open.} at least.if only.just maybe

[williamsolmen]

At least they got his name right. Chasing Rainbows, how true, Will thought as he was falling in almost slow motion to the ground... for the fifth time that day. If only he'd settle down today. Haha ya, like that would happen. Just maybe he would calm down when he got older... ya that was definite B.S.. Who was he kidding? Waiting for this OCD, EPD, ADHD horse to calm down was like waiting for rain fall in the middle of Death Valley, California during summer. Ya, not gonna happen, barely even see a sprinkle in winter.

Will hit the ground with a 'whoooof'. Everything went dark and he forgot everything that had just happened. He opened his eyes, seeing Chase bucking off on the far end of the arena, playfully and almost laughing. Will sluggishly pushed himself up, groaning at his painful body. Will crawled forward, grabbing his whip. He stood up, death in his eyes. Will limped all the way over to Chase, raised the whip and gave a big slap on his chest. Chase resisted, obviously, rearing back, Will grabbed the ring of the bit and pulled the horse back down. "Listen you little smart ass, shut the fuck up and stop throwing me!"

Marie was standing on the outer edge of the arena. "Will, maybe you shouldn't be so... rough with him," she said.

Will sent her a death glare herself, obviously in a bad mood. Marie shook her head. "What?!" He growled angrily. Chase took that moment to try and bite Will on the back of the neck. Will hit the horse hard with the whip. Then seemed to realize how foolish he looked. Marie, who had brightened at the look of enlightenment, cheered up, at least he figured it out. "I'm sorry boy, I got rough again didn't I?" The horse snorted, as if to say 'took you long enough'. "Stop throwing me would you?" Will stuck his foot in the stirrup, thinking 'now this is really stupid, why do I keep getting back on?' Chase stood perfectly fine, the whips leaving long welts on his chest. Will sat up in the saddle. "Ok, just walk trot and canter and we'll be done, I swear," Will said.

He moved the horse into the trot. They were trotting fine, then, someone walked out from around the corner of a tree group and he 'spooked'. Will grabbed the reins immediately and turned him back to where he had been previously. Will smiled and pat his withers.

[Beth Hostetter]

darn this horse...

Beth held the reins of Tako, watching with rolling eyes as, while she kept him from going far, him dance around her, trying to smell everything in this place, even though he had just smelt absolutely everything the previous ten days. They had been working in this ring since she had arrived. The idiot. Will he ever mellow? Or will he be a hyperactive little kid until he's 25 and retired? There's no way that he can go to a new home, even though he is a beauty.

She smiled as she watched him, his head held high in the air as they stood outside the ring, nostrils flared and eyes excited. He really was gorgeous. His coat was a beautiful dark brown that, when prepped to show quality, caught the eye of all around. Then again, he always caught the eye of everyone around due to his unnatural affection for nachos and that, despite the fact that he grew up around more noise than the back-country shows they went to, every little sound would catch his attention and needed to be investigated.

A loud thud suddenly interrupted Beth's musings. Both her and Tako whirled around to see the rider in the ring fall to the ground again, and then slowly pick himself and walk deteriminadly to the horse dancing around on the other side of the ring.

"Now... Tardo... don't you dare get any ideas. I want a nice ride today, I know I know... we have to have me fall once. But think we could break tradition today?"

She glared at her own ADHD crazy of a horse, and, as the guy got back up on his own horse, she stepped into the ring and mounted. She felt the excitement through his reins.

Odd... she'd seen a lot of horses like Tako since she's been here. Is this like, the nuthouse of the horse world? She thought she had it bad, and... she did. Two seconds after having mounted fully, she found herself face down in the dirt, a nasty mouthful to spit out. Thankfully she still had one of her hands on his reins. As she looked up, she growned. The idiot was simply looking at her curiously, as if he'd never seen anything like it before.

"What? Never seen me fall before? Give me a break. Fine. We kept tradition. Back off idiot."

Groaning, she heaved herself back up, and mounted as fast as she could, and got her asshole moving. Tako decided to be an angel. But she could never relax on him. She kept her leg on him, staying at a brisk trot. She glanced over to the other rider, whose horse just spooked. Thankfully Tako decided not to go nutto at the person behind the tree, but you never know. That leaf might pose a danger to him. She nodded a "hello" to the guy, and for a moment, just a moment, took her attention off of her own mount.

Stupid move.

Once again, she found herself with a mouthful of dirt and the wind knocked out of her. But this time, Tako decided to go take a little stroll and say hi to the little girls peering from behind the fence. Idiot horse. Why she ever chose to save him from slaughter was beyond her...

[williamsolmen]

When the other rider fell for the second time Chase dropped his shoulder and turned, with the same determined attitude as the rider. Will, who now had only one stirrup and was slung over the left side of the horse, completely slung over, the only thing remaining was his hand knotted in the base of the mane at Chase's withers. "Don't you DARE," Will threatened, quickly grabbing the bit with his outside hand and dragged the horse in, bad move, now both horse and rider ate dirt. Chase's legs flailed out. Marie stifled a giggle.

Will quickly fixed his seat while they lay on the ground and then kicked Chase with his spur. Chase grunted and stood up. The horse snorted and went to take off. Will grabbed the reins and yanked his head high in the air. Chase tried to pop a buck but only managed to look retarded and kick out with one leg. "Come on! Come on! Ha!" Will said. Chase tried shaking his head, finally he started to back up until his foot touched the ledge of the dressage arena. He sprang forward but couldn't get his head. Will moved him into a canter, "Canter." Chase snorted and kicked out. Will smacked him with the whip. "Is that all you got?" Chase chomped loudly on the bit aggravated. He looked like one pissed python. The horse's tail coiled up and then slapped his sides angrily. "Ya, doesn't feel too good does it?" Will said quietly. Will slowly softened the reins and then moved him into a canter. Chase bucked. "Awe hell!" Will said, nearly red from anger and exhaustion. "Fine, lets do it your way." Will moved him into a canter, jumped him over the little dressage fence, which Chase WAY over jumped, and cantered him towards his pasture, then moved him into a gallop and they shot threw the gate, which Will had left open. Will slowed the horse when they reached the end, turned him and sprinted him back out the gate, slowed him into a canter that wouldn't run anybody over, jumped him back over the arena fence, which he over jumped, but not as bad as the first time. "Lets get this straight." Chase was out of breath and now some what tired, for the moment at least. Will moved him into a schooling canter pirouette. He did the schooling ones at first just to warm him up. Will then moved him down to a nice forward trot, and a working one at that. The horse was moving so fast his feet barely had time to touch the ground. Chase snorted and his ears were lopsided so if you were looking at his face from the front it looked like a 'T' the ears being the top bar. He stuck his tongue over the bit, looking stupid, then pulled it back in his mouth.

Will relaxed and fed Chase more rein, so Chase could relax too. Chase paused in his working trot, as if to consider bucking him off, but then took the reins and lowered his head. Will reminded himself to breathe and then slowly moved the horse into a nice working canter. A trash can tipped over and Will ignored it, so did Chase. He wasn't a spooky horse, just used things as an excuse.

By the time Will was done Chase was soaked threw and threw. Will hopped off, walked him out of the arena and started to untack him, taking off his saddle and handing it to Marie, who handed him the reins to Aladdin, who nickered eagerly and nudged Will. "Hey buddy. Marie, Chase gets one carrot, and give him it when you stick him back in his pasture please," she nodded. "Thank you." She smiled and returned the gesture.

Will pulled himself on Aladdin, who immediately started to piaffe. Will laughed and just made the trot forward before he asked for a walk. "Good boy. I don't think We'll do Piaffe today, how about walk, trot, canter, we're done?" he asked. "Like a lazy day," Will said. Aladdin didn't seem to answer. Will just smiled, walking him around the ring on a to-the-buckle rein. Aladdin moseyed around the arena, his pace faster than an average horse's trot. He stretched his neck out and down the the ground, assuming position. Will smiled and scrubbed his withers. "Good boy."

By then someone else joined the ring. So it was three people trying to avoid each other. A couple minutes later Will saw Marie walking Chase back to his pasture, he was being naughty. Will trotted Aladdin over, grabbed the lead from Marie, "Thanks, sorry he's being so bad," he said. Aladdin ignored Chase, who was trying to start a fight. Will led the horse into his pasture, grabbed his lead, unclipped it and let him rip. Aladdin spooked a little and trotted out threw the gate sideways. "Shhh boy, your ok," Will said, holding his reins firmly but still giving. "Just pull his halter off him when he settles down, you can hand him the carrot then too," he said to Marie as he handed her his lead. "Thanks kid, I'd be lost without you," he said smiling before trotting Aladdin back to the arena. The one reason why Will even dared to trot two stallions together was because Aladdin, despite being a stallion, was too spooky to start a fight with another horse. Geldings picked on him for heavens sakes. He was the kind of stallion you could stick in with babies and not worry, not that anyone was crazy enough to do that, Aladdin had his moments that you'd never think he would have had. Once he bit Will and threw him to the ground. But that was any horse, you never trusted them completely and you learned the moments when you could give them any trust at all.

Will smiled and pat Aladdin. Aladdin looked at every body, aware of his surroundings. One other thing he also forgot, Aladdin was developing narcolepsy. So that also made him calmer, oddly enough it made this stallion really sweet and more of a gelding at times.

Anyways. Will trotted the horse back into the ring and began working, looking out for everyone.