Criminal Warning: The First Steps

[SigOUrNeY]

THE FIRST STEPS

[/b] She asked the horse as she leaned forward to see his expression. Remi only twitched his skin. Melissa was swift in her procedure, and unhooked the longe line before unknotting the reins and tightening the girth. She let her mount from the round pen into the main outdoor ring where the jumps had been cleared out, and using the mounting bock to reach the saddle. Remi was already walking before Melissa had her foot in the stirrup, and the woman patiently circled him around and tried again. Once more, Remi began moving off without his rider, and once more, he was circled. The process was repeated so many times, it seemed as though Remi was part of a merry-go round. Finally, Melissa made a small jerk on his mouth to order him still, and Remi finally got the message. He stood still long enough for Melissa to get her other leg over the saddle, but began moving before she was settled. The blonde woman was quick to draw up her horse, and made him stand still while she got her foot into the stirrup. Remi snorted impatiently, and let his ears flicker backwards in irritation. Melissa was equally stubborn though, and made him stand for ten seconds before letting him walk off. Remi heaved a relieved sigh, and picked up a speedy walk around the ring.
”Whoa boy. Whoa big horse,” Melissa murmered in a monotone, drawn out voice. She continued her relaxed rambling to get Remi more settled down, and circled him whenever he got too fast. The ex-racer – who still thought he was a racehorse – was becoming uncharacteristically annoyed with the walking. He jerked at the bit and swatted his tail, telling Melissa it was time to run. But still, they walked around the ring, and Remi eventually let out a naughty buck.
Melissa quickly reprimanded him by making his halt and back up several steps. Remi threw up his head, but complied nonetheless. They continued their walk around the ring, and whenever Remi misbehaved badly, he would have to back up. At first Remi became even more irritated, but over time he realized he was getting nowhere, and heaved a heavy sigh before stretching in a lazy walk. Melissa patted the colt’s neck, and circled the thoroughbred around the ring once before she began guiding him through intricate patterns. They weaved across the arena, and circled, and turned back to retrace their steps. Melissa’s sudden commands kept Remi interested and on his toes, and though Melissa sometimes had to clarify her requests, the big colt was performing well.
”Good boy,” Melissa praised, and rubbed his thick neck. Remi seemed very pleased that his efforts had been noticed, but still acted like these exercises weren’t worth his time. What was walking compared to galloping?
”So you want something more challenging, huh?’ Melissa prodded, and then picked up the reins. She didn’t have to ask for a trot twice, and Remi burst into the two beat gait as though he was a standardbred. Melissa burst into laughter at his energy, and circled him to slow down the pace a couple notches. She kept a tight hold on the reins, but didn’t slow down the colt immediately. A racer didn’t become a dressage horse in a day, so she could deal a speedy rabbit for the moment.
Once again, they performed their dizzying patterns at the trot, and although their pace was slightly uneven, Remi seemed more entertained. But when his breathing sounded slightly labored, Melissa pulled him up, remembering his condition. Since the colt had a bad case of EIPH, she didn’t want it to get any worse by working him too hard. Looking at her watch, her eyebrows shot up when she realized they’d been working for an hour and a half.
’All right boy, that’s enough for today,” Melissa said with a pat, and pulled the colt up to a walk in the middle of the ring. Dismounting, she felt the muscles stretch in her calves, and scrunched up her nose. ”That’s going to hurt tomorrow,” She said, looking up at the big horse. ”You worked me hard today, boy-o.”
Yah, well, that was a rip-off for me, The thoroughbred retorted with a disgusted snort.
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