stamina [training]

[symphony]

Tallianna Cremer and Veridical, Selena Hassen and March to Glory

"Selena, what are you still doing hanging around here?"

Selena turned from Badger to Tally in less than a second, not at all expecting her boss to come up behind her so quiety. "Oh, hey Tally. I don't really have anything to do today, so I kind of figured I'd hang out with Badger for a while." Behind her, the dunskin filly whickered softly, bumping Selena's shoulder with her nose affectionately.

Tally grinned, a sure sign that Selena was in anything but trouble. "How about instead of hovering around being useless, you help me out with something." Inwardly, Selena groaned, expecting something like oiling martingales or washing rugs; tasks she often ended up doing when she hung around the stable after workouts had finished. "Queen and Veridical still need to be taken out for exercise, seeing as they only had a jog this morning, and we can get it done faster with two people. And you can take Connor out when we're done, if you like."

Selena didn't even have to stop to think about it. "Sure!" she answered eagerly, giving Badger one last pat and following Tally to the tack room. There was no way she'd give up the chance to fit some more riding into her day - especially with the prospect of being able to ride Connor again. She had taken the colt out for his work that morning, which had been nothing but a quick jog around the track for Tally to see how he was moving. This ride sounded like it was going to be much more interesting though; Tally was all business at the moment, just as she was during workouts.

Armed with a saddle, bridle and helmet, Selena headed out to Queen's stall, bumping into Darren on her way out of the tack room. "Where are you two going?" he asked with a grin, moving to the side to let Selena through.

"Queen and Cal are going out on a weight-bearing exercise," Tally informed him as she made her way out of the tackroom, heading towards the main entrance of the stable where Cal was located, Darren following. Selena turned the other way, heading to the end of the next row of stalls, where Queen waited for her, looking prettier than ever. The tobiano was wearing the rug she had won herself in her recent victory in the Hope Plate - not her normal day rug, but Selena didn't pay much attention to it, simply hanging it over the door and dragging a brush over her silky coat quickly. She had the mare saddled within minutes, and led her out of the stall towards Tally.

The trainer was already mounted on her bay filly when Selena got there, giving her gear one last check as she waited. Though she didn't need it to get on a horse as small as Queen, Darren gave Selena a leg-up, quickly checking her gear as she settled into the saddle, and then they were off.

Tally and Cal led the way to the back of the property, turning onto the trail that led through the woods and was known for its steep inclines. Selena suspected the two mares came out here quite often, as both seemed quite relaxed and confident, ambling along like steady trail mounts. After a few minutes though, Tally picked up her reins and nudged Cal into a trot, motioning for Selena to do the same.

Queen's stride was long and flawless, effortlessly keeping up with Cal despite the hand in height difference. She was the most like a rocking horse Selena had ever seen a horse get at the canter, floating over the ground without a foot wrong and ridiculously easy to sit to. It was only when they finally moved into a gallop that Selena really had to work, standing in her stirrups almost as she would in a race and keeping Queen at a constant pace next to Cal as they ploughed through the first of the uphill sections, the horses working harder than they would on the flat to get up the hills. Hard as it was, the horses showed spirit, pulling themselves and their riders up the hill with gusto time and time again.

They had gone quite a way before Tally called for them to slow, bringing Cal down to a canter after quite a long, steady gallop. Both mares were breathing heavily and covered in sweat, though neither the worse for wear as they dropped to a trot and then an active walk, both being given a well-deserved pat.

"Do you think you could do this same thing with Connor?" Tally asked as they turned for home.

Selena nodded. "I just have to gallop him uphill, right?"

"Pretty much," Tally answered, giving Cal another pat. "You take him about two miles, then bring him back walking and trotting." She paused for a moment thoughtfully. "You're welcome to hang around after workouts more often if you'd like to do this more often. I usually get each of the distance horses and some of the sprinters out here two or three times a week, if I can, and the yearlings usually begin with this sort of thing."

"Sure," Selena replied, grinning from ear to ear. She had enjoyed riding the horses somewhere other than the track and doing something a bit different from the usual morning works. Satisfied with the conversation, Tally picked up her reins and motioned for Selena to do the same, before moving Cal into a trot, letting the mare pick her own pace. Selena followed suit, dropping a length or so behind with Queen, whose gait had become quite rough now that she was tired out. They continued like that the entire way back, alternating between walk and trot, before finally swinging out of their saddles in front of the stables.

Selena untacked Queen by the stable entrance, sitting the tack on the ground in front of Cal's stall and taking the sweaty champagne mare around the back of the stable to the wash bays, where Cal already stood quietly as Tally rubbed shampoo into her coat. Queen seemed to doze off almost immediately as Selena quickly sprayed her over with warm water and got to work with the shampoo, rubbing it right through the tobiano's coat and giving her the horse equivalent of a message at the same time. When she got to the mare's legs, she took the opportunity to check for any heat or lumps or cuts as she had been taught to when she had first come to work for a racehorse trainer several years ago. She hadn't been at King's Park then; no, the place where she had worked had shut down a few years ago. Back then, she had been almost heartbroken to see the horses from the stable sold off one by one and having to look for a new job somewhere else, but now she was almost glad it had happened. She had a feeling she wouldn't have gotten even half the opportunities she had at King's Park if she had stayed on there.