Closer than Ever

[Rose Hoff]

    Looping the reins of the bridle back over Vintage's head, Rose gathered them in her hands to lead the mare out to the arena. The mare's light coat was shiny and healthy looking, and she didn't have the scraggly look that many horses did due to shedding because she had been clipped. Still, shedding season had been a flurry of white hair on all of her tack, clothes, and grooming supplies, and Rose was just glad that she hadn't had to deal with all of it. 

    Pulling on her helmet and gloves, Rose led Vintage out to the jumping ring set up with a hunter course. She liked the way that Vintage looked without a saddle, only in a bridle and her simple D-ring snaffle. The less tack she used, the closer she felt to the mare. She trusted Vintage a lot, and was working towards eventually riding her bridle-less, with only a stirrup leather looped around her neck. However, they weren't quite there yet, as the mare could get powerful, especially when she was being ridden bareback. 

    Mounting outside of the ring with the help of the mounting block, Rose settled into her seat, thankful that Vintage was nicely filled out and muscular so that she made for a comfortable ride. Eleanor probably would have required a bareback pad, as she was leaner. Entering the ring and closing the gate behind her, Rose walked Vintage around the ring once before asking her for a trot and posting to it, warming the mare up. 

[Thomas Oliver]

Tommy wasn't sure what he wanted to do as he strolled into White Oak. He knew that his gelding needed exercise, but he was feeling too lazy to have to lug all of the gelding's tack out and then tack the gelding up - because it was so far to walk from the tack room to the grooming stall... not!

He grabbed the Appaloosa's grooming kit from his locker in the tack room and then the bridle from the hook on the wall above the saddle. He paused before leaving the room and quickly scooped the gelding's bareback pad from the locker as well, his dragon had a rather spikey back and he needed the pad between him and the horse when he couldn't be bothered with a saddle.

It didn't take long to get the horse groomed - to a point where even his parents would be impressed - and the girth of the pad done up. He was still tossing the idea around of just riding the gelding in his halter, but thought better of it as his slipped the halter off and replaced it with the snaffle bridle. He then led the flaxen horse out of the barn and they walked across campus, trying to work out what he wanted to do with the horse.

He was considering heading to the dressage arena when the tall boy spotted a horse and rider in one of the jumping arena. He pressed his lips together in thought and then nodded his head. "Come on, my fire-breathing friend." He said as he led the gelding toward the arena.

He watched the horse and rider who were warming up, taking note that the horse had no saddle, and when they were close enough so that he didn't have to actually shout, he flashed the female rider a bright smile. "Do you mind if we join you?" He asked, his tone friendly and his stance showing that he wouldn't mind if she wanted the arena to herself.