All about Fun

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce took his job pretty seriously, and sometimes even when he had time off, he was still busy working. He finished grooming Dazzle and tacked the mare up in her close contact saddle and snaffle bridle. The mare tossed her head into the air as the man led her toward the arena he called a classroom, as the Arab cross worked out that she was about to do work rather than going on a trail ride, though Bruce didn't pay any attention to her attitude and continued walking.

He had already been in the arena and had set up poles in lanes one, three and five, figuring that if he set up more lanes than he needed, then there would be space for anyone else who wanted to come and work around poles - even on non-mounted games mounts. He took his time warming the mare up, getting her moving quietly under the saddle, and he knew that she was just being a brat because she liked to test her riders when she knew that they could handle it, put a nervous rider on her back and she wouldn't put a hoof out of place.

When he was happy that she was warmed up enough, he rode over to the start/finish line and it was time to get to work.

[Geraldine Cliff]

Gerri had finally gotten confident enough (and had permission) to saddle Genie and plan on taking him to Roscoe's arena for some walking, and practicing their circles. However, as they were walking towards the arena, she saw someone - it looked like a teacher - riding in the mounted games arena, and stopped by the wall to watch, hoping that Genie wouldn't choose that moment to interrupt.

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce pushed his heels down, as he lined the mare he was riding up at the start line and chuckled as could almost feel the energy as it was fizzling through her, though her idea of having energy could go anywhere from her running the poles with no assistance from him to her shooting forward at full speed and then dropping a shoulder to send him flying, so he wasn't taking any chances and pushed his weight into his feet as he held her with his legs.

When he knew that she was ready, he released the hold her had on the reins and moved into two-point as she shot forward. Angling the mare to the left they zig-zagged their way around the poles and knowing the mare, he kept her close to the final pole and she all but turned on the spot before racing in and out through the poles again and sliding to a stop over the line.

"Ka pai, iti kotiro!" ^{(well done/good job little girl)} He praised the mare as he rubbed her neck.He looked up and noticed that they had an observer. "There is plenty of room if you would like to join us?" He offered with a friendly smile.

[Geraldine Cliff]

Gerri's eyes widened when she watched the teacher take off on his horse, weaving through the poles. She'd read about pole bending, and seen it online, but that still didn't compare to watching it live.

As he stopped and noticed her, Gerri blushed and shook her head, "I'm nowhere near good enough." She patted Genie's shoulder nervously, "I only just started riding, I can only walk." She stepped back, "I'm sorry, it just looked interesting so I stopped to watch, I didn't want to disturb you."

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce smiled at her reply. "You might find that the simple movement of winding through the poles helps with your balance." He offered with a casual shrug. "We could keep it at a walk. Dazzle here worked with beginners so she's not the kind of mount who always has to go, go, go." He rubbed the mare's shoulder as she bobbed her head up and down, pawing at the ground as though to contradict her rider. You could also just ride around as though this were an empty arena too, if you don't want to ride alone or are worried of being in anyone else's way."

Ok, so maybe Bruce wanted some company, and it was good for Dazzle to remember that there were times when everything didn't have to be top speed, even if she had a rider who could handle it. And if the girl agreed, he'd go and have a word with Katherine afterwards and apologise if he had overstepped his bounds by working with someone who wasn't his student.

[Geraldine Cliff]

Gerri was getting ready to turn away when she considered the man's words. At least she'd have someone there if she messed up, even if she didn't take him up on winding through the poles. Even that, though, could help with steering - They didn't look too solid.

Finally relenting, she nodded and headed to the gate, "I'd appreciate that. Thank you." She let herself into the arena and then closed the gate behind her, before glancing around and finding the mounting block. Once there, she went through the routine - Checking to make sure her helmet was buckled, checking Genie's girth, checking stirrups, and then she mounted. "I'm Geraldine, or Gerri. Thank you for letting me share the arena with you, sir."

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce smiled and bowed his head when it seemed that she was going to use the arena with him. "It's a pleasure." He replied as he kept Dazzle where she was standing as the girl mounted up. He didn't want to distract the young rider, as it seemed she was going through a mental checklist as she prepared to mount. "Nau mai^(welcome), Gerri. I'm Mr Ropata."

He squeezed Dazzle forward and laughed as the mare almost tripped over her own feet as she had been so intent on watching the new horse, but she quickly recovered and walked forward as Bruce directed her toward the track as he wondered what other games he could play with the mare that wouldn't get in the way of Gerri and Genie.

[Geraldine Cliff]

After she'd made it into the saddle (not half-bad! She'd not even managed to brush Genie's hindquarters that time!), Gerri gathered up her reins, nodding at the man's name, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Ropata." She would have to learn a bit more about the language that he spoke - It wasn't European, but she hadn't been able to tell what it was from the two words he'd spoken.

After making sure her feet were properly in the stirrups - heels down! - she pressed her legs against Genie's sides, directing him towards the track, letting him plod along while she focused on her own position, trying to remember everything that Ms. Carr had told her and was constantly correcting her for.

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce smiled at her greeting and watched as she seemed to be trying to focus on a million things at a time and a smile tugged at his lips. "Ms Carr will probably have me mucking out stalls, but I have found that it's easier to fix things in your personal time, if you concentrate on one thing at a time." He offered with a shrug.

He used his seat and legs to guide the Arab cross toward the bending poles once more, chuckling as the mare's neck arched and her back lifted as she began to work from her hindquarters as she was sure they were about to start racing again. "Not yet." He said as he patted her neck.

[Geraldine Cliff]

Gerri grinned at the man, grateful for the advice,"She won't hear about it from me!" She reassured him, "I'm just thankful for any advice,to be honest. There's so much to learn!"

With his advice in mind,she thought about all the things she needed to work on,and then patted Genre's neck,"I'll work on sitting up straight for now. I'm sorry you have to put up with the rest of me not being right yet." The gelding flicked an ear at her voice,and Gerri grinned, taking it for acceptance, "No wonder Ms. Carr put me on you. You're so patient."

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce grinned and chuckled softly. "Even the top riders will tell you that you never stop learning when it comes to horses." He said. "And then, as soon as you think you've got everything right, you'll find that you start learning again when you ride another horse. The basics are all the same, but each of them like things being asked in a different way." He rubbed Dazzle's neck. "And, if I could go back and change things, I would still be working with horses."

As he worked Dazzle slowly around the poles, he watched Gerri and Genie. "Do you know what Genie is trained in?" He had a feeling that the gelding's training included trail, from when he had been running his summer clinic last year, but he wasn't sure if he had the right horse.

[Geraldine Cliff]

Gerri grinned and replied jokingly, "Sure, but they at least know the basics!" She would get there, eventually. She patted Genie's neck, "But I guess it's like that with everything. There's always more to learn, if it's languages or horses."

As he asked about Genie's training, Gerri thought back to the information that she'd been given about the gelding, "Trail and the eventing disciplines, I think. Although I'm not really focusing on any discipline yet, so I may be wrong on that."

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce chuckled and nodded at her words.

"He should know the basics of pole bending if trail is one of his things." He said with a nod. "While trail classes do a bit with cones, horses are normally started working around poles because they are easier for the horse to see, thus harder to walk over. The main reason I was asking in case he decided he took a dislike to the bending poles in case he didn't know what they are."

[Geraldine Cliff]

Gerri raised an eyebrow as she learned something new about how trail was trained, "Interesting." She looked over at the poles, then shrugged, "He should be okay, but thank you for being careful." She took another look at the poles, thinking that they might be a nice way to practice curving around things. She too would be able to see them easier than poles, too. But that was a thought for another day.

[Bruce Ropata]

Bruce smiled and nodded again and decided that it was time to become a silent observer now and not give her anymore to think about as he turned his complete attention back to the mare he was riding. "Goose." He muttered under his breath as Dazzle's back suddenly lifted and she looked every inch the Arabian that was in her blood. With an amused shake of his head he trotted her through the poles again and then reined her in at the cross-over line and with his legs locked around her, he leaned out of the saddle as though dropping something into a bucket and then squeezed the mare forward before he had straightened up again.