Switcheroo Day.

[mrs. chloe]

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, I assume that all horses have been warmed up prior to start time and are ready to go? Fantastic. Time to draw horses and riders! Let's see.."

"First to go is Aubrey Wilder, riding St. Nicholas over a three-three course. He seems slow today, have fun getting him around."

"Second will be Victoria Winters and Juliet's Dragonfly over a three foot course. Mare of Mass Destruction. Never seen her under saddle but she is a brat on the ground."

"Third will be Caden Taylor and Putting on the Ritz, three-three course. Aubrey makes him look easy, but I can tell you right now Cay, he is not."

"Next will be Sebastian Keller riding Hi I'm Tille around a two-six course."

"Afterward will be Robin Evans on Shut-Up and Smile around a three-three course. That mare will take care of you, for sure. She seems lazy as ever."

"Then Rhia Aberth riding Lazarus xx over a two-nine course. Only lowered the fences because I know the height difference will be challenging enough."

"Tobin Kelly and Thirteen Gun Salute over a two-six course. Oh, this'll be fun."

"Then Shannon Rodd and Uptown Girl around a two-six course. That horse is as green as a gardener's thumb."

"Next Miley Benz riding The Trickster's Choice over a two-six course. Put your faith in him, he can do it!"

"Everett and Symphony of the Seas with a two-six course. As Tobin Kelly just leaned over and told me: "Haha, Mt. Everett riding a pony!"

"Blaine Moyer and my own horse, Borderline, over a three foot course. Good luck with that, by the way."

"Roxy Harden riding Hotrodder's Blue Gal over a two-six course."

"Sawyer Millington on Happily Ever After jumping an eighteen inch course. Well, at least Fiona is a good draw for a beginner. Better than Brody, or Fritz, for sure. You can trot if you like."

"Alice Grae will be riding Enchanted To Meet You around a two-six course. Hm, never met either of them."

"Skylar Moore on Cool Story Bro around a two-nine course. He should be jumping at least three-six, but I've never seen you ride before, so you're going to have to deal with the whole cantering over fences thing."

"Then there is June Kinlaw riding Finnegan around a two-nine course. Finn looks kinda spooky today. Oh, and watch his head thing. He'll pull you right off."

"Alison Fox atop Batteries Not Included jumping a two-nine course. Hm, will she ride him like a hunter?"

"And finally, Aiden Holbrooke riding Heavensent Daydream over a two-nine course."

ooc: I'll be updating this as we go along. please rp your warm-up, or if you skipped it, then your course. for now its just a simple course, like what you'd see in a short stirrup ring, but as the rounds go on it will change very dramatically. post in order, and only post once per round. this is going to be a HUGE thread. if your character takes longer than three days to respond, we'll assume they chickened out. sorry, but there are TONS of people waiting!

six horses will be left out of each round. the horse's left out this round are:
Thank You Captain Obvious
Let The Raving Begin
'Prince'
Finnegan
Sweet Tarts
Heavensent Daydream

EVERYTHING was done with a randomizer.

[aubrey leah wilder]

Aubrey smiled a little when she heard who she'd be riding. Caden's horse? Easy-peasy. The kicker came when Caden's name was announced with.. Putting On The Ritz. Aubrey's smile grew. She knew she wasn't a perfect rider, and in all honesty, she'd probably screw up her course something awful, but it would be amazing to see someone else struggle with Fritz.

She fixed her face in a more polite smile and walked Fritz over to Caden. Aubrey couldn't resist a quiet "have fun with him" as she traded the younger girl for her taller horse. With quick, efficient motions, Aubrey took the stirrups down three holes to compensate for the height difference. Normally, she would mount from the ground, but as this was a borrowed horse, she didn't want to cause a stir. Aubrey led Nico to the mounting block and swung up into the saddle.

Aubrey took a moment to find her stirrups and stand, making sure they were even, before sitting up and pushing the black gelding into a walk. He had more impulsion than Fritz did, which was the first thing Aubrey noticed. That was a welcome change. She did some quick bending work at walk, noticing how incredibly supple he was. Oh, that was right; FEI dressage.

Once satisfied there, Aubrey squeezed her legs around his barrel, asking for a trot. Nico was bouncy, more bouncy than he probably had a right to be, but Aubrey didn't skimp on her customary few strides at sitting trot. Came up under himself fantastically, worked well with light contact so far, ground-covering paces.

Aubrey wondered what his flaw was, then remembered that she was riding Caden Taylor's horse. He was probably perfect in every way. Aubrey posted a few strides straight, then circled around an oxer. There was probably a minute and a half left on the clock, but Aubrey felt as ready as ever. Still, she pushed Nico into a canter to try that out, too.

A little bouncy, but when she half-halted, Nico smoothed out considerably. Aubrey asked for a flying change after a few strides and was surprised at the ease at which she got it. How about another... and another! Now she was just showing off. Aubrey cantered around the arena for a few more seconds before Mrs. Webber called out "time."

Aubrey did a half-circle and transitioned back to trot, heading to the start of the course. As she prepared to turn to fence one, Aubrey asked for a canter. A bit slow for a jumper, but Aubrey fixed that with a gentle leg cue a few strides away from the fence.

The first jump was a little awkward, but Aubrey expected that. Her automatic release was less than perfect and the takeoff spot had been a little close to the fence. Aubrey recovered quickly, though, and the next line was easy enough.

The oxer was better than the vertical. Aubrey gave him a little more of a cue to jump, and Nico didn't rip the reins out of her hands this time. She could have wished for a tigher turn afterward - better to see how she rode jumpers. This was really a hunter course, more like what she did with Fritz than anthing else. Nico's canter slowed a little around the corner, which Aubrey didn't acutely notice until the turn was a lot tighter than she expected.

Aubrey laid her leg on and pushed for two strides to the vertical. Nico was a little bit sluggish, but he extended himself properly. Aubrey cued for takeoff and folded with him, clearing the three foot jump with ease. Nico probably jumped more than this in his sleep, for how he just popped over it.

She kept her leg laid on, pushing for a more jumper pace through the diagonal. Energized by the course, Nico picked up speed through the line until Aubrey could feel the wind on her face. There was the problem, Aubrey could see a stride out. He was going to take one more really big stride and jump from a really short spot. She tried to correct it, but the best she could do was stay with the big horse as he launched himself over the fence from a spot at least two feet closer than Aubrey wanted.

That was embarrassing. Aubrey turned him around the corner, scowling slightly. She made sure the pace was a tad bit slower, not wanting to make the same mistake again. Nico acquiesced and made the almost-rollback. There was enough space that they didn't really have to make the tight turn, but Aubrey wanted to show off just a little.

The fifth jump was probably the best so far. Aubrey made him get off the ground where she wanted, and by now she had worked out how much rein he needed. Aubrey folded with him, already cueing for the left lead when they landed. She kept up the pace from before the fence with little adjustment, realizing that although she could ride through the short spots, it wouln't be pretty.

Fence six, perfect on the part of the horse. Aubrey looked much like she always did: bad. She never had particularly good equitation. It was something she was working on, but it was hard to do when you were also trying to ride an unfamiliar horse around a course as well as possible.

The third turn came and went without much of a hitch. Aubrey's inside leg slipped back a little, causing Nico to switch leads and counter canter for a few strides before Aubrey fixed her position and swap back to the left lead. The seventh fence was one that Aubrey would have done over, if she could; it was another uncomfortably short spot that left her a little behind the motion. She did all she could not to catch Nico in the mouth, and her efforts succeeded.

The final jump was just ahead - an oxer. Aubrey wanted to go out with a bang, no matter the consequences. She opened up Nico's stride again, pushing for a proper jumper canter to the jump. Aubrey managed to coordinate take-off cues at the proper time, making for a solid jump in good form from a pace faster than she trusted herself with before.

She circled once at the end of the ring, a habit from the hunter ring, transitioning down to a trot, then a walk. Aubrey patted Nico's neck and whispered "good boy" to him. She exited the ring and dismounted, walking the gelding back to where Caden stood. "He's got a great jump on him," she said, forcing a smile. It wasn't a good round. It hadn't even been a decent round, if Aubrey was honest with herself. What was worse, she couldn't blame it on the horse.

[victoria eleni winters]

Juliet's Dragonfly. Victoria had absolutely no idea who the horse was. The commentary was not very reassuring; Mare of Mass Destruction? Wonderful. Even the horse's owner didn't help matters; he came up to her alone and led her toward a blindfolded buckskin who was being held by two very frightened looking grooms.

Victoria immediately pulled the blindfold off of the horse, and watched as the mare's eyes rolled back and she started to paw. A quick yank on the reins, commandeered from a very grateful groom, got the horse's attention. Victoria grabbed a handful of mane and vaulted onto the mare's back, ignoring the dance going on below her. This horse obviously had no manners.

As soon as her britches hit the saddle the horse froze. It wasn't the sort of tensing Tori had expected though; no, this mare just relaxed in place and stopped her jigging. Tori gave an experimental squeeze with her calves and the horse broke into an easy, swinging walk. She grinned. Somebody had training. A simple thought brought them back to a square halt and Tori gave the grinning owner a formal dressage salute. This was going to be fun.

As the previous pair exited the ring Tori nudged Dragon forward, letting the mare pick her own pace. She simply shook her head when asked about a warm up; she didn't need one and the horse was probably all ready just from her ground antics.

As they walked through the gate Tori adjusted her stirrups and picked up her reins. As soon as they straightened onto the rail she brought her right leg back just a smidgen and the picked up a rocking canter. They came around the turn perfectly and Tori felt the horse adjust her own stride for the jump. During flight the buckskin tucked up her front legs neatly, and leaned forward slightly into Tori's release. As they landed the trainer was laughing.

God, she wished their course had been higher. Just imagining this horse over a 4'6 or 5 foot course made her practically drool. The pace was quick, but consistently so, throughout the entire line. You could tell Dragon was more of a jumper than a hunter, though with her form Tori would bet she could win in either ring. The oxer was just as smooth as the vertical and again, she was laughing as they landed.

The turn required a little more riding on her part, as the mare wanted to cut her corners and get to the jumps as fast as possible. It was set up more like a hunter course though, so Victoria was determined to ride it as one. A simple half-halt, with slightly more pressure from her inside leg, kept the mare on track.

The third jump was just as comfortable as the first, even if the timing was off just a bit. The Warmblood had a big enough jump to make up for the tight distance. Tori just let a little more rein out in her crest release to allow the mare room to stretch her nose out.

Tori knew the distance would be off to the second jump as well unless she fixed it; as horse could trained to the hilt but they would never perfect their own distances. Pick them yes, but it would never be as good as a rider. She applied leg, asking Dragon to lengthen her stride just a bit and the horse happily complied.

Collect, take-off, tuck and fold, extend, land, canter. Perfect.

Just for the heck of it Tori had left the mare alone over the jump, allowing Dragon to decide whether to switch leads or not. If she needed to fix it she would; otherwise, great. But the horse did her change over the jump, unsurprisingly, and they landed on the right lead.

Tori was relatively new to White Oak and most of the students probably didn't know her at all; so she decided to do something attention grabbing. She needed something to do once she had finished exercising her own horses, and no one would put someone they weren't impressed with on their prized show horses.

She had calculated five strides for the diagonal line, but she was relatively sure Dragon could do it in six. The first stride was already slightly collected so Tori sat back and shifted her weight slightly, asking for a collected flying change. The horse obliged without a fuss. A stride later she asked Dragon to switch back and again, the horse didn't put up a fuss. That was all they had time for before the second jump but Tori knew the second diagonal line would be easier if she collected before the jump.

As they landed the fourth jump of the course Tori asked for more collection by sitting up and using her weight to bring the horse back while keeping her leg on for impulsion. She needed slight hand aids to get back to the slow dressage-type canter she was looking for, but it was worth it. It took them ages to round the second corner and only a slight reminder to keep the horse at an even pace.

Dragon had one last attempt at bringing them back up to speed two strides before the jump, as if to say; 'Are you sure? This is gonna be uncomfortable...' but Tori simply held her position. The jump was actually not as bad as Tori had assumed. The mare was well muscled and had almost no trouble propelling herself over a three foot vertical from a very, very collected canter. Tori folded close over her neck, grabbing a handful of black mane just in case.

As they landed she held Dragon back from rushing the second jump. The mare really wanted to turn this back into a real course, but Tori wanted to mess around just a little bit more. Her preparation paid off this time; she managed to fit in four lead changes before they took the second jump in the same manner they had taken the first.

Again, Dragon fixed her own lead over the jump with no prompting, and so Tori let the mare have her head as they rounded the last curve.

Dragon was thrilled. She brought herself back up to speed, ears pricked and head held slightly higher than Tori would have liked if she was showing. The vertical was just a little enthusiastic; they ended up jumping it more like it was 3'6, but Tori didn't care. She half-halted slightly just as they were landing and Dragon remembered herself for the last jump.

The oxer was a dream. As they landed Tori dropped her reins to the buckle, letting Dragon stretch her neck out for the short hunters circle. As they dropped back down to a walk she leaned forward to rub the mare's withers, whispering compliments under her breath. Dragon's owner was laughing at her probably love-struck expression as she guided the horse back over to him, prudently staying mounted until the last moment.

She handed the horse back to the boy wordlessly; there was nothing to be said that he didn't already know about the mare. So she simply kissed Dragon's velvety muzzle and turned to find her own stallion so she could warm up him up appropriately for whoever was riding him.

[Caden Penelope Taylor]

Hmph. Putting on the Ritz, Aubrey's gelding, right? This was going to be difficult. Her thought was confirmed as the redhead handed the horse over with a quiet 'have fun'. That never meant anything good. The blond raised the stirrups a couple of holes before using a leg-up from one of the grooms to mount the gelding. She sat quiet for a few seconds before asking for a walk from Fritz. She shortened her reins to a comfortably short length and entered the ring for the schooling minutes.

The girl immediately asked for a trot, knowing he was already warmed up. These were just to get to know your mount as much as you could in two minutes. The horse didn't bend as easily as Nico, but that was understood. Caden asked for a longer strided trot and smiled as he moved. This wasn't so hard now was i-

Oof. What the heck? The horse just tripped over his own feet and jerked Caden forward and out of the tack. The girl brought him back to a slower trot. That was enough of that for now. How about a canter? She cued for one in the corner, just to make sure she didn't embarrass herself by doing something as stupid as picking up the wrong lead. They rounded the corner and was again jerked out of the tack, backwards this time. Once she regained her seat she could feel the wrong lead underneath her. Caden simply asked for a change on the straightaway, and was rather happy he got it. She tried keeping constant outside leg and inside rein pressure to make sure he got the memo: no swapping.

Once the instructor called time she walked the gelding out of the ring to watch the others. She went over Fritz' flaws as Aubrey had a decent course with Nico. She watched the next trainer goof off- yes, goof, not show- and rolled her eyes. This was a fun day, not a circus! The poor mare looked confused beyond words.

Now she was up. She gave a sharp nod to Aubrey, both acknowledging her decent round, and telling her she had new found respect for the senior.

Alright. Caden trotted into the ring and started a hunter circle in that end of the ring. Halfway through she asked for a canter, making sure he was bent throughout his body to avoid any swapping. Sure, it was exaggerated, but it worked. The pair were cantering quietly toward the first vertical, just enough pace to clear the fence nicely. They found a good spot and took off, lovely. Caden didn't mess with his stride going into the next fence, thinking that if the first was perfect, she wouldn't have to change anything. On any other horse, that theory probably would've proved correct, but not on Fritz. The gelding's stride became slightly choppier and she could feel him want to take off almost a full stride away. Caden sat back and shoved her heels down and slightly forward. The gelding waited obediently and jumped at the spot Caden wanted.

The gelding landed on the correct lead and they rode deep into the corner before turning. As they looked for the diagonal, Caden remembered to keep outside leg pressure against his side, stopping any lead swapping. They got to a deep spot on the first vertical, so as Caden sat up from her release she urged the gelding on. It was needed if they were going to get a good spot. The horse sped up to takeoff from a decent area and landed more quickly then he had been going.

Again she went deep into the corner, not wanting to turn the course into anything Jumper related, considering she wasn't riding a Jumper at the moment. Even around the short sides she found herself holding the gelding onto his lead. Whatever, he wasn't fussing about it, so she kept it up.

The turn to the next diagonal was less than enviable, he came in on his inside shoulder instead of bending like he was supposed to, making the turn a little tighter than she had planned. They jumped more to the right of the jump, and Caden encouraged the gelding to drift left as they landed. And a swap of the lead. Fantastic.

Caden didn't bother switching it back, that would eat up too much ground. They jumped the second vertical, Fritz snapping his knees, and Caden with great equitation.

But something was off. Caden could've sworn she asked for the lead over the fence, but a quick peek out of the corner of her eye proved her wrong. She encouraged the gelding forward so he would be able to get the change to the left lead.

Fritz instead decided to slow down. Well, he kept the same pace up, but he was no longer cantering, he was trotting. Caden gave him rein and dug her outside heel into his side while gritting her teeth. She had never broke gait on course. Well, not for a long time at least. Now that they were back on track, Caden looked up to the final line. She found a spot about five strides out, and pushed him to it. The horse took off in great form and landed, really trying to extend his canter toward the oxer. Caden held him half-heartedly, trying to trust him to find his own spot. After the second stride she realized it wasn't happening and half-halted to get him to pay attention. He listened and waited before propelling himself over the oxer.

It wasn't magnificent. Hell, it wasn't even pretty. But they got through the course. Caden did a smaller circle, bringing the gelding to a walk before they exited. She traded Fritz for Nico, "Thanks," she replied as Aubrey complimented Nico. "Fritz is nice too, he's a pain. But he's nice." It was true, wasn't it? Caden propped her elbows up on the rail after handing Nico back to a groom, watching the next riders.

[SEBASTIAN THOMAS KELLER]

Awkwardly furrowing his eyebrows with a look of confusion in his eyes, he looked around. Hi I’m Tillie was his assigned horse on a two-six course. He could handle that. He had to admit, though, he wasn’t comfortable with a different horse. If only he had skipped History that day, if only he hadn’t listened to Everett when he nagged him about stupid Switcheroo day, he wouldn’t have to have been there. If only, if only… Where was this new mare he was supposed to ride?

Oh, there. Roxy Harden’s horse, Hi I’m Tillie. The thoroughbred was quite a sight to see. He pursed his lips, then looked back at the other riders.

Aubrey Wilder was to go first. He nodded in approval as she flew over the oxers and verticals like the professional she probably was. A few awkward jumps here and there, but they were bound to happen to everybody. He didn’t clap, though. No one else did. Why should he?

Victoria Winters. Hmph, she did well, too. He wasn’t slighted at all by these advanced riders. Not yet at least.

Caden Taylor. A smirk flicked onto his lips as he watched the infamous girl ride through the course with ease. The turns were quick, and he was next. Before he knew it, he made his way out to the arena, pretending to be enjoying this “fun” event.

Sebastian Keller mounted the strange-to-him horse and settled himself onto the saddle. With an uncomfortable movement of his hand, Hi I'm Tillie seemed to know what speed to move in and started into a slow trot. Bastian, still not used to the new body frame, curved the horse around once, into three or four figure eights, and then led the horse into a canter for a few moments to make sure she was warmed up well.

Watching the other three riders go before him intimidated him slightly. Being the first intermediate rider to go was nerve wracking on more than a few levels. His eyes flickered to the watching students for just a moment before moving back to the course. Once again he pressed his heels against the horse’s sides, into a faster trot. Although he didn’t like being on a different horse, this mare was easy to ride. She was very cooperative, and did pretty much everything Bastian told her to do.

Flying over the first vertical, Seb’s focus was rattled when the landing was harder then he thought it would be. Muse was so much easier to ride, as he knew how the gelding moved and the end of the jump was always so smooth. But Tillie here wasn’t Muse, and evidently, Sebastian was definitely not used to it. After leaping over the second obstacle, an oxer now, Sebastian was on the verge of just jumping off to get out of the whole Switcheroo thing, but he had to stick to it. Or he would wind up being laughed at and being called a chicken. That was never good for a guy like him.

Show off time. Cantering through the figure eight of verticals, he perfected each one, though the second and last ones were choppy. It was only barely noticeable, though.

One more vertical to go, and then an oxer, an easy ride for him. Tillie, obviously getting the point, darted forward and leaped, barely leaving any recovery time and leaping again over the oxer. Sebastian grinned and slowed the mare to a trot, leading her back over to the beginning of the course and dismounted. With a grateful and content pat on the horse’s neck, Sebastian rubbed around the mare’s ear and nodded. He smiled, leading Tillie back to Roxy. He chuckled and winked, slipping back to his previous spot.

[cordelia robin evans]

This was almost as exciting as a real show. Robin watched the other riders go with interest, especially Aubrey Wilder on Caden's horse; Nico. Robin had wanted to try the gelding out herself, though she supposed being Caden's room mate gave her more of a chance on any other day than most of the kids here.

The trainer made Robin chuckle with her display. Who actually did dressage moves during a jumper course? I mean, sure Robin took full advantage of Batman's dressage training when she jumped, but that wasn't the same thing at all. This woman was just having fun with it.

Caden's round was nearly flawless. Breaking gait was unfortunate, but the blond handled it well. Robin grinned as her room mate finished the rest of the course with finesse.

Sebastian Keller wasn't someone she knew personally but his riding seemed good. He seemed uncomfortable on the mare, suggesting he hadn't had a lot of experience riding different horses, but he handled it.

Finally, it was her turn. Robin accepted Cheers from Tobin happily, rubbing the mare's nose in a quick hello before mounting from the fence. She had to lower the stirrups by a few holes, but not too much.

The warmup was quick and easy; Robin took Cheers through her paces quickly, just giving herself enough time to get a feel for the mare's movement before moving on. She managed to fit in a few transitions as well, before her time was up, and her only complaint was that Cheers was slow.

The course started off well enough. Robin asked for a canter at the gate, digging her heel in harder than she would for her own horses in order to get the mare to listen. The easy rocking canter was comfortable but felt lazy to Robin, who was used to speed demon jumpers.

The first jump was flawless; Cheers picked her own spot and snapped her knees up under her beautifully, as Robin folded over her neck. The landing was just as smooth as the takeoff and as they approached the oxer Robin found herself amazed at how easy it was to ride the mare.

The oxer went much the same, the only difference being that Robin had to close her leg a little more to keep the impulsion in the last stride.

As they landed Robin turned to look for her third jump and nearly missed Cheers' subtle attempt at breaking gait. The girl dug her heels forcefully into the horse's sides; not in a mean way, but just to inform Cheers that such shenanigans were not going to work on her, thank you very much. Robin was sure the mare's sigh was audible to the audience.

Robin made no attempts at making the corners pretty, but the horse knew her job well enough to do it anyway. She was probably rolling her eyes at her rider as she did so.

Both diagonal lines went well, Robin thought; Cheers made a second attempt at breaking gait when asked to make a rollback when it wasn't exactly necessary, but otherwise it went smoothly.

For the final line Robin wanted to see if she could get the mare to do more of a jumpers pace. She let her reins out just a smidgen and dug her heels in, encouraging Cheers to extend her stride. The mare ignored her at first, but when nudging turned to kicking she grudgingly sped up.

The vertical wasn't bad; Robin figured out a little late that she would have to pick her own distances at this speed, so the jump was a little tight.

The oxer on the other hand could have gone better. She pushed Cheers down the line, asking for more impulsion from the gray. She listened, sort of, coming up underneath herself but dropping her speed. As a result they added in an extra half-stride, taking off far too close to the jump. Cheers tried her best to make it work, but they clipped the first pole as they came up.

After a smooth landing Robin looked over her shoulder to the see that it hadn't fallen out of it's cup, but it was still frustrating. She hadn't so much as touched a rail in a course lower than 3'6 in years.

Robin let the mare slow to a trot about halfway through their hunters circle, making her continue the trot until they exited the ring. In her personal opinion the mare could benefit from the usage of spurs and a crop, until she learned to listen to leg better, but then again that pace wasn't bad for a hunter horse.

She gave Cheers a quick hug from the saddle before dismounting and leading the mare back over to Tobin. "She's really fun, even if she's a little lazy." She grinned and poked the mare playfully in the ribs, to show that she was joking.

[rhiannon heather aberth]

Rhia watched the other rounds, trying to ignore her nerves. She hadn't ridden anything bigger than a small junior hunter in ages, and she definitely hadn't been assigned someone's pony. The best she could hope for was a horse who didn't require too much leg. She considered herself a strong rider, but she also weighed less than 100 pounds, and strong or not, there wasn't much you could do against an 18 hand monster with that.

A little apprehensively, Rhia left her ponies with the grooms and walked over to Victoria, who had had an interesting course on the "Mare of Mass Destruction." The stallion, Zombie, was a good eight inches taller than she was. It could have been worse; Rhia knew for a fact that someone had one of the aforementioned 18 hand monsters. Rhia took the reins from the older woman and stroked his nose for a moment before leading him to the mounting block.

Before she got up, Rhia checked the stirrups. She took them all the way up to the top hole and checked the length again. An inch or so longer than she would like, but she'd done courses with no stirrups before. This shouldn't be an issue. Rhia boosted herself into the saddle with some difficulty and asked for a walk.

Rhia walked into the arena and took a moment to acclimate herself to the larger horse's stride. A long, sweeping stride. Rhia had no doubt this horse was one to watch in the future. She pushed the stallion up to a trot, starting to post immediately. She corrected her wrong diagonal and let Zombie stretch his head down, trying to see where she should have her reins for the course. It was a fine line between slack reins and being pulled out of the saddle. At least on Morrie and Clara, it was. She didn't really have much experience riding horses that weren't her own. A catch ride here or there, sure, but this was a little different.

Zombie didn't seem too bad. That was the plus side of riding a trainer's horse, but the fact remained that he was four. If it was hard to remember riding anything taller than sixteen hands, it was impossible to remember riding anything younger than five. Rhia took a deep breath and cued for a canter. This was the moment of truth.

It wasn't too bad, really. Rocking-horse, really, and as long as Rhia held herself a little bit out of the saddle, it was really very comfortable. She made a few large circles to the left, then a lead change and a few more to the right. Zombie wasn't really very hard to ride, so far.

Rhia nodded as time was called and cantered Zombie over to the start of the course. She sunk her heels down and assumed a half-seat, ready to go. Zombie pricked his ears up when Rhia turned him toward the first fence, an inviting vertical. She paid careful attention to her release and grabbed a small handful of mane a stride out. She didn't want to be pulled out of the tack if Zombie turned out to be a very enthusiastic jumper.

Rhia had ridden some hunters that were true jump-you-out-of-the-tack horses. Even if her leg slipped back, she usually managed to stay with the motion. But this horse had more scope than she'd ever ridden, and the 2'9" fence felt more like 3'6". It was a good thing she had some mane, since she definitely would have slipped back embarrassingly far if she didn't.

It took Rhia a stride to recover, but Zombie was patient with her (was it because he knew she couldn't handle an impatient horse?) and he kept up his pace while she adjusted her reins to give him a little more leeway with his head and neck. The next jump, Rhia pushed her hands forward in an exaggerated release and held on for dear life with her thigh and calf. Her equitation was sloppy, she knew, but hopefully she'd figure it out by the end of the course.

Rhia opened her inside rein for a lead change and the turn. A wide, sweeping turn - easy enough. Zombie sped up a little bit until, by the time they were making the approach to the first vertical of the diagonal, Rhia was a little worried about how he'd take the jumps. She sat up a little and half-halted. It wasn't the speed that scared her, it was the prospect of coming in very short to the second fence.

The first vertical was the first fence Rhia could honestly say she rode well. Zombie seemed to get an idea that the jumps were much lower than he expected, and with the accompanying decrease in bascule, Rhia wasn't clinging to his neck when they landed. She rubbed his withers in the half-second she had to relax before she had to start thinking about the next jump.

Another vertical, easy enough, but Rhia wasn't quite aggressive enough with her hand. Zombie stayed more extended than she wanted, and they came into a short spot. The stallion simply rocked back on his haunches and jumped - it wasn't much of an effort, since the jumps were so small. Rhia gave him as much rein as he needed and stayed with the motion as best she could.

Upon landing, Rhia sat back a few degrees and lifted her inside rein, elevating Zombie's shoulder around the rollback. She bent him through the turn and took the next jump just a stride after straightening out. The jump was a little flatter than the other ones so far, which might not have looked fantastic, but it felt much better to Rhia.

She didn't leave him alone for the next diagonal - on the contrary, in fact. Rhia half-halted every stride and kept him in a working canter. The last jump of the line was the best of the course so far, Rhia thought. She stayed with the motion, gave Zombie a big release, and didn't let her leg slip back more than an inch.

Rhia opened her left rein for the turn and was a little surpised when Zombie turned tighter than she expected. They were headed just for the inside of the jump standard, which would be less than comfortable for both of them. Rhia tried not to panic, and instead tried to leg-yield the stallion to the middle of the jump. Without much success. Her leg wasn't long enough to wrap around his barrel. She got about two feet of lateral movement, which, really, was all she needed to not get tangled around the standard.

Zombie took care of her once they cleared the jump. He shifted himself over to the middle of the oxer with a little bit of help from Rhia, and they jumped the oxer dead center. Rhia folded with him over the jump and straightened out upon landing, turning immediately into a hunter circle.

She trotted him out of the arena, flashing a smile at Tobin who was entering the arena on Clara. As soon as Zombie was clear of the gate, she hugged his neck from the saddle. She walked him back to Victoria and dismounted, handing the reins over to the older woman.

[Tobin Shae Kelly]

Tobin knew that Clara was owned by Rhia, which meant that she knew she was riding a pony. But which one? Toby was pretty sure the girl had a large, and then either a small or medium, she couldn't remember which. The brunette knew she was short, but up next to Rhia she looked like a giant. Hopefully this whole pony match up wouldn't be too embarrassing.

Well, at least Clara was above thirteen hands, right? She was quick to scout out the blond hair of her roommate and took one of the pony's reins. Toby dropped the stirrups about three holes on either side, hoping that would work well enough. She could've ground mounted, for sure, but didn't want to harm the mare's back, or have her take off or something. That would not end well. A groom came to her side and lifted her up slightly until she was sitting in the saddle. It was a tad bit small, which Toby was shocked about. She thought she had a little butt!

It was a little awkward being on something so small, sure, she did have a pony, but he was borderline 14.2, and felt so much taller. As the gate opened for warmup, Toby put her feet in her stirrups and nudged the pony forward into the ring. She spent most of the time trotting to completely get a feel for the shorter stride.

And as she did almost every time she rode a pony under 14hh, she began doubting Clara's jumping ability. Was she going to have to pick her up and throw her over the jump herself?

So far the warm-up was smooth, whenever she shortened her reins a tad the pony threw her head, but that was fine. When Mrs. Webber called time she felt more than ready to give the course a spin. But first she had to watch the other riders, Aubrey, then Victoria, and Caden, then Sebastian, Robin and finally Rhia, who gave her a small smile as Toby rode past her into the ring. Tobin returned it and looked ahead. Alright. Here goes nothing.

She began her trot circle tracking to the left and picked up a canter as she came off the rail. They headed toward the first jump, a vertical, which even at two-six looked huge from Toby's current point of view. This was the height Clara would do in medium pony hunters, right? She rode more like an eq pony though, and Tobin had no idea what the heights for those were.

Anyway, Tobin let the pony find her own spot, not wanting to disrupt her rhythm she seemed to have. Clara seemed like the pony to dump a rider for messing with her face in front of a jump. She was talented enough to find her own distances anyway, right?

They had a nicely paced canter going into the oxer, and cleared it with ease. Toby cut the corner a little short, this time on purpose, not the drifting to the inside thing Kelso did. She half-halted the mare. Maybe it was her pony strides, but it felt like she was running away. It seemed faster than a normal canter.

One, two, and up! They folded together over the vertical and covered the six strides to the second one. Hm, this was actually kinda fun, riding a medium. She couldn't remember the last time she rode a medium.

The rollback to the second line was a little bit tighter than she had to make it, but Clara seemed to be fine with that and bent inside to leap over the jump in perfect stride. The mare landed quietly and continued a little bit more slowly. Riding a pony at a slow pace over two six fences was scarier than running over them, Toby did have to admit. She found herself shoving her hands forward and squeezing gently at the bay's sides.

Then she did what she probably shouldn't have, tried to pick the mare up and throw her over the jump. She was way ahead of the pony, and almost got a nose job as Clara slid on the sand, refusing. But she only stood for a second before jumping right over from a stand still. Toby was left behind, but corrected herself mid-air with some astonishing equitation. She bit the inside of her cheek and opened her inside rein, letting the pony take the shorter route to the final line.

Both jumps were great. Not amazing, not perfect, they were great. Toby smiled as she bent the mare into an ending hunter circle and walked Clara out of the ring. "I like your pony." She said as she handed the reins back to Rhia. Now she walked over beside Caden and put her elbows on the rail.

[shannon anne rodd]

Shannon clutched the reins hanging loosely from both Obby and Rave. She listened carefully. “Then Shannon Rodd and Uptown Girl around a two-six course. That horse is as green as a gardener’s thumb.” The blonde continued to listen, waiting for Mrs. Chloe to mention something about Obby or Rave. Nope. Nothing. She handed her two geldings to two grooms with a kiss on their muzzles and the two grooms led the boys away.

Then it struck her. She was riding Caden Taylor’s horse. And Sebastian Keller would be watching her. It’s no big deal, Shannon. Calm yourself. Shannon took one quick, deep breath and waited for her turn to jump the fences. Then it was time.
Shannon looked over at Caden. She was standing near a groom, his hand clasped around the reins. She walked over in her new, sleek black tall boots. She nodded with a smile at Caden and took Lacey’s reins from the groom. She tightened the girth, putting it up two holes. Holding her chin up high, she led Uptown Girl to the mounting block. The stirrups had been slid down already. She stood on the top of the mounting block for a moment before sliding one foot carefully into the stirrup, and the other into the next. She quickly, and expertly, adjusted the stirrups to the correct length.
A light squeeze with her new, silver spurs was all it took for the gray mare to get moving. Sliding elegantly into a trot, Shannon started to post to the bumpy beat. She sat to it for a few moments, letting her legs and heels absorb the shock. She moved her outside leg back, and squeezed the mare’s belly. Lacey kicked out with one of her back legs as she moved into a fast-paced canter and Shannon pulled back on the reins, signaling a stop. They tried it again, and this time, it was a nice, steady, smooth canter. It was the perfect pace. Now it was time to jump.

Shannon brought the mare over to the start and gave her a little rein. The gray soared over with ease, and Shannon felt like she was flying. She loved that moment of suspension in the air. It felt amazing. Now to the oxer. She thought. Heading straight forward, Lacey started to gain speed. Shannon automatically caught it and used a half-halt, only a mere three strides from the jump. Shaking her head ever so slightly, Lacey took two large strides and pushed over the oxer, her front legs snapping up perfectly. Shannon was caught slightly off guard when Lacey had lengthened her strides, yet she still rose into the two-point at a near perfect time. Her balance was thrown off a bit, but she was alright.

The blonde gave Lacey silent instructions to turn left, then a slight left and to the next jump; a vertical. The jump loomed in front of the pair, and Lacey almost refused the jump. It was quite frightening, to a horse, with its neon yellow and neon green swirls on black. Shannon let Lacey have more rein, and gain more speed. Now, without hesitation, the Warmblood soared over it. Shannon could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body. And, surprisingly, she could feel it in Lacey, too. Chuckling, Shannon didn’t even realize the green mare had done an auto lead change. Shannon moved into a half seat, and Lacey sped up. The mare just didn’t listen to Shannon’s light tugs on the reins. No sooner than Shannon had groaned, Lacey rushed the fence.
Shannon almost slid right out of the saddle and into the dirt of the arena. But her tight leg was just enough to keep herself on. Shannon took a deep breath and curved around to the next jump, another vertical. This time, Lacey was well-paced, and she had a nice smooth jump, which Shannon instantly loved. Shannon didn’t even bother to ask for a lead change; Lacey did it automatically. With a grin, the new pair cantered to the next vertical and went over. This time, they were in perfect form. It was definitely a form to be jealous of.

The oxer, and a vertical. Then you’re done. Hang in there. Some little voice called from the back of her mind. Lacey came around the bend, a little strong on the bit. And she refused. Shannon slid over Lacey’s neck. And onto the jump with her stomach towards the ground. ”Owww.”

It had all happened so fast. In a few moments, practically everyone was surrounding her, helping her, or murmuring ‘That must’ve hurt.’ Or, ‘I’m sorry.’ Then it was Sebastian.

"You okay? Be careful. You wouldn't want to hurt a pretty face like yours." He whispered to her. Shannon felt her face turn bright red. Well, that was embarrassing.
“Yeah, I’m good. I just hit my stomach a little hard. And my back’s sore.” Shannon murmured, looking up at Bastian with her big green eyes. Then they both leaned in and her lips touched his and it was just… Meant to be.

“Stop your smoochin’ and get back to Switcheroo day, you love doves!” A voice called. Shannon leaned back, laughing. It was Mr. Conners. Shaking her head, Shannon stood up with a groan. And a grin. Lacey had trotted back over to the oxer where Shannon and Bastian stood. She looked up at the blonde with big, brown, apologetic eyes.

“Aw, it’s alright. I forgive you, cutie pie.” Shannon chuckled, using her non-swollen hand to scratch the gray Warmblood’s nose. Shannon looked over her shoulder at everyone. “I guess I’ll just chill in the bleachers and watch everyone. That alright…?” She asked to no one in particular.

Shannon handed Lacey off to Caden and asked her a quick question. “Would you mind if I could ride her again sometime? Haha, I know; I’m crazy to want to ride her again after that nasty fall. But she’s fabulous.” And with that, she walked over to the bleachers. With a sigh, she plopped down on the metal benches. She left her bum hand on her lap and adjusted her other hand to hold up her head. Then it was some girl named Miley Benz riding The Trickster’s Choice. She knew the horse, Puck, but not the girl. Huh. Probably lived down the hall. Well, no duh she did. Whatever. Just watch everyone else, Shannon. Just feel the torture of not being able to ride for a few weeks. Tension shot through Shannon’s body. All she could do now? Hang around in Obby or Rave’s stalls. Kinda boring.

But was she going to live without riding her two favorite boys? Hopefully.

[EVERETT TOBY COLLINS]

Everett's eyes flickered around the room as he uncertainly played with his hands. They rarely ever landed on the rider actually doing the course, though. Mostly because he was thinking about the several ways his own course would end up. He could possibly take a nose dive into the floor off of the pony, or flawlessly fly through the whole routine like he really did know what to do and how to do it.

He memorized the order of the people, even if he knew he would forget it anyway. Refusing to think he had memory issues never did any good. He vaguely knew he was after a number of people, though. Gave him some time to make up his disastrous turn that would most likely never happen, but still made him flinch.

Aubrey, Caden, Victoria, Sebastian, Robin, Rhia, Tobin, Shannon. Then Everett. though excited, the fifteen-year-old was still uncertain as ever.

The only time he really did pay a good amount of attention was when it was Toby's turn. A big grin appeared on his face and his eyes lit up, like a kid seeing candy. Why his attention suddenly snapped into reality for those few minutes, he had no idea. All of the turns so far had sounded like they did fine, until Shannon had fallen.

Seeing the mid-event romance between Sebastian and Shannon didn't help at all either. It made him awkwardly look down at the floor and snicker, even blush as he heard Mr. Conners scold them. Sebastian, that player. When would he ever learn. Walking out of the arena, Shannon seemed to walk away from the rest of them. And now it was his turn.

His goofy grin returning, he almost too excitedly led Symphony of the Seas out into the arena, mounting the small pony with ease just before. He felt so unnatural on top of this little Welsh pony. He was afraid he would hurt the poor creature if he made any rash movements. Patting the horse's neck, he nodded his head to the side, thinking, here goes nothing.

Everett closed his eyes, swallowed, opened his eyes and eased the horse into a trot, then began to canter. The first vertical was awkward, and it was pretty clear it was. He jumped early, which caught Ev off guard. He was quick to recover, though, and so was the pony.

The oxer was easy, now that he knew what jumping was like. He started the figure eight part of the course. The first vertical was smooth, but as soon as the pair landed, Everett knew something was wrong with the pace. It was off, and by the time he came to the second vertical it was too late to adjust. Everett's balance changed, he pulled the reins tightly, Captain whinnied and before he knew it he hit the ground - left arm, left side, then eventually his back.

Dazed for a few moments, Everett stared up at the ceiling as it went silent. He then groaned and pain shot through his left side. He rolled over to ease the pressure off of it, but it only made it worse. He groaned again, his muscles tensing. Had he broken something? In a matter of seconds people swarmed around him, but he was in too much pain to open his eyes. Sitting up was too hard and moving his arm was unbearable. "Don't call an ambulance, I'll be fine," He muttered to whoever was listening. His statement moved around in a series of whispers. With assistance, he limped - or was pretty much carried - to a seat and he slipped down, trying not to draw too much attention.

He heard a few people, probably adults, say to carry on with the event, and he nodded in approval. He didn't want to ruin Switcheroo day.

[blaine nelson moyer]

"Blaine Moyer and my own horse, Borderline, over a three foot course. Good luck with that, by the way." Mrs. Webber called out as Blaine snorted. Did Mrs. Chloe really think he'd have trouble on Borderline? Ha. He rode Hawk. That horse was as green as... Well, let's just say the jacket he was wearing. Which was very green by the way.

A slight breeze ruffled the senior's coat as he grabbed the Hanoverian gelding. Aspen shook his head as he walked to an open spot, right next to his rider. Blaine adjusted the stirrups so they would be a decent length. A few, mere moments later, he was sitting in the saddle, going through a quick warm-up. Half a lap at a steady walk, then a sitting trot. He began to post to the two beats, seeming as if he came out of a text-book.

Blaine asked for an extended trot, which the gelding quickly agreed to. Shifting his left leg back a bit, he urged Borderline into a slow canter.

"Time! Begin the course!" Were the last four words he heard before Moyer set off on the course. He steered towards the first vertical, heels pushed down. Borderline jumped it with ease, Blaine right in sync as he moved his hands a few inches up the horse's neck, folding into his two-point.

The pair shot towards the next jump, an oxer. Blaine pulled back on the reins, and Borderline threw his head right before the jump. But nonetheless, it was a clean jump. Blaine aimed towards the next fence, another vertical. They made an extremely sharp turn at the jump. And Aspen didn't skim the rail. One. Little. Bit. In fact, he over jumped it.

Now the next vertical. This one was the same. A slight over jump, with Blaine in perfect position. And the next one? The same. This guy couldn't be fazed.

As they crossed the middle, Blaine expertly told Borderline to switch leads silently. And the gelding did as told.

The rest of the course was near to perfect. Except for when they came to the very last oxer. Instead of soaring over it and over jumping it by miles, Aspen nearly knocked the rail. All that happened was that he clipped it with his hoof and he goes and bolts to the corner of the arena. Moyer's cocky smile disappeared, and that was one unusual sight. He shook it off and patted Borderline's neck, walking him back over to Mrs. Chloe.