The following days were filling with early mornings and long hours of riding. Madison could barely keep up with her busy schedule. She trained her new project, Quiz Bee. He was own by John Quio. The man kept buying horses and giving them to Madison the train. He made up most of her salary. She thought he was stupid but, he had millions of dollars to spend on his horses.
Quiz Bee was a OTTB that John had bought for $500. He was an exceptional jumper and an amazing mover. He would surely become at least a level three dressage horse. The Thoroughbred had quite a nesty temperament though. He hated having his hooves picked and being groomed made him buck and rear while in cross-ties. Which, I never thought was possible.
Quiz Bee has broken the cross ties in my barn so many times that it wasn't even funny anymore. He had bitten, kicked, and bucked me off more times than I could count. He was the worst horse but he had never ending potential. That was the only reason I kept training him. He could side pass, leg yield, and piaffe. I had only had the onry gelding for a short time but, he was an amazingly quick learner.
We had worked on meter high jumps and courses. But, mainly on dressage and different movements. Quizzes only flaw, was the when I asked him to move into a free walk, he always tightened up and moved to a choppy trot. I had no idea why he did this but it was getting better. He was starting to walk not trot. Though, Quiz Bee was still a bit tight.
~
Cisco cantered down the dirt path with his flowing and long stride. I clutched his mane as we raced through the forest. Cisco was having the time of his life and so was I. He was listening to all of my aids perfectly as if he knew that if he didn't his fuin would end right away.
We flew over a fallen tree and landed on the other side softly. Cisco took off again and hopped the creek. He was blowing hard when I finally asked him to slow to a trot the, walk. We walked the two miles home in silence. I patted Cisco's sweaty neck and gave him a loving rub on his favorite spot, under his mane.
We arrived back home in an hour or so. I had just enough time to work with Bue, Quiz Bee, Shana, and Gizmo. Since this morning I had worked Champ, he was in his stall happily munching on hay.
Cisco and I walked into the sunlit barn around 10:30. I cross-tied him and then untacked, brushed, cooled out, then turned out my grey gelding. He canter across the field and nuzzled Bue, who was happily grazing until Cisco came barreling in. She nuzzled him back then nipped him, telling the younger gelding to stay away from her grazing spot. Cisco obeyed and moved a few feet further away from the mare.
~'~
Madison grabbed Bue from the field and tacked her up. She led the mare into the outdoor arena and mounted. They warmed up by walking, trotting, cantering, and trotting and cantering small crossrails.
After 20 minutes or so Madison dismounted and set up a large amount of different high jumps. Bue stood obediently in the middle of the arena the whole time. Madison came back and mounted up again. The experienced pair moved off at a walk. They moved into a trot then canter after two minutes. Madison aimed for a small ascending oxer then a smaller vertical. She would then bring Bue to the right and go over to larger spread. Then take a sharp left and Jump the coop. After that they would galope to the last jumps. But before they got there, Madison would ask Bue to come back to a canter and they would finish the in and out with a ground eating canter.
Madison slowed Bue to a walk and gave the lathered mare a pat. She had done great and worked hard. Madison gave the mare a few minutes to breath, then asked for a trot. They trotted and cantered a load of jumps before Madison checked her watch and decided to call it good. She spend 20 minutes cooling Bue out before leading her to the barn and untacking and bathing her. After Bue was back in the field happily munching on grass with Cisco, Madison look off her helmet, revealing a tangled rat's nest of auburn hair. She took out her pony tail and ran her tied fingers through the mess.
~'~
I ran my fingers through my tangled auburn hair as I walked down to the trainee barn. My gravel drive was uneven under my feet and I half walked half jogged down the hill. I finally untangled my hair as I walked up to the barns front, sliding doors.
I walked in and found that Quiz Bee was in his stall, but Gizmo and Shana weren't. I asked April and Misty, my two grooms, to bring them into their stalls. They walked off towards the field with halters in hand. They chatted as they walked down the hill. I watched them catch both horses a lead them up.
While Misty and April lead the horse and pony up, I tacked Quiz up. He tried to bite and kick me more times than necessary. Once, I was done, I lead the angry gelding to the outdoor arena. I planned on doing some lat work then going on a hack.
