Upon entering the arena, I checked my girth one more time. Gathering my reigns and Rega's mane in one hand, I pushed myself off the mounting block and over onto Rega's back. Most people could do with plopping their foot in the stirrup and just jumping up, but Rega is substantially larger than the average mare (18 hands if we're talking numbers).
Looking around, I noticed that there was only one other rider in the arena with me, save for Isabelle coming in just then. The girl that was already in here had her wild black hair smoothed to fit underneath her dark blue helmet. She smiled as she saw me, her white teeth contrasting against her dark skin, and brought her horse over to where I was.
"Hey! I'm Tamika Manning. You can call me Tami. Are you new? I don't think I've seen you here before" her words came out in a rush. I smiled. After my encounter with Kennedy and Jenny, this girl was a welcome distraction.
"Yeah, I am new actually" I said, leaving out the part about my scholarship. "I'm Savannah Bells. Nice to meet you. Who's your horse?" I asked, gesturing to the sorrel. She was well built and sturdy, but a little on the shorter side. Tami patted her shoulder.
"This here is Silk Hat. I call her Hattie. She's part warmblood and part Anglo Arabian. Two different height extremes, and yet she still manages to get the short end of the stick. No pun intended doll" she said, aiming that last part at Hattie. The mare stuck her head up, trying to assert her short height. What a cutie.
Pretty soon, the other riders trickled in. Not long after everyone was warming up along the wall, Mr. Watts and the woman I assumed was Hannah Bishop walked in, with a purpose.
"Everyone, please line up in the center" Mr Watts called. We all lined up swiftly and silently. Mr. Watts stood in front of us ramrod straight, commanding our attention.
"Ladies and gents, you're here from a variety of backgrounds and purposes, but you're here for one goal. To receive instruction and be a part of the Silver Hawk Ridge team" he'd begun to pace. The other trainer seemed a bit more friendly, as she stood relaxed with one arm propped up by her hand on her hip and a small, loose smile.
"And in order for you to be on the level that is most appropriate, we will aid you and give you feedback for success at your tryouts. Now most of you know me, but for those who don't, I'm Mr. Watts. However, this young lady standing next to me is new to our training staff. Everyone, I'd like you to give a warm Silver Hawk hello to Ms. Hannah Bishop. She will be our coach at the JV level".
We all gave a hum of polite hellos. Ms. Bishop looked very friendly, but Mr. Ross wouldn't bring this woman in if she didn't have a command of attention or fire. Still though, her clothes were a tad more relaxed than Mr. Ross and even a couple of us, with a simple black and white plaid work shirt tucked into black breeches and black tall boots.
"Hello to you too ladies and gentlemen. I look forward to working with you these next few days and maybe in the future for some of you" her strong voice said pleasantly, and had more of an Australian accent. A bit different than most here. "But with that, let's get to work. To the outside line at a walk please". And with that we all got out onto the rail.
We just warmed up with the basics at first. Walking, trotting, etc. Most of us were having a very easy time through all this. One of the boys, however, seemed to be fighting with his horse at every turn. The morgan was snorting and tossing his head at every chance, fighting the poor kid. He couldn't have been more than 15 years old. The pale redhead was trying to remain calm, but we could see the stress in his rigid shoulders and hands.
"To the center everyone. I want to work over some jumps today" Mr. Watts called out. Complying swiftly, he gave out his next orders.
"Here's how this is going to go. I want everyone to start off on this red and white cross-rail in the center. Then after everyone has gone through this once or twice, I want you to take this green vertical near the back left corner into the double combination directly to the right of that. Tamika, why don't you start us off?"
YOU ARE READING
Silver Hawk Ridge: Taking Flight
Teen Fiction"Rewards hard earned are never easily kept" Savannah Bell has earned a coveted position at Silver Hawk Ridge, a prestigious equestrian academy. Upon arrival, she discovers it is not the end of her trials. It's hard enough being a teenage girl...
