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Horse: Red Clover + Midday (lit)
Featuring - Mikayla Turner, Mark Turner(lit), Greg and Stephanie Price, Aveline Lawson(lit)

Warning: Wall of Text is literally a wall.

Mikayla wiped the sweat from her face with a bandana she kept tucked in her pocket as she started tacking up RedClover for their warmup in the arena. They were spending most of two weeks at Rosewood Stud, a week during the ‘No Arena’ competition, and then a week of mostly just Mikayla and Mark and two of their horses. The week of competing was done and over with, so Mikayla had sent most of her staff and students back home- giving her first timers ample time to learn how to pack and prep for shows. Mark was running around the field chasing after Rodney who was currently off-service as this week was all about relaxing and letting horses adjust to prolonged visits in strange areas.

Mikayla spent a good amount of time checking the chestnut stallion’s legs, running hands carefully over the pasterns and checking his hooves. In spite of the heat, she still put the horses first, and Red Clover was no exception.

Aveline saw Mark running around with Rodney nearby, meaning Mikayla would be in the barn. She had been welcomed to leave her horses in the performance barn, as many of the Rosewood horses were out during the summer and they had plenty extra stalls. Aveline wandered into the barn, to be greeted by her own Arabian mare. She had raced with Brigette in the bareback beach race, and the mare had loved playing in the sand. It was disappointing she didn’t have time to compete with her mare anymore, but she was happy to focus on Fishy and Midday. She sighed a little thinking of Midday. She had been torn up when she saw Steph riding the mare - she thought this would be her opportunity to back and campaign the mare herself. She kicked herself a little, trying to brighten up.

“Hey Mik, how’s Red Clover?” The stallion sniffed at her inquisitively as she leant on the stall. Aveline grinned and played with his nose. The chestnut had the most beautiful temperament for a horse that had been dealt a shit hand, in the form of a shit rider.
“He’s so lovely. He should be sour from what he went through, but he’s just so forgiving.” She rubbed his forehead, looking at the sweet stallion’s eyes. The sound of footsteps caught her attention. She turned, and saw Steph. She stifled a scowl. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice her, but it seemed luck wasn’t on her side. Steph caught her eye and waved, to which Aveline offered a meek one in return. She bounded over to the stall door.
“Hiya! I’m Steph, I saw you riding a roan mare at the beach. You seemed pretty busy during the show!” She smiled brightly at Mikayla. “Who is this pretty boy?”

“Hi Steph. This is Red Clover, you can pet him- just be careful around his mouth, he’s been through a lot so he doesn’t like people touching it.” Mikayla had noticed immediately how Aveline seemed to stiffen up, so she chose her words carefully. She hadn’t heard what the beef was, but she was sure she would find out soon enough.

“Hey Mik, I’m working with a young mare at the moment, and I’d really like to see what you think of her. Her name’s Midday, she was bred here a few years ago and then sold to someone who wanted to use her as a broodmare. That didn’t work out, her owner couldn’t feed her anymore ‘cause of the drought, so Ben bought her back. I think she’s got heaps of potential, she’s nearly 4 now so gearing up to put the basics on her before we jump her.” Steph hung on every word. Aveline tried to make it as crystal clear as possible that Midday, without paying the money for her, was hers. It was hard to put into practice - Aveline had spent years and many competition seasons on Fish’s career, from her first show as a green mare to some fairly large shows that she had won, including the Norwegian International Equestrian Championship. Though it had been an awful show for the team, Aveline had been incredibly proud of the mare. She found herself smiling as she thought of her favourite. Oops.
“Oooh, I’d love if you could give me a lesson! I can ask my dad to film it for me so I can watch it back, too.” Steph smiled at Mikayla sweetly. Aveline was taken aback. She felt it was rude to just… ask for things like that. Sure, she was one to talk, she was outgoing and annoying as hell. But Steph, she was another level.

Red Clover snorted softly, ducking his head against Mik’s leg for a moment, giving her the perfect opportunity to mess with the chestnut’s refined ears. She had left his mane down, cut nice and short so she didn’t have to spend that much longer on braids or get his mane in her face during jumps.

“Yeah, I can check her out for you, see what you should focus on with her. If you’re looking to ride her to show me her skills- stick with a bitless and a bareback pad, quicker to put on and it’ll show me how well she does with distractions.” Mikayla pointed towards Clover, “He’s not much for a distraction, but every little bit matters, especially once you start showing her.

Aveline nodded and quickly ducked away to the tack room to find a spare rope halter. She hadn’t ridden in a halter in a long time, but bareback was definitely her kind of thing. She rifled through the halter rack, and found a red rope halter she could use on Midday.

Mikayla turned her attention to Steph, tilting her head ponderingly. She supposed it would be good for Red Clover to have another young rider. Mikayla hadn’t had any of the teenagers at her station ride him yet, just herself and Siobhan. He was a decent calm stallion, it couldn’t hurt to let someone else try- see how he handled someone who wasn’t considered an advanced rider.
“I could probably let you ride Clover, here, for a small lesson- but you need to check if it’s okay with your dad- and the individual you’re already getting lessons from. It’s important they’re okay with it, because I’m not here to step on toes- the horses do enough of that.”
As if knowing he was needed, Mark came running around the corner, the golden merle aussie shepherd right at his heels, fluffy butt wiggling in excitement. He slowed to a stop up next to Clover.
“Hey champ, looks like I’ve got my hands full, how do you feel about warming Clover up for me while I do an inspection for Aveline?” She wasn’t sure what Steph’s experience was, so it was better to have someone who’s skills she knew to warm up the horse ahead of time.
“Yeah! Don’t worry, I’ll remember, gentle hands for a soft mouth.” He said as if knowing exactly what his mom was going to say. She grinned at him, before helping him into the saddle.
“Alright Steph, ask your dad and your trainer, we’ll be in the arena. Make sure to drink some water if you have to wait a bit for me to finish inspecting Aveline’s mare, I don’t need anyone to faint from dehydration on me.”

“On it!” She whipped out her phone quickly, background lighting up with a chestnut horse’s face. Typing at the speed only a 15 year old can achieve on a phone, she texted Bennett. Would it be alright if I got a lesson from Mikayla? I’m ringing dad now, he should be fine with it and I’ll get him to film as well! With the text sent, she quickly dialed her dad.
“I’ll meet you in the arena when dad gets here!”

Mikayla waited for Aveline to tack up her mare before they went to the arena. Mark instantly took to warming up Red Clover, walking him around the ring, the seven year old took his ‘job’ very seriously. He was certainly growing up into a great rider, even though he obviously didn’t want to do the english disciplines.

Aveline lead the mare up to Mikayla. She felt a little strange, about to show off a horse with just a halter and lead on. She felt almost naked, a stark contrast to how she used to feel riding horses with no tack as a kid. She halted the young mare, before scrambling on bareback. The 3 year old walked off slowly as before Aveline got settled, eyes catching a nearby stray handful of hay. Aveline sat up and quickly dropped her seat bones, gathering up the lead she had tied into a loop under the filly’s chin like reins. Midday quickly planted her feet, feeling the command to halt. Pushing her heels forward towards her shoulders and tugging gently on the “reins”, the filly took two steps back easily. Aveline released the pressure and patted her neck, letting the mare stretch out her neck.
“I’m ready when you are!” Mikayla let them into the arena where Mark was warming up Red Clover. Midday nickered gently to the stallion, ears trained on him. Aveline gathered up her reins and asked Midday to walk in a frame. She obliged, lifting her back and head dropping comfortably.
“She’s not ready for a competitive dressage frame, but she can hold a nice, loose frame with proper engagement at the moment. She needs a bit of managing, but she’s still just a baby.” The buckskin’s head bobbed with each stride, Aveline’s legs hanging loosely by her side. “Other than that, she’s a lot like her dam, who I rode before she was sold on. Her sire, Aries, was more dressage inclined, but I can’t really tell if she’s inherited that. That’s what I wanted to ask you about - if you think the quality of her movement is really good enough to really be competitive. And of course, what you think of her in general.”

Mikayla studied the mare’s back, eyes narrowing on every flaw she could find, and what might counteract it. She had fine powerful hindquarters, a relatively clean face, though Mikayla was sure the ears were a bit long for the mare, she still had a bit of growing to do.

“She should definitely keep working on her ground manners- she’s listening to you, but she’s mostly focused on Clover. I can’t say for sure she’ll be the best mare for dressage. She’s got a decent build for it- but build doesn’t mean -” Mikayla paused noticing that her son had ridden a little closer “ - anything, if the horse’s personality isn’t in it. I’m not saying she can’t be intelligent, but keep an eye on her attitude, she’s got that teenage rebellion look in her eye.”

Aveline asked the mare to circle, squeezing with her inside leg and asking the filly to bend. Midday listened, but one ear flicked to Mark and Red Clover.

Mikayla watched the mare a bit more, having Aveline go to a trot and try a bit of collection. Instantly Mikayla stopped her. “Naw, look, she’s hollowing out her back like she thinks that’s what collection is about, gotta cut that right before it becomes a serious habit. So, her focus for collection is slowing down, but to keep trotting. It’ll be a bit frustrating for her at first, it is for most horses- but that should be where you can gage how quick she’ll be to pick up on things. She has fine movement, if not a bit ...awkward, stumbley, but she’s still a baby so she’s probably had quite a few growth spurts and doesn’t know her own legs too well yet.”

Mikayla leaned back a bit, glancing towards Mark as he upped the warmup into a loose canter, Clover easily keeping beat over a few ground poles.
“As for you, Avie- I think you might need some more bareback trotting practice- you… are… slumping!” Mikayla stuck her tongue out at the other redhead.

“Aw c'mon, bareback is supposed to be fun! Don't have to ride perfectly aaaaall the time.” She grinned, knowing she was out of practice. Midday snorted, returning to a walk a little bit ungracefully. “She's definitely still sorting out her legs - she needs more strength and balance through her transitions. She's done the most at the walk, starting on bending and flexion and collection at the walk. She's a cracker trail horse too, she loves the beach.” She rubbed the mare's neck. Steph excitedly ducked into the arena, Greg following her. As it was summer, the darker haired man didn't have much in the way of work to do. The cattle were out grazing, and the property was in great condition after the show.
“Hey Mikayla! Dad and Ben said I can have a lesson! This is my dad.” Greg extended a hand to Mikayla.
“Great to meet you. Thanks for agreeing on a lesson for her, she's been soaking up opportunities like a sponge since she got here.” And other people's opportunities as well, Aveline thought, trying not to scowl. She instead focussed on her circles, Midday tracking along happily underneath her.

“That’s exactly what the beach is for, especially those hills, perfect for strengthening the back and her muscles. I would say, don’t ride her up them, but run with her up them, if she falls you don’t die- and you fall she might be able to help you keep your balance up.”

Mikayla shook his hand, grip firm. “Nice to meet you as well. I’m here, so I might as well be useful, sides some of my regulars might be competing against Avie and Steph in the future, so this will hopefully bolster the competition.” Mikayla grinned. Her kids were getting egos for all the competitions they’d entered in already, and Mik was all about them learning lessons and knowing when an ego was good to have and when to be humbled.

“Well, Steph is competitive. She was riding at interschools quite competitively, until she moved here. Long dramatic story, I’ll save you the details.” Greg leant on his hip and waved a hand.

Like the mom she was, Mikayla instantly picked up the attitude shift and posture change in Aveline. “Avie, I want you to focus on her feet right now- start little, by having her halt- turn her one way then the opposite way with as little to no pressure as possible. Release as soon as she gives to the lightest pressure- but make sure she takes one step in that direction each time. In ten or twenty minutes, I expect you to have her only moving her front legs in quick succession, like… a kid running in place. Use your reins as little as possible, and only use them as a follow up for leg pressure.”

“Can do boss.” Aveline nodded. She brought Midday to a halt. She moved her leg forward, to where the girth would be if she had one. She felt Midday bow slightly away from the pressure. She opened her hand, and she took a step to the side. Immediately she dropped the pressure. She switched hands and leg, always making sure to move her leg first. Midday took two steps as Aveline lifted her hands. She dropped the rein and praised the filly. She was quick, she wanted to do the right thing. Aveline smiled at her.

Mikayla let out a loud whistle. The australian shepherd by her side wiggled his butt happily. She glanced down at Rodney, muttering to him, “Not you, sit back down.” Mark trotted Clover over, easily slipping out of the saddle and onto the ground- though the stallion was nearly twice his size.
“All warmed up Mom. Can I watch?”

“Of course, just make sure to poke me when you think Aveline’s got a front end piaffe going, it doesn’t have to be very good, Midday’s just a baby after all.” Mark nodded, climbing up on top of the arena’s fence eager to be of assistance.

Mikayla turned to Steph. “Do you need a lift up?” She asked as the red stallion stood by patiently. He hardly had a sheen to his coat, though it had been a good fifteen minutes with Mark riding him. He was in green and brown tack, an all purpose english saddle- and the bridle was obviously bitless. Mikayla hadn’t had too much time on her hand to work on his mouth issues, so she’d gone for the bitless bridle because she didn’t know how gentle Steph’s hands were.

Greg leant over to rub the happy shepherd.
“Yes please!” Steph waltzed happily over to the left of the stallion, gathering her reins slightly in her left hand. Mikayla boosted her up, and she settled into the seat. He was a big stallion - but she had been riding Fergus thanks to Hayden, so she wasn’t too nervous.
“My mare is- was, I should say, a lot smaller. But she was also a chestnut, it’s nice to see red again!” She ran her fingers through the stallion’s mane affectionately.
“Why is he in a bitless bridle?” Aveline inwardly cringed at her dumb questions.

“I got him from an abusive owner a few years back, and I haven’t had enough time to work on his dislike for bits, since they used to let the bit bang against his teeth and rip up the soft tissue of his mouth. So it’s safer for you as the rider, and more pleasant for him to stick with bitless for now.”

Midday was starting to pick up the direction changes, and adding in her own exuberance. As one hoof landed in one direction and Aveline brushed her leg forward, she would spring off the foot that just landed, getting a bit of air time in between swapping feet. At least she keeps my core working. Aveline just loved this filly, she reminded her so much of Fareeha. She missed the mare, but in the business horses had to be sold on to bring new ones in. Midday however, she considered approaching Bennett privately about to offer a price on her. Especially since Steph had ridden her for at least half an hour. Bennett supervised and gave permission, so she supposed that her beef was with him really. It was different to her relationship with Fishy, she had worked hard to be allowed to ride her and she was at the stage where they were a done deal. They had the same mile-wide competitive streak, and together they would conquer the ring. But Midday, really felt like comfort. She had enough energy to keep Aveline thinking, but without the size and scope of Fish. She was a horse you could school in just a rope halter and go for a ride without worrying.

“Alright, go ahead and start with a walk for me, I don’t have a clue about your previous experiences, but Clover’ll follow even the lightest instructions- so find your center, keep your hands and legs light, and show me a walk, then a trot.” Mikayla urged Steph to begin, mismatched eyes focusing on the rider and horse. Normally she would do one “lesson’ where she just judged a rider’s posture and their abilities, but this wasn’t one of her long-term students, so she’d have to make quick judgments and go from there.

“What disciplines are you looking forward to learning?” She asked as she stood at the edge of the arena, watching the pair go through the slower paces.

“Well, I used to do low level eventing, my favourite was always cross country. But showjumping next, for sure.” She clicked to Clover and sped up his walk slightly. She felt comfortable on him, but walk was easy. She urged him into a trot wide around the arena. He wasn’t as forward as Fergus was, he waited for her commands instead of assuming what to do. She wasn’t surprised that Fergus assumed what to do, he was a competition horse who knew his job. When she rode Midday, she had felt a lot more alone in the dark. Midday had no idea what she was doing, and that made Steph’s brain blank out.

Mark grinned at Aveline. “You’re doing great! I think you’re ready for the next bit! So you gotta… Mom! I forgot.”

Mikayla glanced over. “Aveline, start from the halt again, this time when you ask for her to move- I want you to essentially do a side-pass, keep Midday’s body straight, but get her to move to your left. Use your left hand, since you don’t have a whip, if you need an extra aid. Once you have that down, try to do the same with the right. They’re slightly more advanced, especially for a young horse, but if she can do that with relative ease, then I think you’ve got a decent dressage prospect on your hands.”

Mikayla turned her attention back to Stephanie. “Lower your hands. Try to keep your elbows level with your navel. You need to work on your core a bit more, so when you’re not riding, I recommend doing leg weights, squats, and curls to get your core muscles in shape. Horses can’t fix everything- you need to take the extra steps for any horse you ride.” Mikayla called.

Steph nodded. She relaxed her elbows and let her hands lower. She didn’t need to have quite as much tension in the reins, Clover was steady and went at the pace she wanted - not the pace he wanted. She would talk to Josh about working out, he would have to know.

Rodney’s back end wiggled side to side when Greg pet him, before flopping down next to Mikayla, looking like he’d been pushed over instead of laying down.

“I’m Greg by the way, let me know if I can do anything to help. You’ve got your hands full teaching two riders.” He crossed his arms loosely over his chest.
Aveline took a deep breath and gave Midday her head to think about her mini-lesson. She chewed happily, fat tongue flicking out her mouth briefly. She rubbed the mare’s shoulder, before gathering her reins in her right hand. She pushed her left heel forward, as if she were asking for the same movement as before, but dropped her left hand by Midday’s belly. She rested her hand, pushing slightly. The buckskin mare popped into the air, jumping front feet then hind feet to the side. Unseated for a second, Aveline giggled at her excitement. Not quite what she wanted, but damn she proved she was an agile horse. She tried again, this time without pushing with her hand - just resting it against her side. Midday jumped again, but this time it was a slight pop as she shifted her weight excitedly. Much better. She dropped the reins again, rewarding the mare.

Steph slowed Clover to a walk, before pulling her phone out of her pocket and heading into the middle where Mikayla and her dad were. She halted in front of them, and handed her phone to her dad.
“Can you film for me please? I wanna make sure I don’t forget anything.”
“Sure thing. I’ll try and keep the camera on you this time, not the sand.” Steph grinned.
“I learn a lot more when I can see what’s happening.” Greg smiled at her and waved her off jokingly. Steph sat tall and guided Red Clover back out to the outside track. She made sure to keep her hands low and her shoulders back. She collected her reins and asked for a trot. Clover trotted off easily, making sure to hold her position. She kept her heels down and hands soft and open. Steph kept him going proudly, waiting for her next instructions.

“Looks to me like you’ve already got a job.” Mikayla jested, offering a wry grin. Greg shot one back in return, phone poised in landscape and ready to go.

Aveline meanwhile, slipped off Midday. She had proved she would work off pressure both directions, and she had definitely mentally worked hard enough for a session. She led the mare in to Mikayla and waited her turn to talk to her.
“I think she’s good for the day. I don’t want to burn her out, especially when she’s so willing still. Thanks so much for taking a look at her.” She rubbed the mare’s star.

“Of course. I’ll write you a list of exercises for her, that I think will give her some vast improvement in muscle structure, but aren’t too much if you do each of them about thirty minutes to an hour every few days. She’s got potential, I’m sure you’ll at least go national with her once she’s old enough, even if you decide to switch out of dressage.”

“I’d like for her to event down the line - everyone here knows I’m an adrenaline junkie. Glad to hear she has potential - especially for dressage. I was worried she might be a touch impatient, but I have to remind myself she still needs two or three years more to mature. And she’s proved she likes to learn and she’s quick on her feet.”

“I’ll try to sneak in another beach race with you this week. My gentle jumper against one of your babs.” Mikayla winked, and though it looked like she wasn’t watching Stephanie, she called out, “ Straighten your spine- you’re putting too much weight on your right, check your heels, and put more energy into it. Go for the forward motion, he’s an easy going horse, and will match the effort you put into him but you have to make that step first!”

“Sounds good, your gentle jumper can take on my excitable jumper with a competitive streak as big as mine.” Aveline grinned cheekily, gathering up Midday who had decided to stick her nose in front of Rodney’s. Rodney gently licked at the horse’s nose, he was a good dog who didn’t get surprised much around horses.
Steph pushed her hip down to the left, forcing her spine to straighten. She turned her heels down - where they’d been the last time she’d checked, dammit! - and tried to drive with the same hips she was shoving downwards. Riding was hard - Hayden was less position-driven and more interested in how she managed Fergus. Fergus had been challenging her a lot, and she enjoyed it, but with Mikayla and Red Clover, this was a lesson focusing on her body. She felt the red stallion’s stride open up a little more, and intuitively closed her hands around the reins. He immediately backed straight off, his stride slowing.

“Loosen your grip a bit, he’s slowing down and you’re losing momentum. The big rule in my lessons is that if you can’t sit right for more than 10 minutes at a time you have to post a trot for half of that time to work on your balance and coordination.”

Steph opened her hands and urged the stallion forward again. Secretly, she found posting trot much easier, but she wouldn’t dare say that out loud in fear of being made to only sit trot forever.

“You should see my arena back home when I’m trying to manage 5 teenagers at the same time- and my staff who somehow always ends up with a loose horse in the arena.”

“That is impressive. I can barely handle one teenager and her dog without a horse involved. Steph is an awesome kid, but she has so much desire to do things and do them as soon as she gets the idea in her head. Her brain to mouth filter has limited function.” He nodded to Aveline and patted Midday, heading to the gate with her to let her out. Aveline walked the young mare out, and let her graze at the grass by the arena. Aveline held the end of the leadrope and leaned against the arena fence next to Mark, eyes following Steph and Red Clover. Greg trudged back towards Mikayla and Rodney, phone at the ready. He shot a smile at Mikayla while he resumed his dad duties - even managing to pat Rodney again.

“I’ve learned in the past seven years, it’s a lot like horses- they have minds of their own, inspirations- they just know how to verbalize it better or perhaps more bluntly, but it’s the subtle things that they aren’t saying that you need to pay attention to. It helps when you’ve got a good team at home though.”

Mark leaned over next to Aveline. “Clover’s making up for her shifting balance. I’ll bet two mints, if mom makes her canter- she’ll tighten her grip and Clover will full out stop.” Mark held up two wrapped mints to show how serious he was on the bet.

Aveline grinned, shaking the hand with the mints in it. “If you’re right, you can ride a showjumping round on Fishy.” No amount of money in the world would give her the vindication of Mark predicting her correctly, so a ride on the best showjumping horse at the stables was small potatoes to her. Part of her felt bad about wanting Steph to fail - but she didn’t want her to fall or anything, just maybe knock her down a peg.

“Go ahead and put him into a canter.” Mikayla called out, trying not to frown as she watched the teenager ride the long-striding chestnut stallion. Her brow furrowed as she clearly focused on the teenager’s hips, legs, and back. She knew the saddle was fine- she’d checked it after Mark had gotten off, and adjusted the stirrups, but the teenager was acting like she was riding a completely different horse than the one beneath her.

Steph tightened her legs and asked Clover to canter. As a showjumper, his gait was uphill and he bounced into a canter. Steph felt her hands jar shut, her stomach dropping. He had started from such a slow trot, and then jumped into a big canter - she felt her balance fall backwards, and then as Clover planted all four feet at once, she fell forward on to his neck.

The chestnut snorted, turning his head in her direction as if asking her what that was for. She obviously should have been prepared for his gait change- she asked for it!

Mikayla sighed softly, before walking over to Stephanie. “I had a feeling that would happen. Any other horse would have bolted straight out from under you. Your confidence is good, but you need to work on your balance. Have you ever tried skateboarding or surfing before?” Mikayla asked, as she double checked the saddle and handed her the reins that had fallen over the stallion’s neck, the chestnut eagerly rubbing his lips over Mikayla’s arms.

Steph looked at the pommel of the saddle. “I did fall off the first time I tried to canter Fergus, which is Hayden’s horse. He did exactly what you said - bolted straight out from under me. I got back in the saddle, but I wanted to avoid cantering. We’ve been working on keeping Fergus steady and listening to me, instead of assuming what he should do.” She patted Clover’s neck. “I haven’t tried either of those, but I guess this would be the best place to learn how to surf.” She looked out past the barn and trees, in the direction the beach would be.”

Mark smirked at Aveline. “Mom did the same thing to me last year. I got too… whatever that word is, and she told me to canter Gandalf, and I flew out of the saddle.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

Aveline grinned at him. “You should hear about the time Brigette refused on cross-country for me when I was competing for my school - it was a water jump, and she decided she didn’t really want to get her feet wet. I went right over the top of her, and took the bridle off with me.” She nudged him with her elbow. “Since then, I’ve never gotten in front of a horse’s jump. Always wait for the real takeoff.”

“Huh, I guess mom does it differently. She leans into the jump even right before the take-off in competitions. Like.. she just knows it’s going to happen, they’re going to do whatever she says and they do. I dunno, I don’t really watch her train the greenies.”

“Your mum knows her competition horses like the back of her hand - besides, she’s got abs of steel, she could probably still stay on even if they stopped for some reason.” She turned her attention back to Mikayla lecturing Steph.

“It’s not just the competition horses, Avie. It’s like she can read minds.” Mark mumbled, as he watched his mom advise Steph.

“It happens more than you think. Mark had the same issue last year, we improvised a lot- since we’re more mountainside than oceanside, but it works the same way. You take a strong bucket, put a plank on it. Get both feet on each end, slowly center your weight so both ends are off the ground, and then - it takes a good while- you eventually can move the plank of wood back and forth over the bucket without losing your balance or falling off. Do that for five minutes and you shouldn’t have cantering issues like that.”

Mikayla hummed, tilting her head as she considered the options before her.

“Here, hop off for a moment, we’re going to try something a little different.” When Steph did as she said, she immediately went to work removing the stallion’s tack, she even tossed off the bridle- which basically did nothing to the stallion as he waited poised for whatever Mikayla had plans.

“Alright, back up again.” Mikayla said, offering Steph her cupped hands to help her onto the absurdly tall stallion’s back. Mikayla wasn’t exactly tall, and the horse’s withers went over her head easily enough.

Steph bit her lip. She nervously obliged, taking the leg up and settling on his back. It was a little damp from the heat, but she didn’t mind. She was far more worried about not being able to hold onto anything, or have a way to slow Red Clover. She took a shaky breath out.

“First thing’s first, you’re too high up on his withers. Lay on him like a cat on the back of a couch, I know he’s sweaty and all, but you’ll be showering tonight anyways probably.” Mikayla waved off the concern like a fly before it got close. “Now, slowly rise up- eyes closed, and sit where it feels right. I don’t care if you end up on his loins if that’s what feels right to you- just find where you feel safest and most secured.”

Steph nodded. She lowered herself over his back, and lay for a second. Closing her eyes, she sat up again, arms shaking a little from adrenaline. She found herself sitting further back behind his withers, squarely over the biggest part of his ribcage. She didn’t feel secure, but she didn’t feel like she would tip over if she relied only on her core to hold her up. She straightened her back, sitting up taller, her hands resting on her thighs.
“Okay, I think this is where.” Her dad got to work gathering up Clover’s tack and setting them on the fence, flipping the saddle pad upside down to air out.

“You didn’t have to do that hun, I’ll be cleaning it afterwards anyways, but thank you.” Mikayla offered politely. Greg felt his face flush a little.

“Alright, that’s a decent enough place to start. Keep your eyes closed. Don’t think of it like a rollercoaster, I want you to think of the ocean waves or even a lake, on a day where it’s a little windy, but the boat just gently rocks. You’re not worried about falling out of the boat- you can swim, and it’s not a terrible rhythm, think of the smell of the salt water in the air.” Mikayla clicked Clover forward, who instantly zeroed in on Mikayla, and started into a slow trot, his head extending forward.
“Put your arms out beside you if that makes you feel better. You don’t need to row for this boat, just move with it- focus on how your hips move and rise against his back. Don’t worry about applying too much pressure with your legs, If you feel insecure, go ahead and be as tight as you like- it won’t bother him one bit.”

Steph nodded. She kept her eyes pasted shut as she tried to rock with his rhythm. She felt her balance waver, and quickly corrected - the overcorrected, her balance going the other way. She breathed out and let her legs grip on. As soon as her body relaxed, her balance returned. Steph made sure not to anticipate the movement. She felt her legs unstick from his sides, breathing deeply into her nose. Her legs relaxed more, bobbing by Clover’s side as she kept her seat relaxed. If she kept her muscles relaxed, she could go with his flow easily. As soon as she tensed, she would start interfering with him and lose her balance. Her thighs gripped softly, not tensing hard but keeping her body taut.

True to her word, Red Clover hardly made a noise, nor did he speed up when his rider adjusted herself. He kept and even pace, waiting more Mikayla’s signals, as she drove him with her hands around in an even paced circle. Mikayla might not have had time to work on the stallion’s mouth issues, but she sure as heck always made sure to create the most important bond and ground manners with every horse that came into her care. She would never put her student’s needlessly in harms way

Mikayla didn’t bother to click, instead silently waving her hand near the stallion’s rear once she knew Stephanie was ready- watching for when she tensed and relaxed. It was when she had been relaxed for long enough that Mikayla urged Clover into a slow canter- the jumper switching over almost seamlessly, the rocking changing to something less bouncy, like a boat going over waves and then slowly evening and rising before the next wave.

Instinctively, Steph’s hands grabbed for nothingness. She forced her hands back out like a plane’s wings, relaxing her hips again. The canter was easier to sit to, rocking back and forth more slowly and comfortably than the trot. She could feel Clover’s head stretching down, the muscles pulling his back up. She sat comfortably, legs hanging by his side holding on with the barest touch. She focused on taking another deep breath again, the smell of horse filling her nose. Her favourite smell. Her body felt in tune with his, she wasn’t anticipating the movements at all, or worse - trying to block the movement.

“Breathe. You’re still in a boat. The wind on your face is just that- it’s just wind. You’re in a boat and your friend brought one of those mini fans and won’t face it away from you. The boat is bigger, so you have more room to rock around and not worry about getting your clothes wet.”

Steph grinned at the idea of the mini fan. Her laughter bubbled up from her chest and erupted, not loudly, but definitively. She felt happy and at peace, and she brought her arms down and gripped Clover’s mane, opening her eyes. She looked at her dad, who had her phone in front of his face, landscape and filming away.

“She’s really been struggling with the canter, she tries to block the movement - she can’t stop a five hundred kilo horse from moving as it should.” Greg clicked the record button on the phone to stop it. “It’s easy to tell her what she needs to fix, but her instincts keep kicking in. She can’t ride every horse like she rode Phoenix.” He looked to Mikayla, smiling. “Do I owe you anything for teaching her?”

“You have to flop like a fish before you can swim like a dolphin.” Mikayla shrugged, lowering her arms. Clover wasn’t quite sure whether or not he needed to stop, so he kept at the canter, his rider wasn’t tense or anything, and it wasn’t like his leader had told him to stop moving, so he just kept at it.

“It’s good to bond with one horse, but you have to create different experiences to expand for you and your horse’s sake. I don’t know much about what you guys have gone through, snippets here and there, but you just have to view it as a chance to grow and improve and maybe you’ll be able to get Phoenix back for her and then she’ll have something to teach him instead of the other way around..”

Mikayla raised a brow, shaking her head. “Naw, hun, I didn’t charge Aveline to check out her mare, I don’t see why I would charge you and Steph for a lesson. Like I said, I’m hanging out here for a bit, might as well put my skills to use while I’m around.”

“I don’t think Phoenix is coming back to us. Me and my ex-wife had a nasty divorce, and she saw that Phoenix was in her name and took her. We don’t have contact, and though Steph misses Phoenix, she doesn’t want to talk to her mum over it.” Greg looked at the sand for a second. “Thank you, though - I am quietly looking for a suitable mount, but she’s seeming to stick to this idea of competitive riding.”

Speak of the devil, Mikayla saw Mark jump off the fence from where he’d been hanging out with Aveline and come jogging up to her. “Hey mum! Aveline is gonna let me practice show jumping on Fishy!” Rodney, did a quick spin, his bum wiggling, tongue flopping out as he responded to Mark’s energy. “I thought you wanted to be a cowboy?”

“Rodeo King, and I will, but one should always take offers to ride good horse when one gets the chance.”

“So what I’m hearing is that when we get home you want to start jumping JJ for me.”

“Nope. Not even an allowance raise could convince me to warm him up for you!”

“Rodeo King huh? Have you spoken to Josh while you’re here? He had a few seasons as a rodeo rider, he’s a farrier now. He works with me up with the cows, waaay past the stallion yards.” Greg pointed in the approximate direction of the machinery shed and cattle lots. “We have a couple of working horses to help us, too.”

Mark grinned at Greg, glancing at his mom, who visibly winced. “You gotta show me who Josh is!”

Mikayla, raised a hand, putting it to her side, she snapped her fingers once, twice, three times and Clover carefully slowed down, walking over to her hand and rested his nose against her fingers.

“Feeling a little better?” Mikayla asked Steph, rubbing her hand over the chestnut’s blaze. He was shining with sweat from the extended work out.

Steph nodded excitedly, grinning. “So much better!” She rolled forward to give Clover a hug around his neck. The stallion snorted and shook his head happily. He was much happier to be given clear commands and canter easily in a circle than have Steph being a bit inconsistent. She felt so much more at ease, she could have sat there for hours.
Aveline stood quietly with Midday, playing with her mane. She clicked to the mare, and she quickly raised her head. The pair walked back into the barn, Midday’s tail swishing at stray flies.
Greg looked at his daughter. He was impressed at her bravery, she had always been reckless and confident - she subscribed quite strongly to the “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality. It had served her well, starting by riding interschools on her faithful Thoroughbred cross mare Phoenix, before even competing as a representative of the state. Now, she seemed to have set her eyes on higher prizes. It would be likely that she would want to ride interschools again, but Greg was caught on the idea. He would either have to find a new horse for her to buy - or she would get permission to ride one of these crazy expensive warmbloods, where things could go south easily.

“Hey Mikayla,” Greg lowered his voice, “ - I’m not sure how much you know about interschools, you know those competitions that are run for only school kids and their horses? They compete against other schools and then state interschools teams are made, that sort of thing. Well, Steph used to ride at interschools and she was doing really well on her mare. I figure she might want to try again while she’s still got a few years of school left, but I’m not sure what to do if she does. I risk her taking one of these expensive warmbloods and having her bite the dust, or having the horse get injured. Alternatively, I could try find her a suitable mount. Problem is, working horses are my thing, not eventers. I don’t want her to end up being outhorsed and too proud to say anything, and get herself injured. Where do you think I go from here?”

“First things first, ask her if she wants to do them again. There’s no point in looking for a horse for interschool competitions if she wants to do something different. The loss of Phoenix seems to have rocked her confidence quite a bit if Clover’s actions tell me anything, so you have to help her set a manageable pace because kids have a habit of biting off more than they can chew.”

Mikayla spoke up a bit more for Stephanie. “Have you tried any of the student-focused horses at Rosewood yet, like Jack, or have you only really had the chance to ride Hayden and Aveline’s horses so far?” Granted, Mikayla wasn’t sure how many horses were student-open horses at Rosewood. At her own stable, she might own almost all of the horses, but she had horses in a particular rotation for her students and if she felt they worked well with certain horses, she’d give them more opportunities to ride those horses, even Firestorm had been added to the student roster now that Mikayla had mostly finished the mare’s competitions for that year.

Word Count: 7,794 words

Training picture
Fullbody, Semi-complex bg, handler + 6 points
1k+ wordcount + 10 points
roleplay +1 point

Total Points Earned: 17

Originally meant to be quick sketch of the rp, ended up a bit more.
Tagging the-fren

Description

Horse: Red Clover + Midday (lit)
Featuring - Mikayla Turner, Mark Turner(lit), Greg and Stephanie Price, Aveline Lawson(lit)

Warning: Wall of Text is literally a wall.

Mikayla wiped the sweat from her face with a bandana she kept tucked in her pocket as she started tacking up RedClover for their warmup in the arena. They were spending most of two weeks at Rosewood Stud, a week during the ‘No Arena’ competition, and then a week of mostly just Mikayla and Mark and two of their horses. The week of competing was done and over with, so Mikayla had sent most of her staff and students back home- giving her first timers ample time to learn how to pack and prep for shows. Mark was running around the field chasing after Rodney who was currently off-service as this week was all about relaxing and letting horses adjust to prolonged visits in strange areas.

Mikayla spent a good amount of time checking the chestnut stallion’s legs, running hands carefully over the pasterns and checking his hooves. In spite of the heat, she still put the horses first, and Red Clover was no exception.

Aveline saw Mark running around with Rodney nearby, meaning Mikayla would be in the barn. She had been welcomed to leave her horses in the performance barn, as many of the Rosewood horses were out during the summer and they had plenty extra stalls. Aveline wandered into the barn, to be greeted by her own Arabian mare. She had raced with Brigette in the bareback beach race, and the mare had loved playing in the sand. It was disappointing she didn’t have time to compete with her mare anymore, but she was happy to focus on Fishy and Midday. She sighed a little thinking of Midday. She had been torn up when she saw Steph riding the mare - she thought this would be her opportunity to back and campaign the mare herself. She kicked herself a little, trying to brighten up.

“Hey Mik, how’s Red Clover?” The stallion sniffed at her inquisitively as she leant on the stall. Aveline grinned and played with his nose. The chestnut had the most beautiful temperament for a horse that had been dealt a shit hand, in the form of a shit rider.
“He’s so lovely. He should be sour from what he went through, but he’s just so forgiving.” She rubbed his forehead, looking at the sweet stallion’s eyes. The sound of footsteps caught her attention. She turned, and saw Steph. She stifled a scowl. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice her, but it seemed luck wasn’t on her side. Steph caught her eye and waved, to which Aveline offered a meek one in return. She bounded over to the stall door.
“Hiya! I’m Steph, I saw you riding a roan mare at the beach. You seemed pretty busy during the show!” She smiled brightly at Mikayla. “Who is this pretty boy?”

“Hi Steph. This is Red Clover, you can pet him- just be careful around his mouth, he’s been through a lot so he doesn’t like people touching it.” Mikayla had noticed immediately how Aveline seemed to stiffen up, so she chose her words carefully. She hadn’t heard what the beef was, but she was sure she would find out soon enough.

“Hey Mik, I’m working with a young mare at the moment, and I’d really like to see what you think of her. Her name’s Midday, she was bred here a few years ago and then sold to someone who wanted to use her as a broodmare. That didn’t work out, her owner couldn’t feed her anymore ‘cause of the drought, so Ben bought her back. I think she’s got heaps of potential, she’s nearly 4 now so gearing up to put the basics on her before we jump her.” Steph hung on every word. Aveline tried to make it as crystal clear as possible that Midday, without paying the money for her, was hers. It was hard to put into practice - Aveline had spent years and many competition seasons on Fish’s career, from her first show as a green mare to some fairly large shows that she had won, including the Norwegian International Equestrian Championship. Though it had been an awful show for the team, Aveline had been incredibly proud of the mare. She found herself smiling as she thought of her favourite. Oops.
“Oooh, I’d love if you could give me a lesson! I can ask my dad to film it for me so I can watch it back, too.” Steph smiled at Mikayla sweetly. Aveline was taken aback. She felt it was rude to just… ask for things like that. Sure, she was one to talk, she was outgoing and annoying as hell. But Steph, she was another level.

Red Clover snorted softly, ducking his head against Mik’s leg for a moment, giving her the perfect opportunity to mess with the chestnut’s refined ears. She had left his mane down, cut nice and short so she didn’t have to spend that much longer on braids or get his mane in her face during jumps.

“Yeah, I can check her out for you, see what you should focus on with her. If you’re looking to ride her to show me her skills- stick with a bitless and a bareback pad, quicker to put on and it’ll show me how well she does with distractions.” Mikayla pointed towards Clover, “He’s not much for a distraction, but every little bit matters, especially once you start showing her.

Aveline nodded and quickly ducked away to the tack room to find a spare rope halter. She hadn’t ridden in a halter in a long time, but bareback was definitely her kind of thing. She rifled through the halter rack, and found a red rope halter she could use on Midday.

Mikayla turned her attention to Steph, tilting her head ponderingly. She supposed it would be good for Red Clover to have another young rider. Mikayla hadn’t had any of the teenagers at her station ride him yet, just herself and Siobhan. He was a decent calm stallion, it couldn’t hurt to let someone else try- see how he handled someone who wasn’t considered an advanced rider.
“I could probably let you ride Clover, here, for a small lesson- but you need to check if it’s okay with your dad- and the individual you’re already getting lessons from. It’s important they’re okay with it, because I’m not here to step on toes- the horses do enough of that.”
As if knowing he was needed, Mark came running around the corner, the golden merle aussie shepherd right at his heels, fluffy butt wiggling in excitement. He slowed to a stop up next to Clover.
“Hey champ, looks like I’ve got my hands full, how do you feel about warming Clover up for me while I do an inspection for Aveline?” She wasn’t sure what Steph’s experience was, so it was better to have someone who’s skills she knew to warm up the horse ahead of time.
“Yeah! Don’t worry, I’ll remember, gentle hands for a soft mouth.” He said as if knowing exactly what his mom was going to say. She grinned at him, before helping him into the saddle.
“Alright Steph, ask your dad and your trainer, we’ll be in the arena. Make sure to drink some water if you have to wait a bit for me to finish inspecting Aveline’s mare, I don’t need anyone to faint from dehydration on me.”

“On it!” She whipped out her phone quickly, background lighting up with a chestnut horse’s face. Typing at the speed only a 15 year old can achieve on a phone, she texted Bennett. Would it be alright if I got a lesson from Mikayla? I’m ringing dad now, he should be fine with it and I’ll get him to film as well! With the text sent, she quickly dialed her dad.
“I’ll meet you in the arena when dad gets here!”

Mikayla waited for Aveline to tack up her mare before they went to the arena. Mark instantly took to warming up Red Clover, walking him around the ring, the seven year old took his ‘job’ very seriously. He was certainly growing up into a great rider, even though he obviously didn’t want to do the english disciplines.

Aveline lead the mare up to Mikayla. She felt a little strange, about to show off a horse with just a halter and lead on. She felt almost naked, a stark contrast to how she used to feel riding horses with no tack as a kid. She halted the young mare, before scrambling on bareback. The 3 year old walked off slowly as before Aveline got settled, eyes catching a nearby stray handful of hay. Aveline sat up and quickly dropped her seat bones, gathering up the lead she had tied into a loop under the filly’s chin like reins. Midday quickly planted her feet, feeling the command to halt. Pushing her heels forward towards her shoulders and tugging gently on the “reins”, the filly took two steps back easily. Aveline released the pressure and patted her neck, letting the mare stretch out her neck.
“I’m ready when you are!” Mikayla let them into the arena where Mark was warming up Red Clover. Midday nickered gently to the stallion, ears trained on him. Aveline gathered up her reins and asked Midday to walk in a frame. She obliged, lifting her back and head dropping comfortably.
“She’s not ready for a competitive dressage frame, but she can hold a nice, loose frame with proper engagement at the moment. She needs a bit of managing, but she’s still just a baby.” The buckskin’s head bobbed with each stride, Aveline’s legs hanging loosely by her side. “Other than that, she’s a lot like her dam, who I rode before she was sold on. Her sire, Aries, was more dressage inclined, but I can’t really tell if she’s inherited that. That’s what I wanted to ask you about - if you think the quality of her movement is really good enough to really be competitive. And of course, what you think of her in general.”

Mikayla studied the mare’s back, eyes narrowing on every flaw she could find, and what might counteract it. She had fine powerful hindquarters, a relatively clean face, though Mikayla was sure the ears were a bit long for the mare, she still had a bit of growing to do.

“She should definitely keep working on her ground manners- she’s listening to you, but she’s mostly focused on Clover. I can’t say for sure she’ll be the best mare for dressage. She’s got a decent build for it- but build doesn’t mean -” Mikayla paused noticing that her son had ridden a little closer “ - anything, if the horse’s personality isn’t in it. I’m not saying she can’t be intelligent, but keep an eye on her attitude, she’s got that teenage rebellion look in her eye.”

Aveline asked the mare to circle, squeezing with her inside leg and asking the filly to bend. Midday listened, but one ear flicked to Mark and Red Clover.

Mikayla watched the mare a bit more, having Aveline go to a trot and try a bit of collection. Instantly Mikayla stopped her. “Naw, look, she’s hollowing out her back like she thinks that’s what collection is about, gotta cut that right before it becomes a serious habit. So, her focus for collection is slowing down, but to keep trotting. It’ll be a bit frustrating for her at first, it is for most horses- but that should be where you can gage how quick she’ll be to pick up on things. She has fine movement, if not a bit ...awkward, stumbley, but she’s still a baby so she’s probably had quite a few growth spurts and doesn’t know her own legs too well yet.”

Mikayla leaned back a bit, glancing towards Mark as he upped the warmup into a loose canter, Clover easily keeping beat over a few ground poles.
“As for you, Avie- I think you might need some more bareback trotting practice- you… are… slumping!” Mikayla stuck her tongue out at the other redhead.

“Aw c'mon, bareback is supposed to be fun! Don't have to ride perfectly aaaaall the time.” She grinned, knowing she was out of practice. Midday snorted, returning to a walk a little bit ungracefully. “She's definitely still sorting out her legs - she needs more strength and balance through her transitions. She's done the most at the walk, starting on bending and flexion and collection at the walk. She's a cracker trail horse too, she loves the beach.” She rubbed the mare's neck. Steph excitedly ducked into the arena, Greg following her. As it was summer, the darker haired man didn't have much in the way of work to do. The cattle were out grazing, and the property was in great condition after the show.
“Hey Mikayla! Dad and Ben said I can have a lesson! This is my dad.” Greg extended a hand to Mikayla.
“Great to meet you. Thanks for agreeing on a lesson for her, she's been soaking up opportunities like a sponge since she got here.” And other people's opportunities as well, Aveline thought, trying not to scowl. She instead focussed on her circles, Midday tracking along happily underneath her.

“That’s exactly what the beach is for, especially those hills, perfect for strengthening the back and her muscles. I would say, don’t ride her up them, but run with her up them, if she falls you don’t die- and you fall she might be able to help you keep your balance up.”

Mikayla shook his hand, grip firm. “Nice to meet you as well. I’m here, so I might as well be useful, sides some of my regulars might be competing against Avie and Steph in the future, so this will hopefully bolster the competition.” Mikayla grinned. Her kids were getting egos for all the competitions they’d entered in already, and Mik was all about them learning lessons and knowing when an ego was good to have and when to be humbled.

“Well, Steph is competitive. She was riding at interschools quite competitively, until she moved here. Long dramatic story, I’ll save you the details.” Greg leant on his hip and waved a hand.

Like the mom she was, Mikayla instantly picked up the attitude shift and posture change in Aveline. “Avie, I want you to focus on her feet right now- start little, by having her halt- turn her one way then the opposite way with as little to no pressure as possible. Release as soon as she gives to the lightest pressure- but make sure she takes one step in that direction each time. In ten or twenty minutes, I expect you to have her only moving her front legs in quick succession, like… a kid running in place. Use your reins as little as possible, and only use them as a follow up for leg pressure.”

“Can do boss.” Aveline nodded. She brought Midday to a halt. She moved her leg forward, to where the girth would be if she had one. She felt Midday bow slightly away from the pressure. She opened her hand, and she took a step to the side. Immediately she dropped the pressure. She switched hands and leg, always making sure to move her leg first. Midday took two steps as Aveline lifted her hands. She dropped the rein and praised the filly. She was quick, she wanted to do the right thing. Aveline smiled at her.

Mikayla let out a loud whistle. The australian shepherd by her side wiggled his butt happily. She glanced down at Rodney, muttering to him, “Not you, sit back down.” Mark trotted Clover over, easily slipping out of the saddle and onto the ground- though the stallion was nearly twice his size.
“All warmed up Mom. Can I watch?”

“Of course, just make sure to poke me when you think Aveline’s got a front end piaffe going, it doesn’t have to be very good, Midday’s just a baby after all.” Mark nodded, climbing up on top of the arena’s fence eager to be of assistance.

Mikayla turned to Steph. “Do you need a lift up?” She asked as the red stallion stood by patiently. He hardly had a sheen to his coat, though it had been a good fifteen minutes with Mark riding him. He was in green and brown tack, an all purpose english saddle- and the bridle was obviously bitless. Mikayla hadn’t had too much time on her hand to work on his mouth issues, so she’d gone for the bitless bridle because she didn’t know how gentle Steph’s hands were.

Greg leant over to rub the happy shepherd.
“Yes please!” Steph waltzed happily over to the left of the stallion, gathering her reins slightly in her left hand. Mikayla boosted her up, and she settled into the seat. He was a big stallion - but she had been riding Fergus thanks to Hayden, so she wasn’t too nervous.
“My mare is- was, I should say, a lot smaller. But she was also a chestnut, it’s nice to see red again!” She ran her fingers through the stallion’s mane affectionately.
“Why is he in a bitless bridle?” Aveline inwardly cringed at her dumb questions.

“I got him from an abusive owner a few years back, and I haven’t had enough time to work on his dislike for bits, since they used to let the bit bang against his teeth and rip up the soft tissue of his mouth. So it’s safer for you as the rider, and more pleasant for him to stick with bitless for now.”

Midday was starting to pick up the direction changes, and adding in her own exuberance. As one hoof landed in one direction and Aveline brushed her leg forward, she would spring off the foot that just landed, getting a bit of air time in between swapping feet. At least she keeps my core working. Aveline just loved this filly, she reminded her so much of Fareeha. She missed the mare, but in the business horses had to be sold on to bring new ones in. Midday however, she considered approaching Bennett privately about to offer a price on her. Especially since Steph had ridden her for at least half an hour. Bennett supervised and gave permission, so she supposed that her beef was with him really. It was different to her relationship with Fishy, she had worked hard to be allowed to ride her and she was at the stage where they were a done deal. They had the same mile-wide competitive streak, and together they would conquer the ring. But Midday, really felt like comfort. She had enough energy to keep Aveline thinking, but without the size and scope of Fish. She was a horse you could school in just a rope halter and go for a ride without worrying.

“Alright, go ahead and start with a walk for me, I don’t have a clue about your previous experiences, but Clover’ll follow even the lightest instructions- so find your center, keep your hands and legs light, and show me a walk, then a trot.” Mikayla urged Steph to begin, mismatched eyes focusing on the rider and horse. Normally she would do one “lesson’ where she just judged a rider’s posture and their abilities, but this wasn’t one of her long-term students, so she’d have to make quick judgments and go from there.

“What disciplines are you looking forward to learning?” She asked as she stood at the edge of the arena, watching the pair go through the slower paces.

“Well, I used to do low level eventing, my favourite was always cross country. But showjumping next, for sure.” She clicked to Clover and sped up his walk slightly. She felt comfortable on him, but walk was easy. She urged him into a trot wide around the arena. He wasn’t as forward as Fergus was, he waited for her commands instead of assuming what to do. She wasn’t surprised that Fergus assumed what to do, he was a competition horse who knew his job. When she rode Midday, she had felt a lot more alone in the dark. Midday had no idea what she was doing, and that made Steph’s brain blank out.

Mark grinned at Aveline. “You’re doing great! I think you’re ready for the next bit! So you gotta… Mom! I forgot.”

Mikayla glanced over. “Aveline, start from the halt again, this time when you ask for her to move- I want you to essentially do a side-pass, keep Midday’s body straight, but get her to move to your left. Use your left hand, since you don’t have a whip, if you need an extra aid. Once you have that down, try to do the same with the right. They’re slightly more advanced, especially for a young horse, but if she can do that with relative ease, then I think you’ve got a decent dressage prospect on your hands.”

Mikayla turned her attention back to Stephanie. “Lower your hands. Try to keep your elbows level with your navel. You need to work on your core a bit more, so when you’re not riding, I recommend doing leg weights, squats, and curls to get your core muscles in shape. Horses can’t fix everything- you need to take the extra steps for any horse you ride.” Mikayla called.

Steph nodded. She relaxed her elbows and let her hands lower. She didn’t need to have quite as much tension in the reins, Clover was steady and went at the pace she wanted - not the pace he wanted. She would talk to Josh about working out, he would have to know.

Rodney’s back end wiggled side to side when Greg pet him, before flopping down next to Mikayla, looking like he’d been pushed over instead of laying down.

“I’m Greg by the way, let me know if I can do anything to help. You’ve got your hands full teaching two riders.” He crossed his arms loosely over his chest.
Aveline took a deep breath and gave Midday her head to think about her mini-lesson. She chewed happily, fat tongue flicking out her mouth briefly. She rubbed the mare’s shoulder, before gathering her reins in her right hand. She pushed her left heel forward, as if she were asking for the same movement as before, but dropped her left hand by Midday’s belly. She rested her hand, pushing slightly. The buckskin mare popped into the air, jumping front feet then hind feet to the side. Unseated for a second, Aveline giggled at her excitement. Not quite what she wanted, but damn she proved she was an agile horse. She tried again, this time without pushing with her hand - just resting it against her side. Midday jumped again, but this time it was a slight pop as she shifted her weight excitedly. Much better. She dropped the reins again, rewarding the mare.

Steph slowed Clover to a walk, before pulling her phone out of her pocket and heading into the middle where Mikayla and her dad were. She halted in front of them, and handed her phone to her dad.
“Can you film for me please? I wanna make sure I don’t forget anything.”
“Sure thing. I’ll try and keep the camera on you this time, not the sand.” Steph grinned.
“I learn a lot more when I can see what’s happening.” Greg smiled at her and waved her off jokingly. Steph sat tall and guided Red Clover back out to the outside track. She made sure to keep her hands low and her shoulders back. She collected her reins and asked for a trot. Clover trotted off easily, making sure to hold her position. She kept her heels down and hands soft and open. Steph kept him going proudly, waiting for her next instructions.

“Looks to me like you’ve already got a job.” Mikayla jested, offering a wry grin. Greg shot one back in return, phone poised in landscape and ready to go.

Aveline meanwhile, slipped off Midday. She had proved she would work off pressure both directions, and she had definitely mentally worked hard enough for a session. She led the mare in to Mikayla and waited her turn to talk to her.
“I think she’s good for the day. I don’t want to burn her out, especially when she’s so willing still. Thanks so much for taking a look at her.” She rubbed the mare’s star.

“Of course. I’ll write you a list of exercises for her, that I think will give her some vast improvement in muscle structure, but aren’t too much if you do each of them about thirty minutes to an hour every few days. She’s got potential, I’m sure you’ll at least go national with her once she’s old enough, even if you decide to switch out of dressage.”

“I’d like for her to event down the line - everyone here knows I’m an adrenaline junkie. Glad to hear she has potential - especially for dressage. I was worried she might be a touch impatient, but I have to remind myself she still needs two or three years more to mature. And she’s proved she likes to learn and she’s quick on her feet.”

“I’ll try to sneak in another beach race with you this week. My gentle jumper against one of your babs.” Mikayla winked, and though it looked like she wasn’t watching Stephanie, she called out, “ Straighten your spine- you’re putting too much weight on your right, check your heels, and put more energy into it. Go for the forward motion, he’s an easy going horse, and will match the effort you put into him but you have to make that step first!”

“Sounds good, your gentle jumper can take on my excitable jumper with a competitive streak as big as mine.” Aveline grinned cheekily, gathering up Midday who had decided to stick her nose in front of Rodney’s. Rodney gently licked at the horse’s nose, he was a good dog who didn’t get surprised much around horses.
Steph pushed her hip down to the left, forcing her spine to straighten. She turned her heels down - where they’d been the last time she’d checked, dammit! - and tried to drive with the same hips she was shoving downwards. Riding was hard - Hayden was less position-driven and more interested in how she managed Fergus. Fergus had been challenging her a lot, and she enjoyed it, but with Mikayla and Red Clover, this was a lesson focusing on her body. She felt the red stallion’s stride open up a little more, and intuitively closed her hands around the reins. He immediately backed straight off, his stride slowing.

“Loosen your grip a bit, he’s slowing down and you’re losing momentum. The big rule in my lessons is that if you can’t sit right for more than 10 minutes at a time you have to post a trot for half of that time to work on your balance and coordination.”

Steph opened her hands and urged the stallion forward again. Secretly, she found posting trot much easier, but she wouldn’t dare say that out loud in fear of being made to only sit trot forever.

“You should see my arena back home when I’m trying to manage 5 teenagers at the same time- and my staff who somehow always ends up with a loose horse in the arena.”

“That is impressive. I can barely handle one teenager and her dog without a horse involved. Steph is an awesome kid, but she has so much desire to do things and do them as soon as she gets the idea in her head. Her brain to mouth filter has limited function.” He nodded to Aveline and patted Midday, heading to the gate with her to let her out. Aveline walked the young mare out, and let her graze at the grass by the arena. Aveline held the end of the leadrope and leaned against the arena fence next to Mark, eyes following Steph and Red Clover. Greg trudged back towards Mikayla and Rodney, phone at the ready. He shot a smile at Mikayla while he resumed his dad duties - even managing to pat Rodney again.

“I’ve learned in the past seven years, it’s a lot like horses- they have minds of their own, inspirations- they just know how to verbalize it better or perhaps more bluntly, but it’s the subtle things that they aren’t saying that you need to pay attention to. It helps when you’ve got a good team at home though.”

Mark leaned over next to Aveline. “Clover’s making up for her shifting balance. I’ll bet two mints, if mom makes her canter- she’ll tighten her grip and Clover will full out stop.” Mark held up two wrapped mints to show how serious he was on the bet.

Aveline grinned, shaking the hand with the mints in it. “If you’re right, you can ride a showjumping round on Fishy.” No amount of money in the world would give her the vindication of Mark predicting her correctly, so a ride on the best showjumping horse at the stables was small potatoes to her. Part of her felt bad about wanting Steph to fail - but she didn’t want her to fall or anything, just maybe knock her down a peg.

“Go ahead and put him into a canter.” Mikayla called out, trying not to frown as she watched the teenager ride the long-striding chestnut stallion. Her brow furrowed as she clearly focused on the teenager’s hips, legs, and back. She knew the saddle was fine- she’d checked it after Mark had gotten off, and adjusted the stirrups, but the teenager was acting like she was riding a completely different horse than the one beneath her.

Steph tightened her legs and asked Clover to canter. As a showjumper, his gait was uphill and he bounced into a canter. Steph felt her hands jar shut, her stomach dropping. He had started from such a slow trot, and then jumped into a big canter - she felt her balance fall backwards, and then as Clover planted all four feet at once, she fell forward on to his neck.

The chestnut snorted, turning his head in her direction as if asking her what that was for. She obviously should have been prepared for his gait change- she asked for it!

Mikayla sighed softly, before walking over to Stephanie. “I had a feeling that would happen. Any other horse would have bolted straight out from under you. Your confidence is good, but you need to work on your balance. Have you ever tried skateboarding or surfing before?” Mikayla asked, as she double checked the saddle and handed her the reins that had fallen over the stallion’s neck, the chestnut eagerly rubbing his lips over Mikayla’s arms.

Steph looked at the pommel of the saddle. “I did fall off the first time I tried to canter Fergus, which is Hayden’s horse. He did exactly what you said - bolted straight out from under me. I got back in the saddle, but I wanted to avoid cantering. We’ve been working on keeping Fergus steady and listening to me, instead of assuming what he should do.” She patted Clover’s neck. “I haven’t tried either of those, but I guess this would be the best place to learn how to surf.” She looked out past the barn and trees, in the direction the beach would be.”

Mark smirked at Aveline. “Mom did the same thing to me last year. I got too… whatever that word is, and she told me to canter Gandalf, and I flew out of the saddle.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

Aveline grinned at him. “You should hear about the time Brigette refused on cross-country for me when I was competing for my school - it was a water jump, and she decided she didn’t really want to get her feet wet. I went right over the top of her, and took the bridle off with me.” She nudged him with her elbow. “Since then, I’ve never gotten in front of a horse’s jump. Always wait for the real takeoff.”

“Huh, I guess mom does it differently. She leans into the jump even right before the take-off in competitions. Like.. she just knows it’s going to happen, they’re going to do whatever she says and they do. I dunno, I don’t really watch her train the greenies.”

“Your mum knows her competition horses like the back of her hand - besides, she’s got abs of steel, she could probably still stay on even if they stopped for some reason.” She turned her attention back to Mikayla lecturing Steph.

“It’s not just the competition horses, Avie. It’s like she can read minds.” Mark mumbled, as he watched his mom advise Steph.

“It happens more than you think. Mark had the same issue last year, we improvised a lot- since we’re more mountainside than oceanside, but it works the same way. You take a strong bucket, put a plank on it. Get both feet on each end, slowly center your weight so both ends are off the ground, and then - it takes a good while- you eventually can move the plank of wood back and forth over the bucket without losing your balance or falling off. Do that for five minutes and you shouldn’t have cantering issues like that.”

Mikayla hummed, tilting her head as she considered the options before her.

“Here, hop off for a moment, we’re going to try something a little different.” When Steph did as she said, she immediately went to work removing the stallion’s tack, she even tossed off the bridle- which basically did nothing to the stallion as he waited poised for whatever Mikayla had plans.

“Alright, back up again.” Mikayla said, offering Steph her cupped hands to help her onto the absurdly tall stallion’s back. Mikayla wasn’t exactly tall, and the horse’s withers went over her head easily enough.

Steph bit her lip. She nervously obliged, taking the leg up and settling on his back. It was a little damp from the heat, but she didn’t mind. She was far more worried about not being able to hold onto anything, or have a way to slow Red Clover. She took a shaky breath out.

“First thing’s first, you’re too high up on his withers. Lay on him like a cat on the back of a couch, I know he’s sweaty and all, but you’ll be showering tonight anyways probably.” Mikayla waved off the concern like a fly before it got close. “Now, slowly rise up- eyes closed, and sit where it feels right. I don’t care if you end up on his loins if that’s what feels right to you- just find where you feel safest and most secured.”

Steph nodded. She lowered herself over his back, and lay for a second. Closing her eyes, she sat up again, arms shaking a little from adrenaline. She found herself sitting further back behind his withers, squarely over the biggest part of his ribcage. She didn’t feel secure, but she didn’t feel like she would tip over if she relied only on her core to hold her up. She straightened her back, sitting up taller, her hands resting on her thighs.
“Okay, I think this is where.” Her dad got to work gathering up Clover’s tack and setting them on the fence, flipping the saddle pad upside down to air out.

“You didn’t have to do that hun, I’ll be cleaning it afterwards anyways, but thank you.” Mikayla offered politely. Greg felt his face flush a little.

“Alright, that’s a decent enough place to start. Keep your eyes closed. Don’t think of it like a rollercoaster, I want you to think of the ocean waves or even a lake, on a day where it’s a little windy, but the boat just gently rocks. You’re not worried about falling out of the boat- you can swim, and it’s not a terrible rhythm, think of the smell of the salt water in the air.” Mikayla clicked Clover forward, who instantly zeroed in on Mikayla, and started into a slow trot, his head extending forward.
“Put your arms out beside you if that makes you feel better. You don’t need to row for this boat, just move with it- focus on how your hips move and rise against his back. Don’t worry about applying too much pressure with your legs, If you feel insecure, go ahead and be as tight as you like- it won’t bother him one bit.”

Steph nodded. She kept her eyes pasted shut as she tried to rock with his rhythm. She felt her balance waver, and quickly corrected - the overcorrected, her balance going the other way. She breathed out and let her legs grip on. As soon as her body relaxed, her balance returned. Steph made sure not to anticipate the movement. She felt her legs unstick from his sides, breathing deeply into her nose. Her legs relaxed more, bobbing by Clover’s side as she kept her seat relaxed. If she kept her muscles relaxed, she could go with his flow easily. As soon as she tensed, she would start interfering with him and lose her balance. Her thighs gripped softly, not tensing hard but keeping her body taut.

True to her word, Red Clover hardly made a noise, nor did he speed up when his rider adjusted herself. He kept and even pace, waiting more Mikayla’s signals, as she drove him with her hands around in an even paced circle. Mikayla might not have had time to work on the stallion’s mouth issues, but she sure as heck always made sure to create the most important bond and ground manners with every horse that came into her care. She would never put her student’s needlessly in harms way

Mikayla didn’t bother to click, instead silently waving her hand near the stallion’s rear once she knew Stephanie was ready- watching for when she tensed and relaxed. It was when she had been relaxed for long enough that Mikayla urged Clover into a slow canter- the jumper switching over almost seamlessly, the rocking changing to something less bouncy, like a boat going over waves and then slowly evening and rising before the next wave.

Instinctively, Steph’s hands grabbed for nothingness. She forced her hands back out like a plane’s wings, relaxing her hips again. The canter was easier to sit to, rocking back and forth more slowly and comfortably than the trot. She could feel Clover’s head stretching down, the muscles pulling his back up. She sat comfortably, legs hanging by his side holding on with the barest touch. She focused on taking another deep breath again, the smell of horse filling her nose. Her favourite smell. Her body felt in tune with his, she wasn’t anticipating the movements at all, or worse - trying to block the movement.

“Breathe. You’re still in a boat. The wind on your face is just that- it’s just wind. You’re in a boat and your friend brought one of those mini fans and won’t face it away from you. The boat is bigger, so you have more room to rock around and not worry about getting your clothes wet.”

Steph grinned at the idea of the mini fan. Her laughter bubbled up from her chest and erupted, not loudly, but definitively. She felt happy and at peace, and she brought her arms down and gripped Clover’s mane, opening her eyes. She looked at her dad, who had her phone in front of his face, landscape and filming away.

“She’s really been struggling with the canter, she tries to block the movement - she can’t stop a five hundred kilo horse from moving as it should.” Greg clicked the record button on the phone to stop it. “It’s easy to tell her what she needs to fix, but her instincts keep kicking in. She can’t ride every horse like she rode Phoenix.” He looked to Mikayla, smiling. “Do I owe you anything for teaching her?”

“You have to flop like a fish before you can swim like a dolphin.” Mikayla shrugged, lowering her arms. Clover wasn’t quite sure whether or not he needed to stop, so he kept at the canter, his rider wasn’t tense or anything, and it wasn’t like his leader had told him to stop moving, so he just kept at it.

“It’s good to bond with one horse, but you have to create different experiences to expand for you and your horse’s sake. I don’t know much about what you guys have gone through, snippets here and there, but you just have to view it as a chance to grow and improve and maybe you’ll be able to get Phoenix back for her and then she’ll have something to teach him instead of the other way around..”

Mikayla raised a brow, shaking her head. “Naw, hun, I didn’t charge Aveline to check out her mare, I don’t see why I would charge you and Steph for a lesson. Like I said, I’m hanging out here for a bit, might as well put my skills to use while I’m around.”

“I don’t think Phoenix is coming back to us. Me and my ex-wife had a nasty divorce, and she saw that Phoenix was in her name and took her. We don’t have contact, and though Steph misses Phoenix, she doesn’t want to talk to her mum over it.” Greg looked at the sand for a second. “Thank you, though - I am quietly looking for a suitable mount, but she’s seeming to stick to this idea of competitive riding.”

Speak of the devil, Mikayla saw Mark jump off the fence from where he’d been hanging out with Aveline and come jogging up to her. “Hey mum! Aveline is gonna let me practice show jumping on Fishy!” Rodney, did a quick spin, his bum wiggling, tongue flopping out as he responded to Mark’s energy. “I thought you wanted to be a cowboy?”

“Rodeo King, and I will, but one should always take offers to ride good horse when one gets the chance.”

“So what I’m hearing is that when we get home you want to start jumping JJ for me.”

“Nope. Not even an allowance raise could convince me to warm him up for you!”

“Rodeo King huh? Have you spoken to Josh while you’re here? He had a few seasons as a rodeo rider, he’s a farrier now. He works with me up with the cows, waaay past the stallion yards.” Greg pointed in the approximate direction of the machinery shed and cattle lots. “We have a couple of working horses to help us, too.”

Mark grinned at Greg, glancing at his mom, who visibly winced. “You gotta show me who Josh is!”

Mikayla, raised a hand, putting it to her side, she snapped her fingers once, twice, three times and Clover carefully slowed down, walking over to her hand and rested his nose against her fingers.

“Feeling a little better?” Mikayla asked Steph, rubbing her hand over the chestnut’s blaze. He was shining with sweat from the extended work out.

Steph nodded excitedly, grinning. “So much better!” She rolled forward to give Clover a hug around his neck. The stallion snorted and shook his head happily. He was much happier to be given clear commands and canter easily in a circle than have Steph being a bit inconsistent. She felt so much more at ease, she could have sat there for hours.
Aveline stood quietly with Midday, playing with her mane. She clicked to the mare, and she quickly raised her head. The pair walked back into the barn, Midday’s tail swishing at stray flies.
Greg looked at his daughter. He was impressed at her bravery, she had always been reckless and confident - she subscribed quite strongly to the “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality. It had served her well, starting by riding interschools on her faithful Thoroughbred cross mare Phoenix, before even competing as a representative of the state. Now, she seemed to have set her eyes on higher prizes. It would be likely that she would want to ride interschools again, but Greg was caught on the idea. He would either have to find a new horse for her to buy - or she would get permission to ride one of these crazy expensive warmbloods, where things could go south easily.

“Hey Mikayla,” Greg lowered his voice, “ - I’m not sure how much you know about interschools, you know those competitions that are run for only school kids and their horses? They compete against other schools and then state interschools teams are made, that sort of thing. Well, Steph used to ride at interschools and she was doing really well on her mare. I figure she might want to try again while she’s still got a few years of school left, but I’m not sure what to do if she does. I risk her taking one of these expensive warmbloods and having her bite the dust, or having the horse get injured. Alternatively, I could try find her a suitable mount. Problem is, working horses are my thing, not eventers. I don’t want her to end up being outhorsed and too proud to say anything, and get herself injured. Where do you think I go from here?”

“First things first, ask her if she wants to do them again. There’s no point in looking for a horse for interschool competitions if she wants to do something different. The loss of Phoenix seems to have rocked her confidence quite a bit if Clover’s actions tell me anything, so you have to help her set a manageable pace because kids have a habit of biting off more than they can chew.”

Mikayla spoke up a bit more for Stephanie. “Have you tried any of the student-focused horses at Rosewood yet, like Jack, or have you only really had the chance to ride Hayden and Aveline’s horses so far?” Granted, Mikayla wasn’t sure how many horses were student-open horses at Rosewood. At her own stable, she might own almost all of the horses, but she had horses in a particular rotation for her students and if she felt they worked well with certain horses, she’d give them more opportunities to ride those horses, even Firestorm had been added to the student roster now that Mikayla had mostly finished the mare’s competitions for that year.

Word Count: 7,794 words

Training picture
Fullbody, Semi-complex bg, handler + 6 points
1k+ wordcount + 10 points
roleplay +1 point

Total Points Earned: 17

Originally meant to be quick sketch of the rp, ended up a bit more.
Tagging the-fren