Beggars Can't Be Choosers

[Ashley Andrew Stephens]

Drew's parents helped move his boxes into the room and then left. The birds needed to be cared for, and Drew's father claimed he needed to get back for work. The boy put Sininen back in his cage for a nap then changed into his breeches, short boots, and half chaps. He wasn't sure how horse assignment worked here and wanted to be ready for anything.

He walked down to the White Oak barn and forced himself to calm down. The worst that could happen was being told there was no horse suitable for him. At best, they had a really good dressage horse for him to ride. He walked up to the barn office and knocked on the door frame.

"I'm here to see Ms. Carr about a horse."

Drew knew his trainer sent a letter to the school with an assessment of his skill and personality as a rider. He rode like a scientist and didn't intuitively pick up on the feeling aspect of riding. With his parents constantly hovering over his shoulder, he tended to be nervous from a desire to be perfect every time. It was a nightmare for Drew to explain to his father that a seven was really good in dressage.

Right now, he wished Sininen was on his shoulder for mutual support. The bird was a good ice breaker, and his ability to talk gave the boy a little time to think. How badly could he mess this up, after all? Millions of dollars in company money didn't ride on one conversation.

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine hadn't long put the phone down when there was a knock on her door. She turned her chair to face the door, opening her mouth to give the person entrance when a boy's voice spoke and the slight dip in her eyebrows gave way to her displeasure. "You're fortunate that I am she, then." She replied.

She waved toward one of the chairs by her desk, silently giving him permission to enter and be seated, though manners would at least have had him introduce himself since he already knew her name - even though she already knew who he was as there weren't any other students arriving right now who were in need of a horse to ride.

"While I already have a good idea of your skill and level from the letter I received from your trainer, I would like to hear where your riding is and where you would like it to take you." She said with a smile. She had in fact received a glowing reference from his last trainer, but she still wanted to hear from the boy. Not only did it allow her to get to know how highly he thought of himself, it allowed her to get to know who he was before she let him anywhere near her horses.

[Ashley Andrew Stephens]

Drew took the invitation to walk in and immediately noticed her displeasure. Well, this was already off to a bad start. What did he miss? He didn't just barge in like he owned the place, and he was told to talk to the barn manager here about a horse. He didn't know anyone yet, so he wasn't even sure what the barn manager looked like. Apparently her. Oh, his name. He should probably have mentioned that so she could put a name to a face. Was it under Ashley or Drew? His trainer certainly called him Drew and probably would have used that in his letter. He made sure to compete under the name Andrew to avoid more teasing from fellow competitors.

"Andrew Stephens."

He introduced himself before sitting down. Hopefully that would lessen her apparent dislike for him. Maybe she did get a letter with the name Ashley Stephens and thought he was a girl. That would be awkward. He dreaded the idea of the class rosters coming up as Stephens, Ashley, and his teachers expecting a girl and not a boy.

"I'm not the most experienced rider, but I understand the physics of riding really well. I'm a perfectionist and like a good technical ride. Making dressage look like a dance has never been easy. Shoulder-in and travers are still difficult, but I haven't put much time into focusing on them. My form is good, and I have soft hands. I don't have much experience trail riding, and I've never jumped. I would like to be able to compete at third level dressage, and I understand I will need by own horse to go beyond that. Jumping was never offered where I rode, but I would like to learn, if that's possible."

The contents of the letter were not made known to Drew, and he had no idea what his did and didn't say. His primary focus was definitely on dressage, but jumping really did look exciting. He wasn't really sure how to describe himself as a rider. Sure, he was technically a nervous rider, but the anxiety came out of perfectionism, not fear. He took a breath and gave one last addition.

"Also, I'm not the most confident rider. I like to ride with a plan, and I have trouble working through sudden changes."

It was something he didn't often admit, but she was responsible for finding a mount suitable for him. He knew he got lucky with his trainer's horses because they were all seasoned pros. The horses here probably weren't show horses in semi-retirement.

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine smiled as he introduced himself. "A name always helps." She commented as she sat back down.

She listened to the boy, and silently commended him for his honesty, as it was never easy to admit to your own flaws, but then there was the chance of being put on a horse that was over qualified for the rider, and that just led to a whole heap of problems - for both horse and rider - as neither of them progressed from their current level and developed a whole load of habits that were really hard to break.

She nodded as she went through the horses in her head and settled on a few and then she was down to one. "If you follow me, I'll introduce you to you new best friend." She rose to her feet and walked over to the door where she pushed her feet into her field boots and pulled her jacket on. "She is however in the other barn."

She led the way out of the office, out of the barn and around the carpark to Red Willow. "The layout of this barn is the same as mine, the barn manager is Mr Breen, though to are welcome to come and see me with any problems you are having, moreso if they are to do with the horse you are assigned." She walked down the aisle until she came to the stall of a bay tobiano mare, who's brown head was sticking out over the door as she looked for some attention. "Andrew, this is Sunny Reminder, or Remi when she's not in the show ring." She ran her hand down the stripe that ran from the star on the mare's forehead. "She is a twelve year old Curly Horse, and I think that she will be the best horse to introduce you to jumping, which she can also do intermediate level dressage." The horse was also the perfect mother-hen, and she would look after a not-so-confident rider.

She pointed to the number at the top of the mare's stall door. "That number will match one on a locker in the tack room, which holds the basics; grooming kit, leg wraps and boots and other bits and bobs. Her tack is on the wall with a name plaque on the wall between saddle racks and bridles." She stepped away from the mare to encourage the boy to get to know her. "Think of her as your own horse, the perks of borrowing one is that if any of her gear snaps, talk to Mr Breen about finding a replacement. The only downside to be assigned a horse, is that your first ride must be supervised." She gave him an encouraging smile. "Do you have any questions that are bursting to get out?"

[Ashley Andrew Stephens]

He let out a long breath after he finished. His credentials probably looked terrible compared to the other students who came through here. The other students were probably all famous or had famous equestrian parents with dreams to compete in the Olympics. He wanted to be an electrical engineer. Engineers made a lot of money, so then he could buy his own nice dressage horse. And he wanted to keep raising budgies. Maybe not breed them like his mother, but he couldn't imagine life without pet birds.

Drew follow suit and stood up as well. He followed her out to the other barn, thankful he still had his coat on. It was hard not to glance around the barn and imagine how the wiring here worked. He didn't see any stray cords or cables. As Ms. Carr made the introduction, Drew found himself making connections to help with memorization. Remi like the rat from Ratatouille, and Curly Horses were those hypoallergenic ones. His old barn only had warmbloods and Thoroughbreds.

The number was easy enough to memorize, and Drew nodded to show that he was still listening. It was a lot to take in, and Drew wasn't even sure what it was like to own a horse. He only ever rode lesson horses, though he did get several lessons in proper horse care. So, he wasn't a total idiot on that front. Dressage was definitely his top priority, but a safe beginner jumper would make learning to jump more enjoyable. Though, the jumping class said advanced, so he wasn't sure if he would have to get private instruction to learn from the beginning.

"Do you want me to ride Remi today, or should I make an appointment for tomorrow? Um, is there anything special I should know about feed? And, who should I talk to about learning how to jump?"

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine smiled at the questions. "The answer to that is up to you." She replied. "I can spare an hour for you now, or if you would rather we can make a time for tomorrow." She replied.

She gestured toward the feed room. "Her feed will be written up on the board in there, if you find yourself at odds when it's feed time, as one of the other students or the barn hands and they will help you out." She pressed her lips together as she thought about the answer to his next question as she rubbed the forehead of the bay gelding in the next stall. "I guess you have two choices on that one, you could either join my beginner class, but you'll have to put up with the basics on everything, or you could approach Mrs Sorenson-Faulkner, our jumping instructor, and see if she has the time to give you private lessons when she's off the clock." She didn't know how Gail would think of that offer, as the woman had a husband to think about while she wasn't working. "I can find her email for you if you choose the latter." She also had the woman's mobile, but she wasn't as willing to give that out, as at least Gail could ignore emails easier than she could phone calls or text messages from students.

[Ashley Andrew Stephens]

That was going to be a hard decision. He was technically ready to ride, and the drive down from Lexington didn't leave him too tired. He wasn't sure what condition Remi was in, though, and didn't want to push the mare too hard. Then again, it wasn't like he was expecting a strenuous workout. Walk, trot, canter, collection, extension, circles, and leg-yields. He reached out to give Remi a few good pats on the neck and let her get used to his presence.

"Well, if she hasn't been worked too hard today, it shouldn't take me too long to get her ready. Otherwise, would tomorrow morning work? And, I would like to just ask Mrs. Sorenson-Faulkner if she has time, otherwise I'll look into joining the beginner class."

A beginning riding class would be an easy A and a total blow off. He knew all that stuff already. And being in a class surrounded by idiots was not his idea of a good time. It was just considered poor form to tell a teacher her class was boring. Silently, he wished he could just get the test ride over with today. It would be easier to focus while Sininen was sleeping. Remi's fur felt a lot different compared to the warmbloods he was used to riding. She looked like a cross between a sheep and horse, and Drew worried that he wouldn't look dignified riding her. But, the horse was assigned to him, so he couldn't very well complain especially if there weren't any better and more dedicated dressage horses.

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine thanked all of her years working with children and horses that allowed her not to roll her eyes at the boy's comment, as she would hardly have offered now being a good time for him to be able to ride the mare if she had recently had a strenuous work-out. "Even if she has already been schooled today, an hour of flatwork isn't going to put her in a coma." She did reply. "I will find you the email address for Mrs. Sorenson-Faulkner, and the two of you can arrange a time to meet."

She looked at her watch. "The indoor arena is the large building behind and between the barns. I will meet you in there in a half hour." She knew that it was an almost ridiculously long time to give a person to get a horse ready, but she was also allowing a little bonding time, and giving Drew a chance to find his way around. "If you find yourself looking for something, there is always someone around who will be able to point you in the right direction." She turned to leave and paused before she left. "If you arrive in the arena before I do, please remain dismounted until you are instructed to do otherwise." She was working on the fact that reminding him to be wearing his helmet would be like a bit of a slap in the face.

OOC: If you want to start the new thread in the indoor arena