Infinity

|𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚓𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐

Since North was overall an eager and hard working horse, we were trotting around the arena easily, I rose and fell to the beat of North's outside leg. After trotting, we were asked to canter. Now at a canter, I worked on a half seat and preformed many circles, serpentines to keep North motivated and to help keep him supple and on the bit.

"Diagonal from M to F with a flying change at X" Camille, our trainer called out. The petite woman with golden skin and light brown hair had so much experience in the industry and when my parents chose her as mine and Grace's trainer a couple of years back, I was beyond happy. Being a top notch eventer herself, Camille was full of experience and new and innovative exercises to help us reach our full potential in the sport.

I pulled a bit on the right rein when North and I were nearing M, asking him to take a diagonal. He responded to my cue and turned the slightest to the right so that we would pass the middle of the huge arena and therefore change hands. With North standing at 17.3hh, each stride of him was huge. We quickly approached X and I cued the light gray, almost white, horse under me to perform a flying change. I moved my right leg which was at the girth back so that it was behind the girth and my left leg forward so it was over the girth. I shifted my weight and applied pressure and kept contact. Exactly at X, North lifted all his hoofs for a beat and moved them in the air landing in the correct lead.

Once we were working on the other hand, we basically repeated what we had done to the other hand. We went through our paces and I really urged North into a rhythmic and forward stride. We worked on many circles once more, and we even went over some trotting poles to really get our horses moving.

"Okay, come on over!" Camille said as we slowed our horses and came over to her. While we were warming up, she had set up a pair of ground poles a couple of feet apart so that we could use for the exercise she had planned. "So, Grace will start off; this exercise is pretty simple, but we will slowly build it up. So, I want you to go over both poles and get five strides between them" Camille instructed simply.

Grace nodded and asked Aspen for a canter. As they approached the line of ground poles, Grace performed a half halt to make the distance. With Aspen's steady hoofbeats, we counted the amount of strides she put in between both poles. After performing the five strides in between, Grace slowed Aspen as they came over to us.

Camille looked at me and I cued North to canter. I adjusted my stride at the long end of the arena and kept pressuring North in the turn so that we wouldn't kill the canter. We went over the first pole, and each time Norths hooves reached the turf, I counted a stride in my head. As we went over the second pole, I smiled as we had put in the right amount of strides. I gave North a quick pat and went over to my instructor who was by the other dappled horse.

"Okay, now, I want you to do four strides in between, and after you go over the second pole, you go again, but this time shorten your canter and put six strides in between the poles."

I glanced at Grace who was already nudging Aspen to the canter. Once the dappled gray was cantering, Grace went into half seat and asked Aspen to extend his canter stride.

"Grace, make sure to make a big turn so that Aspen can keep that good rhythm to approach the poles." Camille called out. Grace followed Camille's tips and took a wide turn letting Aspen extend his stride a bit more. In mere seconds they were over the first pole. Grace moved her hands forward ever so slightly encouraging the dappled horse to extend a bit more. With long and extended strides, they went over the second pole after putting four in between both ground poles. As soon as they reached the other end of the arena, Grace sat deep and asked Aspen to slow. Aspen complied and slowed his stride exponentially. They made their way over to the poles once more, Grace performing half halts ever so often to keep the small stride. I watched as they went over the poles and made five and a half strides before going over the second pole. Grace winced but still gave her gelding a pat as she came over.