Making It Look Easy

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    Cora’s favorite classes to teach were her hunter/jumper classes, and so she was very pleased to start her new year. She’d decided to start the year with a very simple course, to gauge her students’ skills. She’d set up the ring with eight jumps: two lines on each side of the ring, and two diagonal lines, each line with two jumps: either an oxers or verticals.

    About an hour before the class was scheduled to begin, Cora got to work tacking up Remi, who she was bringing to her first class to use as her model of a good hunter. She’d wanted to bring Sophie, but the young mare still acted up on occasion, and she may not be the best model hunter yet. She tacked the gelding up and hooked the microphone for the P.A. system in the arena onto her polo collar before leading him out to the arena.

    She warmed him up carefully over a few jumps before stopping him in the center to wait for her students. As each student arrived, she greeted them, and asked them to warm up their horses for jumping. She’d asked each to dress properly for each class in a polo shirt tucked into neutral breeches with a belt, and black or brown field boots or paddock boots and half chaps. She liked for her students to be dressed respectfully for riding. While schooling, they could wear what they wanted to, but this was a hunter/jumper class, and turn out was important.

Calling:

@rhythm
@jeanneclaire
@maeve
Rose Hoff

[Rose Hoff]

    Rose's favorite mounted class was her hunter class, and she was very much looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. Before going to Vintage's stall, she collected her brushes and tack from the tack room, balancing everything on her arms. Having arrived, she sorted on the ground neatly, and then took the brush box into the stall with her. She groomed the mare carefully, knowing that any shortcomings would be obvious on Vintage's light grey coat. Keeping the mare clean was a constant struggle, but Rose thought it was worth it (for the most part).

    Having groomed the mare, she tacked her up in a simple sheepskin fitted pad, her saddle, and her D-ring snaffle bridle. Tucking her hair all under her helmet and pulling on her gloves, Rose looped the reins over Vintage's ears and led her out to the jumping ring where they'd have their hunter class. She greeted Ms. Addison and then mounted Vintage, tightening her girth before she walked her to the rail and began to warm up.

    It didn't take long to get the mare working on the bit, and Rose worked her through transitions and small circles to get her body loose, and have her maintain contact.         

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    Maeve's first show jumping lesson had gone fine, and she was hoping that her hunter lesson would be the same. Hunters was supposed to be her specialty, her strong point, the reason she'd gotten the chance to come to Blue Ridge, and she simply wouldn't be able to stand it if she wasn't what she was supposed to be. It had always been clear to Maeve that Ella was more jumper than hunter, but she had talent, and Maeve had been working the entire summer to make Ella doubly talented when it came to jumping. Now was their first test. Besides, this was supposed to be what Maeve was good at, what gave her her edge, what allowed her to somewhat belong in this world where she so obviously did not. She rode horses and made them look good. It should be cake.

     After grooming and tacking Ella up, Maeve walked the mare out to the arena and inhaled shakily before opening the gate. She greeted Ms. Addison with half of a smile (the most that she could manage at the moment). The trainer was what she had expected, for the most part. Politely nice, definitely severe underneath, definitely not going to get chummy with them, definitely demanding respect. Maeve could give that. Mounting and tightening her girth, Maeve gave Ella a pat before giving her a pat and getting to work. It was her time to shine.

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    Jeanne-Claire's experience in her first show jumping class had been pretty fabulous, and she knew that her hunter class would be the same. Cricket could be bratty at times, but he always pulled through after a good warm up. Gathering his tack and brushes, Jeanne-Claire trekked to the gelding's stall and placed it all down before entering and grooming him. He was clean (she appreciated the sentiment of his refrain from rolling), and so it didn't take long before she tacked him up in his basic tack: a fitted pad, her jumping saddle, and his D-ring snaffle - all a good hunter should need.

    Arriving at the ring, Jeanne-Claire entered and mounted after greeting Ms. Addison. Maeve was there already, as per usual, and she was on the same mare she'd been riding in the show jumping class. The pinto must be her school horse for Blue Ridge, and JC made a note to herself to go find out more about the mare, and check her out in her stall when she got the chance. It was strange, seeing Maeve ride the same horse two lessons in a row. The last time JC remembered her doing that was when she'd been in her Cricket phase - right before Jeanne-Claire had bought him. It was obvious that Maeve still wanted the gelding.

    Walking Cricket to the rail, she warmed him up, extending and collecting him through his gaits until he settled onto the bit and played the part of the hunter he was.    

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One of the best things about starting school again, Jason thought, was getting regular, professional riding lessons once more. Summer was good for wandering the trails or trying new things, but without the sharp eye of an instructor, Jason knew that his form had slipped during the break. It meant more work for him to get back in top condition, but he appreciated having something to do.

He took a bit more time to groom Tickle for their first riding class, for he wanted his horse to look his best. When the gelding's coat shone, Jason grabbed a muted orange saddle pad, his well-used all-purpose saddle, and his jointed snaffle bridle. Tickle accepted the bit eagerly, anticipating something different today. Perhaps it was how Jason was dressed. He had followed Ms. Addison's dress code request, with a gray polo shirt, tan breeches, and field boots.

He grabbed his helmet and headed for the arena. "Gate." He called as he entered. Soon, he joined the other riders on the rail. He only had time to register that they were all girls (big surprise there) before he felt Tickle tense up underneath him. The horse enjoyed hunter jumping more than anything, and hadn't seen this many jumps all summer. Jason quickly turned his focus onto diverting his horse's attention and getting him responsive again.

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    Cora greeted each of her students as they entered, and was pleased when all arrived on time. She knew all of them by now, and was glad that it was such a small class, as they would be very productive, and she would be able to focus on each and give them the best of her attention. Once all of her students had arrived, Cora let them warm up for a few more minutes, working Remi a bit more during this time as well. After a few minutes, she walked to the center and turned on her microphone, making sure that it wasn't too loud. She'd turn it up a bit after she first spoke so that the horses could all get used to it.

    "Hello, and welcome to your hunter/jumper class. You all know me by now, so I'll just introduce you to Remi, for the few of you who may not know him yet. He's my hunter, and he'll be helping me demonstrate some points today. We're going to start right away now that you've warmed up. When you reach C, following Rose, please pick up the canter and canter once around before continuing down the diagonal over the line and reversing direction. Please keep the canter once more around the ring until you reach A again. I'd like for you to try to get your lead change over one of the jumps, or a flying change in the center."

    It was a simple enough exercise, and she was confident that all of these riders could manage it. As they executed the exercise, following Rose, Cora watched and gave suggestions, noting what each rider would need to work on in their following classes.      

[Rose Hoff]

    Rose continued to warm Vintage up, maintaining the trot as Ms. Addison began to speak. She looked at the jumps as the instructions were explained, wanting to be sure that she did it correctly, since the other students would be following her. She didn't mind being first, since she didn't have to worry about spacing, but she was sometimes self conscious about the other riders watching her from behind. They should, however, be worried about their own mounts, but she couldn't help but consider it.

    She asked Vintage for the canter as she reached C, making a smooth transition, and cantered the mare around the ring before turning her down the diagonal. She took the first jump, finding her spot, and asked Vintage for a flying lead change in the center. However, Rose had a difficult time maintaining her striding after the flying change, and had a tough time finding her spot. They ended up chipping in, rather than taking a huge long spot, and Rose bit her lip, upset with herself. She returned to the rail and kept Vintage at the canter until A. She gave the mare her head, relaxing a little bit, since Vintage was working nicely on the bit and going well. They'd have to work on that, either getting her changes over jumps or figuring out the best way to find her spots after a flying change.        

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    Maeve warmed Ella up thoroughly, adjusting her riding to manipulate the mare's own motions until she was moving smoothly. Though Ella was now working more like a hunter. Maeve's equitation was far from ideal by hunt seat equitation standards. It was something she was aware of, and needed to work on, but she'd always been more focused on making her horse look good. 

    When the next person after her entered, Maeve's eyes flicked to them, and she immediately felt a little sick. It was Jeanne-Claire and her hunter, Cricket. Maeve had known Cricket had arrived, as he lived in White Oak Barn, but she'd sort of avoided him as best she could. Cricket was the favorite horse she'd ever ridden, and though Maeve knew that he would certainly be comfortable in Jeanne-Claire's hands, she still couldn't help the selfish pangs of jealousy that descended upon her whenever she saw Jeanne-Claire ride him.     

    When Ms. Addison began to speak, Maeve brought Ella back down to a working trot, and maintained it as she listened to the instructions. She knew from her previous class who Rose was, but the girl was on a different mare, this time a light grey, so it took Maeve a second to figure out that she was behind her, clued in only by a tuft of light blonde hair sticking out from under her helmet. Maeve held Ella back so that they'd have enough space, but she didn't need to much, as Rose's mare was rather compact, like Ella. Following Rose from a safe distance, Maeve guided Ella through the small course, asking her for a long spot over the first jump so that they'd be sure to get a lead change.