Who: Cassidy and Torque When: Late morning Where: Near the Circle R
It was a good day for riding - sunny and warm, but not too warm. Perfect for ridding oneself of stress, which was exactly what Cassidy was doing. Last night's full moon had promised to be fun, until the storm rolled in and left her shaking and terrified. Her family had kept close, crowding around and surrounding Cassidy with warm, familiar horse bodies - and it had helped, a little bit, but not quite enough.
She woke sore and jumpy with lingering tension, so after a quick shower and breakfast, she was dressed and in the barn saddling Blondie, a sweet perlino half-Andalusian gelding. They'd bought him recently in hopes of making him into a school horse - he was a wonderful jumper and had nearly perfect manners, save his tendency to spook a little around machinery. Because some of their trails ran alongside roads in Scarlet Oak, Cassidy had been working with him steadily to desensitize him. He'd been performing beautifully, so she decided to take him out to stretch his legs.
Waving goodbye to her mother, Cassidy set off at an easy trot, through the front gates and onto the trail they'd worn into the grass at the side of the road.