Glory Run Y16 WorkoutHailey led the bay filly out to the dirt track, the horse prancing all the way from the barn to the track. The horse knew what the track meant and she wanted to run. Well, she'd get to do that today. It'd be a perfect day except for the fact that it was raining. At least, Fable wasn't out here, because she'd definitely pitch a fit over having to work in the rain. Glory didn't seem to mind either way. One less thing to worry about, and she'd rather have a horse that didn't care over Ransom, who was unpredictable at times, and Fable, who hated the rain and mud. There was Seattle, but she hadn't gotten a chance to ride him yet.
The dirt was turning to mud by the time they stepped on the track. It squished underneath her boots and Glory's hooves, and she was drenched with rain. Nevertheless, she got up in Glory's saddle and urged the filly forward. The horse rushed forward, only for Hailey to pull her back. No use in letting the filly run full out before she was warmed up. Reluctantly, Glory slowed down, though Hailey could tell that she was by no means happy about it. Once she was sure the horse was properly warmed up, she urged the horse into a slow gallop. The mud still squished between the horse's hooves and the rain pattered the ground. It didn't matter much though, since the horse didn't seem to mind the mud and once the workout was done, they could both go back into the warmth of the barn. A five furlong gallop was in the schedule today, a nice short run before her first race. Glory ran easily along the track, ears pricked forward. Finally getting the chance to run, the horse loved it. And Hailey had to admit that she loved it too. This was where she belonged: on the back of a horse. All that filled the silence was the rain and the horse's breathing, nice and steady, not too hard. She'd been a bit out of shape when they got her, but now the horse was as fit as a fiddle. It seemed much too short when five furlongs had gone by, and she was forced to pull the horse up. The bay filly tossed her head unhappily as she slowed down. Hailey patted her neck, feeling as disappointed as the horse. She would've loved to go a bit further, but five furlongs was enough for now and she was eager to get back in the warm barn. "Good girl, Glory," she said. "Good girl."
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Dark Sparrow Y16 WorkoutSince Hailey only had one horse to ride in the races, and Bradley had four, the responsibility of riding Dark Sparrow fell to her. Not that she minded. Riding more than one horse would be good for her, allow her to get used to riding other horses. And it would be a good thing to have a break from riding Ransom. If only that horse wasn't so particular about who rode him. Regardless, she now had a new horse to ride.
Scotia had decided to lease two horses from OVS, as a favor to the owner, who'd be away for a while. At least Scotia wasn't buying any more horses, they'd agreed. Sure, it was nice that the stable was filling up, but they only had five horses who'd be earning money, and a bunch of other horses that were either too young to race, or were retired. They didn't say that to her face though, mostly because they liked their jobs and respected her too much. So Hailey led the filly to the turf track, mounting up before the horse stepped onto the track. The filly danced in place as Hailey got settled in the saddle. Smiling, she urged the horse forward, trotting before urging the horse into a canter. Once the filly was warmed up enough, she asked the filly for a gallop. The filly exploded forward at the signal and Hailey had to ease her back. No use in letting the horse run out of gas early. Though it was a short gallop, only 7 furlongs, there was no need to let her go all out right away. It would be better to work up her stamina. She wasn’t a quick starter, but Hailey preferred it that way. Better than Ransom, who preferred to charge out of the gate like his tail was on fire. And Sparrow seemed to be a good listener. The pair galloped along the track, the horse's hoofbeats and breathing the only sound in the silent morning. To the rider, it was the best sound in the world. She let the reins out a bit and the filly picked up speed. Fly By Darkness Y16 WorkoutBradley Corette on Fly By Darkness and Scotia Anderson on Seattle Lightning The dawn was just coming over the horizon as the two riders and their horses made their way towards the turf track. The birds began to chirp their songs as the day started to warm up. Bradley rode their new horse, a four year-old named Fly By Darkness, and Scotia was on Seattle Lightning. With Hailey and the rest of the training staff at The Wire with their three other racehorses, Scotia was the only one who could join him on the trip. Not usually the one who exercise rode the horses (she would like to do so, but the paperwork and day-to-day running of the stable kept her from doing so), but with everyone gone, she jumped at the chance to ride for the morning.
It was going to be a short ride, only eight furlongs. That was the max distance Seattle could run and they wanted to see how Flyby ran, so a short distance it would be. And it would be good for Seattle to finally get to run with a partner. They trotted around the track until they got to where they would start. At his signal, both horses were urged into a gallop. Flyby surged forwards while Scotia held Seattle back. While Seattle was a frontrunner, they'd agreed that it would be good to see how he'd do if he was in the back. The horse, of course, didn't like this and fought to get his head. With Flyby a couple of lengths ahead, Bradley slowed her down. They were running against a younger horse, and the last thing they needed was for Seattle to get frustrated and stop running well. So Flyby slowed down to a length ahead, allowing Seattle to catch up. The horses ran side-by-side for a couple of furlongs until they reached the seventh furlong pole and Seattle managed to get his head in front. The four year-old mare galloped along the track easily, not too concerned with the fact that the younger horse was in front. If she really wanted to, she could leave him in the dust. But as stated before, that wasn't what they wanted. Seattle needed some confidence, though he'd been doing much better in the past couple of weeks. She at least, seemed to listen to her rider. and was willing to be held back. Her easygoing nature made things that much easier for him. As the two horses passed the eight furlong pole, he pulled the mare up. He turned to see Scotia do the same, a grin on her face. "What do you think?" He asked. "That I should do this more often," she replied. "Maybe we could promote you to full-time exercise rider," he said with a smile. "I've got enough on my plate. But I wouldn't mind riding from time to time. In regards to the horses, though, I think they're ready. This workout felt like a good one. Though what do I know?" "I'd say it was a good one." Y16 Juvenile Workout |