Post by satin.* on Jul 19, 2011 22:28:34 GMT 8
Andrew Hellier walked slowly past the outdoor arenas - or would 'limped' be the right word? Today, more than most days, his old injury was giving him hell, and he couldn't walk straight without pain. Drew blamed the weather; it was mid-winter, and threatening a storm.
The solid little gypsy stallion in the yard across the lane trotted to the fence, calling loudly to his master. King expected carrots, of course - Andy had two in his pocket, anticipating some difficulty catching Cadence today because of the weather, and the stallion could clearly smell them. Andrew smiled, holding one of the carrots out on the palm of his hand. King lipped it up gently, demonstrating again the quality that made him a good breeding stallion - his wonderful temperament, the sort of personality that made him completely beginner-safe despite his entire status.
A loud, protesting whinny from one of the large paddocks made Andrew laugh. Cadence was jealous - the newcomer was getting all the attention, and Caddy liked attention. The young dressage rider limped to that paddock gate, smiling again when Cadence shoved her head into the halter. He quickly fastened the strap and offered her the carrot she craved.
Cadence was an amazing horse. She could be a little bit tricky, and was very demanding, but Andrew understood her, and she had a way of helping him when she knew he was struggling with the injury. "All right, girl," he cooed when the big mare flipped his arm over her neck. "All right."
With Caddy's support, Andy was able to walk back to the barn quickly, and once inside, he found that the pain was gone. It was warmer in here, out of the wind. He should ride inside, he knew, but Serena was in there on Aaliyah, and Andy didn't want to make things any more difficult for the damaged little mare.
Andrew pulled Cadence's heavy waterproof rugs off and tossed them over his designated rug rack - it had four rugs on it already, all Caddy's - before ducking into the tack room to get his saddle, bridle and grooming gear. The saddle went over the rug rack, bridle on top, and Andy started grooming his huge piebald mare.
Caddy had a habit of trying to 'groom back' that Andy was fine with as long as she didn't use her teeth. She didn't reach around this time, until Andrew's back injury sent a twinge down both his legs. The big mare heard his sharp intake of breath and moved quickly to support him. Sometimes, Andy thought Cadence was a lot smarter than she let on. He waited, teeth clenched, for the pain to subside, and then let go of Caddy's neck, tossing the saddle pad onto her broad back a moment later.
"Easy, girl," he soothed; Cadence fidgeted as he slid the saddle onto her back. That was perfectly normal for her in this kind of weather; Caddy had a tendency towards spookiness at the best of times. Andrew tightened the girth easily and smoothed the mare's mane back over to her right.
Cadence pushed her head into the bridle impatiently, before Andy could even take her halter off; Andy could feel his back muscles tightening again. The sooner he got in the saddle, the better - he would be able to relax his back, and the pain would hold off for a while.
He did up all the buckles on Caddy's bridle and unclipped the lead rope, swinging up onto her back quickly, though not particularly elegantly because of the hurry.
"Good girl, Caddy, walk on." Drew squeezed the mare's sides gently, pushing her into a strong, swinging walk. As he passed by the outdoor jumping arena, Andy glanced longingly at the jumps, remembering the feeling of soaring through the air on the back of a talented, trusted horse. It was hard, sometimes, to remember that Cadence was not Rebel; Rebel had been solid black with no white, but still, Caddy was so similar in her movement and head carriage that sometimes Drew caught himself imagining strides towards fences. It was easy to forget that he was riding a dressage horse, not his old eventer.
Andrew shook his head, trying to push away all thoughts of the horse he had lost in the accident two years ago. Cadence was just as talented, if not more, and she was a spectacular horse in her own way. He pushed the big mare into a lovely forward trot, letting her find her own self-carriage before he shortened the reins to hold a nice soft contact with her mouth.
Cadence and Andrew worked together in perfect synchrony for a while, working through complicated patterns of serpentines, circles, lines and lateral movements - suppling exercises for both horse and rider. Andy knew he needed them a lot more than Caddy did.
Gazing over at the jumping arena again, Andrew caught himself imagining a course, the exact strides he would take, every single tiny detail. Andy was an amazing rider, incredibly talented, with Olympic potential... until the accident. He sighed heavily, trying to stop the memory. It was so strong, even after the time that had passed - Andrew could see every tiny detail. Careering towards the huge cross-country jump at what was considered a good rhythm, in hindsight Andy could see exactly where he had gone wrong. That tiny mistake, the smallest of things - the striding just slightly off - and Rebel's legs struck the top of the jump hard enough to make the horse flip over himself.
Andrew was lucky to be alive - momentum had thrown him out of the way and he hadn't been crushed by his doomed horse - but unlucky in that he had managed to land on the one rock on the entire cross country course. His body protector had absorbed some of the impact, but Andy still remembered the distinct, sickening crunch as the rock fractured three bones in his lower back, his right hip in two places, and his right femur... The doctors had thought he would never walk again, much less ride, and the months in hospital on enforced bed rest had nearly sent him stir-crazy.
Cadence nudged his boot with her muzzle, whuffling at him.
"I'm fine, Caddy. I'm okay." Andrew could hear hoofbeats behind him in the arena, and turned the mare around to see the other rider.
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Words: 1070
Character: Andrew Hellier on KP Cadence
Outfit: Black leather tall boots, navy breeches, light blue T-shirt and navy puffer jacket. Caddy wears a black double bridle with a flat cavesson noseband and a black Ridgemount Centreline dressage saddle
Tag: open
Notes: I love Caddy. She is amazing. Also, poor Andy!
The solid little gypsy stallion in the yard across the lane trotted to the fence, calling loudly to his master. King expected carrots, of course - Andy had two in his pocket, anticipating some difficulty catching Cadence today because of the weather, and the stallion could clearly smell them. Andrew smiled, holding one of the carrots out on the palm of his hand. King lipped it up gently, demonstrating again the quality that made him a good breeding stallion - his wonderful temperament, the sort of personality that made him completely beginner-safe despite his entire status.
A loud, protesting whinny from one of the large paddocks made Andrew laugh. Cadence was jealous - the newcomer was getting all the attention, and Caddy liked attention. The young dressage rider limped to that paddock gate, smiling again when Cadence shoved her head into the halter. He quickly fastened the strap and offered her the carrot she craved.
Cadence was an amazing horse. She could be a little bit tricky, and was very demanding, but Andrew understood her, and she had a way of helping him when she knew he was struggling with the injury. "All right, girl," he cooed when the big mare flipped his arm over her neck. "All right."
With Caddy's support, Andy was able to walk back to the barn quickly, and once inside, he found that the pain was gone. It was warmer in here, out of the wind. He should ride inside, he knew, but Serena was in there on Aaliyah, and Andy didn't want to make things any more difficult for the damaged little mare.
Andrew pulled Cadence's heavy waterproof rugs off and tossed them over his designated rug rack - it had four rugs on it already, all Caddy's - before ducking into the tack room to get his saddle, bridle and grooming gear. The saddle went over the rug rack, bridle on top, and Andy started grooming his huge piebald mare.
Caddy had a habit of trying to 'groom back' that Andy was fine with as long as she didn't use her teeth. She didn't reach around this time, until Andrew's back injury sent a twinge down both his legs. The big mare heard his sharp intake of breath and moved quickly to support him. Sometimes, Andy thought Cadence was a lot smarter than she let on. He waited, teeth clenched, for the pain to subside, and then let go of Caddy's neck, tossing the saddle pad onto her broad back a moment later.
"Easy, girl," he soothed; Cadence fidgeted as he slid the saddle onto her back. That was perfectly normal for her in this kind of weather; Caddy had a tendency towards spookiness at the best of times. Andrew tightened the girth easily and smoothed the mare's mane back over to her right.
Cadence pushed her head into the bridle impatiently, before Andy could even take her halter off; Andy could feel his back muscles tightening again. The sooner he got in the saddle, the better - he would be able to relax his back, and the pain would hold off for a while.
He did up all the buckles on Caddy's bridle and unclipped the lead rope, swinging up onto her back quickly, though not particularly elegantly because of the hurry.
"Good girl, Caddy, walk on." Drew squeezed the mare's sides gently, pushing her into a strong, swinging walk. As he passed by the outdoor jumping arena, Andy glanced longingly at the jumps, remembering the feeling of soaring through the air on the back of a talented, trusted horse. It was hard, sometimes, to remember that Cadence was not Rebel; Rebel had been solid black with no white, but still, Caddy was so similar in her movement and head carriage that sometimes Drew caught himself imagining strides towards fences. It was easy to forget that he was riding a dressage horse, not his old eventer.
Andrew shook his head, trying to push away all thoughts of the horse he had lost in the accident two years ago. Cadence was just as talented, if not more, and she was a spectacular horse in her own way. He pushed the big mare into a lovely forward trot, letting her find her own self-carriage before he shortened the reins to hold a nice soft contact with her mouth.
Cadence and Andrew worked together in perfect synchrony for a while, working through complicated patterns of serpentines, circles, lines and lateral movements - suppling exercises for both horse and rider. Andy knew he needed them a lot more than Caddy did.
Gazing over at the jumping arena again, Andrew caught himself imagining a course, the exact strides he would take, every single tiny detail. Andy was an amazing rider, incredibly talented, with Olympic potential... until the accident. He sighed heavily, trying to stop the memory. It was so strong, even after the time that had passed - Andrew could see every tiny detail. Careering towards the huge cross-country jump at what was considered a good rhythm, in hindsight Andy could see exactly where he had gone wrong. That tiny mistake, the smallest of things - the striding just slightly off - and Rebel's legs struck the top of the jump hard enough to make the horse flip over himself.
Andrew was lucky to be alive - momentum had thrown him out of the way and he hadn't been crushed by his doomed horse - but unlucky in that he had managed to land on the one rock on the entire cross country course. His body protector had absorbed some of the impact, but Andy still remembered the distinct, sickening crunch as the rock fractured three bones in his lower back, his right hip in two places, and his right femur... The doctors had thought he would never walk again, much less ride, and the months in hospital on enforced bed rest had nearly sent him stir-crazy.
Cadence nudged his boot with her muzzle, whuffling at him.
"I'm fine, Caddy. I'm okay." Andrew could hear hoofbeats behind him in the arena, and turned the mare around to see the other rider.
----------
Words: 1070
Character: Andrew Hellier on KP Cadence
Outfit: Black leather tall boots, navy breeches, light blue T-shirt and navy puffer jacket. Caddy wears a black double bridle with a flat cavesson noseband and a black Ridgemount Centreline dressage saddle
Tag: open
Notes: I love Caddy. She is amazing. Also, poor Andy!