Oxers and Liverpools

Lillian breathed in the fresh spring air deeply as she buckled up her helmet. She wished she had brought her jacket; it was much cooler here in the mornings than it was at the previous venue. Almost a week had passed since the jump off at the Waterwood Grand Prix. During that time Lillian travelled to the next venue which was several hours away and a long trailer ride for Alcatraz. It was tiring for the mare to travel that far by trailer, so Lillian had only walked her the previous day to let her stretch her legs.

Alcatraz snorted impatiently as she swung her hind end around so she was facing the warm up ring. Her ears perked forward and her nostrils flared as a horse went by. The warm up ring indoors was quite small, but there were only a couple of other riders in there that morning. There was a larger ring outside to warm up in but Lillian hadn't dressed prepared to ride outside in the cold weather.

Lillian often hated the days she spent at the venue before the competition. There were several other competitions going on during that time that she wasn't entered in. Seeing the crowds and the excitement of the jumping made her more nervous about what was to come.

After tightening the girth Lillian swung up into the saddle and gathered up her reins. She rode through the open gate of the warm up ring, glancing over to the other riders. She didn't recognize any; one was a man who appeared to be in his mid forties or so, another was a rather sloppy young rider who she guessed was only warming up the horse, and a young woman who appeared to be just older than herself.

Lillian walked Alcatraz around on a looser rein as she began, allowing the mare to take a look around. She usually rode Alcatraz in outdoor competitions so indoor ones were newer to her. Zachary wanted the KT Cup and the other competitions that week to be more of preparation for the mare, as they would be flying over to Europe to compete in many events over the next few months. A lot of the competitions to come would be indoor, and they wanted Alcatraz to be prepared for it.

As she neared the other riders, Lillian admired the bay Warmblood the young woman was riding. It was a bit smaller but well conditioned. The rider glanced over her shoulder, spotting Lillian staring at her horse.

"Nice horse," Lillian said with a smile as she glanced to the rider.

"I know, right?" the woman said with a slight smirk. She straightened up slightly in the saddle before trotting away.

Lillian raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. She shortened her reins slightly and turned the mare to circle back over part of the ring so she wasn't crowding around the other two riders. She moved Alcatraz into a trot, circling her at the end of the ring before going large, passing the younger girl on the horse she rode. She spent several minutes warming up the mare with circles at a walk, trot and canter. The mare seemed to be full of energy so Lillian took her over a few small warm up jumps before walking her out.

As she came around the corner Lillian spotted Sam near the gate, casually talking to a few of the people standing there. He had a cooler for Alcatraz slung over his one arm and a water bottle in the next. Wondering how long he'd been standing there, Lillian rode Alcatraz over and dismounted.

"How was she?" Sam asked as he stepped around through the ate and held Alcatraz's reins as Lillian drew up the stirrups and loosened the girth. "She looked pretty energetic out there."

"Yeah, she was good," Lillian replied, helping Sam fling the cooler onto her back.

"We can take her for a walk outside, it's not too crowded out there," Sam suggested. Lillian nodded in agreement; she was warmed up from the ride as well and wouldn't mind the cool weather for a few minutes.

"Have you seen Zachary?" Lillian asked, giving Alcatraz a pat as the mare nuzzled her arm. They led the mare back down the stall aisle and Lillian quickly put her helmet back in the tack box as they passed by her stall before continuing outside.

"He was outside earlier coaching Leah," Sam replied. "So, are you getting excited for Europe?" Sam has been around Lillian long enough to know that she doesn't show her excitement well.

"Kind of nervous, actually," Lillian answered truthfully. She watched a small boy, surely helping his parents with their horse, yanking on a lead rope that was caught in something in the tack box. With a final yank the rope came free and the boy fell backwards in surprise. She looked away as the boy quickly glanced around to see if anyone noticed. "I've never competed in Europe before."

Lillian had been a student the previous year when Zachary took some horses over to Europe. She hadn't been riding, but she was around to help with the horses and check out some of the horses for sale over there. Although she wasn't looking to buy horses for herself, she went to a few sales when Zachary purchased a couple of younger horses.

"It'll be fun," Sam said with a grin as they led Alcatraz around the yard outside. Lillian knew that Sam loved being in Europe; he went there when he was a kid traveling with his parents every summer and took Gabby, his girlfriend there on vacation several months ago where he proposed to her. "You just need to get your nerves under control and you'll do fine."

"Yeah," Lillian agreed, feeling slightly embarrassed. She has competed for many years, but she was considered a rookie in Grand Prix events. She had been fine in smaller shows, but whenever she started thinking about the crowds, how many people were watching, she tended to anxious. Over the summer when she was actively competing she was able to push those worries out of her mind and do quite well, but lately she has had troubles with it. They made a few more rounds around the yard in silence before Sam paused near the doors again.

"Hey, why don't you go grab us something to eat, I'll put her away," he said as he rubbed the mare's forehead. Alcatraz rubbed her head against his hand before sniffing out his jacket pockets for treats.

"Sure," Lillian replied, digging around in her pockets for some money as she followed them into the building before making a turn, heading to the concession area.