Stepping Out

For the RDS Gaelic Challenge at [link]

Horse: Four Minute Warning # 75
Rider: Tristian Malone
Event: One Day Event
Dressage Phase

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Cleo gave Tristian a look and shook her head, "It's no good it won't sit straight." she said as he adjusted his hat for the tenth time.

"I knew I should have gotten my hair cut." he complained his hat was refusing to sit straight, which could have been managed with a proper riding hat but his dressage one couldn't be forced into submission by tightening straps.

"I could always run back and grab the horse clippers?" Cleo suggested.

Tris looked horrified "You're kidding right?" he asked thinking exactly what sort of mess his hair would look if he let Cleo loose with the clippers, it would probabily be like letting Tess or Mrs S loose with them.

"If it would help? I do the nags all the time." she said if it would work she'd try anything once.

Tris got the sinking feeling he knew she was serious "You know I'll pass on this one." he said as Moose snorted in some form of amusement. Tris patted the horse as he waited his turn in the ring, "And you can be quiet as well."

Cleo chuckled, "So let me get this right, we have a dressage test, show jumping and then the cross country?" she asked, she'd never done eventing herself and she 'd seen what a three day looked like but the one day confused her a little.

Tris nodded, "Pretty much yeah so we have a fairly quick turn around between the dressage and show jumping but a couple of hours between the show jumping and cross country it gives Moose a bit of a break." he said trying to explain, it would be a long day where he would spend most of the day rushing around then trying to get focused for each event, dressage was his worst event even with all the training he'd put in with Mrs S and Tess. It had been the event that had let him down when he'd been at their last full three day.

"I was meaning to ask," Cleo said as she helped Tris into the saddle, "Why only the one day and not the three day?"

Tris mounted lightly into the saddle and began to adjust his striups, "Mrs S didn't want to over tax him, she's got a lot of competitions planned for him and wanted to give him a bit of experience at over a course like they have here but without the pressure of the full three days." he explained and he knew Mrs S had a point she had big hopes for Moose after how well he'd done in America and had even lined up a stud opportunity for him. Now Tris just had to make sure he didn't mess up the test and knock Moose's confidence.

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2.5 hours in Painter 11.
10 Layers
No reference for the horse hence the rather chunky looking legs. And a slightly confused looking gait.