Mounted Games 3.0

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce stepped back as he surveyed the arena. Lanes 1, 3 and 6 were ready to go. Today he was going to split the class into three teams of three and they were going to play a version of the Tack Shop race. Each lane had a money box - a shallow bowl - secured to the top of the first pole, there was an upturned barrel after the last pole with a plastic grooming trug, and a couple of meters after the change over line was another barrel, and on this one were four items: a dandy brush, sponge, tail bandage and a small tin of saddle soap.

Since he had a class of eleven riders and ponies, he would have the two youngest members sit out of the race, allowing Adrianna and Aurora a chance to just observe the others and possibly pick up a trick or while the race went on.

He walked over to the yards where the ponies stood waiting for their riders to arrive and give them some attention - not that any of them were starved of attention. "Hey Dolly." He greeted the Ragdoll cat who stood on the railing of Mo's yard. "I'll make sure Florence leaves Mo's blanket so that you can next in it." Each of the horses had on their rugs to keep them warm while they waited in the chilly air.

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

Wearing her winter-weight jodhpurs, a long sleeved polo and a sleeveless jacket, Cara carried her Charles Owen helmet under her arm as she headed out toward the mounted games arena. She enjoyed the freedom of the mounted games lessons and it also gave her a chance to work with a different mount than her own.

Arriving at the arena, she bowed her head toward Mr Ropata before she slipped over to the yard that contained Bonnie, the flaxen chestnut New Forest pony that she had been assigned. "Hello, beautiful." She greeted as she closed her hand around the grooming bucket as she ducked under the gate and straightened up to stand beside the pony.

She arched an eyebrow as Bonnie flattened her ears. "I know, it's cold and there's possibly going to be a bit of mud." She told the mare as she undid the straps of the rug and folded it back to expose the front half of the mare. "But you will behave yourself and do as you are asked." She set to work brushing the mare, first the front half and then pulling the rug back into place, she folded it the other way and groomed the mare's hind quarters. Finally pulling the rug off all together, she folded it neatly over the back fence of the yard and got to work getting the mare dust free and tacked up.

Once the mare was ready, Cara put her helmet into place and then led the mare toward the arena, wanting to get Bonnie relaxed and settled before the arena had more riders. Vaulting onto the mare's back, she closed her legs around Bonnie's girth as the mare tried to slip out from under her before she pushed her feet into the stirrups and squeezed the mare forward.

[Deleted]

Ria literally ran out of the White Ribbon house, giggling and shrieking as she tried to avoid her uncle. At the door to the dorms, William stopped, smiling slightly as he watched, the girl's purple jacket still hanging from his hand. Ria was wearing a thin sweatshirt, all that she claimed she needed, and the thick down jacket had become something of a running joke between the pair of them. Since she had grown up in the far north, in Alaska, William was more inclined to let her make her own choices, even at seven.

Panting rather heavily, Ria slowed down as soon as she was out of sight of the dorm buildings. She zipped up her snug sweatshirt, then started skipping towards the mounted games arena, her hair tousled and windblown. She arrived with her breath calmer, so when she approached the teacher, she could smile broadly again, "Hi Mr. Ropata!" She turned and walked to Gloria's stall, climbing over the fence instead of taking the more-conventional route through the gate. She glanced around and saw Cara with only half of her pony uncovered. Doing her best to copy the older girl's method, she clumsily unbuckled Gloria's blanket, then roughly pulled it back to reveal the mare's front. Gloria turned her head and sidestepped slightly, but then settled down again as the girl grabbed her brush.

After finishing her brushing, Ria started saddling up the pony. After buckling the bridle, she took the mare's reins, then led her out of the yard, taking the gate this time, and walked her to the arena. She buckled on her helmet, then ungraciously pulled herself up into the saddle, without the use of the mounting block. She straightened, then, smiling, asked Gloria for a walk around the edge of the arena.

[Deleted]

John pulled his grey sweatshirt tighter around his muscular frame as he made his way towards the mounted games arena. He enjoyed the class, which gave him a chance to keep his promise to his mother, and the horse that he had been assigned to, Rocky, was a change in pace from Lilja, his own Western-trained mount. As he approached the yards, he saw that he wasn't the first to arrive, but he wasn't late for the class, either. He let himself into Rocky's yard and held out a hand to the gelding.

After the gelding had reassured himself that John hadn't magically changed in essence during the winter break, he came right up to him, showing his friendly side. John pulled the gelding's blanket off fully, draping it over the fence of the pony's yard, then set to grooming the Connemara.

After he had tacked up the gelding, John buckled his helmet on, then took Rocky's reins and lead him into the arena. He mounted up, noting Rocky's excitement already and making sure to remind the gelding that he was there, and that he needed to be focused. He nudged the gelding onto the rail, falling into the pattern that the other students had started, as he snuck glances at the lanes, wondering what they would be doing for the day.

[Monique Chambers]

Rory pulled her winter jacket on, followed by her boots, and then, after grabbing her Troxel helmet, raced out of the Red Ribbon House. She was careful how she moved once out on the paths though, as she didn't have a lot of weight behind her and even with the carefully tended pathways, she still ended up having her feet vanish from beneath her.

She was already grinning when she entered the mounted games area and rushed over to Yoko's yard. She didn't know how to feel, when she was first assigned the Highland pony. She had long legs and when standing beside the mare, she had felt that she would dwarf the pretty pony. However, after the first time she rode the mare, she noticed that her legs went well around the mare's round barrel and if Mr Ropata had put anyone shorter on the mare, they would really have to stretch their legs.

"Hey beautiful." She whispered as she shrugged her jacket off - knowing that grooming the mare would keep her warm, and once she mounted and they really started working, she would expire wearing the thick jacket. Leaving the jacket neatly folded on the ground by the post, she grabbed the mare's grooming kit, slipped into the grey's yard and began getting the mare ready to be ridden. "Sorry girl." She whispered as the mare pulled her leg away from the girl's vigorous brushing. "I just need to get rid of this mud so that it doesn't cause issues when we're working and you get sweaty."

Once the mare was ready - and as clean as the girl could get her - Rory tacked her up, slipped the helmet on her head, led the mare out of the yard and into the arena. She tightened the girth and then pulled the stirrups down. She chewed her lip as she gathered the reins and mane in her left hand. The mare was short. Rory arched an eyebrow at her thoughts, then shrugged her shoulders and went for it. She did a scissor-kick motion with her legs, in imitation of what she'd seen Cara do some times when she vaulted, and ended up on her bottom with the mare looking over at the girl. "Okay, that didn't quite go to plan." It would have been slightly less humiliating if the mare had at least side-stepped away from her.

Standing up and brushing herself off, she collected reins and mane again before she slipped her left foot into the stirrup and mounted from the ground. Pushing her right foot into the stirrup, she took the reins in both hands, straightened the mare's mane and squeezed her forward, keeping her head down as she could still feel the heat in her cheeks.

[Becca Walsh]

Becca, as usual, was rather excited for her Mounted Games class. She'd been having a lot of fun with it, and really enjoyed working with Chris. The New Forest was large for a pony, but much smaller than Frye, at his mighty height of 17 hands. She'd grabbed her GPA before heading down to the mounted games arena, already wearing her winter riding boots which kept her feet warm during the winter. They'd been of more use when she'd lived in Vermont, but it still got cold here, and she was grateful for them.

She smiled at Mr. Ropata when she arrived before finding Chris in his yard and greeting him, rubbing his nose affectionately. The chestnut overo immediately reached out his nose to try and detect if Becca had any treats on her, and looked a little disappointed when he found none. She got his brushes and took his blanket off, folding it carefully and placing it over the fence as she'd seen Cara had done. "I'll be quick," she promised the pony, knowing that he'd be a little chilly until they started working. She groomed him thoroughly, which didn't take long, and tacked him up just as quickly. Putting on her helmet, she bridled the gelding and led him out into the arena.

Mounting him from the ground, Becca pat his neck before moving him out to the rail. She felt safe and sturdy on the pony, which was something she was grateful for. The gelding was brave and aimed to please, which made riding him very pleasant, especially in comparison to Frye.

[Deleted]

Leo was actually rather excited for his first mounted games lesson from winter break. It had been a while since he’d seen the pony he was assigned to, and he was eager to get back to work. The last lesson had simply been one of learning and this time, the boy was quite ready to do his best for a beginner. Walking in his calm, large strides, the brunette reached the mounted games area and caught sight of his instructor. He offered the man his respectful, and shy smile “Hello Mr. Ropota.” his greeting was quiet as usual before he moved onto to the yard that held Joe.

The boy whistled a soft tune to himself as he entered carrying a grooming kit, coming up to the pony gently. He didn’t know the animal well enough to call him to him. Raising his head from his current searching for food, Joe gave the boy a slightly annoyed look before turning around and continuing his search for food. Leo chuckled at the sight of the horse’s signaling hindquarters. “Come on Joe, I know it’s been long, but we have to get to work.” he explained softly, but firmly to the horse.

In response came a snort. Leo felt a grin pull onto his lips before he gently unclipped the clips on Joe’s thick blanket. Surely, the gelding would be cold if he pulled the whole thing off completely, though after witnessing Cara and her pony, Leo figured he might as well try the same thing. Back home in Napa, he hadn’t used much blankets as they weren’t needed as much. Opening a small bit, Leo began to work the brush over the gelding’s coat before switching to a soft brush and continuing. He worked vigorously around where the blanket hadn’t covered, as the pony had gotten quite muddy before pulling it off and getting everything he’d missed.

Finally, Joe stood clean and ready to be tacked. Leo grabbed the blanket and pulled it on with ease. It still was a bit different than Avi’s usual taller back, but he enjoyed being able to see where everything went. As usual, he received Joe’s flattening ears as he tightened up the girth and then his attempt to nip him. Leo smacked the gelding before he got a chance, scolding him softly. “No Joe.”Voice firm, but not angry were the horse’s punishments. He was young still and didn’t know much better. 

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce smiled greeting to each student as they arrived. Without being too obvious, he kept a careful eye on the two youngest members of his class. Not because he didn't trust them to be able to get their ponies ready without the supervision, he just wanted to make sure he was on hand should either of them need assistance while the older students were busy getting their own ponies ready.

Once the six students were in the arena and warming their mounts up, he walked to the middle of the arena and stood watching. For the first couple of lessons, he had walked them through their warm-up, but now the students knew their mounts well enough that he felt they knew the best way to get their pony ready for the day's activities.

After he had given them fifteen minutes to get their mounts warmed and supple, Bruce gave a low whistle to draw the attention of the students but not spook the ponies. "Bring your ponies in." Once they were gathered in a semi-circle in front of him be began. "Welcome to Mounted Games. Today I am going to split you into three teams of two and we are going to play a game called tack shop. You will each be riding twice as it's normally a game for a team of four. The teams are: Cara and Ria, John and Rory, and Becca and Leonardo. Discuss amongst yourselves who goes first then line up at the start line." There were three students who he had rescued from the detention hall to put the items in the tack box.

Once the riders had lined up, he handed the first rider a coin a large disk. "Okay, for those of you who don't know the game: Number one will ride to the first pole where you will drop your coin into the moneybox. Continue on to pick up the grooming tray, ride to the end and circle the barrel where the person down the end will put an object into the tray. Return the tray to the table, then go to the moneybox and collect the coin, hand the coin to your partner and then just keep repeating the process until you have all four items in your tray and the coin in your hand." He gave the riders a wolfish grin. "On your mark, set, GO!"

[Cara-Jean Kitchi]

For the first lap around the arena, there was a struggle to see who was the alpha mare in this team, but after Cara had started circling the mare every time she acted up, Bonnie pulled her head in and started to behave herself as it was obvious that she wasn't going to out-smart her rider.

Once she had the mare listening, Cara worked her through her paces, paying more attention to the pretty pony's transitions; walk to canter and canter to halt. She worked the mare on circles and figure eights, asking her to counter canter and for shoulder-ins. She knew that the mare was more than capable of giving her what she wanted. She also knew that the pony was a jumper and wanted to ask Mr Ropata if she could enter the mare in a games day that was coming up a couple of towns over, she wanted to try her out in the chase me charlie event.

When she heard the whistle, she reined the mare in and took her into the centre to where the teacher was waiting for them. She rubbed the mare's shoulder as they stood patiently - or as patiently as Bonnie could with her tail swishing and stomping a hind leg every now and then.

Once they were paired up, Cara used her legs to get her mare to side-step over to where Ria was sitting on Glory. "Hey Ria." She greeted the youngster. "If you don't mind me taking charge, I think you should ride the first and third round." Then, with her riding the second and fourth round, she could close the gap between them and the more advanced team. "My other advice, don't rush it. Make sure that you have a really good hold on the tack tray so that when things get put in it." She glanced at the boy down by the barrel holding their tack. "There's too much chance of the tray unbalancing."

[Deleted]

Adrianna didn't push Gloria above a trot, happy with the mare's second-slowest gait. If she was honest with herself, it was because she was scared of falling from the mare. She was more than fine with just a trot, although she fretted slightly that her group would mind in the races. As Mr. Ropata called them all into the center, she slowed Gloria to a walk before turning the mare to where Mr. Ropata and Cara were already waiting. She stopped the mare a bit away from the older girl, her wide eyes on the teacher as she listened to his instructions. As she heard that she would be paired up with Cara, Ria gave the older girl a bright smile. She liked Cara, the girl knew everything about horses, and she was really good at telling stories. When Cara moved Bonnie over to stand next to Gloria, the girl responded to the older girl's greeting, "Hi Cara!" She nodded happily at Cara's taking charge. The older girl always knew what was best, she believed, so she didn't mind.

Nodding at the suggested order, she nudged Gloria towards the starting line, listening to Mr. Ropata's instructions, and after that, Cara's advice. She nodded as she heard to go carefully, hoping that Cara wouldn't mind that she didn't canter, while some students might be doing just that. Running through what she was to do, hoping that she wouldn't forget anything, Ria watching Mr. Ropata, holding the heavy coin in her hand. As he yelled 'go!' she asked Gloria for a trot, leaning forward, her eyes on the moneybox. As they approached, she slowed the mare, dropping the coin into the bowl before she asked for a trot again.

Fixing her eyes on the tray that she was supposed to pick up, she ignored where the other riders were, knowing that they would probably be doing better than her, but not caring. She slowed Gloria to a walk as she passed the table, riding the mare as close to the table as she dared to make up for her short arms. Balancing the tray on her leg, she urged the mare to round the barrel, where she focused on keeping the tray straight as the dandy brush was put in. Still at a walk, she put the tray back onto the table, then asked the mare for a brief spurt of a trot. They slowed again as they reached the moneybox, as Ria's short fingers fumbled for the disk, before trotting again to the finish line, where Ria handed the disk over, smiling at Cara brightly, before slowing Gloria and turning the mare to face forward.