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Post by Damian Lancing on Apr 13, 2011 19:23:01 GMT -6
“Don’t be sorry, just fix it,” Damian responded when Sami apologized for her posture. That was something students heard from him often. Sure, he did like when students would say that the spot they got on a jump was their own fault and the like but there was no real point in sitting there telling him they were sorry. It was their scholarships, ribbons and schooling that were on the line. Of course, a small hunch back was not going to get someone expelled from Rowanoak but good luck in any NCAA show. He understood riders also came to him who had never ridden equitation before as well, which made it even harder, but he had been in their shoes ten years ago. He came in having ridden nothing but jumpers and, needless to say, his equitation was horrible when he got to school so he did understand. And breaking a habit was never easy. This is why he sometimes preferred to get newer riders in instead of ones like Samantha ho had been riding their whole lives. No bad habit he had to try to break. It just seemed easier to fix a horse’s bad habit than it was a human. Then again, you could use a whip with a horse, never by means to hurt them, of course, but even if it were the same using any sort of whip with humans didn’t sound like it would get the best press.
Damian made sure to listen closely as the two riders standing by him answered his questions and nodded at each answer so they would know he was listening, even if his eyes would wander back to Sami. “Both sound like good choices for you two,” he said with a smile. Ah, students who actually knew how to pick out a lease. Hugo was certainly one of his favorites in the barn, but he had worked with the horse personally for some time with the whole shadows bit and he was a jumper, of course. Ruby, though he hadn’t worked with her too much one on one, was just an amazing horse with a lot of try and, damn, was that mare pretty over a jump, and on the flat, of course. And her coloring was so eye-catching a good rider could do wonders with her in the show ring, though a bad rider would end up having a hell of a time because they would constantly be catching the judge’s eye. Either way, a very good horse, one of the one’s Damian wished he had met just one day before he had hurt his leg.
“It would probably be better for you if you would choose sooner rather than later,” he recommended, looking towards Sara. “Maybe eventing even? We just got a new trainer, someone I went to school with, who’s known to be really good,” he shrugged his shoulder, “totally your choice, though.” He made sure to add that onto the end. Though he would suggest she figure out what she wanted to do discipline-wise now so she wouldn’t have to switch later into her Rowanoak career, she could remain undecided if she would like, though it would probably bite her in the ass in the long run. Jack of all trades and the master of none and this school was for making those masters, simply put. He hoped she would look into eventing. Donna was still for lease and that mare was a waste when she wasn’t going into competitions and he was about to pull Squire’s current leaser off him because she was rarely showing up to ride the gelding in the first place so that was also a waste, though Donna would, of course, be better for a newer eventer.
“Cut across the arena, Sara,” Damian called out as he checked over his shoulder to check for Samantha to make sure she wasn’t there. “Make sure not to follow, find your own spot on the rail,” he explained. In the show ring following, especially closely, could be really bad, especially if you happened to be on a horse that would do whatever the horse in front of it would do or if the horse in front was a slower mover or slower to process commands. Then you would have to wait for that horse to canter before you could canter and that could be taken as an inability to get the horse to canter and there were so many problems that could follow. Damian found it better to just find your own spot and avoid all those problems. “Ask Squire to reach under himself a little more… keep your posture, though, contact on the reins and watch in front of you, Squire would let you know if there was something you needed to look at,” Colin kind of put himself in a bad spot for choosing Squire today. The horse Damian knew best in the stable, the only one he actually had a chance to ride and has since trained from the ground so extensively he knew the gelding almost better than any rider could.
After a short while of watching them and getting a couple other riders up into the saddle after the basic questions he glanced back up and raised his voice again. “You can trot, careful on Squire and make sure Molten’s awake before you ask her,” he said, doubting Handsome would have any issue with it. Once they were all up into a trot he turned to look at the all. “All of you ease your posting a little more, make sure you’re not slamming on the horse’s back at all, Handsome particularly has a bouncy trot, he’ll spring you up on his own so don’t force it, and watch your heels,” he said, pushing hair away from his forehead. “Don’t get to forward, Sami,” he said as she moved right by him as well. “And slow Squire, he doesn’t have to race… don’t let him fight your hands like that, seesaw a bit, ask for his head, remember, he’s an eventer, he knows what a frame is,” Damian bit his lip a bit. This was why he wasn’t a huge fan of huge lessons like this and all the practices. Way too much talking and he remembered it being almost hard to ride listening to instructions given to all the other riders as well as yourself and it got to the point of just being overwhelming, but it was still good for show riders, and the horses.
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Post by Jodi Raventhaw on Apr 13, 2011 20:29:03 GMT -6
Jodi had been up early this morning, but she had always been an early riser. Up before the sun. She liked the feel of the soft velvety darkness that the morning dusk held. The promise of a whole day ahead of her. Besides, today was the day that Fay moved into Ridgefield. The gelding was bound to be full of energy after a long move from New York. She frowned as she massaged the steering wheel of her little Volkswagen. She hoped he wasn't too much of a pain to get settled, since he had been cooped up for so long back at home. She pressed down on the gas a bit harder, wanting to get to the barn before he got too antsy. Turning into the driveway, she was relived to see that hardly anyone was there and no one had tried to take him out of his trailer. Rolling her window down, she let her hair blow in the cool morning air. It was damp today, a nice feeling on her skin. She was always so comfortable in this weather. It was the perfect time to ride. But today did not have that in store for her. Today she needed to long line Fay and get him all settled in.
Picking a spot far enough away from the big white trailer, she heard her gelding nicker and plant a resounding kick on the aluminum side. She made a low hushing noise as she opened the side door to see the bay's big head in all it's fluffy shipping outfit. His nostrils were flared wide and the whites showed around his eyes. Man, he was going to be a handful today. Clipping the shank to his halter, Jodi patted him on the flat part of his cheek only to have her hand flung off quickly in Fay's enthusiasm. He did a little dance as she walked around the back to meet the trailer driver, a friend who lived in Pennsylvania. She was lucky he was willing to drive all the way for her, out of a favor for training his daughter a couple times. They had a bit of conversation, a hug, and Jodi started to unbolt the back of the trailer. Her friend went around the side and unclipped Fay's crossties from his halter. Immediately the gelding started to back out cautiously. Jodi stood to one side, ready to grab the seventeen hand monster's shank. "Faaaay, slow Fay..." She talked to him in a low voice as he backed out. Ducking under his head as he took the last steps, she grabbed his lead and put a hand on his shoulder. A forceful whinny erupted from his throat and he stood snorting for a bit. Quickly realizing it was too early to find any company, he turned his attention toward Jodi and butted her with his head. She laughed, pushing his away gently. "None of this now, you lug. Let me show you around a bit..." She walked him through the lot to the barn. The gelding danced primly at the end of his lead, his shipping boots and halter standing out brilliantly blue in the dusky morning.
By the middle of the day Jodi had already gave Fay a bit of a run in a round pen, gave him a thorough grooming and had made a trip out for lunch. By the time she had gotten back, she felt a little more relaxed and decided to see what everyone was up to. Wandering toward the area, she saw a lesson going on an decided to hang around and see what kind of prospects Damian had up his sleeve. Two girls and boy, possibly first years by the look of them, were engaged in conversation and riding a couple of the school horses. She quietly wandered up to the fence and leaned on it, watching the student intensely. The girl on the chestnut had a nice seat, though she wasn't using her leg to her full potential. A frown wrinkled Jodi's graceful brow and she put a hand up to shade her eyes from the midday sun.
Listening to Damian absently, she smiled, a big toothed grin. "Oh yea, who is this new eventing trainer? Where did you hear that about her?" Her voice was laughing, a bit of a northern New York accent lengthening her vowels. She was glad to hear that word had traveled, though she knew Damian was the one who had some say in her employment here. She kept her mouth shut after that, not wanting to break Damian's concentration on his students and not wanting to butt into his lesson. She would have hated if someone did that to her. So she leaned on the fence and concentrated on the girl he had been talking to about eventing. She wondered what she was like off of a horse. Did she have that drive? Was she competitive? Eventing was a tough sport. Lord knows Jodi had broken more than a handful of bones over the years, though of them were contributed to Fay's pig-headedness. She grimaced as the chestnut paint seemed to pull his rider forward, obviously getting a little forward. She bit her lip, nodding as Damian caught the fault.
ooc; from; Jodi to; Everyone words; 877
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Post by Colin Greene on Apr 20, 2011 22:01:39 GMT -6
Colin sat deep in the saddle, and looked forward. He was unsure he had the gelding’s attention. The rider had seemed to shut the rest of the people off, trying to concentrate on the horse beneath him. Once in a while, he would tune in just to see what Mr. Lancing was saying and if it was relevant to him. He heard him call out to Sara; telling her to cut across the arena and to make sure not to follow. Damian wanted her to find her own spot on the rail.
”Ask Squire to reach under himself a little more, keep your posture though. Contact on the reins and watch in front of you, Squire would let you know if there was something you needed to look at.”
These words were directed to Colin. He shortened the reins until he could feel that there was contact on the horse’s mouth. His eyes glanced towards where Damian was, and then looked back to where he was supposed to; which was right in front of him. For a little while, Colin had been thinking that the trainer talked a bit too much. But then again it made sense. He was looking out for anything that wasn’t correct; he was there to teach and to give feedback. Everyone who was sitting up on a horse was silent, as if they were all in their very own little world.
After walking a few times more around the arena, Damian had said the students could trot. With his heels down, he applied some pressure to the sides of the horse. Squire seemed to have no problem with that. He picked up the trot quite nicely; but he was going too fast. Colin wondered if this painted horse was always this forward.
”Slow Squire, he doesn’t have to race.” Said the instructor. ”Don’t let him fight your hands like that, seesaw a bit ask for his head. Remember, he’s an eventer; he knows what a frame is.” The voice seemed to echo in his head.
Colin did exactly what he was told to do; he first slowed Squire down into a working trot. He shortened the reins once more, feeling for that much wanted contact. Another voice had caught his attention, this time it was a woman. Another one of the trainers, perhaps?
ooc: sorry for such a weak post...
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Post by Damian Lancing on May 1, 2011 10:51:43 GMT -6
“Keep a bend in your elbows Colin… actually, all of you. Colin, massage the reins a bit, make him remember you’re on him, he’s looking at me,” he said, watching his gelding move. Though he personally loved the gelding and the training he had given him it could be annoying from time to time. If a rider could ride it was no problem but Squire was, in fact, a team horse, more or less. He was ridden by so many students and it was always easy to tell the ones who could actually ride the horse and the ones who needed some work in certain areas. Colin wasn’t doing too badly. Squire’s mind was wandering a little and was a little racey but it wasn’t all that bad. The other riders were doing quite well as well. He tried not to talk too much but the NCAA was all about equitation and so many riders came to him and, while they could go into a jumper ring and win every time, their equitation was so bad he squirmed as he stood there watching the ride. Not like he really had anything to say to that. He was a show jumper himself. By the time he hurt his leg his equitation had been so insanely horrible.
“Watch your legs Sami, they’re creeping forward,” he said before twisting to see Sara on Handsome. “Slow Handsome down too,” he said, with his head tilted to the side a bit. He really was not a huge fan of a pure Arabian’s gait. He always wanted the horse to read under themselves more but it wasn’t always in their confirmation. Handsome, however, was such a good horse that none of that mattered. Sure, he could have his moments but he tried so hard and was always great in a show, considered to be an amazing draw and many would win on him. Damian’s favorite type of horse wasn’t a breed or a discipline but that simply work ethic. He loved horses like Squire or Handsome, animals that just tired their hearts out to give you exactly what you wanted and would save your butt if you got into a tight spot. “Leg Sami,” he reminded again, “and keep your thumbs up, your puppy pawing a little bit, you do Sara,” he said before hearing Jodi and glancing over with a smirk on his lips.
“And Jodi, get your butt over here,” he said, not looking at her and instead watching his students. When the woman came over to him he wrapped an arm around her in a one-armed hug. He hadn’t seen her in several years and they had been fairly close while in school here. “Hey,” he said as he removed his arm from around her shoulders and smiled towards her, glancing around at his students once again. “Change direction guys,” he said, watching as each of them changed direction in their own way and as they switched their diagonal. “Careful not to pound on his back when you change diagonal, Sara… in fact, sitting trot everyone, slow Squire quite a bit for it,” he said before turning back to Jodi. “Sorry, I’m working,” he said, jokingly. Of course he was working, that much was obvious, and Jodi would understand why his attention would have to be divided if she came to talk to him now.
“So, what have you been up to since school?” he asked. So much could happen in five years. He took nasty fall and could no longer ride which followed by him becoming an alcoholic, well, letting his alcoholism control his life, and losing the woman he loved because she left him. Yeah… Jodi wasn’t going to get that story… but then again, most people didn’t. Sure, many people knew he took a fall and couldn’t ride any longer, it was pretty big news in the horse world at the time, but the rumors around the internet on where he had gone for over two years were so random and different that he didn’t worry about people knowing or not knowing what he had been up to. His favorite was going to Africa and teaching the underprivileged children there how to ride horses. Yeah, that was great, let’s picture the alcoholic as a savior for African children… if it worked he supposed he was going to let it go.
“Watch your heels, all of you, and keep asking for a frame, I know it’s hard at a sitting trot,” he said, glancing over at all three of them. “Slow Squire even more… Handsome could use it too,” he said, still having his ears open to what Jodi would say but watching the students. He hated trainers who would talk on the phone or to other people during a lesson. In fact, it made him so mad he had actually walked out on a few lessons back in the day. It was a waste of his time and energy to ride around when no one was watching him, and money, of course. He refused to let his students waste their money, or their parent’s money, on this schooling when their coach hardly paid attention when they rode.
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Sara Lyena
Rowanoak Student
[A:0]
Never give up, never give in[Mo0:13]
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Post by Sara Lyena on May 1, 2011 12:19:58 GMT -6
Sara nodded and made the adjustments as Damian called them out, thinking about what he had said. Eventing seemed like a good idea, to her. She already new the basics of the three disciplines, and she could learn more from here. She looked at the trainer, making sure to keep an eye on where Handsome was going at the same time, "I would like to do that, actually. It sounds like my kind of thing. May I ask who the new trainer is?" That would be interesting, why not look into it.
Returning her full attention to the path ahead of her, she patted Handsome's neck and sat, stilling her posting while still trying to keep him moving forward in the same gait. With a slight twitch of the reins she checked his speed just a little bit.
She noticed a new rider out of the corner of her eye, but didn't really see the person, but the stunning dark bay she was riding deserved a second look. Sara had always liked the darker horses, and this one's coat shone, literally shone, in the dim lighting.
As Handsome shook his head and sneezed, Sara pulled her attention from the horse and rider and focused instead on her lesson again. She straightened her shoulders, sat back, and made sure tat her hands were in the proper position again. Always when something else puled her attention away, she felt herself slumping again. She had to keep focused, or else this would be a bad first impression. Impressions were very important, especially today.
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Post by Jodi Raventhaw on May 6, 2011 19:24:30 GMT -6
She smiled warmly at Damian as he glanced her way, happy to be back at the school that had literally built her. Her mornings were happy again, her days filled with running around and teaching! How could she ever have guessed after all that had happened in the last couple years, that she would even feel this way again! She felt ecstatic, but at the same time, a shadow hoovered over it all. Kevin would have loved to see her like this. She almost frowned to think about him, it almost made her want to crawl back under her covers with Sleuth and Trigger and hide away, but Kevin would have wanted her to be happy so she smiled. Turning her attention back to Damian and the riders, her hands automatically reached up to sweep her hair up and back. She yanked the ever present ponytail holder off of her wrist and tightly wrapped it around the layers. Slipping closer into the ring, Jodi rubbed her hands on her legs. She didn't want to interrupt Damian's lesson and would try to be a minimally invasive as possible. But it was hard! Damian should know that about her. She liked to butt in, but she wasn't rude about it. At least, she didn't think she was. One of her biggest pet peeves was when people did not know how to be polite, and if she was hypocrite, she would want someone to inform her. So far, so good, so she wasn't worried about it.
Striding into Damian's hug, she leaned into him closely, giving him back a one armed hug and quickly removing herself. It wasn't too over the top, and she knew that he was teaching. Distractions were frustrating. Hey! she said a bit breathy. Ya, work, ha. I get it. Don't worry about it. I'm just here to observe, ya know? She smiled again as he turned away to speak to a student. A trainer's best asset to her was the fact that they could hear and speak at the same time. It helped, a lot. Eyes and ears had to be everywhere at once. Kevin had always asked her how she did it, but she couldn't explain. It was just something she knew how to do.
Erm... Well you know, a bit of traveling.. some teaching here and there... She hesitated, but quickly recovered, knowing now, or probably ever, was not the time to talk to Damian about her life. She wasn't one to over disclose, or, for that matter, disclose at all. So instead, How 'bout you? That trip to Africa, huh? She laughed, joking a little bit. She didn't know what Damian had been up to, but she doubted it was Africa. Who would want to leave Rowanoak?
Oh, sitting trot, nice one. She smiled wickedly, knowing how much of a pain she thought sitting trot was once upon a time. So necessary, but so much work. Not that she was opposed to work. Oh no, she was the one who had never complained once about sitting trot. She simple endured and rode it out. She kept her voice low, not really caring if Damian heard her or not.
She stood quietly for a moment, watching the horses trot around in a circle. The two beat trot was soothing, music to her ears. The tiny Arabian snorted, his rider fixing her slouchy posture. Jodi raised an eyebrow and kept an eye on her. She was the one who had expressed interest in Eventing.
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Post by Damian Lancing on May 18, 2011 23:20:14 GMT -6
The first practice with new students was always a little bit…awkward, may be the best word. The students were trying to feel out his teaching style and he was trying to feel out the riding style and personality of each of the students at the same time. It made for a lesson that had Damian repeating himself a lot and just sitting there and thinking even more. He liked to try and figure out how they were going to ride and work with him through the rest of their time here at Rowanoak. Right now, what he was getting from each of them is a Samantha that was always used to being the best and knew what she was good at but could still take direction. Colin was also used to being on the top of the totem pole and knew what he was doing in a saddle but needed some type of work with different horses and Sara was very willing to try anything he said, his favorite type of student right there. Granted, those were the first half of his first impression and he could be completely wrong and be proven that the second he had a longer conversation with any of the students.
When Colin shortened the reins Squire shook his head and put it down out of his frame with the increased pressure on his mouth. “Don’t shorten the reins anymore, Colin. Don’t get brace-y in his mouth, massage the reins, see-saw, always be moving your fingers to remind him to listen to you without constantly being in his way,” he tried to explain how to work with his horse. Knowing Squire as he did it was easier for him to teach on the gelding. He had never ridden any of these horses with the exception of Squire and that was over three years ago as well, but he did work with them all and watch each of the horses work under saddle so he tried as hard as he could to help the students out when it came down to it. Sometimes there was a horse he put a graduate student on to help him out by hoping on the horse and giving him an idea of how they rode, which happened often when it came to new horses.
“Not too far back Sara, don’t lean so much. Think of someone pulling your hair straight up. Oh, and her name’s Jodi Raventhaw, she’s right here actually, you can talk with her after we’re done,” he tried to explain again, pushing hair away from his face as he watched the girl go around the ring before he allowed half of his attention to back to Jodi as she was talking to him. “Well, observe away. Gonna tell me I can’t coach?” he half joked. He was overly happy to get the position of Rowanoak coach and it was an NCAA team so he was actually comfortable in his life again, especially as a jumper. By the time he broke his leg his equitation was horrible and he knew it more than most, but it didn’t matter in his sport. He could control the horse and get them over the fences and was a clean and smart rider that could trust the horse and that was what mattered… in his sport. That wasn’t to say he didn’t know how he should look when it rode, however. He rode NCAA for four years, he got that much down to say the least and he could now teach it and had been told he was at least decent at it, which was nice.
“What most of us end up doing, isn’t it?” he asked, almost joking, when she let him know what she ended up doing. So many of them just started teaching and riding a little here and there. Whatever worked and paid the bills for those horses everyone spent way too much money on in the first place. He couldn’t help but laugh when she mentioned Africa and shook his head. “Oh yeah, just got back. It was great,” he joked, shaking his head slightly. He wasn’t really sure how to answer her question. He rode for a bit, fell, drank and now owned a dog? Yeah… that was something he enjoyed talking about so he decided to just joke with her and leave it at that. “Honestly, I’m not even sure where that one came from. I’ve never even been out of the country,” he said with a shrug as he looked up to the riders. “Sami, legs! They’re sneaking forward again,” he said, glancing to Jodi with a little “yeah…” look.
He glanced to her through the side of his eyes when she said something about his ask for a sitting trot. “My favorite thing is asking them to two point without stirrups. It’s surprising how many people who think they’re amazing just can’t do it or try it by pinching with their knees,” he said, shaking his head a bit. He rarely asked students for that the first day, he didn’t want to be too mean so soon. Let the students start to like him a bit, if nothing else. “Change direction again guys… use you inside leg Colin,” he reminded when Squire first side passed instead of turning. “There you go. Sara, ask for the bend and don’t let her…” he sighed as Molten broke to a walk when the turned was asked for. “Ask her to trot again, there you go,” he said, watching the three of them move around the ring. He waited a bit as they all sat the trot a little more. “Hands a little higher above the pommel Sami, thumbs up, not out, up,” he reminded again, shifting his weight from his bad leg for a second. “Okay guys, you can pick up your post again. Don’t look down for that diagonal.”
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