Post by Emily on Oct 4, 2008 14:49:07 GMT -5
Emily led Miraculous Tale onto the track and tried to settle her down as she mounted. Mia was the two year old filly of her stallion, Winter's Tale, and while she was the spitting image of her sire, the two were almost nothing alike personality wise. Winter had always been gentle and laid-back, even in his racing days, while Mia was testy and fiery. The grey filly spun in circles and tugged at the reigns as Emily tried to lead her onto the track. Emily got her straightened out and they trotted for a while to warm up then Emily took her to the starting line so that they could hopefully get in a good practice as her racing schedule began to get busier.
Mia pranced as Emily tried to get her lined up before she decided to just let her go. The filly's back legs acted as a spring to lurch her body forward across the soft, turf track. Mia definitely had front runner tendencies but Emily knew that if she didn't keep her under control that she would burn out early and begin to fall back toward the end of the race. So, this meant that the first couple of furlongs of a race tended to be a pulling game between horse and rider until they fell into a pattern and meshed for the rest of the race. And so that was how it was for the practice as well. It was just after the third furlong pole passed that Emily began to let Mia go a little and she settled into a steady gallop. Emily breathed now and shook her head as she lowered herself on Mia's neck and prepared to the rest of the race. As they began to round the turn, Emily could feel the filly begin to pull again, ready to run her heart out in the last leg. This time Emily obliged and let Mia show off her strong shoulder and hind muscles. The filly reached out her nose, pined her ears, and glared at the finish line, as she showed just what made her a racehorse.
As the eight furlong pole passed, Emily began to ask Mia to slow down into a long strided canted and then into a walk. She pet her neck, dark with sweat, and was pleased with how their day had gone even if there were some bumps in the beginning. The pair walked back to the barn and emily felt wobbly and out of breath when she handed Mia, who still had a slight prance to her step, over to a groom to be taken back to the stables.
Mia pranced as Emily tried to get her lined up before she decided to just let her go. The filly's back legs acted as a spring to lurch her body forward across the soft, turf track. Mia definitely had front runner tendencies but Emily knew that if she didn't keep her under control that she would burn out early and begin to fall back toward the end of the race. So, this meant that the first couple of furlongs of a race tended to be a pulling game between horse and rider until they fell into a pattern and meshed for the rest of the race. And so that was how it was for the practice as well. It was just after the third furlong pole passed that Emily began to let Mia go a little and she settled into a steady gallop. Emily breathed now and shook her head as she lowered herself on Mia's neck and prepared to the rest of the race. As they began to round the turn, Emily could feel the filly begin to pull again, ready to run her heart out in the last leg. This time Emily obliged and let Mia show off her strong shoulder and hind muscles. The filly reached out her nose, pined her ears, and glared at the finish line, as she showed just what made her a racehorse.
As the eight furlong pole passed, Emily began to ask Mia to slow down into a long strided canted and then into a walk. She pet her neck, dark with sweat, and was pleased with how their day had gone even if there were some bumps in the beginning. The pair walked back to the barn and emily felt wobbly and out of breath when she handed Mia, who still had a slight prance to her step, over to a groom to be taken back to the stables.