First day in the jumping arena

[Mariella ♥]

Mariella walked out to the jumping arena. It was a wonderfully sunny day, warm and bright, perfect for jumping outside. She led her large dappled gelding, Rizzo by his braided reins, her gloves dangling from her other hand.

Reaching the arena, she tightened his girth and checked her stirrups, putting them up a hole. Nimbly, she hopped astride Rizzo, adjusting her breeches once on. She gently squeezed his barrel with her calves and he started off at a brisk walk.

Soon she was trotting, his lofty gaits like heaven. He went around steady as Mariella stretched him out and got ready for jumping. She liked the heights of the jumps, which varied. Perfect for the first day out on the jumping arena. A couple were set at about 2', two at about 3' and the largest being about 3'6" or 3'9". Everything was perfect.

[||Delanie Arleton||]

Six long legs, two human and four horse, covered the school grounds as Laney led her horse, Apollo, down to the jumping arena. They really needed to get in some quality work time, as they had been slacking the past couple of days. Laney had her work breeches and tall boots on, all expensive of course, and Apollo was decked out in all the latest jumping gear. They were quite a sight to see. Laney was super skinny and all legs, a look of detirmination on her face. Apollo was a huge black stallion, intimidating just to look at.

Laney rolled her eyes when she saw someone already in the arena. She had hoped that she could get some real work done, oh well, this would give her some show off time instead. A proud look made its home on Laney's face as she took up her reins in one hand and mounted the giant. After a moment, she realized that she had seen the girl in the arena before. They had passed each other in the hall in their dorm room, and Laney had bumped her shoulder pretty hard. She hoped that it still hurt. The pair entered the arena, Laney letting Apollo walk on a loose rein.

OOC: sorry pretty stupid.

[Tiger]

Liz lead the lumbering giant behind her. She couldn't wait to be back in the saddle again. So, she had told herself she would give him time to get adjusted. But they both knew they couldn't wait. The dark bay stallion followed obidiantly behind his rider. That was deffinitly a first. It just showed how much he wanted to be ridden. As the pair neared the ring Liz saw that there were two girls already there.

She looked at her stallion and opened her mouth, "Be nice," she said. He had a reputation for being a mean old jerk. Liz lead the horse into the ring and mounted. Once she was on she realized she had forgotten to buckle her helmet. Of course Gladiator chose that moment to buck and her helmet almost flew off her head. Thankfully it didn't and she was able to buckle it.

Liz egged Gladiator into a walk almost fogetting about the other girls. Okay, so forgetting about the other girls. She was just so excited to be back in the saddle. She rubbed Gladiator's neck and after a couple circuits of the ring the pair picked up a trot. It was a nice well paced trot. Fast, but controlled. The stallion had a steady pace.

[Mariella ♥]

Mariella was glad to see some other people coming to ride with her. The first girl she recognized as the girl she passed in the hall, who had so rudely slammed into her shoulder. It still faintly ached, and suddenly, she didn't seem too keen on meeting her for real. If she was a [insert your choice of rude word here] just passing in the halls... what could she be like for real? She could only guess.

The second girl, followed by a gorgeous dark bay, Mariella hadn't ever seen. The stallion seemed a handful, and the rider rode him well. Mariella had to worry a bit when the stallion bucked, but fortunately for her, the rider seemed to be in enough control to ride it out. That was one less thing she had to worry about... amatures on a hot horse.

Rizzo was soon ready for some real work. He seemed excited to be outside, his ears perked up, gazing contentedly at the landscapes. He felt genuinely relaxed as Mariella asked him to canter. With the gentile wind rushing under her helmet, she soon forgot about the painful ache in the pit of her stomach when she thought about home. The smooth leather of the close contact seat on her saddle was comforting, she had so longed for a niced day when she could work on their jumping outside again.
------------------------------------------
ooc: meh... don't worry bout it Xez... lol. Mine's just the same!

[||Delanie Arleton||]

A stuck up expression settled on Laney's face. She didn't care to make friends with these girls. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here to win. Picking up the reins, Apollo's neck arched in, showing off his huge muscles. Laney sneered a tiny bit as she picked their pace up to a trot. Her long torso made it simple to sit tall and post with ease. Plus, Apollo's smooth gait wasn't making it any more difficult.

As they went around the ring, Laney noticed that she had forgotten her helmet back up at her dorm. Without a second though, she shrugged it off. She had rode helmetless before, anyway, she wouldn't fall off.

Before long, Laney and Apollo were cantering around the arena. Although Laney was sure not to run into anyone else, she did tend to hog the rail to herself.

[Mariella ♥]

Mariella sighed watching the tall girl on her large black horse. Another one of the stuck up types. Not to worry, she was sure that she'd make friends around this place sometime.

Rizzo effortlessly cantered around the arena, Mariella flexing her calves and stretching her heels deep down without locking her hips up. She drifted into two point, mentally getting ready for some warm up jumps. Spotting a small, two foot fence, she easily guided Rizzo to it. He jumped it a little big, but nothing she couldn't handle.

Mariella reached down and scratched him on his withers, it felt so good to be jumping again. Finding a couple more jumps, she started practicing some gymnastic movements her old trainer used to do with her. Wrong thing to do. A lump formed in her throat as she thought about Karaline. She swallowed it and focused on Rizzo. He needed her just as much as she needed him right now. The homesickness was just too much right now.

After about ten minutes of good work, she slowed back to a walk. Rizzo was a little hot, but he hadn't been doing strenuous work other than adjusting his striding between the fences. Whatever. Time to move on to the larger fences after his break, she thought, watching the other two riders work seamlessly with their horses, never getting close enough to cause a near collision.

[Tiger]

Liz watched the other two riders ride with ease. They obviously weren't worried about staying mounted. "Why can't you be more like that?" she asked jokingly to her stallion. He just snorted and through another buck. "Oh, now you get to wait another lap before we canter," the stallion snorted again but continued to trot, he obviously understood what Liz had said.

After another circuit of trotting Liz sat in the saddle. She didn't even have a chance to signal that they were off at a canter. Normally she would have stopped him but she hesitated. She didn't really want to put on a show infront of the other girls. Gladiator would not be happy. BUt his training was more important. So she slowed him back to a trot. Waiting to the next corner she kept a tight reign. Reaching the corner she sygnaled and they were off at a canter.

Gladiator took the right lead perfectly almost everytime. The pair were off. After cantering a lap she brought him into to do a twenty meter circle. It ended up more of a thirty foot oval, but it was closer then usual. Spotting a rather small verticle at one and a half feet she directed Gladiator towards it. the stallions strides were strong and he took the jump effortlesly. If anything it was an over jump. He took it at say, two and a half feet. Shorter then normal.