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kc groundwork - a fresh start

Published: Aug 31, 2015

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^{This story is actually the worst lol I know I left out a lot of stuff getting to this point, but once I finish the challenge I'll definitely go back and revisit the various parts of training before this.

~~~~~

Today was the day. Today was the day that Ash would finally take a saddle. The toughest part of handling the mare had been the initial gaining of her trust. It wasn't too long before Elizabeth was able to approach the mare without her fleeing, but a hand towards her halter always sent her off. She'd accepted touch and minor handling in her round pen, and when she was finally tame enough not to be a liability she was turned out with the other mares to be part of a herd and be allowed to be a horse while this scary thing was happening to her. It had been the way to go, as the little mare had been infinitely happier and more relaxed among the other mares. She had asserted herself just below Ginger, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy bossing the thoroughbred and warhorse off of their hay when she could.

Catching was still a challenge, but Elizabeth made it happen and taught the mare to lunge. She'd picked up the concept quickly, her desire to be left alone making her a good student. Grooming had been next on the list, and that was the mare's weakness. She quickly accepted being tied and handled and one day Elizabeth had taken scissors to her mane and tail to allow them to grow evenly.

When the red head entered the pasture with a rope tied around her waist, all the mares picked up their heads from the meager grass and prepared to flee. A few snaps of her fingers and she'd called Gingersnapp over for a few pets, the big red mare eagerly leading the rest of the herd across the paddock to the gate. She worked her way from one horse to another, finally ending up at Ash and slipping the rope around her neck. The mare tensed and took a step back, but followed when the women led her into the barn. The rope was swapped for a halter and the woman quickly brushed the mare's back. It was nearing dinner time and just beginning to cool, and she was hoping to be able to end on a good note before it got dark.

Ash stretched nicely on the walk to the round pen, her ears perked as she looked about. She had grown into quite the willing partner, very brave when asked but not the sort that would put herself in danger if she didn't see what was going on. She'd make a nice trail and all around horse, assuming she could handle the saddle. Once the pair was in the round pen, Elizabeth unclipped the lead and sent the mare off to trot a few circles and earn her focus. Calling the mare in she removed the halter and sent her around once more. She let the mare stop and approached her, running her hands all over and draping herself over the mare's back. Ash tensed a bit but didn't move, so Elizabeth fetched the saddle pad.

It was a fairly new pad, and the red head gently placed it on the mare's back. Ash turned her head to sniff at the pad but remained steady. She knew something was up, something was about to happen, but she trusted her master. Leading the mare to the gate, she grabbed the saddle and swung it up onto the mare. She was gentle, but the cinch flopped and the stirrups clapped against the mare's sides, but she held fast and just raised her head with suspicion. The woman carefully tightened the girth, ready to flee if the mare decided to take off bucking. Ash surprised her and let out a snort of displeasure but didn't take off.

Elizabeth praised the mare heartily and sent her off at a trot, keeping up the pressure when the kiwistang threw in a few crow hops but settled quickly and did as she was told.

Ash's ref: fav.me/d8hnzeb
Task: groundwork

Ash & art & story (c) DingoMutt}

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3800x2400px 4.57 MB

Comments5

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Kageh

Sep 4, 2015

I've always like this one >w<