Bending With Style

[Katherine Carr]

Katherine headed down to the mounted games arena and began to set it up for that day's clinic. There were enough students signed up for the clinic to make two teams of four, so she only set up the bending poles needed for the two teams. She had decided that she would focus on bending pole games that morning, and depending on how the horses were feeling, she'd see what the afternoon would bring.

Once the poles were in place, she also brought out the other equipment she would need; cones, rings, swords, sacks, paper, balls, rope. The normal things you would expect for a day of games. She did however leave the balloons in their box, deciding that balloon popping might just be a bit beyond the horses, since she knew that not all of the mounts would be trained for the surprising noises of mounted games.

Once she was sure that everything was ready she awaited the arrival of her students, hoping that they all remembered to just arrive in basic tack; a close contact or GP (general purpose) saddle and snaffle bridle, for she would hate to have to send anyone back to change their tack. "Mount up and start getting warmed up, once everyone is ready, we will get started." She said as the children arrived, she would use their warm-up time as a chance to work out the teams.

Paging:
Amelia DeFoe,
Cortney Smit,
Danielle Green,
Gretchen Holmes,
@rhythm,
@sierra,
Serenity Oliver,
Tyler Reynolds

[Serenity Oliver]

Serenity hadn't thought much of signing up for the mounted games clinic when she came back from time home, but as the day drew nearer, she found herself in quite a predicament, as neither of her mounts were really suited for games. Red hated change and small spaces and Plot was just too unpredictable - though she didn't doubt the mare would be able to handle herself. So, after much thought, she approached Ms Carr and asked if she could ride Pixie, the pony she rode for mounted games, to the clinic.

It didn't take her long to get the pretty rose grey Welsh Pony ready for the clinic and before long she was leading the pony toward the arena, laughing when Pixie planted her feet and let out an excited whinny when she worked out where she was going.

She clipped her helmet under her chin as they arrived at the arena and she put the grooming kit she was carrying, out of habit, in one of the yards. Even though it was vacation, she was still working by habit, and mounted games meant that she came with the mare's grooming supplies so that she could groom her after class. She slipped the cooling sheet off the mare's back and folded it over the fence of the yard and led Pixie back to where their instructor was standing.

At the instructions, she nodded her head. Pulling the stirrups down, she tightened the girth and vaulted into the saddle before guiding the mare with her legs into the arena where they began their warm-up; getting all of the bucks out of the mare before they started.

[Cortney Smit]

As soon as she had signed up for Ms Carr's clinic, Cortney had told the woman that she would be riding Mo, her mounted games mount, for the clinic. After all, Mr Ropata had told them at the end of the school year that they were more than welcome to keep working their assigned mounts over the summer months.

She took her time getting Mo ready for the clinic and then put a light anti-sweat rug over his saddle so that she would have it for the end of the clinic, and so that if he got too sweaty in the morning she'd have it to put over him during lunchtime. She also picked up his grooming bucket and led him toward the mounted games arena.

She knew that it would be inappropriate to wear her cheer uniform to the clinic, but she was dressed in the red, white and black school colours and she carried herself in a way that left no doubt that she was still head cheer leader, even in disguise.

Leaving the extra things at the gelding's yard, she quickly mounted, tightened the girth and slipped her feet into the stirrups before heading into the arena and starting their warm-up. She eyed Ms Carr, wondering what the woman would think of Mo's tricks. Transitioning from a trot to a halt, she gave the reins a hint of a tug and applied pressure with her heels and grinned as the gelding listened to the rear command and rose up on his hand legs, front hooves flailing the air before trotting forward again.

[Deleted]

Natalia quickly gave the buckskin PRE a brushing checking for any injuries or anything the mare may have gotten since yesterday. She ran her hand down the mare's legs checking for any heat just in case the mare had strained one of her tendons. Though she doubted that it would happen it was better to be safe then sorry. Once she was satisfied with the mare's brushing she made sure that the knots and tangles were out of the mare's mane, tail, and forelock. She picked out the mare's hooves checking for any signs of thrush, pebbles, or rocks that may be in the mare's hooves. Luckily the mare's feet were fine.

She grabbed a close contact saddle and a bridle. The saddle and bridle were for practice and were brown instead of the mare's usual black tack. The saddle and bridle were a light brown and the bridle had a snaffle bit. A light blue saddle pad covered the saddle with a brown girth over the pad to prevent the pad from falling off the saddle. She quickly tacked the mare up not having to take a halter off the mare to put the bridle on. She had brushed the mare in her stall and hadn't grabbed a halter because she knew she wouldn't need one. Natalia tightened the throat latch and adjusted the brow band putting the mare's forelock under the brow band and tucked it into the side of the bridle.

Natalia left the barn after latching the stall door and made her way to the mounted games arena. Natalia noticed that she wasn't the first one to arrive as other students were in the arena. She nodded as Mrs. Carr said to mount their horses and start warming up. Natalia entered the games arena out of the way of any horses, and riders that may be getting warmed up or coming in. Natalia tightened the girth before letting her stirrups down. She mounted up easily and gave the mare a little bit of leg pressure to start walking once she had tightened her reins a bit. She quickly warmed up at walk and signaled for the buckskin to start trotting. Once she was satisfied she asked the mare to do transitions from a trot to walk, trot to halt and back to trotting. She even threw in a trot, halt, and back before trotting again. She often asked the mare to trot, halt, and back in her warm ups as Natalia never knew when it might be a test. She didn't ask for the transition when the mare started expecting it and doing the transition without asking. 

[Amelia DeFoe]

The mounted games clinic had sounded like fun, and unlike the competitive trail riding competition fiasco, in this case, at least she knew and liked Ms. Carr, and wasn't worried about Wolf being an issue in the class. She made her way into the White Oak barn, Wolf trotting along, his vest back rather than the bandanna that she'd tried using for some time during the summer.

After collecting Amur, she led the gelding to the cross ties and clipped him in, setting about grooming him. After she'd seen to it that his coat gleamed, and the white markings across his coat sparkled, she tacked the crossbreed up, using his close contact saddle. After she'd put away the gelding's box, she unclipped the cross ties and picked up her helmet, leading Amur out of the barn and down to the mounted games arena.

She spotted Serenity and Cortney, as well as a girl that she remembered meeting, although she was blanking on the name. Something foreign? She thought so, but she couldn't remember. When asked to mount up, Amy waited until she was the last one, as she did during their beginner English lessons, and mounted up. Once she'd settled in the saddle, she asked Wolf to move up onto the block and then lay down. The canine, who had done this often enough, seemed to have found a comfortable position, even though Amy had worried about it at first.

Only after the canine was settled did Amy move Amerigo away from the block, asking him to walk around the arena, falling into pace with the other riders as she tried to stay out of their way, snatching glances at the various supplies as she went. It would be an interesting day.

[Danielle Green]

Returning to the cross ties with the tack she would need for the mounted games clinic, Danny smiled at Remi knowing she might not be assigned to her this upcoming school year. With all the mounts that she was assigned to over the summer, she didn’t know what Ms. Chevalier had planned for her. In the meantime Danielle would take the time as it came and wouldn’t waste it.

Setting the all-around saddle pad on the mare’s back and then the all-purpose saddle, Remi shifted, which Danny then had to readjust it. Putting the girth on to hold the saddle in place, the sixteen year old patted the mare’s neck and slide her snaffle bridle on and made sure it was latched correctly and that is laid in all the right places.

Danny grabbed her helmet and walked Remi out the Red Willow barn and to the mounted games arena. Seeing four students were already there she continued into the arena. Hearing that they were allowed to mount up and warm up she did so. Remi stood still until her rider gave her the go ahead to walk around the arena.

When she felt they were ready, Danny asked for a trot and made fifteen meter circles where she could. She continued to warm up asking for a canter and then back to the trot. Once that was done she was ready to begin, she just kept a steady trot until Ms. Carr began the clinic.

outfit

[Tyler Reynolds]

After getting dressed in his breeches, boots, and t-shirt Tyler made his way down to the White Oak barn. Roman wasn’t dirty but Tyler took a brush across his body to make sure his bay coat shone when the sunlight hit it. The boy left the Standardbred in the cross ties and walked back to the tack room to gather his tack. It was all simple stuff, snaffle bridle, all-purpose saddle.

Returning to his gelding, Roman’s ear pinned back. ”Are you serious? I hardly worked you at all in like two months.” Without another word or action from either one, Tyler tacked up the gelding. ”There you go buddy.” The seventeen year old patted his horse on the shoulder and grabbed his helmet.

Walking the gelding to the mounted games arena he saw that there were already five female students in the arena along with Ms. Carr of course, Tyler smiled. He shrugged and mounted up as the instructor had told the students to do. Roman snorted, ”Would you stop.” Shaking his head Tyler asked for a walk, the gelding was a little tense which was unlike him, but the boy wouldn’t jump to any conclusions until he got his mount into the trot.

When Tyler felt the Standardbred was ready for the trot, he added a little leg and asked for it. With the new gait came the gelding that Ty knew so well. After working Roman at the trot for a while, he asked for a right lead canter, after a lap around the arena Tyler brought him back to the trot and worked him on the left lead until he felt that they were ready for the clinic.

[Deleted]

Jason sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. He was standing in Tickle's stall, where the horse looked back at him with a comfortable expression on his face and hay covering his body. Shaking his head in exasperation, Jason began brushing off as much dried grass as he could, muttering at his horse whenever the equine moved. Finally, the boy tied the pinto to the stall bars. It took some time to untangle the hay caught in the mane and tail. "Goodness horse. Couldn't you have picked a different morning to really and truly roll in your food?" Jason grumbled.

As soon as grooming was finished, however, the tacking up process went smoothly and swiftly. Jason chose an orange saddle pad and his all-purpose saddle, along with the snaffle bit that he had switched on yesterday. They hurried to the Mounted Games Arena, hoping that they weren't too late. He nodded to Ms. Carr and quickly tightened the girth before swinging up. Tickle was curious about all the equipment, but a firm leg from Jason kept him on the rail. To keep the gelding's mind occupied, Jason took his horse through as many gait transitions as possible.