Oxers and Liverpools

It was another chaotic morning at the barn at Spruce Meadows. Many riders were hurrying around, getting their horses to exercise. Grooms were hurrying about, trying to find extra boots, bandages, or other pieces of tack. The horses could feel the excitement in the air and some, including Aquino, were getting anxious.

Spruce Meadows was one of Lilian's favorite venues to come to. The venue was huge, having many different outdoor arenas. Thousands of people came to see the tournaments, and there was usually some interesting exhibition going in around the plaza. Many of the top riders in the world came there to compete and Lillian was already having to dodge TV crews as they interviewed some of the other riders. The National was one of the first major tournaments of the summer at Spruce Meadows. Lillian was hoping to do well enough to qualify for the Masters tournament at the end of the season, although that was quite far away.

Lillian was riding Aquino out from the barns to the main sand ring. It was earlier in the morning on the first day of the tournament. Although there weren't any major events going on, there were already some spectators wandering around, taking pictures.

Aquino walked through the gate into the sand ring easily, his ears flicking forward to where some people stood next to the fence, calling out to a rider. Some of the riders coaches were standing in the warm up ring or around the fence, along with the grooms. She quickly glanced around to see if Zachary was there, but didn't see her coach anywhere. She knew her coach was quite busy, as he was riding a couple of horses that week in the tournament himself and had a few students to manage as well.

Lillian walked him out on a long rein to let him warm up. She recognized a few other riders already in the warm up ring, including Leah, who was texting on her phone, and Theodore, the rider from England. There was another rider she recognized from Germany but couldn't remember his name.

Putting the reins in one hand, Lillian zipped up her jacket with the other as she glanced up to the clouded sky. Despite that it was June and there was a warm summer breeze, rain was starting to drizzle down from the sky. It wasn't enough rain to make everything wet, but if the rain continued through the week, it would be tough for the competition.

Lillian gathered up the reins again before urging Aquino forward into a trot. The stallion tossed his head eagerly, flaring his nostrils as they passed another horse. His eye was then on the crowds of people at the fence as they passed by, although he didn't seem to have a problem with them. She continued to ride him around, occasionally circling, to let him loosen up and stretch his legs. After a few minutes she slowed him to a walk, letting him walk around with a loose rein and take a look around.

"How is he doing?" Theodore asked as he trotted up beside her on a tall chestnut horse, slowing it to a walk alongside Aquino. Lillian recognized the gelding from the Quinn's farm, as it was one of the horses for sale.

"Great, so far," Lillian replied as she gave the stallion a quick pat on the neck. "We have our first competition tomorrow morning." She glanced up to Theodore, slightly surprised to see that he was frowning.

"Well, if it's your first with him, you should know," Theodore began slowly, pausing as his horse tossed it's head impatiently and attempted to sidestep away from Aquino. Getting him back into line, he continued. "He can get a bit anxious around large crowds. It isn't a problem if you're in the ring and working, but he has balked from going into the ring before."

"Really?" Lillan bit her lip nervously upon hearing that. It wasn't something that Conner had mentioned, but then again he hadn't been the rider of Aquino. "That makes two of us," she muttered to herself, wondering how bad Aquino's anxiety would get. She would definitely have to try to get control of her own nerves before taking him into the ring, or it would probably make things worse. It wasn't uncommon for horses to get anxious around large crowds, but Lillian's experience in bigger events came from riding Alcatraz, who seemed to jump better if the crowds were bigger.

"Is there anything else I should know about him?" Lillian asked.

"He tends to drift right over combination jumps, but if you ride with a stronger right leg, he shouldn't be a problem," Theodore replied. "He is a good jumper, he respects the jumps. I have to head back to the barn now, but good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks," Lillian replied faintly with a smile, although she was feeling even more nervous now. She watched Theodore ride back towards the gate, his upright position rather tense. Her attention was drawn to Zachary as he walked over to the fence, motioning her over to the gate. To keep out of way of the other riders, she exited the ring to speak to him.

"I was talking with Jeff Phillips, he has a horse here he's interested in having you ride," Zachary said bluntly. "The horse, Carmina, will be here for the Continental next week, so he wants you to ride her this week and see how you do and enter a few classes next week. I'll get Sam to exercise Aquino for a bit if you head over to the barn now and talk to him."

"Uh, okay," Lillian was surprised at the sudden opportunity to ride a horse that wasn't owned by her. She quickly dismounted and gave Aquino a scratch on the forehead before hurrying back to the barn.