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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 11, 2011 5:43:56 GMT -5
Bree sat quietly, perched on top of her lesson horse, Cookie. She absolutely loved the tricoloured mare. Cookie chomped contentedly on the bit as they waited for their lesson to begin. It was Bree's first lesson at Green-Briar, and her stomach was in knots with anticipation. Her back was dead straight, her shoulders back, and her heels firmly down. Her stirrups were perfectly at the ball of Bree's feet, and her hands were facing upwards, closed firmly but gently around the reins, with her thumbs on top. She wanted to make a perfect first impression. Still, Bree couldn't resist sneaking one hand off the reins to stroke Cookie's sleek neck. The paint X draft mare sighed and swished her tail lazily. Bree almost smiled; it had been a long time since she'd had a proper lesson.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 24, 2011 8:09:57 GMT -5
Angela hurried over to the Jumping ring, knowing that she was late. "Hello, Bree," Angela said breathlessly. "Sorry I'm late, there was a bit of a problem with the printer in the office." She looked Bree and her horse over. "Bring your shoulders up a little, Bree, that a bit too far back."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 25, 2011 3:01:31 GMT -5
Bree nodded shyly, and brought her shoulders forward a bit, taking a deep breath to try and relax herself some more. She forced her muscles to loosen, and looked up at her new instructor timidly. Although horsey people were some of the few people Bree could actually talk to, she was still shy in front of everyone.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 25, 2011 12:41:30 GMT -5
"Alright, I want you to warm Cookie up, okay?" Angela smiled at her. "Don't worry, Bree, I don't bite."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 26, 2011 2:07:47 GMT -5
Bree nodded, then couldn't help a small laugh. She smiled and relaxed more. She squeezed the mare gently into a walk and directed her to the edge of the ring. She let her body and hands move with Cookie's walk, letting her stretch out her neck. She walked twice around the ring, and then crossed through the centre of the ring and changed rein. Letting Cookie step out, Bree took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled. She was happy to be back into lessons again!
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 26, 2011 9:02:49 GMT -5
"Alright, now pick up a rising trot," Angela said.
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 27, 2011 2:35:47 GMT -5
Bree nodded, closing her legs around Cookie's sides and asking the mare to trot. She rose in time with the mare's beat, making sure she didn't rise too high or not enough. She glanced down quickly at Cookie's outside shoulder, and noticed she was on the wrong diagonal. Sitting for two beats and rising again, Bree smiled. Cookie puled on the reins, and Bree gave her a half halt, keeping her steady. She looked into the middle of the ring at Angela, waiting for her next instruction.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 27, 2011 7:57:29 GMT -5
"Good, I see that you noticed you were on the wrong diagonal." Angela smiled at her. "I want you to go over that cavaletti set and that small oxer."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 28, 2011 3:25:54 GMT -5
Bree smiled and nodded. It felt good knowing that she was already getting right back into things. She kept Cookie trotting and gave her a gentle squeeze over the trotting poles. Cookie trotted smartly over them, not knocking one. Bree smiled and then turned her for the oxer, half-halting to stop the mare from rushing the jump. She stared at a point on the side of the fence that was past the oxer, and leaned into her two-point position as Cookie jumped, letting her hands reach forward over the mare's neck and give her her head. Trotting back around, Bree smiled and gave Cookie a rub on the neck. "Good girl," she said quietly.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 28, 2011 9:43:47 GMT -5
"Nice job, but try to keep your heels down when jumping, you tend to raise them up a little," Angela said, smiling at Bree. "Now, how high can you jump?"
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 28, 2011 18:42:21 GMT -5
Bree nodded again, pushing her heels right down as far as they could go. "Um, I've jumped 3 foot before," she said quietly, looking down at Cookie's mane. She forced herself to look back up to her instructor, and she smiled.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 28, 2011 19:49:38 GMT -5
"Alright," Angela muttered. She raise the oxer up a little higher. "Now, go over that 2'3."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 28, 2011 22:45:21 GMT -5
"Kay," Bree mumbled. Her shyness overcame her sometimes, but she was trying hard to force herself into trusting people. She nudged Cookie into a trot and then trotted her around, over the poles again and aimed her for the oxer. As Cookie bunched up and then soared over the jump, Bree made sure she had her heels right down. She smiled as Cookie went into a canter as they landed, and pulled her back gently. "Good girl," she smiled, bringing the paint mare back down into a walk.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 29, 2011 8:43:58 GMT -5
"Good, that looked very nice." Angela grabbed two of the poles the were laying near the wall and set them above the oxer. "Try going over that now."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 30, 2011 2:25:38 GMT -5
Smiling, Bree again circled Cookie and nudged her into a trot. She looked determinedly at the jump, and at the right time rose into her two-point position, reaching her hands up Cookie's neck and giving her a small squeeze as the mare jumped. Landing, Cookie threw in a tiny, excited buck. Bree laughed out loud and reined the mare back. "Silly girl!" she laughed, a broad grin on her face. Cookie had attitude, and Bree loved that about her beloved lesson horse.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 30, 2011 9:37:09 GMT -5
"Good, very good, Bree!" Angela said, clapping. She went over to the jump and changed it from an oxer to a plain jump. She set all four poles exactly one notch from each other. It was now around 3'4 "This is a little higher than three feet, but if Cookie can make, which I know she can, you can too, Bree."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on May 31, 2011 2:38:06 GMT -5
Bree swallowed hard, and nodded. "Okay," she said quietly. Nudging Cookie into a trot, she rode around to the jump and pushed the mare into a canter, aiming her for the middle of the jump. Bree tried to focus on pushing her heels down, and keeping her hands soft so she didn't pull on Cookie's mouth. "Come on, girl," she said to the mare quietly, cantering towards the jump. She felt Cookie's muscles bunch beneath her, and the mare sprang into the air. Bree let her hands slide down the mare's neck, but she didn't stop herself from snagging a small piece of Cookie's mane in her fingers for security. As Cookie landed, Bree straightened her position and then grinned, pulling Cookie back to a trot and then a walk. She turned back and looked at the jump they'd just cleared. It had seemed huge before they'd jumped it, but now Bree thought it didn't seem so large. She turned back around and smiled triumphantly to herself, leaning down to give Cookie a huge hug around the neck.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on May 31, 2011 9:30:44 GMT -5
"Good, Bree! Muy fantastico!" Angela said, smiling. She walked over and patted Cookie's neck, grinning at Bree. "I told you, that if your horse can do it, you can too. You're just the passenger, Bree, all you have to do is hold on and position yourself correctly. Have you ever watched the Equestrian part of the Summer Olympics? Some of those jumps are nearly six feet high! And those eventers are able to do it, because the horse can and their owner trusts them!"
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on Jun 1, 2011 1:42:52 GMT -5
Bree grinned, then smiled shyly as Angela came over to her and Cookie. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I wanna be in the Olympics one day," she said suddenly. She blushed as soon as she'd said it; she'd never told anyone that before. She looked down at Cookie's neck and stroked the mare's mane. "I trust you Cookie," she murmured quietly.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on Jun 1, 2011 9:51:05 GMT -5
"Well then, you're going to have to practice your jumping if you want to do that," Angela said. "and maybe dressage and cross country."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on Jun 3, 2011 2:48:38 GMT -5
Bree nodded. "I love dressage," she told Angela. Dressage was Bree's passion. She loved just losing herself in the horse's movements, focusing completely. She smiled, imagining her and Cookie moving fluidly through a dressage test. It would be like magic. She rubbed Cookie's neck and smiled, feeling the mare's warm hide under her hand.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on Jun 3, 2011 11:01:32 GMT -5
"Dressage, huh?" Angela murmured. "Alright, why don't you show me some dressage moves with Cookie?"
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on Jun 4, 2011 6:34:50 GMT -5
Bree looked up at Angela sharple. "Really?" she smiled, bursting into a grin. She smiled down at Cookie and a small laugh escaped her lips. Dressage was her element. She walked Cookie on, letting the mare step out in a lively walk. Snugging her reins, Bree made Cookie walk while on the bit, and lapped the ring a couple of times. "Good girl," Bree murmured to her. She looked up and nudged the mare into a trot, immediately chekcing to make sure she was on the correct diagonal. This time, she was, so Bree continued to trot, the tri-colour mare still on the bit. Bree snugged her inside rein and gently pressed her outside leg to Cookie's side, hoping the mare knew what she was asking. Cookie obediently started to trot slightly sideways, in a half-pass. Bree smiled, and once Cookie was nearly at the other side of the ring, she straightened her up and let her trot normally around the ring. Sitting in the saddle, Bree brought Cookie back to a walk, then halted her. She flexed her inside rein slightly, moving her inside leg behind the girth a tiny bit. Pressing gently, Bree kept her inside leg on the mare's side, and Cookie tossed her head, turning it to the outside. Bree gently pulled her head back to the inside and asked again, a bit harder. Cookie started to move her hindquarter's around, and Bree held the outside rein firm to make sure she didn't walk forward. Cookie swung her hindquarter's all the way around in a successful turn on the forehand. Bree grinned and released all the pressure on the mare, giving her a rub on the neck. "Good girl Cookie!" she smiled happily.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on Jun 4, 2011 18:27:48 GMT -5
"That was excellent, Bree! Very nice!" Angela said, clapping. She walked over to the pair and smiled up at her. "Now, how about raising that jump a little bit, then get back to dressage? How does that sound to you?"
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on Jun 4, 2011 19:12:59 GMT -5
Bree smiled shyly. "Thanks," she said quietly. She loved doing dressage, and she was super thankful that Cookie was trained to do it. She nodded enthusiastically to Angela. "Sounds good," she said, becoming more confident by the second. She stroked Cookie's neck, a smile on her face.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on Jun 4, 2011 20:34:13 GMT -5
"Alright, so how about 3'10 jump? Think you can make it, Bree?" Angela said, smiling at Bree. She knew that Cookie could obviously make it, the mare was definitely tall enough, and she knew that if Bree had confidence, she could make it too. "It's not as high as you think, promise."
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on Jun 5, 2011 22:15:22 GMT -5
Bree's breath caught as Angela suggested a 3'10 jump. "Um, I-I guess so," she said a little nervously. She felt Cookie tense slightly underneath her with her change in attitude. Bree took a deep breath and then nodded. "I can do it," she said quietly. "I think anyway.."
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on Jun 6, 2011 18:45:51 GMT -5
"Come on, Bree, if Cookie can do it, you can, too," Angela said, winking at her. A thought occurred to her, and she smiled brightly. She'd tell Bree after the lesson.
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Post by Peanut Loves EVERYONE!! on Jun 7, 2011 2:43:16 GMT -5
Bree nodded. "Okay," she said, giving a shy smile. She giggled when Angela winked at her. She noticed her instructor's huge smile, and wondered what it was about. "I can do it," she said with a little smile.
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Post by Trophyhorse misses kmsnead on Jun 7, 2011 10:02:57 GMT -5
"Go ahead then, Bree," Angela said.
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