accidentally on purpose (Phantomb / O P E N)

[Forte]

She grinned, chuckling slightly at his comment about Cal. "You're right, he probably doesn't," she said, walking through the open door. Sherlock was just round the side of the house and looked up when he saw her, trotting over happily with his tongue lolling out. Rowan reflected that he would probably just follow them the whole time they were riding. She bent down to scratch him behind the ears as she looked back over her shoulder for Kyle. "It's pretty well stopped raining," she said brightly, "I wonder if there's going to bee a rainbow." But, alas, the clouds had not quite broken up enough for the light of the sun to be definitive yet, and when she looked all around there wasn't one. Too bad. She waited for Kyle so that she could follow him down to the barn, not sure of the best way to go.

[Phantom]

Kyle smiled at her once more before he left the house and made his way to the barn he looked behind to make sure she was still following him. The barn they had wasn't anything spectacular but it was good enough, a fancy barn wasn't needed for trail horses, although pretty soon he realized that they would need a bigger barn soon enough if they continued to get more and more horses. He looked over and saw his cremello mare peering at him. He smiled and walk over to the mare and patted her on her head before clipping a lead to her halter and walking her out.

Karla looked around and flicked her tail across her flanks as she stood beside Kyle, she expected she was going for a ride, although she wasn't really up to it. She watched as Kyle tied her then went to retrieve Cal.

[Forte]

Rowan trotted gamely after him, looking all about her as they went. Sherlock stayed out of the barn, instead sniffing around the side of it as if he'd found something interesting, although that was about as likely as if he had flown to the moon and back. Rowan, for her part, was incredibly envious of the fact that Kyle had horses in his back yard. She couldn't remember how many times, as a little girl, she had dreamed of having a barn this close to her house. "Oh, I can do it," she piped up when she realized that he was going to get Cal. She wasn't just going to let him do everything while she sat around and watched, after all. She had to hurry to overtake him because her legs were so short, but nonetheless she beat him to Cal's stall, with a triumphant look back over her shoulder at him as she peered in at the gelding. "You want to go for a ride, old boy?" She asked, as she took down his halter and lead rope and walked into the stall.

[Phantom]

Kyle stood back surprised that Rowan had rushed ahead to get Cal before he did. After awhile he smiled and went into the tack room and retrieved Karla's tack. He quickly placed the saddle pad and saddle on the cremello mare's back. He patted the mare's shoulder before he put the mare's bridle on. He returned to the tack room and got Cal's tack. The gelding used a bitless bridle for he really didn't need a bit since he was a really responsive horse towards cues. Kyle held the saddle for a bit and looked in Rowan's direction "Will you let me tack him up at least?" he said teasingly, smiling all the while.

Cal walked calmly out of his stall although the gelding was quite surprised that a different human coming into his stall. He walked forward from where he was standing by his food trough and sniffed the human, he flicked an ear and whinnied excitely. He remembered this human! His ears came forward as he waited to be led out of his stall.

Karla on the other hand was quite irritable at having to wait, she wanted to be the first one out and she bared her teeth slightly in Kyle's direction stretching out her neck as far as it would go attempting to bite him but she was just out of reach. She stamped her hoof and flicked her tail irritably, she hated being ignored.

[Forte]

Rowan laughed. "Yeah, you can," she said, with a grin, "because you're much faster at it then I am, and it looks like Karla's getting a little impatient." She looked over at the cremello mare, in the meantime stroking Cal's neck. She had been surprised when he had whinnied, not having expected him to remember her particularly, but all the same. "Good old Cal," she said softly, running a hand through the thick waves of his mane, "He's not impatient - Karla, you could stand to learn a lesson from him!" She laughed as the mare shifted in her cross ties and stamped impatiently. Rowan watched her, waiting for Kyle to finish tacking Cal. Rowan wasn't all that surprised by the hackamore - she'd seen it before, in the first place, and Cal was pretty much bombproof. She really wouldn't have any trouble riding him, except that he might be a little reluctant to get going. "Sooo... Where's this mustang you were talking about?"

[Phantom]

Kyle was happy to grab Cal's lead ad lead him away and tie him a little aways from Karla so that the mare wouldn't be tempted to reach out and bite the gelding. He tacked up the gelding then led the horse back to Rowan and handed the reins to her "Actually, the mustang isn't here right now. Let's just say he's on a vacation" he said jokingly as he looked at Rowan then he returned to Karla and grabbed her reins. "Well, shall we?" he asked politely as he waited for Rowan to lead Cal outside.

[Forte]

"Alrighty then," said Rowan, grinning at his comment about the mustang being "on vacation." She led Cal outside and waited for Kyle to join them before swinging up onto his back, surprisingly well given the fact that she'd only ever sat in a Western saddle, and then barely. She patted Cal's neck, looking over at Kyle with a lopsided grin on her face. "You know, this is actually pretty comfortable." She said, wiggling around in the saddle slightly and trying to get her feet in the stirrups - which were of course set for tall Jason. Defeated, she adjusted them awkwardly from in the saddle, figuring out how as she went along.

[Phantom]

Kyle led Karla out by her reins although the mare was walking in somewhat of a prancing gate alongside him she obviously wanted to go and she was angry that they had not left sooner. Kyle came to a stop near where Rowan sat atop Cal. He looked back at his mare then up at Rowan since he had noticed her fumbling with the stirrups "Did you want help with the stirrups?" he asked as he moved out of the way just in time before Karla took a bite out of his shoulder. He was happy that he had given Cal to her to ride instead of Karla. If she had ridden Karla, she would probably be on the moon right about now.

Cal waited patiently for them to get moving and he flicked his ears as he heard Kyle and Rowan speak. A huge yawn escaped the gelding as he rested his hoof waiting to get a move on.

[Forte]

"Naw, I've got it now," said Rowan, who had indeed figured it out and was sitting comfortably in the saddle with one hand on Cal's neck, playing with a bit of his mane. She watched as Karla pranced and snapped. Karla hadn't seemed so impatient when she was out in the paddock yesterday, but Rowan saw what Kyle meant now. "Come on, we'd better get going before Karla tramples you," she said with a little chuckle, waiting for Kyle to get in the saddle. She, too, was glad that she didn't have to ride the mare - no doubt she would at least be on the ground by now. Although Ginger threw the occasional little crow hop when she felt they should be done with jumping or whatever, Rowan had never really had to sit any sort of dramatic bucking or other silliness. Cal seemed just as calm and patient as he always seemed - he was a good old horse, that was for sure.

[Phantom]

Kyle looked at Rowan, satisfied that she had figured it out. He quickly got into the saddle and watched as Karla pinned her ears flat against her creamy mane. He pulled on the reins. "I don't believe she's ever trampled me before, but she's done just about everything else" He said looking at his mare who had also turned her head to look at him. "Well, I guess we should get a move on" Karla flicked her tail across her flanks then kicked as Kyle reined her to the side then led the mare out at a trot

[Forte]

Rowan actually ducked as Karla kicked out, before realizing that it wouldn't help anything, because Karla was far enough away anyhow and she was on Cal. She straightened up rather sheepishly and urged Cal on as well as she could. She was letting him go rather slowly in any case, although they were up well enough with Karla and Kyle. "I see what you mean," Rowan said with a chuckle as they drew even with Karla's flank. She looked around at the fields and the horizon, so clear and stretching out to infinity across the plains. Sherlock, spotting them from the side of the barn, looking up and gave a little baying bark, hopping as he ran to follow them at a distance, his tongue lolling happily.

[Phantom]

Sometimes I think she just hates me, the old saying 'Don't bite the hand the feeds you' evidently does not apply to her He laughed as he patted the mare on the neck. He could tell that she was still pissed off, but he put up with her anyway. So how are you doing on Cal? He asked as he pulled the rein back slightly as Karla started to fight the bit. He remembered a long time ago when he took the mare to the vet, thinking something was causing the mare's bad attitude, but she was just being Karla apparently. He looked over at Cal, he wished that Karla could swap personalities with the old timer. He thought that Karla would at least get some good habits from being stalled next to the gelding, but instead the gelding let Karla boss him around. He pulled on the rein again as Karla stretched out her neck and nipped at Cal's shoulder. Cal acknowledged it only with a flick of the ears then he simply snorted, probably used to the rudeness of the mare by now

[Forte]

"I doubt she hates you... Most horses do eventually get used to the person who takes care of them, you know. I bet she'd be more hostile to a stranger than she is to you," There she went again, launching off on one of her pre-veterinary student rants. The thought of school starting back up again was just a little bit of a horrendous one, but for the moment she was simply enjoying the freedom that the summer brought. She stroked Cal's neck quietly. "Oh, he's such a nice old horse, you know. I doubt anyone would hate riding such a nice old man." She grinned slightly, watching Kyle fight with Karla as she rode along, completely at ease, on Cal. "You're lucky, you know, living out here with horses in your back yard and miles and miles of open sky above you... I used to dream about this kind of thing when I was a little girl." She said with a little grin, looking out at the open horizon. When Karla tried to nip at Cal, she looked over at the mare dubiously, but Cal didn't seem at all shaken - he just kept going on as nice as before.

[Phantom]

I think she hates me so much that she loves me He said simply. He sighed as Karla continued to fight the bit, he had no idea how the mare managed or even wanted to fight the bit and she was on a somewhat loose rein. I think Cal has grown not to care anymore He joked as he looked over at Rowan and the brown gelding. He focused back on Karla who was sidestepping now Karla, calm down for pete's sake He murmured to the mare. Karla flattened her ears but she eventually calmed down and started to walk in a straight line with her head lowered. Kyle listened as Rowan spoke I don't think I would be able to live in a crowded city. Not enough space for me I guessHe had never lived in a big city. Of course he had lived on different continents and such but never in the big city. There wasn't anything to do in the city. It was quite boring in his opinion

[Forte]

"I guess so," Rowan said with a chuckle, looking over at the grumpy mare, "Come on, Karla. It's nice out here, you know. Lots of grass for crabby ponies. Yeah, Cal here doesn't seem to be bothered by much. If it rained carrots right now I doubt he'd even look up." She grinned, scratching Cal's neck absentmindedly, watching as Karla did her little side-stepping dance along the road. "Looks like someone's got a little itch in their step." She looked over at his next question. "I always thought that too much was going on in cities, personally. And there are always too many cars..." Behind them somewhere Sherlock looked up from a little knot of grass and suddenly raised his head and bayed, galloping all out towards them and barking. Rowan shook her head in disbelief. "Thinks he's scented a rabbit or something, no doubt..." She murmured, as he attempted to outstrip the horses, barking wildly.