A distinct lack of reviews but hey, that's not important is it now? I'm
writing and I'm happy! Whee! But THANKYOU to Whitestar, you rock! And I
love your story too. I'm just a bad lurker.
I own the characters that Tolkien doesn't own. Tolkien owns the ones he owns. You know who they are. I'm gaining nothing from this whatsoever.
Please review at the end, and remember that English is not my first language!
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Faramir patted Armchair enthusiastically, flushed with exertion- Armchair had decided that today he was *not* going to trot, but Legolas had refused to give up until Faramir had had a trot on his own. Riding was harder than it looked, the boy realised. Boromir always made it look so easy, but Boromir was a bit of a show-off at times. Looking around, Faramir noticed his brother tugging up the girths of a firey looking bay pony and talking to a young man who was bridling a shaggy dappled grey horse.
As if sensing his gaze, Boromir dropped the saddle flap and looked up, "Hey, Faz? How'd it go?"
Faramir was too elated to even be annoyed by Boromir's irritating nickname for him, "Good!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, "It was really fun!"
"Well done," Boromir put on his hat and pulled down the stirrup, "Me and Aragorn are gonna ride in the cross country field, you wanna watch?" He leapt neatly into the saddle. Hotspur danced excitedly.
"Sure!" Faramir was eager to see more experienced riders at work. Maybe he could pick something up from them. Legolas came out of the feed room with Gimli just as Boromir shortened his stirrups.
"Go slow, remember." Gimli told him. Faramir wondered whether the others got used to Gimli's thick accent, because he found it difficult to understand him at times, "Hotspur's only young. He doesn't need exciting."
Boromir, Faramir knew, did not like being told what to do. On cue, his expression darkened. "I can control him!" he said haughtily, "And anyway, it's not as if you ride, is it?" his bright mood vanishing rapidly, as it often did, he dug his heels into Hotspur's sides, heading for the field just behind the yard. A flash of hurt was evident on Gimli's face, but he hid it quickly, and held down Aragorn's stirrup so he could mount.
"Ignore him," the young man suggested, "I'll make sure he doesn't go too mad." Then he trotted off after Boromir, yelling at him to wait up. Faramir went to follow, but Legolas caught his arm.
"If you want to watch, there's a short cut. C'mon, I have no jobs at the moment, and I want to make sure that idiot brother of yours is sensible with that pony."
"I'm coming as well, then." Gimli said in a decisive tone, "I want to be proved right." A cheekily malicious grin cracked on his bearded face, and he turned on his heel, wandering off in the opposite direction, kicking a stone absent-mindedly. Apparently Gimli's mood swings were as common as Boromir's.
Faramir tagged along with the Elf and Dwarf, down a narrow dirt track and across a rackety wooden bridge spanning a small stream, which came out just beside the field. The two were very likeable people, and Faramir was instantly at ease with them. He knew that there had originally been a lot of racial prejudice between the two kindreds, but dwarves had been prejudiced by other races as well. As far as Faramir knew, Gimli's family were the only ones in the area. Faramir thought that was a little stupid, as the dwarves seemed perfectly pleasant people on the whole, but he was no judge really, he decided.
Faramir stayed behind them for a little, listening as they bickered about the good and bad points of the welsh mountain breed. He did not understand terms such as 'good-doer' or 'laminitis', but he was hoping to learn everything he could. They reached the field gate, and Legolas and Gimli both quieted. The three stood watching Aragorn and Boromir ride. It was an interesting contrast: Aragorn rode with as few signals as possible, using his voice more than anything, sitting relaxed in his saddle, rising gently in time to the trot with loose reins keeping only a very mild contact on Roheryn's mouth. Boromir was obviously very talented, but he rode with much more zest, his stirrups quite short, and his reins quite tight. Hotspur strained against him, and it took all Boromir's skill to hold him in check. After a while he relaxed and Boromir began to circle him carefully, but when Boromir relaxed his guard too much Hotspur would pull at the rein and crab sideways, until his rider pulled him into check again.
"He's not giving him enough rein. That's why he's straining," Legolas muttered, "Not enough rein and too much leg."
Faramir was uncertain- it looked to him like Boromir was riding Hotspur very well, and if he let go the pony would burst into a volley of bucks and leaps. He passed this by his two companions. Gimli remained quiet, but Legolas was happy to give out any information he had.
"He's holding him in so tight, that Hottie's getting stressed, and because he's so young, being held makes him crabby, so he behaves worse. And if Boromir's holding him in like that, he's got to stop using quite so much leg, cos it's giving him confusing signals. That make sense?"
Faramir nodded, "Why don't you tell Boromir?"
"Well, he knows. But it is very hard to ride Hottie any other way than how he is. It's easy for me on the ground to tell you that, but when you're on him you're constantly worried about being tanked off with. Boromir's the only one who can actually get him to settle down enough to school, to his credit, apart from Théodred. Anyone can jump him though, he's fantastic."
"He needs to learn to jump in a sensible manner, though." Gimli murmured, watching Aragorn ease Roheryn into a canter, "If he jumps like he does, all haphazard, he'll knock everything flying showjumping, and cross-country... Boromir'll end up killing himself. He seems to think cross-country is galloping flat out and flinging yourself at the jumps any old how." Gimli's tone was bitter, and Faramir wondered whether Gimli had had an accident going cross country which had put him off riding.
After a few more minutes, Aragorn began to jump, which he did in the same relaxed manner as everything else; allowing Roheryn to find his own stride and going with him easily over the fence. They started small and progressed to bigger fences. Aragorn made it look effortless. Boromir looked very professional, however. He kept Hotspur on a tight rein into the fence, with a short bouncy canter, then, three strides out, slackened his hold slightly so Hotspur stretched out his legs and raced almost, before taking off at the right moment and clearing the obstacle with at least a metre to spare. By the time they landed Boromir had a tight grip on the reins again.
Eventually, Aragorn's horse had cleared the largest jump (a huge wooden prism called a tiger trap) and then he called to Boromir that he was going to call it a day. Boromir called back that he was going to jump the tiger trap and then finish. He sent Hotspur into a canter circle.
"Idiot!" Gimli exclaimed, "That trap's about four feet high at least! Hottie's a good jumper but he's not jumped properly for a good long while." Legolas simply covered his face in his hands. Faramir could see why this time- Hotspur, though brave, was not very big and the tiger trap came up past his chest. Boromir took him towards it with as much confidence as any other jump, let the pony go with a kick... Hotspur took off, sailed over, but the height to which he jumped took away his ability to clear the width, and his front feet landed on the back slope of the fence, he staggered mid- jump, and fell. In a flurry of thrashing hooves and dust, Boromir vanished.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Whee! Cliffhanger! And I don't know why, just decided to give ya one. Whee!!! Please review!
I own the characters that Tolkien doesn't own. Tolkien owns the ones he owns. You know who they are. I'm gaining nothing from this whatsoever.
Please review at the end, and remember that English is not my first language!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Faramir patted Armchair enthusiastically, flushed with exertion- Armchair had decided that today he was *not* going to trot, but Legolas had refused to give up until Faramir had had a trot on his own. Riding was harder than it looked, the boy realised. Boromir always made it look so easy, but Boromir was a bit of a show-off at times. Looking around, Faramir noticed his brother tugging up the girths of a firey looking bay pony and talking to a young man who was bridling a shaggy dappled grey horse.
As if sensing his gaze, Boromir dropped the saddle flap and looked up, "Hey, Faz? How'd it go?"
Faramir was too elated to even be annoyed by Boromir's irritating nickname for him, "Good!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, "It was really fun!"
"Well done," Boromir put on his hat and pulled down the stirrup, "Me and Aragorn are gonna ride in the cross country field, you wanna watch?" He leapt neatly into the saddle. Hotspur danced excitedly.
"Sure!" Faramir was eager to see more experienced riders at work. Maybe he could pick something up from them. Legolas came out of the feed room with Gimli just as Boromir shortened his stirrups.
"Go slow, remember." Gimli told him. Faramir wondered whether the others got used to Gimli's thick accent, because he found it difficult to understand him at times, "Hotspur's only young. He doesn't need exciting."
Boromir, Faramir knew, did not like being told what to do. On cue, his expression darkened. "I can control him!" he said haughtily, "And anyway, it's not as if you ride, is it?" his bright mood vanishing rapidly, as it often did, he dug his heels into Hotspur's sides, heading for the field just behind the yard. A flash of hurt was evident on Gimli's face, but he hid it quickly, and held down Aragorn's stirrup so he could mount.
"Ignore him," the young man suggested, "I'll make sure he doesn't go too mad." Then he trotted off after Boromir, yelling at him to wait up. Faramir went to follow, but Legolas caught his arm.
"If you want to watch, there's a short cut. C'mon, I have no jobs at the moment, and I want to make sure that idiot brother of yours is sensible with that pony."
"I'm coming as well, then." Gimli said in a decisive tone, "I want to be proved right." A cheekily malicious grin cracked on his bearded face, and he turned on his heel, wandering off in the opposite direction, kicking a stone absent-mindedly. Apparently Gimli's mood swings were as common as Boromir's.
Faramir tagged along with the Elf and Dwarf, down a narrow dirt track and across a rackety wooden bridge spanning a small stream, which came out just beside the field. The two were very likeable people, and Faramir was instantly at ease with them. He knew that there had originally been a lot of racial prejudice between the two kindreds, but dwarves had been prejudiced by other races as well. As far as Faramir knew, Gimli's family were the only ones in the area. Faramir thought that was a little stupid, as the dwarves seemed perfectly pleasant people on the whole, but he was no judge really, he decided.
Faramir stayed behind them for a little, listening as they bickered about the good and bad points of the welsh mountain breed. He did not understand terms such as 'good-doer' or 'laminitis', but he was hoping to learn everything he could. They reached the field gate, and Legolas and Gimli both quieted. The three stood watching Aragorn and Boromir ride. It was an interesting contrast: Aragorn rode with as few signals as possible, using his voice more than anything, sitting relaxed in his saddle, rising gently in time to the trot with loose reins keeping only a very mild contact on Roheryn's mouth. Boromir was obviously very talented, but he rode with much more zest, his stirrups quite short, and his reins quite tight. Hotspur strained against him, and it took all Boromir's skill to hold him in check. After a while he relaxed and Boromir began to circle him carefully, but when Boromir relaxed his guard too much Hotspur would pull at the rein and crab sideways, until his rider pulled him into check again.
"He's not giving him enough rein. That's why he's straining," Legolas muttered, "Not enough rein and too much leg."
Faramir was uncertain- it looked to him like Boromir was riding Hotspur very well, and if he let go the pony would burst into a volley of bucks and leaps. He passed this by his two companions. Gimli remained quiet, but Legolas was happy to give out any information he had.
"He's holding him in so tight, that Hottie's getting stressed, and because he's so young, being held makes him crabby, so he behaves worse. And if Boromir's holding him in like that, he's got to stop using quite so much leg, cos it's giving him confusing signals. That make sense?"
Faramir nodded, "Why don't you tell Boromir?"
"Well, he knows. But it is very hard to ride Hottie any other way than how he is. It's easy for me on the ground to tell you that, but when you're on him you're constantly worried about being tanked off with. Boromir's the only one who can actually get him to settle down enough to school, to his credit, apart from Théodred. Anyone can jump him though, he's fantastic."
"He needs to learn to jump in a sensible manner, though." Gimli murmured, watching Aragorn ease Roheryn into a canter, "If he jumps like he does, all haphazard, he'll knock everything flying showjumping, and cross-country... Boromir'll end up killing himself. He seems to think cross-country is galloping flat out and flinging yourself at the jumps any old how." Gimli's tone was bitter, and Faramir wondered whether Gimli had had an accident going cross country which had put him off riding.
After a few more minutes, Aragorn began to jump, which he did in the same relaxed manner as everything else; allowing Roheryn to find his own stride and going with him easily over the fence. They started small and progressed to bigger fences. Aragorn made it look effortless. Boromir looked very professional, however. He kept Hotspur on a tight rein into the fence, with a short bouncy canter, then, three strides out, slackened his hold slightly so Hotspur stretched out his legs and raced almost, before taking off at the right moment and clearing the obstacle with at least a metre to spare. By the time they landed Boromir had a tight grip on the reins again.
Eventually, Aragorn's horse had cleared the largest jump (a huge wooden prism called a tiger trap) and then he called to Boromir that he was going to call it a day. Boromir called back that he was going to jump the tiger trap and then finish. He sent Hotspur into a canter circle.
"Idiot!" Gimli exclaimed, "That trap's about four feet high at least! Hottie's a good jumper but he's not jumped properly for a good long while." Legolas simply covered his face in his hands. Faramir could see why this time- Hotspur, though brave, was not very big and the tiger trap came up past his chest. Boromir took him towards it with as much confidence as any other jump, let the pony go with a kick... Hotspur took off, sailed over, but the height to which he jumped took away his ability to clear the width, and his front feet landed on the back slope of the fence, he staggered mid- jump, and fell. In a flurry of thrashing hooves and dust, Boromir vanished.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Whee! Cliffhanger! And I don't know why, just decided to give ya one. Whee!!! Please review!
