And the Thunder Rolls....(open)

[chey]

The truck door slammed shut as the sun was just about the brisk of dawn. It was the best to ride in the early morning. Clayton wasn't a busy person, but he didn't want to work his horse in the middle of the day in the heat. Clayton grabbed his saddle from the back of his truck. He didn't keep his stuff here in the barn. He liked having his saddle's at his house because he knew no one would steal them. Plus he doesn't want anyone screwing with his saddle. Clayton also grabbed the reins and the saddle pad to make sure he got everything he did a double take and knew he didn't forget anything. While walking away from the truck he placed the saddle over his shoulder and walked inside the barn. Once inside the barn he heard lots of nickers from the horse's in either stalls. Clayton found his horse Monte laying down sleeping. Clayton laughed and looked at him"Come on lazy bones...Wake up' and with those words Monte woke up and stood up looking at Clayton with sleepy eye's. Clayton rubbed the black's face and grabed the lead that was hanging on the stall and clipped it to Monte's halter while opening the stall door and walked in with the halter and began to saddle up Monte right there in the stall.

It didn't take long for Clayton to tack up Monte. He was a good trainer and well Monte knew better than to move around when being saddled up and Monte also knew to just stand there no matter what if Clayton is fixing fence or just standing alittle ways off. Clayton grabbed the reins that hooked onto the hackomore and walked Monte outside of the stall and down the long lighted isles. Once outside the sun was up alittle and shadows of tree's were all over the place. Monte raised his head and snorted into the brisk morning the air. It was nice cool air with fog looming around the tree's. This was Clayton's favorite time of day in the summer the early mornings and late evening.


Clayton walked down the road to the Outdoor Arena and opened the gate and lead Monte through it and shut the gate behind him. He placed the reins over Monte head and laid it apon his neck. He grabed the other lead and pulled through his belt lope and put some slack through it so he could get on Monte easy without pulling his head. The left boot lifted off the sandy ground and into the sturrip and hoisted his body off the ground and with grace sat in the saddle and put his right boot in the sturrip. His hard hands grabed the smooth rope reins and patted the black neck of Monte.

Off they went riding around the arena. It was still a cool morning and Monte was a very relaxed stallion when he was alone. Clayton smiled and began to warm Monte up before they started a easy workout. Clayton began with large circles around the arena both ways in a walk. Then they picked up speed into a trot and did large circles and small circles around the arena both ways and did a couple lead changes in figure eights. Clayton also made him pick up his front shoulders and made him move sideways a couple lines. After all the trotting Clayton nudged him into a canter and worked circles large and small and figure eights and worked on the lead changes. Clayton always asked if Monte could never demanded him to do it. It was much easier to work with Monte if you asked and not demaind it because uselly you would end up on the ground. Clayton took his seat and once he sat back Monte's backend hit the ground and dirt flew around him. Clayton patted his neck and walked him around to cool off before working harder. Clayton looked around and the sun wasn't at it's hottest point yet.

[codifuller]

The sun wasn't up when Codi had made her way out to the barn this morning, but it certainly was now. She'd spent the early hours cleaning Beau's stall and working oil over his tack. She only had the old set of leather tack she'd used back in New York, as she wasn't willing to ask for a price on any of this things Bennett had been using on Beau. The saddle was old, and there was a bit of rust on the bit, but it was all working fine for now. The leather cleaner and conditioner was working wonders - making the aged leather more supple and bringing out the rich brown tones. With gentle pressure, the brunette girl ran a towel covered in conditioner over the leather chin strap, observing the change in color and the increase in pliability.

After she was satisfied with the quality of work, she returned her things to the tack room to dry a bit and returned to Beau's stall with his halter and a pair of lead ropes in hand. The buckskin gelding had his head shoved over the stall door, his chest pressed into the wood and his neck reaching out to try and see what Codi was brining him. Treats, maybe? His eyes were so hopeful. Codi giggled and pressed her palm against his nose so he could smell, then removed her hand and snatched a peppermint out of her back pocket. Beau's ears flickered back and forth and he tossed his head forward and back as if to say 'YES! Please give it to me, give it,' Codi pressed her palm back to his lips and Beau took the peppermint swiftly, withdrawing back into his stall to crunch on it while Codi slipped through the door and placed the halter on his head. She settled the nose piece across his face and kissed his nose, where his snip turned the dark black skin of his muzzle pink. "Come on, handsome, let's get you out of here for a bit."

She gave his body a light brushing, over his back and along his thick hindquarters. Across his neck, down his strong legs. She passed the brush repeatedly under his belly - right in the middle - where she knew he liked to be scratched. When she'd finished, she set the brush next to his stall and lead him out to the small arena. He'd been working on the barrels like a freight train lately. Having not turned a barrel in awhile, Beau would light off like a fire cracker out of the shoot and drop heavily into his inside shoulder. This resulted in breakneck speed and a barrel rolling along the ground on it's side. He needed to take a step back.

So she swung up into the saddle and spent the next hour working him in circles around the arena. Every few passes around she'd stop and make him bend, working out the flexibility in his sides and neck that Bennett had been neglecting. Then came the barrels. The first barrel was absolutely critical to the success of the race, and the fact hat Beau was consistently blowing it every time really concerned Codi. She set up a single barrel in the arena and pulled Beau to the outside rail. His ears were up, his bottom lip flapping the way it did when he anticipated a run. His body was tense - too tense. Codi didn't allow him to veer towards the barrel yet, but trotted him around the ring, then loped him a few times to settle him into his gait. When she was confident he was calm she turned the stout gelding towards the center of the ring, keeping just enough tension on his mouth to let him know she wasn't asking him for speed. She loped him towards the left side of the barrel, arching out to create a pocket as she drew back on the reins - asking him to slow to a trot. His ears flickered. This wasn't at all a command that he was used to. Reluctantly, Beau slowed and trotted up to the barrel, already leaning inwards. Codi slid her and down and lifted his inside rein, forcing his shoulder up in time to meet the pocket. Beau cut inside - this time with his shoulder upright and his rear legs firmly under him. When he tried to rush out of the turn too early, Codi held him a trot and circled the barrel again, then let him trot off back to the rail. She circled the arena again and repeated this sequence several times, coming from both the left and right sides to keep him flexible and even.

It was nearing ten in the morning and the heat was starting to effect both of them, but Codi didn't want to call it a day until she had some time to work in the larger arena and take a couple of barrels at full speed. She let her and Beau out of the small arena and latched the gate behind them. His lead swung loosely in her hand, and his small head was gently brushing along her hip. Codi sighed, happy. She'd missed him so much. Her fingers ran across his jaw bone and the skinny flecks of white hair - what she fondly called the "tail" of his snip - until she reached the skin under his forelock where he liked to be rubbed.

When they reached the multipurpose arena, Codi peeked inside to see a man already working in the arena. Waiting until he was on the opposite side, Codi and Beau slipped in and latched the gate behind them. She led the gelding to the center of the ring and swung up. She made brief eye contact with the other rider and waved a hello to him. "Hey. I was planning to work him a bit and then take him around a few barrels, will we be in your way?"

TAGGIN': CLAYTON
WORD COUNT:

[/color] 1.oo6
SOUNDTRACK:[/color] AIN'T NO REST FOR THE WICKED//CAGE THE ELEPHANT
NOTES:[/color] lots of me yammering, sorry about that. it's my first both with them. maybe they can start up some small conversation while they work their horses, she'll learn he's an experienced trainer and probably have him take a look at Beau's barrels and ask him questions like an eager kid. she's kinda the new kid on the block and looking to get better.[/font][/left][/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]