Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Megan Takes A Ride

Creation Saturday! Describe how any personality trait would/could look as a physical characteristic, and create a character who embodies or uses this to his/her advantage.




I introduce Megan in this story. Megan exhibits traits of extroversion through her energy, excitability, and assertiveness. She also shows openness traits with insight and an adventurous nature. Energy, excitability, and an adventurous nature show up in her physical nature as she is tall, lean, muscular. These physical traits are brought about as she works in her chosen field as a horse master. Competition and exercise fulfill her personality and physical needs as she works for Bea's stable and exercises horses daily. It keeps her physically fit and mentally alert to daily adventures.

The Adventures of Bea, Megan and Neil ( adventure 2)

Megan sauntered to the back door clothes rack. Her black riding boots were well shined. She reached up and pulled her riding crop off the coat hook. She paused to look out the screen door at the stable yard, while lightly slapping the crop against her boot top where it rested just below the knee cap. The boots were high enough to accent the length of her slim calves but stopped enough below the knee to give her knee joint flexibility as she posted to the rhythm of what ever horse she was exercising.

"Where are you off to, I thought you finished with exercising today?" Bea appeared in the doorway of the coat room with a cup of chocolate cinnamon tea in her hand.

"I haven't ridden Hustler today. Neil is saddling him for me. It's such a nice day. Eva is out somewhere on Copper. So, I thought I would warm up Hustler then take him out on the beginners course, Eva is suppose to meet me there. Maybe, after I work off some of Hustler's energy We can ride back through the woods trail together. Copper is still a bit skittish in the back cross country. A long ride with another horse along may be just what he needs."

"You're well turned out for just an afternoon excursion on the back country trails?" Bea had noticed the Sharp riding jodhpurs and black shiny boots.

"The clothes are new. I needed them for the show in March. You know, I need to break everything new in before I use it in a competition."

"Good Idea. I'm glad you are taking the March Cross Country meet seriously."

"Neil just came into the yard with hustler in tow. See you later." Megan strode out the door letting the screen bang behind her.

Bea pushed the screen door open and yelled at Megan as she walked briskly toward the waiting horse and Neil "Take it easy on the course, no adventurous, crazy stunts."

Megan turned and walked backward two steps looking toward the house and Bea. "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I can ride." She walked over to the horse shaking her head and laughing at the advice flung by Bea.

Neil handed her the reins as she approached. He walked to the left side of the horse and held down on the stirrup as Megan swung up from the right. Hustler danced slightly to the right as Megan settled into the saddle and slid her fingers into the proper place on the reins.

"Where are you going?:

"We're riding up to the beginners cross country course."

"That's where Eva was taking Copper."

"We are meeting up at the end of the course. Then riding home the long way across the back along the Woods Trail. It'll take at least One and a half hours before we get back."

"O.K. I'll finish mucking stalls and set up feed and water. That way it will be easy for you to finish the feeding when you return."

Megan slid a rein straight out to the side, leading Hustler's nose in that direction with a squeeze on the reins. She turned her head toward Neil "See ya later."

Neil waved and headed back into the stable to finish the daily chores.

It was a normal part of the routine to let people know if you left the stable where you would be riding. Safety was a part of the atmosphere being cultivated at the stable.

Megan began to lengthen Hustlers stride by pushing his sides with small squeezes as he walked. Right, Left, right, left, right, left. Pretty soon the gelding was pushed into a working walk. They followed the trail west then turned up the hill south to the beginners trail which started on the east hill away from the stable. Halfway to the beginners course Megan pushed the gelding into a trot. He began to enjoy the pace and settled into a quiet trotting rhythm as they worked their way up the gradual incline to where the beginner fences started.

Megan's mind wandered some at this pace. She was experienced enough so the consistent training of her reflexes and muscles over several years were used to giving the automatic signals the horse needed to maintain a very constant rhythm. She was going over some of the advice from Bea as she reviewed her riding instructions. Bea was always working Megan's mind to use good impulse control, and thoughtfulness in her riding habits. Megan's traits leaned toward the extreme extroversion and Bea wanted her to develop conscientiousness in her riding habits. Thoughtfulness, control, always being present in her mind as she rode would keep her safer on the back of her horses.

The course started on a level piece of ground. Several very small 2 foot 6 inch jumps were strung out before her as she approached. Off to the side were cavaletti posts set in a row for warming up horses and sharpening the horses concentration. She brought Hustler back to a walk as they approached the course. After they took a couple turns around looking at the fences they picked up a trot and moved smoothly through the cavaletti.

After they left the cavaletti behind the second time Megan squeezed Hustler into a smooth canter. She made a large circle and held it for a couple rounds using slight squeezes to gather the horses energy under her saddle. Then she aimed at the first fence.

Hustler loved to jump. Even though these fences were small he sailed quietly over each fence, tucking his feet high. It felt like flying to Megan. There was a string of 3 fences and they continued gaily down the row. After this, there would be two more fences 3 foot high.

Next, there was a short gallop through a piece of wooded property. When they came out of the woods a Cris-crossed rail would be the next immediate jump. It was 3 ft 6 inches high in the center. The rail was very solid most horsed judged it and crossed it easily because it looked so solid. It was built of two telephone poles.

After that, across the clearing a slightly higher fence 3 foot 6 inches high was set. It was a solid wall built as wide at the bottom as it was high. The form was triangular so the top was only one foot wide. Hustler was used to even higher fences than this and today was just a fun course for exercise and enjoyment. As they came to the fence, Megan brought Hustler in facing the center squarely which would mean an easy leap across. As the gelding rose into the air Megan's sight was straight through his forward tipping ears to the woods beyond the clearing.

Startled at the sight of Copper unmounted grazing across the clearing Megan felt the rise of Hustler under her. Instinctively, she gripped his sides and yelled with a hoarse voice, "up, up." Hustler's immediate response was to lengthen in mid air, sailing three times more forward, with extra force, than he needed, to clear the fence. As they landed on the other side Megan, turned in her saddle.

There lay Eva on the ground Sprawled below the fence they had just jumped. Because hustler had obeyed her instinctive command to sail further than usual they had missed landing on Eva by only inches.

Megan slowed Hustler to a walk then a halt. She slid to the ground and holding Hustler's reins she moved over to where Eva Lay. She was able to see that Eva was still breathing. Megan pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. As she dialed she whispered, "Bea, pick up, pick up. This is Megan, Eva is on the ground we need paramedics. If they can't bring and ambulance up Neal will have to bring them up with the 4-wheeler as fast as you can. She is unconscious but breathing."

Bea closed her phone and dialed 911.

Megan stripped off her jacket and lay it across Eva. Then, she stripped off Hustlers saddle and laid his blanket across Eva as well. In a few minutes Eva began to stir. "Don't move I don't know if you are hurt?"

Bea arrived in 10 minutes. She came out of the woods in a hurry on a deep green 4-wheel drive ATV. When she saw Hustler being walked and cooled by Megan close to the jump without a saddle she slowed to a quieter speed.

As she pulled up she shut down the engine. "I brought blankets and water. How is she? "

"She's awake but I wouldn't let her move."

"How is copper?"

"I didn't want to leave Eva so I haven't looked at him yet." Megan turned to look toward Copper to find him practically standing behind her near Hustler. "I guess he got lonely over by the woods."

Bea ran her hands over Copper's legs, taking his reins and leading him a few feet watching how he moved.

Eva stirred and asked, "Is Copper O.K?"

"Yes. Don't you move."

"A Dog came out of the woods. Copper shied left, dumped me. Ooh. It hurts to talk."

"Well don't do it then."

Neil came out of the woods with a group of people and equipment riding a small trailer pulled behind an ATV.

Things moved quickly then. Eva was checked out and loaded onto the trailer. Megan resaddled Hustler, remounted and taking Copper's reins started back the trail toward the stable. The ATV's ran in front, the horses came last. When they reached the stable Eva was loaded into an ambulance. Bea and Neil helped Megan groom the horses and finish the evening chores.

Next day Eva limped in the back screen door. Megan jumped up from the kitchen table with extreme excitability, where she was having lunch almost dumping her drink. She ran over to give Eva a hug.

"Easy there. I have lots of bruises. But, I'm all in one piece. They made me stay over night and took lots of x-rays but nothing seems broken."

Bea was setting at the table. She laughed at Megan's lively welcome. "Yep that's us, never a dull moment."

Happy Trails