The Colt That Could

First Ride

West pulled herself into the saddle, settling slowly as she gently stroked Athena's neck. The mare remained still, only shifting her feet once West was settled. "Good girl" smiled West, speaking softly to reassure the mare. They remained standing still for a moment, allowing Athena to get used to having a rider.

After a few minutes, West gathered her reins a little, making sure to give Athena a little to move her head freely. "Let's see how your paces are" she smiled, nudging Athena's sides ever so slightly, sitting up straight as the mare moved forwards. She moved at the slightest of touches, meaning West would have to be very quiet with her legs.

When West pulled lightly on the rein to turn Athena, she responded almost instantly. This caught Craig's attention. Athena was very responsive to legs and to the rein. He knew West was quiet with her legs, but the reins could be an issue. West wasn't heavy-handed, nor would she tug on her horses mouth.

"Maybe try a bitless bridle?" called Craig to West, as she walked Athena around the small arena. A bitless bridle would be a good idea, it was an option they had readily avaliable since another of West's horses was in the same position as Athena, and luckily of the same breed. The bridle would fit perfectly.

Craig moved off to grab the bridle, and returned almost instantly with it since the tack room wasn't far from the arena. He entered the arena, helping West to remove the first bridle, before pulling the second onto Athena, watching how the mare responded to not having a bit in her mouth. "Go on. See how she works with this bridle. Try and get her to trot if you can. Light work today, so just walking and trotting. Leave cantering till next time" he said, leaving the arena, and returning to his place against the fence.

West turned Athena back towards the centre of the arena, moving her into a walk, relaxing as she watched how Athena was responding to the bridle. She tugged lightly, turning Athena to the right with ease. Since she was so responsive to light pulls on the reins, a bitless bridle was just a test to see which one she worked best with. Which bit she stuck with would depend upon how this ride went.

West gave Athena a slight nudge, gathering her reins a little as she moved Athena into a trot. The mare responded instantly, trotting around the arena with ease, sending a smile across West's face. Craig watched with a smile to match West's. Athena had come a long way since West saved her all that time ago. And Mischief had made heaps of progress.

West continued to work with Athena for a little while longer, before she trotted over to Craig. "She's great, her paces feel amazing, and she's really responsive. I've got an idea for what I wanna do with her. But I need to work with her a little more before I tell anyone" she said with a smile as she patted Athena's neck.

"You're not even gonna tell me?" asked Craig with a soft chuckle, stroking Athena's nose gently. "Nope" chuckled West, hugging Athena's neck, before she turned her towards the gate.

[Authors Note: Sorry for not updating this. These past few days have been hell, and I just haven't had the motivation to update this. I'll try and update more, I promise]