ida's first workout .

Bobby pulled up to the barn in his rusted car. It was a bit chilly when he got out, so he pulled the collar of his windbreaker closer to his neck. He gave a huge yawn then proceeded to open the large white doors of the barn. He looked at his watch to check the time. It read 5:23 AM. He flipped the light switch up, turning on the lights, and saw the big bay's head turned towards him, ears pricked. Ida gave him a quiet whinny, but didn't look out at him. She was more concerned with getting fed on time than anything else. Bobby decided to get the horses' feed ready, considering his mother seemed to be running late. About three minutes later, he heard his mother pulling up to the barn.

Beth Ann walked in and apologized to Bobby. "Sorry, I couldn't find my keys. Thanks for getting their food ready." She took the buckets he was holding then walked over to the two horses, Bear first, and dumped their feed into the buckets in the stall. They stood there watching them eat for a few moments before Bobby turned away. "Well, I better get Ida's tack and things. I'm taking her out for her first workout at 6." He walked to the tack room, turned the light on, then got some grooming tools, old racing tack, and his boots, helmet, and crop.

Ignacia was finished eating fairly quickly so he was able to clip her to the cross ties out in the hallway in a few minutes. She stood surprisingly quietly while he carefully groomed her then tacked her up. However, once they got outside the silence of the barn, she began to act up. She danced around Bobby and snorted, tossing her head. The sun was beginning to rise and the birds were making a hell of a racket as he mounted the jittery filly. He stroked her neck and began to hum softly, which seemed to calm her down a bit. One ear was pricked forward and the other was swiveled back to hear his soothing humming.

The filly balked before stepping foot onto the dirt training track; it was unfamiliar to her. Bobby gave her an encouraging squeeze with his legs and she unwillingly stepped onto the fresh dirt. She crow-hopped and broke into a canter for a few strides before he slowed her to a walk. He gave her a long rein, as long as she would allow him anyway, and let her stretch her neck before getting into anything heavy. Bobby wouldn't let the new filly get injured on her first workout. After a few moments, Ida relaxed and gratefully lowered her neck and just ambled along.

He pushed the filly into a forward trot, rising and falling swiftly to her gait. It was pleasantly springy and he didn't use much body strength to push himself up; he used her natural bounce to do it . He asked her for a canter after a few minutes trot. Ignacia's canter was a bit unbalanced and it was quick. She tossed her head and fought the bit, trying to break into a gallop. Bobby gently tightened his grip on the reins and she stopped fighting.

Bobby wouldn't start working her with the gate yet; he just wanted to get comfortable with the way she ran first. He gently nudged her sides with his heels, leaned forward, and moved his hands up her neck as she accelerated. It took a while for her to get going. Ida snorted then began to lengthen her strides considerably, gaining speed as she went around the track. Bobby moved with the filly, his body completely in sync with hers, until they finally rocketed past the finish marker. He began to slow her down, a slight smile on his face; he liked the way she ran.

notes: ehh, i got very carried away with this post. i could probably get rid of the first 3 paragraphs completely, but oh well. the work out part of the post is in here so .. i guess it doesn't really matter.