Double Fisting (Leadropes)

[Ráhel Sárközi]

Ráhel yawned, her mouth stretching open wide and one of her hands coming up to cover it. It had been a long weekend of riding, and what felt like an even longer drive back to campus! She reached for the coffee cup that sat in the console of her truck and lifted it, dropping it in disgust as she found it empty.

While her body called out for more caffeine - or even better, a nap - she knew that wasn't an option. They had made it back safely, and that meant horses first. She pulled the key out of the ignition and pushed open her truck door, jumping out onto the familiar asphalt and repeating the motions she'd done so often over the summer. Walk to the back of the trailer, open the doors, unload Kaitain, remove her boots, toss them by the trailer's wheel, unload Oil, and then grab Kaitain again to walk both of them.

She kept Kaitain on her right and Oil to her left, and headed for the trails, the green hill one specifically. It was a nice place to walk out the pair before putting them into their stalls for a well-earned rest and haynet. Endurance rides weren't easy, but now, at the end of the summer, the pair of horses were in as fine a condition as they would be. Not top athletes, but close to it for sure. Ráhel hummed as she walked along, in no hurry to get anywhere in particular, and glad that Kaitain was tired enough to behave and cause no trouble.

[Victoria Greco]

The changing weather didn't alter Tori's choicer of clothes to wear when out running, even if the shorts she was wearing might touch on being a little too short, though she was thinking that maybe the singlet top she was wearing left her a little too uncovered.

She had picked the Green Hill trail that day, and while the trail was relatively flat, with an incline, she had slipped a few times as she'd left the beaten track and gone cross-country, and discovered a number of moss covered rocks hidden in the undergrowth.

She was pleasantly aching, in all the right places, when she decided that it was time to start slowing down, and she made her way back to the trail, as she wasn't looking at jumping from or over things anymore, so the smooth trail was the best thing to walk on.

Reaching the trail, she bent over at the hips and wrapped her hands around her ankles to stretch out her back and hamstrings and then straightened as she looked in one direction and then the other, a smile lighting up her face when she saw a woman walking toward her with two horses. "Hi Ms Sárközi." She greeted, working out who the adult was by the horses she had with her.

[Ráhel Sárközi]

Ráhel wasn't surprised to find another person on the trail, although for most people, she'd have expected them to be walking along the trail - Not arriving through the underbrush. Kaitain's ears were pricked forward in interest, while Oil watched cautiously, as the woman smiled at the young runner, "Good afternoon, Victoria." She smiled, "You might be one of the few people on campus who do cross-country without a horse."

[Victoria Greco]

Tori grinned and shrugged, which turned into a circle when her shoulders protested the upward movement. "I like to keep myself conditioned as well as my horses." She replied as her eyes swept across the train and returned to the woman and her horses. "How was your weekend? Did Kaitain and Oil enjoy themselves?" After all, she wouldn't be a true cheerleader, is she didn't know everything that was happening on campus, and it hadn't been hard to miss the fact that the two horses at been A-WAL for the weekend.

[Ráhel Sárközi]

Ráhel nodded at that, "Very reasonable. And I'm sure it has its effect on your riding." More muscles, and stamina in general, were definitely helpful in most equestrian pursuits. For her own end, she had dropped running when she had lost her ride-and-tie partner. She should probably pick it up again, though. "My weekend went very well, thank you. They both seemed to enjoy themselves, yes, and did well. Oil and I placed in our division on Saturday, and Kaitain completed her first 50-miler yesterday." She was pleased with both of those results equally, "Did I miss anything exciting on campus?"

[Victoria Greco]

Tori nodded, though it was more to help her remain agile and flexible for cheerleading, though her running also worked well for the horse riding side of things, so it was a plus, plus all around.

She grinned for both of the horses as she listened. "That's fantastic! She said. "The next one will be easier for her." She often wondered if endurance horses, like humans running their first marathon, thought that they were never going to see the end... and she wondered if that were the same for the riders too.

She quickly shook her head at the question. "Things here have been positively boring." She said with a dramatic sigh. "Other than a few new people and horses arriving, nothing much has happened." That wasn't exactly a bad thing though.

[Ráhel Sárközi]

Ráhel smiled at the girl's enthusiasm, appreciating the celebration for her horses, "Yes, they are both wonderful. And yes, I think it will be easier for her. We train for that length, but doing it with other horses around - It does make a difference." She was disappointed that her ability to get out to rides would be lessening soon, though, with the school year starting. But that she couldn't change.

She nodded at the information about what had happened on campus - Or rather, what hadn't. "That's good, though." Kaitain started becoming restless, and while Ráhel reminded her to stay still, it was a good cue that she should start walking again, "It was nice coming across you, Victoria. I should keep walking these two out, it was a long drive back."

[Victoria Greco]

Tori nodded, as in any other discipline you trained your horse for the end result you wanted. She needed to look further into endurance riding. She was sure that it would be one thing her parents would veto, but there was no harm in doing a little research.

She blushed at the woman's next words. "Of course!" She said. "I need to head back and show anyway. Do you mind if I ask some questions later about endurance rising? She wanted to do some reading first and have proper questions rather than just asking for the sake of asking.

[Ráhel Sárközi]

Ráhel laughed, "Of course you may." She wondered briefly if she may have found someone to convert - She wouldn't completely be against lending out Oil to anyone interested in trying out endurance. But that was wishful thinking. A few questions didn't equate to an interest in spending fifty miles in the saddle, after all. "I shall see you around. You are always welcome to ask questions."

With that, and a smile, she took her leave, clucking to the horses and leading them further along the trail.