mile marker in just several seconds later.
Meredith smiled. "Okay! Let's have some fun!" she said, in a playful but serious voice at the same time. Releasing her contact slightly, by two knots, she squeezed Ares forward, not that he needed the invitation, but it seemed to reinforce the speed. They flew by Emma and Lily, though Meredith knew this position wouldn't be for keeps. After all, it was thoroughbred against Andalusian, what were the odds that Ares would be able to stay ahead?
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. |
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 16, 2008 11:14:53 GMT -5
As soon as Ares took over Lily, Lily went for it. She didn’t need to be told, she just galloped, speeding right up to His side, and galloping faster.
By this time Emma realised that Lily was having to much fun, she might as well let her go, so she allowed the mare to have her head and put her hands further up her neck. She squeezed with her legs, egging her on.
Lily started to over take Ares, by about a neck. She galloped harder and harder, she feet beating against the turf. She hadn’t had this much fun in ages!
Emma looked forward, the finishing posts coming closer and closer. Emma was beginning to feel that she might to be able to stop altogether.
As they came a few strides out from the finishing posts Emma relaxed, lowering her hands down, telling Lily that she wasn’t to go that fats anymore. Ares head was at Lily’s shoulder. This was when Emma started to pull up, or tried to.
Lily disagreed. She reared up, still wanting to go on. “Hey!” Emma shouted at her, getting a bit fed up with the mare’s attitude. She stood by her guns, they were going to stop. It took a minute or two, but Lily finally got the idea, they were going to stop and that was final. She turned round to Meredith.
“That was good, wasn’t it?” Emma smiled.
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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 17, 2008 12:22:08 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. Meredith sat up in her saddle, pulling up on the bit, trying to make that exact bit-line. Ares put his head down, only this time, it was because he was trying to slow down, then stop, but it proved a bit more difficult because of the speed they were going at. "Good boy." she said, as he came a halt. Meredith leaned down, almost to the point, where her torso was resting on his neck, reached down with her hand and felt his chest, he hadn't even broken a sweat yet. Praise the Lord he was well-fit.
Sitting back up, she listened to his breathing, bending his neck around her leg, she was able to see that his nostrils were barely flared. "Good boy." she cooed again, patting him on his crest. She looked back up to see Emma and Lily. "It was good wasn't it?" she agreed, though it came out like a question. "Lil's did awesome!" she congratulated. "You both did!" she said with a smile. "What do you say about going and doing some real work?" she suggested. About to turn Ares back around, to continue on to the indoor ring, she dug around in her back pocket, pulling out very crumpled back. Unfolding it, she smoothed it against her jean pocket, trying to press it. Looking at it for a second, she reached over to Emma, handing it to her. "This is the course I've set up, I know it looks really simple on paper, but.....it'll be better in the ring." she explained.
Jumping course: Jumping course
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. |
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Post by Emma Santiago on Oct 17, 2008 12:42:19 GMT -5
“Yeah, best not let them get a bit too carried away.” She laughed.
Emma regained control of her hyped up horse. She squeezed down each rein, getting her on the bit. She turned her mare to face Ares, and walked to catch up with them. She nudged with her legs, taking a few steps of trot before coming up beside Meredith. They walked right up to the door, but Emma wasn’t to keen on going in at the same time as Ares.
“You first.” She said, smiling and indicating with her hand, and Ares went in, no problem.
So she tried walking Lily in. She nudges with her legs and the mare walked on normally, until they got to the door. She stopped dead, looking down at the line from the track to the arena. “Come on girl!” Emma said, making a clicking sound with her tongue. She pressed her legs against the mare’s sides, asking her forward. Lily just moved her hindquarters, not budging. Emma pulled her round in a circle, smiling at Meredith, who was standing waiting for her.
She turned and immediately stopped. This time Emma kicked her on. Lily didn’t like that at all, she reared up, not high, but it still wasn’t good. She held her head up, lifting her front feet off the ground, snatching at the bit. Emma allowed forward with her hands, giving small kicks with her heels. She had no idea why her mare was being so nappy. You could see something was bothering her, but she didn’t seem scared, just mare-ish. “C’mon Lil, Quit showing me up!” Emma whispered, so Meredith couldn’t hear. Why was Lily being like this?
Emma sat there, kicking. Her mare reared with her neck arched once more, before taking another course of action. This time she kicked out at the air. There was nothing to kick out at, she was just doing it for Emma.
“Hey, Meredith, would you please grab we a crop, I’m really getting nowhere here!” She said, still nudging the mare on.
She would get it herself, but hey, how could she when she was sitting on stubborn mare-from-hell. It was becoming clear that Lily was just doing this to be a pain the in arse, rather for any apartent reason. If the whip wouldn’t work then she was going to have to get off, and lead Lily in.
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Post by Meredith Grey on Oct 17, 2008 21:54:31 GMT -5
| I'm on a high, I'm on a high there's nothing more to it. Meredith continued forward into the pine wood arena, smelled wonderful, like a forest. This ring had just been rebuilt, so it still had that 'fresh-cut wood' smell. “You first.” Emma offered to her. Meredith nodded, walking over to the wall, she put pressed the 'play' button, on the cd-player. It started to blast out one of her favorite songs: 'I Don't Care, by Fall Out Boy. Turning back, she started at the invisible letter, in between ring-letters 'E' and 'H'. Picking up a canter, she stood up in her stirrups, into a exaggerated partial half-seat. Making a 30 meter circle, still having plenty of room, due to the fact that this arena was at least twice the size of a regular dressage arena. Half way through the circle, Meredith squeezed her spurs with regular impulsions, into Ares's side. His head came up in response. But it was from alertness, not in a fighting body-language.
Making a sharp right, to a vertical jump, with one barrel, lying on its side, simply there to buff the jump up a bit, they approached it, cutting off as much of the corner as possible. Still a few strides before they'd hit the take-off point, Meredith drove her seat-bones deep into the saddle, driving him forward. She counted her strides, out loud. "One-Two-Three-One!" she said, letting out a lung full of air, as Ares released his front legs, while Meredith gave an automatic release, she through herself forward, before readjusting her position, so that she was positioned directly over the center of the saddle's lowest point. Ares cracked his knees up, as they were in flight over the jump, popping with only a bit of effort, over the three-foot-nine-inch jump. Mid-flight, Meredith immediately looked for her next jump, which was literally pointed in their direction, only a few yards more to the left.
She directed Ares straight ahead for several strides, before sitting up, directing her torso to the left, turning him almost all the way around, towards the three foot cross-bar. Mid-flight, she directed her body-language to the right, already pulling his head to the right, to give him a sense of which lead to take. "Good boy." she said, preoccupied with their speed, as he took the correct lead. Taking on the whole length of the short side of the arena, down at 'A', she kicked him forward more, needing all the speed she would be able to get out of him, because of the 4-stride, to the bounce, to the other 4-stride, all set on the long side, was set at horse strides.
Ares obediently, lengthened his stride-pace. Popping over the three-foot Swedish oxer, they galloped down to the bounce, hauling-ass speed, yet still to get four-and-a-half strides, making him chip in. Landing from the two-foot-six white vertical, Ares managed to fit in one whole stride in between the current bounce, easily jumping the last jump to the bounce. Meredith now hauled-ass back on his mouth, towing him slower. If they got a 4 1/2 stride in the last four-stride, at almost top canter-speed, then they'd be able to get a five fit in easy. He hopped over the three foot oxer easily.
Meredith let out a gust of relief when he got the correct lead. Due because she'd pointed him in the right direction mid-jump. They took the turn at an acute angle, between two jumps which were soon to come. Meredith sat back in her saddle, holding him back, before giving him his automatic release over to stacked cavoletti's. Pulling him at another acute angle to the left, she changed her lead, as he got the wrong one, with some difficulty, while they almost ran straight into the wall. (Though of course Meredith was sure that would never happen.)
Cantering the short side, where Emma and Lily stood, she flew past them, turning down the straight-away long side which 'H' 'E' and 'K', took up. Nudging him into an 'almost' gallop. She slowed down, sitting up, as they made a switchback down centerline. This time, she hauled back on his mouth to the point where her hands almost hurt. He slowed to a dressage canter, fitting in 2 strides, into 1 stride of his normal canter. Approaching the plank oxer, they took a deep take-off, deliberately. Ares automatically shot up over the jump, making Meredith pull him back mid-flight. Landing, Meredith forced him to trot, he agreed, finally, when they took the gate on. Keeping his pace slow, she slung himself over the single cavaletti, taking two strides, over the four-foot vertical.
Pulling him to a stop, making it happen, not letting him linger. She did a reinback, making him take several steps back. Stopping him square, she muttered. "Good boy." softly. Shortening her rein contact, she kicked him into a full-on canter, from the halt, sitting up into a half-position, she made a right, over the natural vertical jumping, making a bending line, left, over the gated oxer, which now stood 4 foot 2. Making a tight turn to the right, she galloped around, switching directions, and jumping the cross-rail, they'd previously jumped, as their 2nd jump. Making a bending line, she swapped leads, jumping over the three blue barrels, which stood upright.
Sitting up, to made him halt. Doing another reinback for reinforcement, she smiled patting him on the neck. "Good boy!" she said in a deliberate high-pitched voice. She patted his neck, more like scrubbing it. He pushed his neck against her hand, being affectionate. "You did awesome!" she said. "Good boy." she cooed. Dropping his reins, he stretched his neck, shaking his head like a wet dog, Meredith giggled. "Your a funny pony." she said, talking to him. Looking back at Emma. She explained. "That was his first time doing a course like this." she smiled. Walking back to the waiting area. "Watch out for the outside line at 'K' 'E' and 'H', we had a bit of trouble there. "It this course cool with you guys? Or do you want me to adjust it? Raise the standards? Lower them?" she offered.
When Emma asked her if she'd get her a crop, Meredith pulled her left leg up. Unbuckling her spur strap, she pulled the spur off, wearing it around her wrist like a bracelet, she removed the right spur. Pulling the left spur off from around her wrist she handed them over to Emma. "Here, try these." she said. "They work like a jewel." she explained. "They have a square point, instead of a dull one, along with teeth pointing to the horses flank. So they are great reinforcer's. Ares hasn't ever ignored them." she said. "I have an extra pair you can use for however long you like, that I can give you back a the dorm room." she offered. "Oh, also, will the music bother you guys?" she asked. "I just have it on because it sets my mood." she said with a laugh. "Kind of silly, I know."
Jumping course: Jumping course
We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it. | Word Count: 1178 Now Playing: I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy
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