by caf. » Wed Dec 27, 2017 8:26 am
Username: caf.
Barn: Cavallo Stables
Registered name: n/a
Show name: Lyric Breeze
Call name: Bree
Gender: Mare
Age: 6 years
Height: 15.1hh
Breed: Stonewall Sporthorse
Discipline: jumpers
First snow encounter:
Eighteen horses arrived in six massive trailers, right on time. It was a huge step for Kasey; finally, all of her things had arrived at the new property. She'd contemplated the move for months, but fact was, the old farm was just too small. This new farm would be a dream for herself and her horses.
The estate was huge - two barns, each large enough to hold twenty horses; a spacious covered arena attached to one of the barns, plus a small dressage arena; several appropriately-sized paddocks for turnout, plus three massive, green pastures at the back of the property for horses that weren't currently in work; a large dirt track encircling most of the property, a fine venue for trail rides or drives. Kasey's mother sold her on the idea that perhaps one of the big pastures could host a few cross-country obstacles, and that her beloved old stallions Atlas and Soda would have a dream retirement galloping around in one of the big fields. Plus, the land came with a trainer.
Ira Hartman had lived and worked on the property before to its closing eight years prior, and she agreed to return to stay there and teach, offering Kasey a cut of her profits, on one condition; Kasey would help her train her small, "difficult" sporthorse mare. After being informed of the horse's background, the Cavallo trainer agreed, happy to welcome a new trainer into her growing operation.
The mare was small for a warmblood but nonetheless fancy; she'd originally been bred for combined driving but simply wasn't a very nice mover, and was sold to Ira, who'd been seeking a jumper prospect. The mare had taken to bucking and rearing in her young age and Ira, used to lesson horses, simply needed to be shown how to deal with her habits. The old trainer warned Kasey that, like all horses of her coloration, Bree was night-blind, severely so, and would need to be turned out with several other mares. Kasey took it all in stride; riding the mare would give her a needed break from the stresses of moving, after all.
She didn't want to admit it, of course, but she liked Bree a whole lot. Her bad habits were mostly due to her incredible sensitivity; she got very frustrated with riders who were too handsy, used too much leg, didn't give correct aids. Kasey found her to be an engaging challenge under saddle; and, to Kasey's suppressed delight, she remembered her days in harness perfectly. She was very accurate and very talented when she was ridden right; all she needed was time to mature and work under saddle to get where she needed to be.
About a month after moving in, Kasey was startled to find snowflakes falling from the sky when she emerged from the house in the morning. She could scarcely remember the last time she'd seen snow. Figuring it wouldn't stick to the ground in the Texan weather, she continued on her way to the barn, hoping today she could get her private tackroom (there were three, one for each trainer and one for boarders, which thoroughly impressed Kasey) completely clean and set up.
When she emerged a few hours later, the entire farm was completely blanketed in snow.
The horses in Bree's paddock trotted around eagerly, ears pricked and heads high; Bree herself followed a few lengths behind them. Kasey laughed; being born in Florida and shipped to south Texas before coming here, the mare had probably never seen snow herself! Kasey whistled, bringing the mares galloping towards her, and opened the gate to catch Bree. Snow or no snow, they were going to have a ride; she was the only horse of the day left to exercise.
Bree pranced in the arena, unfocused and excited; whenever Kasey took her to a jump, she took off too early or too late, knocking down poles, bunny-hopping, utterly confused and mesmerized by the white fluff surrounding her. After several minutes of this the trainer finally relented, deciding she'd take the mare on a gallop around the property in hopes of getting her energy out and testing her endurance.
Before this, of course, Kasey removed her saddle and allowed her to paw and roll for several minutes; Bree groaned and sighed as she thoroughly coated herself in chunks of snow and ice. Since she didn't have a brush on her person, the young rider decided to mount the mare bareback and let her canter out on the track, seeing as she could use the practice and didn't intend to get any true work done with the mare anyway.
Despite her small size, Bree was speedy; she tried her hardest to convince Kasey to let her all the way out, but she kept a firm grip on the reins and a quiet seat that told the mare to restrain herself to a hand-gallop. The chilly wind snapped in their faces and toyed with the chunks of snow they sent flying behind them. Once, in sheer excitement, Bree coiled herself up, leapt high into the air, and tossed a powerful buck. Kasey, unseated but not thrown, laughed. It was the most fun she'd had on horseback in a long time.
Out of the corner of her eye, the trainer noticed her colleague standing on the porch of the guesthouse, watching them. Somewhat embarrassed to have been caught goofing off, she drew the mare slowly down to a halt. Bree breathed hard, twin jets of steam pouring from her nostrils. She pawed at the snow eagerly when she halted, eyes wide.
Ira approached Kasey in good nature; she'd been watching the rides and genuinely liked what she saw. She knew what would best benefit all parties.
"That mare likes you," she said simply, reaching up to pet her neck. Kasey cracked a quarter of a grin and dismounted, giving the mare a pat on the withers herself as she did so. Ira looked Kasey in the eye.
"Listen, Kasey," she began, causing the young trainer to flinch slightly; she worried she might have lost herself the deal.
"This mare just loves you, and to be honest, I think I might be getting a little old for such a spirited horse." Kasey took a breath; now she knew what was coming.
"I think you should have her."
Ira sighed, feeling somewhat remorseful about her coming statement: "I can't give her to you, unfortunately; I can't afford it. But I'll sell her to you for half of what she's worth, provided you keep her out here and let me see her and all."
Kasey had too many mares, too many young horses, too many horses in the first place, but she couldn't help herself; she knew Ira needed a quieter, older horse in her age, and Kasey knew she could turn Bree into a right nice horse that she could perhaps lease out when she got older. The two women worked out the sale as they led Bree back to her pasture; even after her gallop the mare had plenty of energy to prance alongside Kasey, throwing her head in hopes of being turned loose. Her new owner couldn't help but crack a fond grin as she galloped off the second she stepped away with her bridle, bucking and making a beeline for the other mares.
For once, things felt secure; there was plenty of money now coming in from board, plenty of lesson students looking to join the program, plenty of projects to keep everyone at the new Cavallo property busy for years to come.
Kasey decided she didn't mind the snow.
caf - they/them - bi
equestrian - vocalist - student
mostly i hang around here for
RVEC nowadays, though i
roleplay on occasion. chat
with me about horses, music,
math, science, or...anything!
