its not what you do; its how you do it

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri walked into the barn, her tall boots making soft thuds against the floor as she walked towards Kass’ stall. The large bay mare looked in her direction, eyeing the small bulge in her pocket that was a sugar cube. Usually Bri fed the mare normal horse treats, but she’d picked up a handful from a dinner and decided free horse treats are the best horse treats. She pulled it out as she opened the mares stall door, letting her munch on it as she slipped her leather halter over her head. She had to unwrap her legs still and give her a quick brush before she herself could settle in. Besides she really had nothing better to do, it was mid afternoon and she knew nobody here. At all. It sucked, but she’d meet people soon enough. She led the mare into the isle wear she clipped the cross ties to her halter and then took a brief moment to look at the new nameplate the was on the halter. After Hours was engraved into the gold plate. Bri smiled at the name, she had recently changed it since ‘Pretty Special’ just wasn’t doing it for her.

Bri pulled her blonde hair into a ponytail as she bent over to undo the wraps on Kass’ legs. Bri pulled at her black hoodie, trying to make it overlap onto her tailored sportsman breeches but finally she gave up hope and let her lower back feel the cool win on it and reveal the tattoo on her left hip, a silhouette of a horse jumping. The wind was chilly and gave her slight Goosebumps, but it was actually fairly warm without the wind outside. She was glad for that, Canadian winters were pretty much the death of her. She hated cold, because even when her family took trips to Mexico she still shivered if their was a slight breeze that wasn’t warm. Bri sighed softly at the thought of family vacations, all the pretending and the lies. She didn’t know how she was going to break that she was not planning on being a doctor, but instead planned on ruling the justice system as a lawyer. She’d never been one to follow a mould, but even this was a little far out of the boundaries. At least when it comes to her family anyways. Bri bit her lip and focused on unwrapping the shipping bandages off Kass’ legs, keeping her mind off her brother and sister. Mainly her brother. She really hoped one day he’d come to his senses, but in the mean time she had her riding. And that was all she needed, all she’d ever need.

As if Kass was sensing her sadness the mare shoved her nose into Bri’s back, as if offering a weird equine version of comfort. It worked and Bri let out a soft laugh before kissing the mare’s nose and returning to uncovering the white legs of the flashy mare. Bri thought about all the horses she’d owned, all the hunters she’d trained and sold. Kass was by far her favourite, though Bold a large pony she’d trained two years ago was a very close second. He had the scope of a Grand Prix horse, no kidding she’d jumped the pony 4’ and he hadn’t even blinked. He was a complete powerhouse, but eh was a controlled one. And he was black with four white socks and a blaze- prettiest markings she’d ever seen. But she’d only rode him for about two months before somebody offered her forty grand for him. And off he went, just like every other horse she’d sold. But how could she refuse an offer like that? She had enough money in her account to pay for law school without a problem, it was the best money making ever. But as much as she loved it, it wasn’t something she wanted a career of. One day she wanted to just have horses she loved and wasn’t trying to sell. One day, when she actually learned how to give her heart to something and actually mean all the ‘I love you’ that come out of her mouth. But for now, she’d just continue on with the pattern she had. Someday she’d change it, she just needed a little help.

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[Shane Hollman]

The rumble of the truck engine would be heard down the drive to the stable. The huge tires crunching the small gravel under the weight of the frame. Shane sat in the drivers seat, thinking of what became of his life. Never in a million years did he ever think he would have ever owned a horse. He was the star basketball player, that popular guy in Miami, but here it was like he didn't exist. He wished he had a time machine, just go back a couple months and fix things, but that wasn't going to happen.

Shane pulled the tuck up to the barn and placed it in park. He loved his truck, but he loved to run places on foot. He was very athletic, the jock type as some would say. His personality wasn't jock type though, not like people usually label them. He was the rare guy that was good looking, and a softy. He hated to see girls cry, and he would always stick up for the little guy, no matter what other people thought. Shane just smiled at the thought and stepped out of his truck, shutting the door behind him.

He entered the barn, his blue Hollister jeans fitting comfortably to his figure. You could see his plain blue t-shirt under his black leather coat, his hands in his pockets. Totally not the cowboy looking type, but it was the best look for him. He smiled as he pasted a blonde girl in the cross ties with her horse. Huge horse, beautiful girl.

He made his way to the stall labeled 'Twister', and leaned on the half door. In the stall stood a 15.3hh quarter horse gelding. He was a pretty chestnut color, with four white socks, his back stockings going up the front side of his legs, looking like they got caught in a twister, hence his name. The gelding stood at the side of the stall, ears perked. "Hey boy." Shane spoke softly, and watched as the horse came to him, resting his nose on Shane's arm. Shane slipped his halter on and walked him to the crossties next to the girl.

Now, Shane wasn't the horse guy one bit, but he was trying hard to become one. The horse was a gift from his aunt, long family story behind it. Shane was just to the point where he could almost canter without holding the horn, but was never giving up. He couldn't count on one hand how many times he fell off learning. It was never the horses fault either, Twister was the perfect beginner horse, ever time Shane fell, Twister would stop and wait for him to get back on.

Shane grabbed a brush from the grooming brushes and started to lightly brush Twisters coat. He watched as twister stretched his head to the horse next to him, trying to get the girl to pet him, he was a attention seeking horse. "Twister, leave her alone." He laughed slightly and smiled at the girl, a apology in his smile.

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri finished unwrapping the legs of the mare, seeing a boy walk by out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes ran over him as he passed by, but she kept it secretive. She wasn’t about to get known as the girl who was snobby or some stupid label that she always seemed to get- all because she was blonde and rode nice horses. It was by far her biggest pet peeve, but people could think what they wanted, she’d given up caring a long time ago. Well okay, for the most part she’d given up. He was tall, but not huge. He looked athletic but his muscles nor posture read horse back rider, more like a runner. Something involving a lot of cardio anyways, just the way his clothes fell on his body. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him for a second, his horse was pretty. Looked western, most likely used for pleasure. But he seemed not completely used to the routine, like he’d only been riding for a little bit. Curiosity filled her body, but she pushed questions to the back of her mind and focused on her mare, grabbing a hoof pick and starting the normal routine she went through. Her hand ran down the inside of Kass’ leg and was about to lift the mare’s foot off the ground when she felt something touch her back. She looked at Kass but she was busy chewing on the cross tie, amusing herself. Bri turned to see the boy’s horse looking at her, quite interested.

Bri smiled and let out an almost silent laugh. “Hey Cutie” she said as she rubbed his head, before giving him a sugar cube she had left. She took in the horse, it’s socks very interesting but still pretty. A very rare occurrence, but the gelding seemed to pull it off. At least she assumed it was a gelding. “I’m Gabrielle, but you can call me Bri” she said with a soft smile and slight nod to the boy before continuing to work with the mare. Kass snorted as Bri picked up her foot, not at all excited about the idea of having to shift her weight. Bri cleaned out the mares hoof quickly, ensuring there was no stones wedged into the side of her aluminium shoe. The mare lifted her hind leg in anticipation, wanting to get this ‘work’ over with so she could go back to sleeping.

Bri tossed the hoof pick back into her box and pulled out a simple brush, just wanting to go over her body quickly before making an attempt at working on the large mess that the mare’s tail had become. It was still decent, but Kass seemed to have a habit of making her tail a matted mess within 48 hours if you didn’t brush it. Which sucked, because it was by far Bri’s least favourite thing in the entire universe. She’d rather clean a barn full of stalls then deal with one tail, they were just way too time consuming and almost pointless. They just got dirty again anyways, but then again so did stalls. But at least stalls had a point, tails just made them look pretty.

Bri ran the brush over the mare flank, flicking it softly to ensure that the dust flied off the mare glistening coat and into the air. Kass was a princess, and enjoying the attention. It was rare for Bri to actually brush her horse well, they wore blankets year round for a reason. Bri hated brushing, it was to time consuming, she would much rather be in the saddle and working then making sure her horses’ legs were spotless. But sadly her parents refused to put any more money into the hobby, so she was stuck grooming herself. Which was fine, she just hated it come show season when she couldn’t feel her fingers from braiding manes all day long. But it was all worth it, she’d be nothing without the horses. Well yes she’d have friends, parties, basketball and any other activity she set her mind to but her life revolved around horses, they were the reason she dragged her ass out of bed every morning and never spent time sitting on a computer absorbed in face book pages. Bri enjoyed having something that she could do, year round, and kicked butt at it. Yeah she played competitive basketball and could shoot three pointers, but horse back riding just had more of a meaning, more of a purpose. Plus she didn’t have to rely on anybody else, she could win with only the help of her four legged partner who had no problem practicing twice at day at wicked hours. Sadly, most people prefer not to sweat at 6am in the morning.

[/blockquote]

[Shane Hollman]

Shane grabbed that hard bristle brush and started at the geldings coat. The gelding has a natural shine to him like some chestnuts did. Shane liked the look of it, but knew when he would put the gelding to pasture, it would be covered up in mud. Shane never really focused on keeping his white socks white, after all he didn't compete with him. Someday, maybe a little barrel racing or cow work, but he had to learn how to ride better first. He was especially proud of himself, mostly cause he has been teaching himself. Books a videos helped a little, but no one really was interested in helping him, which was fine with him.

Don't get him wrong, Shane loved Twister, but he did miss his old life. He missed being out on the court with is team, running lines and shooting hoops. Sure it was hard work, but its what he always wanted to do, even considered college basketball. Life got into the way though, and now he hasn't shot hoops in over a month. He was getting kinda depressed, but he had twister to come and cheer him up.

He also missed his family. Being alone all this time really made him think. It had been over a month since he had talked to his little sister, and he knew it was killing her, and him. Family use to be a big thing in his house, at least till the drama came into his life, then everything seemed to just fall apart. Most of the reason he came here was to make a good life so he could bring his sister here, but that was a long ways off.

Shane snapped out of it as the girl spoke. She was blond, and pretty. He figured she had money, only cause the horse she had was amazing, and looked expensive. He didn't judge, or label, just observing. He smiled as she said her name. "Nice to meet you Bri, im Shane." He smiled his white teeth and continued on the gelding. He dropped the brush and took off his leather jacket, setting it on the floor next to the wall divider. He always ran hot, especially when around the horses. He grabbed the mane and tail comb and started on the geldings forelock. He didn't have much of a forelock, but Shane would brush it anyways. He then quickly brushed through the geldings mane, then moved to the tail. The tail had some knots, Shane's arms flexing each time his brush would get caught in one.

He smiled and patted the horse on the butt, quickly grabbing the hoof pick and made his way around the horse cleaning each hoof out. When finished he patted the gelding on the neck "Good boy." the horse moved his head around and sniffed Shane's hand, wanting another treat. Shane looked to the girls horse, then to her. "Its a nice horse you got there. What do you do with it?" He knew the basic horse sports, jumping, barrels, performance etc. He himself would call him a beginner trail rider, if thats even what you could call him.

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri finished brushing the mare with one last flick of the brush before tossing it into her box and pulling out a tail comb. She looked at the tail, still dreading every minute of it. She bent over and grabbed a bottle of show sheen, in hopes that would ease the work load. She was tempted to just leave it, since it still looked fine, but she’d learned the hard way that it didn’t take Kass long to get it into a mess. Bri started by spraying a shit load of show sheen into the tail and then coating her back socks with a little bit as well, it helped keep them slightly clean. Well made brushing the dirt off easier anyways, but she only did the front legs during show season because it made boots and wraps a pain to put on, especially at five in the morning- or earlier, somedays.

Bri pulled the knots out slowly and softly with her hands, trying to get at least part of it done by hand. It pulled out less hair that way, but it was pretty much a guarantee that she’d be yanking a brush through the thick tail in no time. At least it was black and hid dirt a little bit, Bri didn’t know what she’d do if she had to bath it all the time. Though then she’d probably braid it and stick it in a tail bag, even if Kass seemed to destroy them frequently. It slightly startled her when the boy spoke again, she’d actually been focused on the knots of black hair that her fingers massaged out knowingly, as if it was programmed into her body like walking. “I do hunters with her, It’s an easy selling market. She’s got a lot of talent though, impresses me all the time” said Bri, the last part more to herself then to anybody else. The mare had been champion at the last two shows, cleaning up every time. She knew when you were there to win, and it showed in her performance. She wasn’t sure how, but this mare knew exactly when she needed to bring her A game. And that, she did.

Bri finally gave up and grabbed the brush, getting fed up with standing and running her fingers through hair. She didn’t even spend this much time on her hair when she straightened it. As she worked away at what seemed a never ending tail Bri looked over to see Twister and Shane, they seemed to work well together. She wasn’t sure what it is, but they seemed to understand each other. It kind of gave her a weird chill, made her wonder what was behind the past of the two of them, especially the boy. He seemed almost like he felt out of place, his movements appearing just a tad unrelaxed to her. His words coming out just a little two abrupt. But Bri had been known to be wrong, a lot. She just over thought things- all the time. She could never look at a person and think one word, it was always a bunch of sentences, a jumbled mess. It was how she figured it out, how she came up with her opinions though. “So um, you ride western?” asked Bri, amazed at her lack of communication skills. She’d never been good with those first few interactions, those few sentences before you had a small understanding of what the person was about. She was good once she had a sense of knowing the person or when she was at a bar and could really care less. The barn was always full of judgements, full of awareness and she felt it all.

“I ride my one mare western, but she’s still up at my old barn for now. I still haven’t decided if I should bring her down or just flip her right now..” said Bri, not sure if she was talking to herself or Shane. Whatever if he heard her he’d assume she was talking to him, and if he didn’t hear her then there was nothing to really worry about. Bri finished the last bit of the tail, well more or less gave up. Bri wandered a few feet away to her tack box, in attempt to find a sheet of some kind for the mare. Bri stuck her hand down deep, feeling various materials until she came to one that felt right. Bri pulled out a white sheet that had ‘RSVEC GABRIELLE MANTLER’ on the side of it, she’d won it at a show they’d held. She tossed it onto the mare and adjusted the straps slightly before tossing her into her stall.

[/blockquote]

[Shane Hollman]

Shane finished the grooming part of the day. It was one of his favorite parts, mostly cause he didn't have to sit on the horse to do it. He was never afraid to get dirty, heck he had a mud fight with his friends at one point. Horses could never be perfectly clean, plus it was part of there nature to be covered in dirt. Shane listened to the girl as she talked about what even she did with the horse, his body resting against Twister's shoulder. He was pretty sure a hunter meant he was a Jumper, but then again, Shane wasn't completely educated in horses, that was obvious. He smiled "Sounds like a good horse then." He was very friendly, never mean to anyone, unless they got into his face.

Shane however did have a slightly anger problem. Ever since the drama, which we will not mention now, happened, he has been having a few anger issues. He is totally fine till he gets mad, then well, watch out. He would hit a girl, or a guy for that matter. He has a tendency to throw things at walls, punch objects, or just start screaming. Usually he doesn't let it get that far, he starts to run and calm down before he gets too angry. Running was like his anti drug. He loved to run, made him feel free. He was good at it too, never missing a beat. Its partly why he was so good at basketball, he could run back and forth so fast and so long.

Shane stood next to Twister for a minute, the gelding nibbling at his pants. The weather seemed nice enough to ride in, though there was always the indoor arena. He figured the dirt indoors might be slightly softer, though to him it all felt the same when you hit the dirt, it still hurt. He rubbed on Twister's head, watching the girl comb the horses tail. He was glad Twister's tail never got that bad, it looked like a pain.

He then caught the words of the girl, kinda surprised by her voice. "Um yea, if you call what i do riding. Kinda a newbie. Be everyones gotta start somehow." He smiled, laughing slightly, patting the gelding on the neck and move to the tack room. He came out with a western saddle and pad. He at least knew how to do this part. He was setting the pad on when he heard the girls voice again. He turned and looked at her and smiled. "What do mean by flip her?" he was kinda laughing himself for asking the question, but he was curious. "Do you miss her?" He smiled and picked up the western saddle, throwing it gently onto the geldings back. It was easy for him, being how strong he was, plus the horse wasn't huge either.

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri mentally wondered what to do next, she either had to tack up or put the mare away. Sadly, there was no other option of riding another horse. Bri missed that, knowing she could walk out to the barn and ride 15 horses in a day. Here she knew nobody, nobody cared what she used to do. How good other people thought she was, all they cared about was what she did when somebody said ‘show me’. Bri bit her lip, thinking. She heard Shane’s voice cut through the thick air that seemed to surround her mind at the moment, and it made her decision. New, such a odd word to hear open admitted in the horse world. She’d help him out, she wasn’t sure why but she would. Any friend was a good friend right now, and amazingly he didn’t seem like some snuck up snob. “Well if you want I’ll give you a few tips when I ride.. I know it always helps me when people point out things for me. Keeps me focused on my equitation” said Bri with a warm smile, though it was worded to sound a bit different then the truth. She paid huge money to have trainers stand in the middle of the ring and scream at her, but it was kind of the same? Plus Bri couldn’t teach lessons for money if she wanted to stay showing as an amateur , and it was a good chance to get to know him and she was technically doing a good dead. Bri realised Shane was already half tacked up and she was still standing there, deep in thought about nothing. Wow, she was special that’s for sure. Bri quickly grabbed her tack from the tack room, attempting to catch up.

As Bri tossed the plaid saddle pad on Kass’ back she heard his voice pierce the air again, interrupting her mind before she could get deep into thought about whatever it is she thought about all the time. The words caught her slightly off guard, and she was glad he wasn’t able to see her pace as pain slightly struck it and she searched for an answer she didn’t have. “Because.. Well I’m not sure. It’s what I do, I’ve never really kept a horse for a long time. Not for a long time anyways..” said Bri, her voice trailing off slightly, searching for something just to say to herself to make it all seem back to normal. But she continued to tack up, tossing the saddle into place and doing up the girth, covering up the fact she was searching for answers in her mind. She had no idea what to say, what to do, what to think. Everything was just routine, just what she always did. She didn’t know why, maybe it was the comfort that no horse could ever hurt her more then a broken bone or the satisfaction that people thought she rode amazing and was very ‘versatile’. She wasn’t sure, but it just made everything okay. She wasn’t even sure what the everything was, but it was something. Something she’d understand one day, hopefully.

His voice interrupted her thoughts again, but she was extremely glad. She over thought everything, even a hello. “Sort of. She’s new, I was just going to train her for an old friend but a few things happened and she just got given to me” . Bri wasn’t really sure what to say to that either, because in reality she did miss riding western and showing the mare. But did she really truthfully miss the mare? Kind of. She wished it wasn’t so hard for her, that she could just full out not have a problem missing a horse, a person or something. But nothing seemed to really phase her, even the fact that her one true relative was a plane ride away, it was all just not that important. It bothered Bri, deep down that it didn’t effect her. She wanted to be the girl that could cry, that could be an emotion wreck. But it never phased her, she was almost cold. She cared about people, but not to the degree most people cared about people they were supposed to love. She didn’t used to be this messed, this insensitive. What happened to that? She wasn’t sure, but some where along the road she’d grown up and learned that people always walk away, it’s just a matter of time.

[Shane Hollman]

It seemed like life was full of surprises, and Shane knew that first hand. His life was all any guy would want, then one thing could change anything. He was glad he was still mostly the same guy, even through all the stuff he had been through. Most kids that go through it are scared for life, they change and become another person. Shane guessed it was his pushing on attitude that kept him sane. He knew if he kept being how he was, he wouldn't become his father. There was no way you would catch Shane sitting on the couch getting fat and drunk all the time. Thats mostly the reason Shane kept running like he did, never wanted to be out of shape. He was almost scared to get even the least bit lazy of fat, afraid he would turn out like his dad.

Luckily he had other family, like his aunt, that pulled him away from the drama, and dropped him here. Sure he wasn't use to cleaning stalls and riding, but it was better then doing what was possible in Miami. Lots of trouble he could have gotten into, and at the rate his life was going, he might have gotten there too. The only person he missed was his little sister, and he knew one day he would see her again, no matter what.

The girls voice broke his thoughts and he turned to her, a white smile coming across his face. "Thanks, that would help me a lot. Self teaching can only get me so far." He laughed and tightened the cinch under the gelding. A quiet grunt came from the gelding as he turned his head, pushing his nose into Shane's arm. Shane just smiled and went to get the bridle. He noticed the girl was tacking up so he walked slower then usual, letting her catch up.

When he came back he listened to her talk, not knowing what to say. He just smiled and nodded, letting her know he was listening. He was somewhat quiet when first meeting someone new, but once he did know you, it was hard to get him to shut up. He was the guy that would make you laugh even if you didn't want to. He heard the story of how she got the other horse, and it made him smile. "Yea, i got Twister given to me. Though i think that it was more of a sympathy gift then anything else." toward the end of his sentence his face fell slightly, not wanting to remember certain things that tied to the memory. He collected himself quickly and smiled at the girl. "Do you want me to wait for you, that way you wont have to walk by yourself?" Shane smiled softly, standing next the the gelding, bridle in hand.

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri saw him nod his head out of the corner of her eye when she spoke, and it almost made her laugh. It was kind of sad when you couldn’t even come up with an answer in your head, let alone word it so that it was acceptable to tell somebody you’d met just a short while ago. Bri was weird like that though, she had always talked twice as good if she wrote it as a speech, normal for her if she said it out loud and extremely horrible when the words actually came out of her mouth. But she could argue anything, because she was extremely quick on her feet- she just did better when she wasn’t talking about herself.

She probably needed some serious mental help, at least she made jokes about it all the time. It was true though, she had so many things she didn’t have answers to. She could go on forever about stupid stuff, joke around and have fun but really the words she’d exchanged today were almost what she considered a heart felts conversation- she wasn’t very open when it came to serious stuff. The weird thing was, she didn’t have some strange, horrible, twisted history that made her life horrible and give reasons for why she did things the way she did. There was no root, no starting point, no explanation is was all just how she operated. And that of all things was definitely not normal.

Bri listened to him speak, her eyes searching for some reason as her body felt a slight stab in the air. It was like that first breath of cold air hitting your lungs, cold unexpected pain. Bri pretended to fuss with her girth as she sorted through the emotions he’d just laid down on the table. Her mind seemed to have taken it all into overdrive and rethink it- as usual. Bri mentally shook it off, or attempted to. “Too bad she didn’t give you a cow, ‘cause then you could milk it” said Bri with a laugh, in attempt to lighten the mood. Though with her luck he wouldn’t get her sense of humour, since the Americans didn’t even seem to understand how to put ‘eh’ at the right place in a sentence. You’d never think two countries could be different even though they were so close, but at least you could distinguish the two. Bri smiled as she grabbed a pair of BR boots from her box and slipped them over her front legs, to prevent Kass from knocking her legs against each other. “Um, whatever work for you. I’ll be ready in a second” said Bri as she slid on the last boot and then grabbed her bridle.

Bri slipped the halter off and tossed it to the side, slipping the snaffle into Kass’ mouth and sliding the bridle onto her pretty face before grabbing a set of spurs and tossing them on quickly. The mare was very sensitive, but some times dead sided. I wonder what we’ll be in for today Bri wondered to herself as she walked towards the arena.

[/blockquote]

[Shane Hollman]

Shane never usually thought before he spoke, and he never got himself into trouble. it was weird how he could just say things, and most the time it was the right thing. Only a couple times did it get him into a drama filled mess, but he was good at getting out of things. He hated drama, and avoided it at all cost. Hence the reason he is at pinewood and not at home. He hasn't had good luck lately, but he hoped if he got to know more people it would change.

He was the person that went and went and barley slowed down to stop and think. He would get up every morning as the sun came up and go run for over an hour, making sure he got a good workout. Then he would come to the barn and work with Twister, which always took more time then the normal person because of his none-experience with horses. Usually by the time he got done he needed a shower, again, and then would go for another run. He Rarley watched TV, always running.

As he talked about how he got Twister, he could think back to his last day in Miami, the look on his sisters face. He was the ultimate big brother, always took his little sister everywhere. She would hang out at practice with him, and even go running with him sometimes. Usually it was a shorter run because of her, but he loved spending time with her. He still didn't regret looking back once he started toward the airport. He did not want to have the image of his sister leaving stuck in his head. It was already hard enough for him to have the memory of saying goodbye, he didn't need that too.

Bri's voice caught his attention and he laugh slightly. "Yea, then i would be once less thing i would have to buy at the store!" he laughed and smiled as she patted the gelding on the shoulder. "Naw, im glad i got him. He's a good horse, especially for me." this was a true statement. The horse was 12 years old, but acted like he was in his 20s. Calm, gentle, and patient. All the things Shane needed in a horse, his aunt matched them perfectly. Shane himself was 19, and was glad he had a horse he could trust. It was too bad his basketball dreams where shattered, but maybe something would come of horses. Shane smiled at the thought.

He nodded to the girl and slipped on the geldings bridle, a soft snaffle slipping into his mouth. The horse took the bit with ease and Shane followed after the girl to the arena. Granted it would be slightly embarrassing to ride how he did in front of a girl that must have ridden since she was little. Though Shane knew nothing about her, so why did he care. She was pretty, but he wouldn't even go there till he knew her better. When they got to the arena, Shane grabbed the gate and held it for her. "Ladies first." He smiled and waited for her to enter, twister standing calmly next to him.

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri laughed at him, though not really sure if he got the true meaning of what she said. But whatever, at least he hadn’t starred at her with a confused look on his face. She hated when people did that, along with when people just assume your dumb because you ask a question. It’s the most annoying and most judgemental thing. The only time she liked being judged was when she entered a show ring. Though in reality that’s where the least amount of judging takes place- the majority of it takes place in public and when people see what trailer you pull in with. It was probably the stupidest thing ever, but everybody seemed to think it was important. When in reality, it totally wasn’t. She’d seen some amazing riders ride horses they’d picked up cheap and win- it’s all in how you do it.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the breed. If I bring Zoey back you’ll see, I wouldn’t even blink at putting anyone on her. I don’t let anybody ride Kass, for their own safety. The sad thing is, she’s a lot older then Zoey.” said Bri as she led the Kass towards the outdoor ring, assuming Shane was okay with that. But it had more jumps and more room in general, so it was by far her favourite. But Bri was just kind of like that, she enjoyed riding in open spaces with lots of jumps. It gave her something to work around, something to focus on and keep her mind working..

Bri pulled Kass to the mounting block and laughed at Shane as he held the gate for her. “How do I know your not really a chick without boobs?” said Bri, thingying an eyebrow at him and letting out a laugh. She mounted effortlessly, not even paying attention really. Bri immediately put the mare to work, making her bend on a loose rein and keep a forward pace, only having to slightly nudge her side with the small spurs that adorned her field boots.

Bri nudged the mare into a trot, and Kass sprung into action. With a small half halt the mare came into frame and started using herself. Bri didn’t make her fully frame up because she wanted her muscles to warm up a bit more then they were but she didn’t want the mare to think she could ever stick her nose out. Bri hated when horses did that in the hunter ring, it was her own personal pet peeve. She also thought horses that went around with their ears pinned was horrible, but they still pinned. But Bri had always aimed for perfection, and that’s what she planned on having. Bri could just feel the mare start to float as she half halted again, almost like the mare was gliding on the surface of the sand ring. She’d never met a prettier ride then Kass, but she’d also never met a mare the depended so strongly on being able to keep your mind in control. She’d rode this mare once when she was mad- she fell off 8 times and couldn’t walk for two days. Lesson learned? Bri thought so. Kass had taught her so much in the few months then been together. She’d never been able to focus like she could now, not worry about what any on lookers thought. To not get upset when somebody made a comment on her riding, or to be scared of a fence. She’d learn to trust herself, and depend on herself. She’d never been such an amazing rider as she was now. Bri glanced behind her as she passed Twister, “You’d never know you were a newbie, you two suit each other perfectly” she smiled at the words but the smile quickly faded. She’d been told that all the time, but every time she said it she’d never actually believed it. One day she’d find that horse.. Well actually she’d give in and accept the horse didn’t plan on breaking her heart. Bri felt Kass lighten in the hind end and quickly brought her attention back to her, apparently her mind had drifted to far. Bri just shook her head at the mare and continued on.

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[Shane Hollman]

Shane followed the girl out to the outdoor arena. Sure he had been out there many times with Twister, though the ground was a little harder. Oh well, he would just take it easy and just get twister out of his stall. He knew that twister hatted being in there. Shane tired to get him out as much as possible, and would put him out to pasture once in a while. Problem with twister is he didn't get along well with other horses, but only out in the pastures.

Shane held the gate and smiled, laughing slightly at her comment. He didn't really know how to take that, but he just laughed slightly. Granted this girl seem odd at certain points, she seemed like fun. Shane didn't like the ordinary, not did he like the absolute strange. Bri was more toward the ordinary so far, but he just smiled and shut the gate behind him.

Shane watched the girl mount and ride off. He smiled and then looked to twister, who stood calmly at his side. "Your such a good boy." Shane patted his neck and moved to the saddle. He checked his cinch first, learning that lesson the hard way a while ago, and then put his foot in the stirrup. He grabbed the saddle and Twisters mane and pulled himself up swiftly. He had gotten really good a mounting for each time you fall off, you got to get right back on. Shane patted Twisters neck then gathered his reins. Twister rode on a loose rein, neck reining being his specialty. Shane liked it cause he could use one hand to steer and one to hold on with.

Shane moved around the arena, keeping his body relaxed. Twister kept his head in a western pleasure position, walking softly along the rail. They watched for the girl, not wanting to get into there way. Twister seemed to like to just get out and walk, content. Shane jogged a little, twister having a nice slow western jog. Shane figured he was some kinda show horse before he got him. He was smooth, and Shane got to the point where he didn't have to hold on anymore at the jog. Cantering was a different story, but he would just keep it slow today. He then heard the girl and slowed to a walk. "Thanks, I just think we understand each other. He likes to take care of his rider, and well, i need a lot of care." Shane laughed and continued to walk, watching the girl work with her horse.

((OOC: sry, muse a little empty. Hopefully you can do something with it/))

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri slipped her outside leg back after nodding at his comment, she wasn’t one to get into serious discussions. Ever. The mare cantered off, her legs reaching out as she covered ground easily, excited about what she knew came after flatting. Bri lifted her hands and made the mare come into the bridle and use her hind end, floating that much more. A soft half halt on her inside rein made the mare bend slightly, which sent her into an even prettier movement. Kass wasn’t exactly hard to get to look pretty, she was actually a fairly boring ride when it came to flatting. The hard part of riding her was focusing, paying attention to her every little move. But as for getting her to look good, it literally took somebody to sit atop her back. The mare traveled this way in the pasture, it was just allowing her to think clearly. She knew everything, and she wanted no help. Kass was pretty much the equivalent of the high school cheerleading captain, knew she was good, thought everyone should know she was good, didn’t ever accept second and well was a stuck up bitch. The sad thing is, Bri was on the cheerleading team. But just as a tumbler, they’d pretty much hand cuffed her and dragged her when they’d seen her done a backhand spring for god knows what reason at a football game. Biggest mistake of her life.

Bri cut through the middle and switched her body weight slightly, Kass executing a gorgeous lead change. The mare tilted her ears back slightly though, not really for the amount of flat work she thought might be ahead. Kass would much rather just go out and jump, no warm up needed. But Bri had a different idea when it came to ring work, and Kass wasn’t always the best at taking orders- even when they were simple. It sometimes ended in three hour long wars with both of them being extremely sweaty. But for the most part the mare was the most wee behaved, I’ll do whatever you say kind of horses. As long as you paid attention to her.

Bri turned Kass towards a decent sized warm up fence, feeling the mares body language change completely. Kass’ head lifted slightly, her neck arching more. Her stride lengthened even more and her butt cam that much more underneath her. She went to every jump as if it was a huge oxer. But Bri loved it, she loved feeling that much power underneath her and soaring into the air. Bri sat up tall and held the energetic mare back with her hands, but kept her stride by pressing slightly with her legs. Bri mentally told herself, wait, wait, wait, wait, go. She closed her hip angle and let her hands move with the mare. Kass probably jumped a good foot over the middle of the cross rail, but she always did. Bri turned her and headed back to it, repeating the same process. The mare took it eagerly but didn’t over jump as much this time.

Bri pointed the mare toward what she assumed was about a 3’3” vertical and allowed her to pop over it, and pop over it she did. The mare almost had a hang time she had so much scope, she jumped everything like it was simple and had perfect knees every time. Bri did a rollback to a 3’6” oxer, the mare getting heavy on her hands as she saw the fence. Bri sat up just a tad more pulled the reins slightly and felt the mare settle down and wait, just like Bri. Bri could tell about two strides away they were going to come up long and drove the mare with her leg. Kass responded easily, reaching out with her front feet and covering the ground without a problem what so ever. Kass took off from almost a perfect spot and Bri felt her breathing stop as she hung in the air, still amazed at how easily the mare took even the bigger fences. Bri landed and noticed that she had landed just a little close the Shane. Bri shifted her wait quickly, tossing the mare off balance so she’d slow down and turn away from the pair. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you or anything! I just never estimate the amount of time it takes for her to get over a fence correctly..” said Bri, biting her lip. She felt kind of bad, because even though nothing really happened it was something she should have saw and avoided.

ooc;; apparently it wasnt a problem? haha

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[Shane Hollman]

Shane sat on twister, the horse walking around the edge of the arena. Shane looked around then laughed at himself. If only his old friends could see him now. They would have never thought in a million years that Shane Hollman would be riding a horse. A orange basketball was his only passion down in Miami, and now, it was turning into horses. Truthfully, he never gave the thought to ride a horse, ever. Sure they where elegant and fun to watch, but to ride one? This was not what he imagined what his future would be like.

Twister perked his ears a Shane looked to watch the blonde girl upon the huge horse. He never really watched jumping. He was more into the rodeo stuff - Calf roping, steer wrestling, etc.- He would never be able to jump, and he figured Twister didn't have it in him. Shane figured keeping all four feet on the ground was a better chance of staying on. It was still amazing to watch the horse glide over the jumps like it was nothing. The horse was defiantly a top athlete, if thats what you call a horse. Shane just smiled a watched, twister walking slowly around the rail. He defiantly didn't want to get into the way.

It was odd to think of what he could be doing at this moment if his life didn't change. He was out of school now, so that meant he might be in college. Talking to his old friends, and being the class clown. It was a life he missed. Oh, and of course shooting those orange balls into hoops on either end of the court. That he missed the most. He didn't miss the homework though, or the teachers ridding him to get to work cause he was messing around. He might have messed around, but he still was an A student, some how.

His attention came to the girl when he suddenly saw a horse coming a little too close. twister side passed closer to the wall, ears pinned at the horse. Shane caught his balance and pulled Twister to a stop, smiling at the girl. "Don't worry about it. Its fine." He was a calm, outgoing guy, nothing really upset him.

[Gabrielle Mantler]

Bri smiled at him, glad he wasn’t mad. “Okay. I’m so sorry” said Bri, apologizing again. Bri bit her lip and glanced at him one more time before pushing the mare back into a canter and riding to a black and white arrow jump that was very deceiving. Bri pushed her spurs in as she felt Kass suck back, unsure of the new obstacle in front of her. She was definitely a hunter horse- flowers were more her thing. But Bri sat up and drove her to the base. Bri smiled as she felt the mare change slightly, deciding to go. Bri waited just in case and praised the mare as they soared over it, clearing it by just a bit too much to look that pretty.

Kass snorted as Bri patted her neck, as if she’d been planning on going all along. Bri just shook her head at the mare and clinked her spurs softly into her sides to get the mare to give her the attention Bri wanted. Bri did have a hard time keeping this mare concentrated on her, she seemed to be ADD. Kass was constantly wandering off mentally, until you pointed her towards the jump. She just seemed to lolly gag and fart around until you put a jump in front of her, and it was a pain in the ass when you wanted to work on something on the flat. It didn’t help when you asked fro her attention back she could get fairly snotty, though she’d been getting a little bit better which was nice.

Bri pushed the mare to the rail where she dismounted quickly and led her to a bucket that was just outside the gate for a quick drink before schooling her over a few more fences. Bri peeled off her helmet and ran her fingers through her blonde hair that was slightly damp from sweat. That’s attractive, thought Bri as she touched her damp bangs with her fingers. She just rolled her eyes at herself and tossed her helmet back onto the head, knowing she had to wear it to jump if she wanted to be remotely safe. Especially at theses heights. Bri lifted her shirt to wipe the sweat from her forehead, revealing her toned and still tanned stomach with its small bellybutton ring that had a snaffle bit charm hanging from it. Bri placed her shirt back into position before getting back on the mare.

Bri cantered the mare around, feeling her gliding across the surface of the arena. She headed towards a triple bar, probably 3’9” in height and at least 4’ wide. Bri put a small amount of spur on and she could just tell by Kass’ movement that she was going, and she was excited about it. The mare left the ground and Bri stayed with her, following her exact movement. She could feel Kass use all her power and hang time to easily fly over the triple bar, not even coming close to rubbing any of the rails. Bri patted the mare as they landed and circled her, bringing her back to a trot to let her get her brain back focused and not just wondering where the next jump was.

Bri pushed Kass back into a canter and headed towards a 3’6” oxer having to hold her back feeling her forward motion and want to go. Kass’ muscles were working, powerful. She’d gone from her elegant hunter into this extreme ball of power and the feeling of the mare being so powerful overwhelmed Bri with excitement, adrenaline. Bri let her move forward and allowed the mare to go, letting her find herself and take charge. Kass’ ears perked forward as she felt herself be in control, knowing she wasn’t being held back. Bri rose slightly into position, preparing for the mare to take off. The next second, Bri didn’t recall. She just all of a sudden was laying in the sand, her helmet cracked from what she assumed was from hitting the standard well falling off. Her head spun softly as she lay there, and panic arose over her as her eyes wandered, looking for the large mare. She saw Kass finally, almost standing on top of her. Looking at her with confused eyes. What had spooked the mare, she’d been going over the fence? Did a dog run into the ring? Did a bird fly out of the standard? What had spooked the poor mare? And even more confusing, how the hell did she fall off? She rarely fell off over spooks, especially on Kass who she was so in tune with she felt every time a muscle tensed in her body.

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