(Sorry for double posting)
Academy Training
Meeting the Horse
I turned off the ignition and stepped out of my black ford truck. Whinnies and the scent of hay and horse hair filled the air. I took a deep breath and smiled as I walked into the stable that contained the training mounts. Thoughts filled my head, I was anxious to start training, but nervous that I wouldn't give my all. Yes, I was shy, but I had to get passed that. A sergeant met me at the door to the stable and introduced herself. "Hello, welcome to The Academy. I'm Sgt. Berani, I'll be instructing and introducing you to your training mount," she said, pushing a lock of her long brunette hair out of her face. "Follow me, I'll show you the mount I believe fits you, based on your personality and experience," Sgt. Berani added, waving for me to follow her. I followed the tan female, looking at the horses as we passed them. We finally came to a stop in front of a stall, and in it waited a bay tobiano mare. "Rose, this is Alex. Now, I must warn you, she'll be pretty bossy and stubborn until she used to you, but she's amazing for training," Sgt. Berani said, opening the stall door. I took a few steps forward and let the mare smell my hand. "She's beautiful, thank you. I'm sure we'll get along fine," I replied, gently stroking the mare's face. I could tell the mare was unsure about me, as her ears and tail were very active. A fly had landed near her eye, and I attempted to get it off by putting my hand over her eye. I knew after the fact that made the wrong move, as she threw her head and half pinned her ears. "Sorry girl, you don't know me yet, I shouldn't have done that until you were more comfortable," I said to the mare, speaking in a calm tone to ease the mares nerves again. Alex calmed down a little more, letting me stroke her face again. "Well, Alex, looks like we've got some work ahead of us."
First Ride
The next day I woke early and got dressed in my training clothes. I made my way to Alex's stall, grabbing a grooming kit and her tack. When I arrived, the mare turned to look at me and waited for me to open the stall door. I took her brown leather halter and let her see it, then slipped it over her nose gently. I fastened it and hooked the mare up to cross ties. I began with a curry, learning quickly the way the mare liked to be brushed. Loose hair and dirt surfaced on her dark coat. I grabbed a dandy brush and the hair and dirt flew off her coat, landing on the ground around her. After finishing brushing and picking her hooves out, I grabbed her saddlepad, setting it on her withers, knowing that when she put the saddle on it would slip back. I grabbed the warm brown saddle and set it on her back gently, making sure not to wrinkle the saddlepad underneath. Next, I buckled the breastcollar onto the saddle. I slipped the girth under her stomach and tightened it until the saddle didn't slip when weight was added to one side. I tightened the breastcollar, making sure none of the leather was twisted. Her snaffle bridle was hanging on my arm. I slipped her halter off and set my hand over her poll, pulling the snaffle bit to her lips. She arched her head, attempting to evade the bit. I slipped my thumb in her mouth, making her open it and allowing me to slide the bit into place. I pulled her ears through the crownpiece and tightened all the buckles appropriately for her face. I threw the rein over her head, setting them on her withers. "You did pretty good. Follow me," Sgt. Berani said, gesturing for me to follow her to the ring. I led Alex, being careful not to let her drift away from my side. We arrived at the ring, and I looked around. It looked nice, well kept and clean. "Do you need a mounting block or a leg up?" she asked, resting a hand on Alex's back. "No thank you," I replied. I checked the girth one last time and gathered the reins. I put my left foot in the stirrup an swung up, being careful to sit down gently so I didn't hurt her back. "Alright, start at a walk and just take a few laps around each direction," Berani said, backing up and watching from the fence. I gently squeezed her sides and clicked, waiting for the mare to walk. She hesitate at first an I had to apply a little more pressure before she walked. I kept my reins low, as I preferred to use more leg and seat commands rather than using reins. I guided the mare in a few circles in the arena. I then clicked her into a trot. Afterward, a fast canter. Alex was a smooth ride, but she had a tendency to try to pull the reins out of my hands. When we came to a stop, Alex was slightly sweaty and my loose ponytail started to fall out. I dismounted and rubbed Alex, thanking her for the ride. I led her back to her stall and untacked her, brushed her down, and gave her a small treat for behaving for me.
Group Training Session
It's been two weeks, and me and Alex have done several solo training sessions. Today was our first group training session, and I was nervous. I didn't know how Alex behaved with other horses. I groomed and tacked the mare up and mounted up. I walked Alex up to the group, stopping her between Majesty and Scout. I didn't have to add too much pressure to get Alex to listen anymore. We all started by walking near each other, making sure to be careful not to hit anyone. We each took turns around the ring, watching each other carefully. We took it easy for the first group training session, and everyone introduced themselves. I even impressed myself with how well me and Alex worked together for only knowing each other for two weeks. Of course, she was still stubborn and tried to get her way, but she'd not done it as often or as bad. I smiled as I carried my tack back, being polite to the others that I had trained with.
High Speed Travel
One week later, we were going to train for high speed travel. I was extremely excited to finally train for speed. I had heard from sergeants that Alex was a natural born runner. I grabbed the brushes and tack and got Alex cleaned and tacked quickly. Alex was much more comfortable around me now, and I was building speed with tacking her. I got Alex into the arena and mounted up. "Alright Rose, get her warmed up and then show me your control over her at the gallop, and make sure to stay balanced," Sgt. Berani said, patting Alex's neck an sending me off. I clicked and lightly squeezed Alex's sides. Alex started walking, staying centered and the reins loose. Today Alex wore tendon boots, so she didn't accidentally hurt her leg running. I sent Alex into a trot, then a canter. I gathered my reins to help support Alex while she ran. I made sure to balance my seat and the clicked for Alex to gallop. As I came up into a position to take more weight off her back, Alex shot forward. I stayed with her forward momentum, stretching and retracting my reins to match her head movement. I smiled, realizing how much Alex liked to run. The mare didn't want to slow down, but eventually slowed back down to a walk and then to a stop in front of the sergeant. "You did pretty good, Rose. Don't be afraid to pull on her a little though, she loves to run," Berani said, petting Alex as I climbed off. I took Alex back to her stall and rewarded her well. I was proud of her and myself.
Noise and Object Desensitization
The next day, I met with Sergeant Berani to get my objective for today. "Well, today we'll do noise and object desensitization. Alex has been through this, but because she's still wary of you, be ready for her to decide not to do something," Sgt. Berani replied. I nodded and tacked up, climbing up onto the mare and looking at the obstacles set up in the arena. The first part was a tarp that had been cut and hung, something noisy in the wind and possibly obstructing vision. I clicked and gently squeezed Alex's sides and sent her off at a walk through the tarp. Alex was stubborn at first, wanting to go around, but I stayed stern and sent the bay mare through. Next was trotting and cantering between dummies that were quite close together. I clicked her into a trot and easily made it through the obstacle. Ribbons hung up closely was up next, an the movement is startling for some horses. Alex smell it and walked through with ease. We turned and next were things to step on and over. A tarp on the ground was first, and Alex walked over it, occasionally looking down for depth perception. A small jump with cones around it was next, and Alex nearly stepped over it without having to jump. A few crooked cavaletti poles on the ground was something Alex didn't even seem to notice, stepping over each one like she was just walking on flat ground. A yoga ball to push around was a little game for Alex, as she threw it around and kicked it. A few more slightly high jumps, and Alex popped over them easily. Some other Sergeants and officers surrounded two sides of a tarp, waving flags wildly. Alex walked through with her ears forward. Some tires stacked at different heights an sizes stood next. I gave Alex more rein and let her drop her head. She stepped up, looking down to make sure not to lose her footing. Noises of guns firing, fireworks popping, and people yelling fill the air. We weaved in and out of poles and barrels. Alex climbed on wooden blanks and walked over it easily. With a little encouragement, she pushed a barrel contraption. A small fire was set in the course. I wasn't paying a lot of attention and Alex decided not to go around the flames. She stopped unexpectedly and threw me off balance. I regained balance and urged her around the flames. At the end of the session, I dismounted and led Alex the Berani. "You did well, recovering your balance like that was nicely done," she said, petting Alex's face. I grinned and rubbed Alex's neck.
First Field Mission
My nerves were stirring. My heart raced and my head filled with thoughts of what tonight would be like. What was to come? What would Alex think of me outside of the arena, in a less secure and comfortable environment. Tonight was my first field mission, and I couldn't help but smile. I was making my way through the ranks. I was nervous, yes, but a thrill came over me and I realized what this meant. I was almost a true mounted officer. With that, I smiled and got dressed in uniform. Soon, I would be Constable Rose Rivervalley. Soon, I'd help keep the streets safe. I got to the stable and got Alex ready. Sergeant Berani approached, followed by her buckskin tovero steed. "Hi Rose, tonight is your first field mission. How are you feeling?" Berani asked, stroking her stallion's neck. "I'm nervous, but I'm excited. Alex seems excited," I replied, giving Alex a pat. "Alright, lets head off then," Berani said, mounting up. I mounted Alex and followed Sergeant Berani out to the streets to patrol tonight. I was almost positive that nothing would happen tonight, but you never know with people. Alex flicked her ears often, paying close attention to any sort of noises she heard. The buckskin seemed more keen with smell, while Alex stayed keen on hearing. Everything seemed fine for a while, but then I felt Alex's weight shift onto her hindquarters and immediately knew she was ready to run after something. I looked around and listened carefully. In the distance, I heard a car moving too fast for that particular road. I grabbed a speed detector as the car got closer. As the car passed, I measured the speed, noticing they were about ten miles over the limit. "Ten over the limit, do we go?" I asked, partially unsure. "Yes, come on," Sergeant Berani replied, turning Chief to the direction the car went. I turned Alex and urged her forward, getting her to gallop after the car. Her stride was smooth as we raced over the terrain to catch the speeding car. We soon caught up to the car and pulled it over. Sergeant Berani gave the driver a ticket and we went back to walking on the streets. Nothing else really happened during the night, and the night watch ended on time. I was still surprised about not really getting nervous during patrol.
Riot Practice
Riots were a stressful topic. It could be dangerous and hard to get under control, so excessive training was necessary to keep yourself and your horse safe. Today was my first day of this training. I rubbed Alex's neck while I mounted up. I was nervous, I wasn't sure what they'd cover for the first day of riot training, but I tried to clear my mind and only focus on Alex and the task at hand. As I entered the arena, I noticed a lot of people to simulate a crowd, and prepared for something that would spook Alex. I saw the other trainees file in. I walked Alex and neared the crowd. Smoke started to fill the arena and the crowd screamed and chanted. Loud noises and popping sounds filled the air. Alex spooked a little from the unexpected noise starting, but eventually calmed, knowing what this was. Some of the crowd grew closer and pushed around a little on Alex, simulating chaos. Flashing lights and projectiles began to appear through the smoke. Alex snorted and sensed my nervous nature. "Easy girl," I muttered, patting the mare's neck. We made our way through the crowd slowly, growing more and more confident with each step. By the end of training I was no longer nervous about further training, I started to crave the adrenaline rush coming from it.
Final Exams
After the months of training, the hard work, and blood sweat and tears in academy training, it was time for final exams. I nervously scrambled to where I needed to be. My palms were sweating and my heart was racing. I answered every question with intense thought. With each question, I grew more confident, but I was still very nervous. Sure, I was always a straight A student with the occasional B, but this test could life changing. I finished the tests and took some deep breaths to slow my heart rate back down. I kept trying to convince myself that I did amazing, even when I was slightly unsure. The door opened and I switched my gaze to face Sgt Berani. "Officer Rose," she began, a small smile slowly emerging on her face, "I'm happy to say that you have successfully made it through Academy training. You passed the test, and got only a few questions wrong, and you will learn overtime. Congratulations, and I will take you to see Alex, seeing as you will not be riding her anymore." I smiled and followed Sgt. Berani down to the stables and to Alex's stall. I rubbed the bay mare's face and kissed her muzzle. "See you around, rotten girl," I giggled. Alex's whiskers and soft muzzle tickled my face as she rubbed softly against my face. I knew this wasn't a permanent goodbye and I would more than likely go on patrol with my mount and her eventually.