Cross Country 103

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Phoebe had Hellsing all tacked up and ready to go. She mounted the horse after applying her hat and gloves. Kicking her horse into a trot, she headed to the cross country course, to start her very first lesson.

When she got there, she saw her students, both mounted and dismounted. Phoebe gently pulled on the reins, and Hellsing slowed to a walk, and eventually stopped. She dismounted from her horse patting her neck fondly. "Good girl." she smiled to Hellsing. "Good afternoon class. I'm Phoebe Andrews, your Cross Country instructor. Now before we get to riding, are any of you concerned about the class?" she asked, making sure they weren't frightened. Her eyes scanned over her students. A boy raised his hand. "Yes?" Phoebe smiled. "Will we have to jump rivers and high oxers?" he asked. Phoebe nodded her head. "Most certainly. This class is for the advanced riders, if you have any doubts please see the headmistress." she said. She looked at the class then clapped her hands together. "Now, make sure you have your body gaurd on. I shall be riding beside you to keep an eye on you as you do the course. First off, do any of you have any strengths or weaknesses?" she asked, and waited for one of her students to respond.

STUDENTS:
@natashka
Athena Achilles
@fitzwilliam
@ronan
Stefan Eder

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Alexandra walked to the barn where she grabbed Annie's halter and lead before grabbing the mare's grooming box. She grabbed her green body vest and secured it. Securing her helmet, but not before putting her hair in a bun, she walked to the mare's stall. "Hello my lovely." She greeted the mare before walking into the stall and putting on the mare's halter and lead. 

Grooming the mare diligently but keeping an eye on the time she quickly picked out the mare's hooves checking for thrush but not finding any. The Saddlebred mare rarely got thrush but she did get it sometimes staying in a run-in when it rained. The chestnut tobiano mare got it more often then some of their other horses since she had four pale color hooves. 

Putting the grooming box away she quickly tacked up the mare. She used her practice tack. Adjusting the brow band she tucked the mare's white forlock in. The bridle was brown with little pearls and diamonds sewn into the browband while the saddle was a brown Crosby while she used her practice pad which was hunter green. 

She lead the mare to the cross country course where their instructor was waiting. Tightening the mare's girth she let down her stirrups and gracefully mounted the tall chestnut tobiano mare. She was one of the first ones there and started warming up going through the gaits. Once the fourth rider arrived she walked Annie over to the instrucor. The instructor-Pheobe Andrews- said that they were going to be jumping oxers and water jumps. "Annie tends to get excited jumping at the beginning of the course. She also can freak out at flags or any obstacles she's not used to. It's nothing big though."  She spoke up first seeing as no one else offered to speak. The mare could freak out though normally it was just a small side step or a small jump sideways. Sometimes her head went up high like she was one of the hot horses in saddleseat and she slowed down. Though that was nothing a little more leg couldn't fix to stop fee from slowing down and thinking of refusing the jump.

[Stefan Eder]

Stefan grinned as he walked up to Lupus' stall and saw the mare's head hanging over the door, "Na?" He hurried to groom the mare, although he made sure that she was still neat. It was easier, as he had brought the mare in earlier, and the mud that had been on her then had turned to dirt, and mainly fallen off. After making sure that the bay Oldenburg gleamed, he tacked her up, and then grabbed his helmet, buckling it on. After he led Lupus out of the grooming aisle, he led her out into the sunlight and then used a mounting block near the barn to boost himself into the saddle. Why should he walk?

As he arrived, he spotted a familiar-looking, although at the same time still unusual, horse, and gave it's rider a brief wave before he started looking around, waiting for the class to start. And start it did, Kai listening to the instructor introduce herself, and the answer she gave to another boy's question. It sounded reasonable enough, at the least. Asked about strengths and weaknesses, Kai frowned, thinking. There hadn't really been a cross-country instructor since he'd arrived at the school, and while he had worked Lupus on some of the jumps, he had been careful, not wanting to push her without someone present. Well, they would just have to see!

[Athena Achilles]

Athena was excited as she headed down to Bear's stall with his close contact saddle and snaffle bridle in hand. She had already groomed him and just needed to get the tack on before she finished getting herself ready. She was an eventer, so she enjoyed all phases of the sport, but she knew that the Lustino gelding was a cross country horse, and as much as he put up with the dressage and show jumping, this would be where he would always shine.

As soon as he was tacked up, she pulled on her navy back-protector - she'd been riding long enough to know not to even breath the word cross country without wearing it - and led the gelding outside. She pulled the girth up another hole and then led him down the path that would take them to the courses. It was after they had walked past the arenas that Bear began to pick up his step, ears pricked forward, as it seemed that he knew where they were going.

She tightened the girth once more and mounted up when they arrived where they had been asked to meet. She listened as the woman introduced herself and then tipped her head to the side and glanced in the direction of the Blue River as a question was asked. There were no rivers to jump on the cross country course, so the guy who asked the question knew nothing about the course here or shouldn't be in this class, and she hoped he did it without a horse should he choose to jump the river.

The idea of the instructor also riding the course brought to mind all sorts of problems, but she didn't say anything as the woman must know what she was doing otherwise she wouldn't be instructing, surely?