|
|
Post by Jenna Rowe on Mar 24, 2008 22:47:55 GMT -5
Tiger danced at the end of his reins as Jenna led him into through the gate and into the outdoor arena. Good, Jenna thought, maybe he'll get some of this spunk out before the trainer gets here. She wanted to make a good impression for her first lesson. She loved that the stallion had energy and spunk like her horse back home, but wished he would settle down a bit today.
Jenna glanced around again and saw no sign of the trainer, Kayden. Not that she would recognize him if she did see him. Deciding to walk Tiger around while she waited, Jenna checked her girth, tightening it two notches, and walked over to the mounting block, horse in tow. She put her helmet on, tucking her brown locks under it and fastening it under her chin. Ready boy? she asked. She flipped the reins over the Andalusion's glistening black head and slid into the saddle. After situating herself and letting her stirrups down a bit, Jenna squeezed Tiger lightly around the belly. The stallion jumped into a trot and Jenna circled him a couple times until he settled back into a walk along the rail. Good boy, she said, patting his muscular neck.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kayden Tristani on Mar 25, 2008 17:27:21 GMT -5
Kayden knew he had a lesson, but he had to multi task, and with this in mind he exited the barn with a sixteen hand dark bay mare in tow. Kayden had already sent a message to the rider he had in mind for her, and he expected the boy to show up later, hopefully his student wouldn't mind the audience. The mare raised her elegant head and whinnied, announcing her presence to the world outside the barn doors. Kayden shook his head and patted her neck before swinging into the deep seat dressage saddle. This was definitely a mare with a lot of spunk, but he needed to know what kind of potential she held. He knew she had competed at a high enough level, but Kayden had one of his students – Blake Williams – a pretty good rider in mind for her assigned rider. She immediately skittered across the pavement and instead of tightening the reins he simply pressed lightly with his heels, urging her into the spacious outdoor arena. He knew the girl on the large black andalusian had to be his student, so with a soft noise he urged the horse to a halt. ”I’m Kayden. You claimed that you had some experience with horses, so I figured I’d be safe without being on the ground. So, you rode Saddlebreds, I have no idea what that means – do you have any experience in Dressage? That is what you wanted me to work on with you, correct?” Ally through her head up, eyeing the black stallion with a nasty look, causing Kayden to push her back to the walk and begin a large circle around the other horse and rider pair.
Ally had been schooled at a relatively high level in dressage and shown up to third level but according to her past owners she was too difficult to do much with in the jumping arena, and unless you had a hell of a lot of experience with a double bridle, she would be near impossible past lead changes in dressage. Kayden had put the mare into a double bridle today, and so far the dark bay mare hadn’t had any issues, so hopefully her past riders were just idiots – if so he had gotten the school quite a steal, for even if she wasn’t much of a jumper, she had a decent dressage record and could probably teach any intermediate dressage rider a thing or two. A lot of dressage riders made mistakes in their hands, thinking that bringing a horse into frame was about using your hands – a horse that had been trained correctly, as he guessed Ally had been, would not tolerate too much movement in their mouth.
|
|
|
|
Post by blake williams on Mar 25, 2008 17:49:32 GMT -5
Suprisingly, he got a message from the one person he hadn't been expecting - Kayden. Don't get him wrong, he liked Kayden and all, but he just didn't expect it. The horse in mind had arrived. Walking towards his car, he flipped his lanyard in his hand, he hoped this mare would be good. He got in the car, started it, and off he was to the barn.
At the barn, he wasn't sure, indoor or outdoor? So, he listened and heard voices at the outdoor. Calmly, he began to stroll over to the outdoor ring, his eyes quickly glancing, and locating Kayden with a bay mare. She looked appealling, and had some spunk. He put a hand up in a wave and walked towards the fence, leaning against it in a relaxed position. Eyes looked away to the girl on the horse, so, it was probably a lesson. Well, people shouldn't mind an audience. Hand reached up and moved his hat around a little to better block the sun, his attention focusing on the bay mare. |
|
|
|
Post by Jenna Rowe on Mar 25, 2008 18:08:41 GMT -5
Jenna spotted a rider on a tall bay horse as she let Tiger walk with a loose rain. The rider was making his way into the outdoor arena. The trainer? Probably. Giving Tiger a slight squeeze of the leg, Jenna pushed him into a trot and rode over. She halted a safe distance from the other horse, unsure of how the two would react to one another. The other rider introduced himself as Kayden. Yep, the trainer. I'm Jenna. Its nice to meet you, the girl said with a polite smile. So, you rode Saddlebreds, I have no idea what that means, Kayden said. Neither did I until I wound up at a Saddlebred barn, Jenna laughed goodnaturedly.Yes, dressage. Well, I've only done some general english riding, but Tiger is supposed to be a Dressage horse so I figured I mightt as well learn. So, to answer your question, no, I have no Dressage experience.
Kayden and his mount began to walk in a cirlce around her. Glancing around, Jenna noticed that she had an audience; someone who she had yet to see around CA. She had been in the show ring for years and did not mind, though she knew that she was rusty in the english riding area. She turned her attention back to Kayden.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kayden Tristani on Mar 25, 2008 19:00:14 GMT -5
Kayden turned his head as he saw Blake approach and lifted a hand in a greeting. Turningback to his student he looked at the horse. "Well a stallion for your first dressage horse probably isn't the best idea. But let me see a warm up. I need to know where you are before we start actual lessons." With this he urged Ally forward, taking a slight inside track as to work where the other horse rider pair could move around them. Ally immediately accepted the bridle rein, which Kayden kept at a length just so the mare could feel light pressure - the snaffle rein hung loose tucked under Kayden's pinky.
He kept the mare at a walk on a twenty meter circle, bending her both ways and playing softly with his hands in a combing motion to get the mare to drag her nose along the ground.
[/size][/color] |
|
|
|
Post by Jenna Rowe on Mar 25, 2008 19:13:51 GMT -5
Jenna understood what Kayden was saying about a stallion maybe not being the best choice, but she loved Tiger already even though she had only been riding him for a little while. She decided not to worry about it and to just wait and see what happened. Alright, she said as Kayden instructed her to warm up her mount.
She took up her reins and using a slight pressure on Tiger's right rein and pressure with her leg, she turned him towards the rail. Giving him his head, Jenna let him walk freely along the rail and around in a 20m circle. The pair continued to the other side of the arena and did a circle in the other direction. Jenna then shortened her reins and urged Tiger into a trot. His stride was naturally long since he was such a big horse and he covered ground quickly. He leaned on the bit, asking for more speed, but she kept him in check along the rail and then through a figure eight. At the X point on her figure eight, she changed her diagonal and brought the horse into a collected trot, trying to get him to focus more on her rather then gaining speed. When he seemed to be more focused, Jenna sat deep in the saddle and brought him to a halt, waiting for Kayden.
|
|
|
|
Post by blake williams on Mar 27, 2008 15:29:54 GMT -5
Curious attention had him shifting between the two equines. He knew the mare was the prospect, but he couldn't help looking at the stallion, he was a good piece of horse. The mare though, she looked like she had a lot of potential, and some already exposed in just her walking. She was responsive, so far good-natured, but he was surprised to see the double-bridle. He hadn't used one of those in forever. Oh well, he needed to know how. He wasn't sure how long he should stay, or was expected to stay. But, he'd wait and see what Kayden was going to do with the mare. |
|
|
|
Post by Kayden Tristani on Mar 28, 2008 11:43:22 GMT -5
Kayden kept a flippant eye on the girl and stallion all the while keeping Ally moving at a walk, her back muscles lengthening nicely beneath his County dressage saddle. The girl worked straight through the trot nice enough, but instead of correcting the horse by circling and moving him into a light bend around her inside leg, she simply applied pressure to the reins. "Try a canter?" To him a canter was included in the warmup, some trainers were different. While he waited for her to start working Kayden clucked softly and Ally moved imminently into a springy and long strided trot.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jenna Rowe on Mar 28, 2008 15:01:02 GMT -5
Yeah, Jenna replied, realizing that Kayden had expected her to canter in her warm up. She watched his horse move into a trot, though she had not seen him make any gesture that she should do so. Sound maybe? She turned Tiger back onto the rail and picked up an quick trot. The horse tensed under her, his hindlegs ready spring into action at the slightest urging from his rider. "Now?" he asked. "Not yet," she answered without words. Before he could ask again, a squeeze from Jenna's calves launched him into action. The long strides that came with the size of the horse carried them swiftly for a lap around the arena, Jenna griping the saddle with her knees and trying to sit deep in it. Next, the pair turned around and continued in a counterclockwise direction, leaping into the canter from a walk this time. "Faster?" Tiger asked. "No," the girl replied, tightening her reins just a bit and keeping him on the rail with pressure from her left leg. Keeping contact with his mouth, she pushed him into the bit and he slowed and collected his strides. After a lap in that direction, she brought him back down to a walk.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kayden Tristani on Mar 28, 2008 22:38:02 GMT -5
Kayden kept a well trained eye on the Andalusian stallion and his rider while moving the mare he was riding through a simple warm up. Serpentines and circles were frequent, as were his walk to trot, trot to walk transitions. Transitions and all other aids were completely unnoticeable, as the mare, trained so well in dressage, seemed to be listening greatly. The only time Ally seemed to abandon her complete focus on her rider was when she came near to the large stallion – then her ears pressed back and Kayden had to subtly remind her to move onward. Watching Jenna bring the stallion to a walk he took the chance to urge Ally into a canter and do a single trip around the arena, return to x, transition to the walk within a single stride, one walk stride and back to the canter within a stride. Her transitions were flawless – of course, the fact that Kayden knew what he was doing had a lot to do with it, but she was definitely was a mare that could teach someone a thing or two in dressage. After his trip around the arena on the other lead he brought the mare to a halt and looked to Jenna. ”Alright, you guys need some work, but we’ll see. I wanna see you take a trot, posting or sitting – your choice, and get on a twenty meter circle. On this circle move you’re inside leg a tad bit back and try to make him bend more around the circle. Do this in both directions.”
|
|
|
|
Post by blake williams on Mar 31, 2008 17:56:16 GMT -5
The mare on the flat looked phenomenal. The aids from Kayden were basically invisible, but Blake knew he was asking the mare for him. No longer did his eyes travel between the two, as long as the mare was moving, her was watching her. Every movement appeared so effortless and easy. This mare could definitely help him in his dressage. Yet, what he wanted to see as well was her jumping. He knew he and the mare could far, if they got a long, but the mare had spirit, and was an easy mover. He enjoyed horses like that most. He couldn't wait for the chance to her on her. Attention trailed to the actual lesson takers, she looked okay, but he couldn't help comparing the Andy stallion to the bay mare. |
|
|
|
Post by Kayden Tristani on Mar 31, 2008 18:05:59 GMT -5
Kayden halted the mare and removed his dressage saddle, swapping it for the beaten up jumping saddle that had been sitting slung over the rail. Once the saddle swap was done, he removed the double bridle, replacing it with a single rein bridle with a drop flash noseband. Her legs were already wrapped in white polo wraps, and he easily swung back into the saddle with a jumping crop instead of the previous dressage whip. Jenna hadn’t begun her next movement and he looked over before turning to Blake. “Wanna set up a 2’3 foot rail, one stride 2’9 rail, both verticles?”
|
|
