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Description
Story:
Caro leaned against the box, looking at Benji. Alva had been gone for a week now, and the stallion hadn’t been ridden since the last time Alva tried. “What do you say? Wanna give it a go?” Caro wondered as she petted his neck. Tacking him went surprisingly fine. She expected him to act up, bite after the saddle and put his ears back like he normally did. The only problem was the bridle, to get it over his ears, but that was a problem they had struggled with ever since he got here.

She walked with him out to the riding arena. They normally had some obstacle around there, but in this weather they found it more save to bring the material inside, under roof. The ground was covered with a light blanket of snow, just a few strands of dried grass stuck up here and there. The ground was frozen, not good to be cantering on, but she didn’t have plans for that today.

Caro walked around with him, to warm him up. He was stiff like he had been for the last months, but he didn’t seem as nervous and stressed as before. Caroline stayed calm the entire time while mounting him. She did her best not to think about all the things that could go wrong, as if you had those in mind, they often happened. She was sure horses had a sixth sense or something. Instead she focused her mind forward. Thought about what she wanted Benji to do, and how positive it felt.

She pressed her seat forward in the saddle, and the stallion immediately started walking calmly around. She could feel his body was not in great shape, his muscles were hard like rocks and not at all flexible. That made his movement uneven, not at all like they used to be. But she was sure they could fix that together.

After a good 20 minutes of walking around, Benji still hadn’t shows any sighs that he could freak out. He walked calmly and listened to her as best as he could. She started asking a bit more of him, riding around in circles, asking him to stop and then walk again, crossing over the diagonal. Just easy things, but that helped him use muscles he hadn’t used correctly in a long time.

She didn’t want to try to trot today. They were doing so great, and she wanted this to be a positive experience for both of them. If she pushed him too much too fast, she was worried he might snap back into his old habits.

She couldn’t help but wonder, maybe Alva had been the problem all the time, and not the other way around? He had proven today that he was very aware of his riders’ emotions. As long as Caro stayed calm and positive, so did he. Maybe he had picked up on Alvas distress, somehow taking her emotions in over himself. “I’m sorry we put your through that” Caro said after she had dismounted him, stroking his neck. “I’ll get better now, just you wait and see”

Previous:
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Tools:
Paint Tool SAI
Wacom Bamboo Fun
Ref.: None
Characters © Joybird
Artwork © Joybird
You are not authorized to use this work in any way without written permission from Joybird

Description
Story:
Caro leaned against the box, looking at Benji. Alva had been gone for a week now, and the stallion hadn’t been ridden since the last time Alva tried. “What do you say? Wanna give it a go?” Caro wondered as she petted his neck. Tacking him went surprisingly fine. She expected him to act up, bite after the saddle and put his ears back like he normally did. The only problem was the bridle, to get it over his ears, but that was a problem they had struggled with ever since he got here.

She walked with him out to the riding arena. They normally had some obstacle around there, but in this weather they found it more save to bring the material inside, under roof. The ground was covered with a light blanket of snow, just a few strands of dried grass stuck up here and there. The ground was frozen, not good to be cantering on, but she didn’t have plans for that today.

Caro walked around with him, to warm him up. He was stiff like he had been for the last months, but he didn’t seem as nervous and stressed as before. Caroline stayed calm the entire time while mounting him. She did her best not to think about all the things that could go wrong, as if you had those in mind, they often happened. She was sure horses had a sixth sense or something. Instead she focused her mind forward. Thought about what she wanted Benji to do, and how positive it felt.

She pressed her seat forward in the saddle, and the stallion immediately started walking calmly around. She could feel his body was not in great shape, his muscles were hard like rocks and not at all flexible. That made his movement uneven, not at all like they used to be. But she was sure they could fix that together.

After a good 20 minutes of walking around, Benji still hadn’t shows any sighs that he could freak out. He walked calmly and listened to her as best as he could. She started asking a bit more of him, riding around in circles, asking him to stop and then walk again, crossing over the diagonal. Just easy things, but that helped him use muscles he hadn’t used correctly in a long time.

She didn’t want to try to trot today. They were doing so great, and she wanted this to be a positive experience for both of them. If she pushed him too much too fast, she was worried he might snap back into his old habits.

She couldn’t help but wonder, maybe Alva had been the problem all the time, and not the other way around? He had proven today that he was very aware of his riders’ emotions. As long as Caro stayed calm and positive, so did he. Maybe he had picked up on Alvas distress, somehow taking her emotions in over himself. “I’m sorry we put your through that” Caro said after she had dismounted him, stroking his neck. “I’ll get better now, just you wait and see”

Previous:
Next:

Tools:
Paint Tool SAI
Wacom Bamboo Fun
Ref.: None
Characters © Joybird
Artwork © Joybird
You are not authorized to use this work in any way without written permission from Joybird