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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 17, 2008 9:15:11 GMT -5
Justin:
i walked onto the Cross Country course with Trill with me. i stopped Eagle Spirit, my wonderful can do anything horse, infront of the course. i waited for Trill to come, she was going to help me with learning how to do Cross Country. "ok Trill, what do i do?"
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Post by hotspot on Aug 17, 2008 17:48:04 GMT -5
Trillium: i looked around furtively, just in case my cousin was skulking around behind a tree. he wasn't so i let go of the annoying accent. "it's a time trial," i explained. "one at a time, riders go through this course, jumping logs, fences, shrubs, ditches, etcetera. the one with the fastest time wins." i looked towards the nearest corner of the course, which obscured the rest with a screen of quake aspens. "there are tight corners, unexpected faults in the ground, and sometimes wild squirrels." i should know- sometimes, i came out here to read in the peace and quiet. "you have to trust your horse to know where he's going, but also help him keep his wits about."
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 18, 2008 12:23:08 GMT -5
Justin:
"ok. so i should just take Eagle through it a few times so he can get a feel for the course." i said to Trill.
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Post by hotspot on Aug 18, 2008 14:14:20 GMT -5
Trillium: "right!" i nodded enthusiastically. "it's basically an oval in shape, but has dome curves where you wouldn't expect them. also, courses can be re-landscaped and changed multiple times so that nobody has an advantage."
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 18, 2008 18:33:11 GMT -5
Justin:
"ok." i said nudging Eagle Spirit into a trot and collected him for the first jump. we cleared the jump and we stopped. i let him examine the area and then gave him some rein. he jogged over to some areas and sniffed them, inspecting. i let him sniff and look at the next jump. once he relaxed i spun him around at jog. when we came to the first jump again, i stopped him and turned him around. i nudged him into a trot and we jumped the next fence. we did the same thing until the sharp turns came in. i had to collect him over the jumps and then while in the air i turned him so he could make the sharp turns. we did the samething until we came back to the beginning of the course. "he seems better ok with the course. now what do i do?"
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Post by hotspot on Aug 19, 2008 23:22:25 GMT -5
Trillium: "Pactice makes perfect! do some technique with him in an area or on a trail, so he's ready for anything, and then get your speed down." and this from a girl who had never ridden before last month! it just goes to show the power of reading! "for now, we should probably work on getting your times down- i'll be the timekeeper." i flourished a stopwatch from my ppocket. always be prepared. this way, i could also ride, but not have to jump- i wasn't quite ready for that.
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 20, 2008 12:51:07 GMT -5
Justin:
"ok. ready when you are." i said preparing Eagle for the start.
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Post by hotspot on Aug 21, 2008 12:41:24 GMT -5
Trillum: "one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to GO!" i hollered, pushing the top button on the stopwatch. i leaned back in my saddle, watching Justin gallop off and fly over a jump. maybe one day i would ride like that.
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 21, 2008 13:38:54 GMT -5
Justin:
Trill gave the 'go' and so i did. galloping off to the start and soaring over the jump. Eagle and i practically blended together and were one. the second jump came into sight and i collected him and prepared him for the jump we soared it again. while in the air, i tucked Eagle's head in and began to turn him. we landed perfectly and didnt collide(sp?) with the orange, out of bounds fence.
the last two jumps were in sight and they were big. the large hedge fence was prickly and had thorns. we cleared the first one but as soon as we hit the ground we had one stride to make it over the next and it was big. the hedge scrapped across Eagle's stomach. he grunted as we landed and then i slowed him to a trot, then a walk, and then a stop. "how did i do?" i asked Trill as i dismounted and checked Eagle over. i got to his underside of his stomach and he had got a scratch from the last jump. i looked up and over to the woods. i ran over and looked for a large fern leaf. i found one and then walked it over to Eagle he sniffed and dismissed it as 'ok'. i looped the fern leaf under his belly and then up to his back. i took my sweatshirt then my shirt and ripped a thin strip of the fabric off my shirt. i then tied the leaf around Eagle together and put my shirt and sweatshirt back on. i patted him on the neck and remounted.
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Post by hotspot on Aug 22, 2008 15:18:37 GMT -5
Trillium: i had trotted through the woods to the finish line, marking Justin's time as 5.47 minutes. "not bad!" i cheered. but Eagle was hurt! i galloped Rascal over to the poor overo- the first time i had ever surpassed a canter- and skidded to a stop. Justin was tying a fern around him with a strip of cloth. "Here's what we should do," i said, breathlessly, casting about me for a certain plant. finally, after blundering a ways into the woods, i found a bunch of white-topped yarrow. i jogged back to the horses, and compressed it to Eagle's wound. "it's not a very deep cut, so it'll stop bleeding very soon," i said, removing the fern bandage to let the yarrow do its work.
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 22, 2008 17:30:56 GMT -5
Justin:
"you really are a whiz at horses." i said to Trill, "how did you know that yarrow cured wounds and bleeding?"
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Post by hotspot on Aug 23, 2008 18:08:31 GMT -5
Trillium: i blushed crimson. "i read a lot." i said. "and i was a counscelor at a Botany Camp last summer, before i got the grand idea to get an alter ego and take up riding. we used yarrow for just about all the little kids' scrapes and cratches."
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 26, 2008 18:57:56 GMT -5
Justin:
"that is cool. see i dont read im more of a find out later then regret it, kinda person." i said to Trill. "how about i teach you some dressage when i do one more lap on the course?" i said.
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Post by hotspot on Aug 27, 2008 17:52:20 GMT -5
Trillium: Now that poor Eagle was okay, we could procedd with the fun-having. "sounds great!" i exclaimed. "Katie's already started working on the routine with me, and i really like it." she had even promised to, if i got the rest down, add in a dainty passage or piaffe at the end. "want to see it?" i hopped back up onto Rascal.
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Post by phantomstallion94 on Aug 28, 2008 11:49:26 GMT -5
Justin:
"of course i do!" i said to Trill. hopping on Eagle, and jogging over to the beginning of the course again. "i will do the course one more time then we will go to Sterlings and you can show me your routine." i said to Trill then urging Eagle in to a canter towards the first jump.
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