Post by symphony on Jul 31, 2012 21:48:49 GMT -5
Tally Cremer and Reema
It was unusually late in the morning to be working a horse, but they would at least have the advantage of a mostly empty track. Reema was a bold sight that drew the attention of most people they passed as Tally led her across the road and down towards the track entrance, her mealy markings providing a striking contrast to the chestnut above them. The filly had arrived at Kings Park in the dead of night two days earlier, and hadn't yet been seen by anyone but the hands at the stable.
Reema pulled and tugged at the lead, dancing sideways and throwing her head in protest when Tally didn't loosen her firm grip. The filly was fresh and full of energy, ready to go for a run. She was well built for speed too, with a wide chest, long legs and powerful hindquarters. Tally was half hoping she could find someone to work her with; from what she had heard from the people who had backed the filly, she didn't like being alone and worked much better with company. As if to prove this right, Reema had taken quite a bit of coaxing to get to leave her friends in the barn behind at the beginning of the trip.
At the stalls, everything was pretty quiet. Darren was around somewhere, finishing packing up all the gear they had brought down in the dark several hours earlier. Now, the sun was almost fully up, and there was hardly anyone around; the only things left to show that the stalls were being used were Reema's tack, a towel, and a bucket half-full of water. Before long, the filly's rug had replaced her tack on the railing, and Tally was sitting quietly on her back, having got a legup from a passer-by.
Reema fought Tally for control the entire way out to the track, crabstepping and pigrooting regularly to show that she didn't approve of walking. A few horses had passed them, going the other way, and every time one did, the filly would stop dead, prick up her ears, and watch them pass, refusing to move until they were out of reach. Then the dance would begin again, and Tally would have her hands full trying to calm Reema slightly. She was stronger than Sola, and a couple inches taller; something to get used to.
She settled considerably as they turned down the track and Tally allowed her to break into a fast-moving trot. Her stride was incredibly smooth, especially at the speed they were going. Most other horses would have been choppy and bouncing at this pace.
Near the end of the backstretch, the gate had been set up. As they entered the stretch, Tally manouvred the filly in along the inside rail and let her canter and gallop slowly, heading for the gate. She needed to try Reema in the gate before her first race, and had planned to breeze the filly a few furlongs today anyway; why not do both in one workout?