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Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
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“Equus”

Chapter 9

Both Dollar and Peacemaker were on their toes. With neither horse having been to a show before it was only natural they would want to take in everything around them. Heero was expecting it, as was Treize and neither was disappointed. Both horses walked out with long strides, ears moving back and forth whilst eyes were constantly on the move. Dollar would jog every now and then, snatch at his bit and give a loud neigh. Peacemaker kept her walk steady, but she also watched everything going on around her and despite Heero keeping a light feel on the reins, she would snatch at the bit and try to turn her head and walk off in the direction of something that caught her attention.

Remaining calm, Heero pushed the mare into a trot to start his warm up, the chestnut obeying but still preferring to concentrate on her surrounds as opposed to her rider. Taking a touch more contact with his reins, Heero pushed a little harder with his seat and legs, the mare starting to listen a bit and lowering her head.

Dollar was still doing his best to snatch the reins and jog off wherever he wanted to, but Treize sat firmly and insisted the stallion listen to him and his aids. After several minutes, both horses switched their attention to their riders and began to concentrate more.

“Looks like they're settling down,” Duo commented.

“They're young and inexperienced, it will take a while before they become accustomed to shows and the atmosphere, but there's nothing nasty in either one of them,” Otto replied.

“That's one thing I'm grateful for,” Zechs muttered. He preferred his boyfriend in one piece.

“How do you think they will go once they get into the ring?” Duo asked, continuing to watch Heero as the mare settled further.

Otto shrugged. “Anyone's guess. Both are quite capable of jumping the course, all they need to do is remain focused on their rider. It all depends on Treize and Heero to a point. If they can keep those two nags listening then there is no reason why both of them can't come out with a clear round.”

“I think I'd be happy for them both to finish the course in one piece – both humans and equines,” Zechs said.

“They will,” Otto chuckled.

The three continued to watch in silence, the two horses having settled quite nicely by now and each was working reasonably well. Once the riders were happy with their respective mounts, Treize thought it time to put the pair over the practice jumps. That would soon let them know if their mounts were listening or not.

They rode side by side across the warm up area to where the two practice fences stood. There were two or three other riders warming their horses up over the practice jumps so Heero and Treize waited their turn off to the side. Once the jumps were clear, Otto checked them and lowered one fence by several inches. Both horses were competing in the novice class and the jumps wouldn't be any higher than three foot six.

Heero brought Peacemaker forward and cantered the mare in a circle. Her attention was still apt to wander a bit and Heero had to ride hard to keep her together. He brought her up to the low cross bar first, Peacemaker spotting it at the last minute and putting in a huge leap. Somehow Heero managed to stay with her, his jumping 'style' quite different to normal. Once they landed, Heero scrambled back into his saddle and collected his reins, riding the mare forward and in a sweeping half circle to bring her around for the upright fence.

“Shit!” Duo exclaimed as he watched his partner get almost jumped off.

“She's certainly got scope,” Zechs mused.

“I'll bet she listens to Heero from now on,” Otto stated.

“I hope so,” Duo muttered.

The sudden appearance of the jump had shaken the mare and she was careful to listen to her rider. She spotted the new jump ahead and waited for the signals to tell her what her rider wanted her to do. The pressure on the bit was light, the weight of her rider shifting forward a little and pressure increased against her sides. Peacemaker lengthened out a bit.

Heero guided the mare forward, using his seat and legs to drive her together and keep the impulsion. This time they cleared the jump without any incident, Heero quick to pat and praise the mare.

Treize watched from the sidelines, an amused smile on his face. Once Heero had done both practice jumps a couple of times, he rode Dollar forward for his turn. The bay had settled quite a bit, but his attention was still apt to wander a touch, especially when another horse was reasonably close.

“He's showing off,” Heero stated as he brought Peacemaker to a halt beside the three watching.

“Treize doesn't show off,” Zechs defended his boyfriend.

“Not Treize, Dollar,” Heero clarified.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Heero snickered and continued to watch the bay.

Dollar was indeed showing off. There were a couple of other horses standing off to the side awaiting their turn to try the practice jumps and one of them was a mare. Dollar had scented her on the light breeze and couldn't help but try to impress the pretty creature. He kinked his tail and pranced forward.

“Settle down you big lump,” Treize muttered and used his seat and legs to try and get the stallion's attention back on him and not the other horses.

They cantered a circle and Dollar settled a little more. Turning, Treize lined up the cross bar jump and rode the bay towards it. Dollar spotted the jump ahead and eyed it off suspiciously. Treize continued to ride the horse forward, legs, seat and reins all working in harmony to keep the bay on track. Deciding the jump wasn't going to bite him, Dollar lengthened out his stride and clear the jump with ease.

“Good boy,” Treize praised and patted the bay neck.

Arching his neck and tossing in a couple of small bucks, Dollar continued to show off.

A quick glance over his shoulder and Treize determined they were far enough away from the jump to make a turn and attempt the other practice fence. Dollar responded and the pair cleared the upright without any fuss. Treize put the stallion over the jumps a couple more times before bringing the bay to a walk and joining the others.

“I think that's enough for now,” Treize said, bringing Dollar to a halt.

“Shall we take them back to the goose-neck and go see if the course is ready for walking yet?” asked Heero.

“Yes. The course should be ready by now,” Treize replied.

The two horses and three 'grooms' headed back to the goose-neck.

*

“It's not a bad course,” Heero informed Duo as they prepared Peacemaker for their class. “Lots of room between fences and all the jumps are pretty low and inviting.”

“Then you should do okay?”

“In theory, yes. Both Dollar and Peacemaker are jumping courses higher than this at home so the height won't worry them. It will all come down to concentration. If we can keep their attention on us and the course then there's no reason why both shouldn't go clear.”

“Well, as long as you do your best that's all that matters,” Duo replied with a smile.

“All we can do is try,” Heero shrugged.

The steward ticked off both Heero and Treize as they arrived in the collecting ring to await their turn to jump. There were several other competitors milling around, chatting to one another and discussing the course and their respective mounts. Heero and Treize nodded to a few people they recognized amongst the competitors but didn't stop to chat to anyone. They kept their mounts walking around, allowing the horses to look about but not lose focus on their rider.

The judge blew his whistle and the loudspeaker sprang to life calling for all competitors in the Novice jumping class to present to the collecting ring if they were not already there as the class was about to commence. The first rider entered the arena, Treize and Heero drew rein and watched.

Being a novice class, the jumps were set between two foot six and three foot for the first round. It was, as Heero had said, a flowing course with lots of room. Nine jumps in total with a double as jumps five A and B. The first fence was a simple cross bar, set low and designed to encourage the horse to jump in the center. It would also give the animal a confidence boost. Jump two followed on ahead; an upright of three rails. A sweeping, right hand turn followed to jump three; a small spread. Four was dead ahead before another right hand turn to bring the horse into the double. The course designer had been lenient and set part A as an upright fence followed by two strides to part B which was a spread. Turning left brought the horse to jump six; the wall. Another left turn to the oxer and following straight on from that was the off set rails. A final, left turn would bring the rider to the last fence - the triple.

Having followed Heero's description of the course, Duo found it easy enough to track the current rider and try to figure out if any of the jumps would prove to be difficult. Heero hadn't said if there were any 'traps' and Duo wanted to try out his own knowledge and see if he could pick up on any without having to ask Heero.

The first rider approached the course calmly, her horse moving steadily forward and taking a good look at the jumps as it came into them. It didn't refuse anything and looked certain to have a clear round when it came into the triple wrong and had a rail down.

Duo frowned at that. The pair had seemed to be in harmony all the way around the course so it was hard to figure out why they suddenly got out of tune and had a rail down.

The second rider went in to try their luck. The big chestnut looked the part, prancing and snorting, but Duo had seen enough jumping competitions by now to know that what you saw wasn't always what you got.

Sure enough, the chestnut fought against his rider throughout the entire course – and that resulted in eight faults.

The third rider to go remained calm and his horse responded well. They flew over everything and came out with the first clear round. Then it was Treize's turn.

With calls of 'good luck' following him into the arena, Treize collected Dollar up and rode between the jumps to where the judge awaited. He saluted, picked up his reins again and pushed Dollar back into a trot, heading for the start flags but allowing his horse to trot past several jumps on his way there.

“Smart move,” Heero muttered.

“Huh?” Duo questioned and turned his attention to Heero. Zechs also caught the mutter and looked in question at Heero.

“He's taking Dollar through the jumps towards the start instead of around them and letting him have a bit of a look at them before he jumps them; all on the pretense of aiming for the start.”

“Why can't he show the horse the jumps first anyway?” Zechs asked.

“It's against the rules and results in elimination if you are caught doing that. It would give you an unfair advantage over the other riders. But you are allowed to ride between the jumps to get to the start.”

“Ah, sneaky,” Duo chuckled. “You planning on doing the same thing?”

“Of course,” Heero smirked.

Duo shook his head and returned his attention to where Treize was starting his course.

Dollar passed between the start flags with his ears pricked and eager to jump the first fence. They sailed over it easily and were steaming ahead for the second jump. Treize was concentrating hard on both his horse and the course. Dollar was apt to let his concentration waver, preferring to focus on what was going on around him instead of the course, but Treize had expected this and wasn't overly concerned.

Jump two was cleared and the pair started their turn for fence three. Heero was watching intently, knowing how the bay liked to be ridden as he was the one schooling him. Treize was more than familiar with Heero's way of educating a horse, it was very similar to his own so there wasn't any problem there in regards to confusing the horse itself.

Jumps three and four were similarly cleared, Treize guiding the stallion around to the right for the first true test of the course; the double. “Steady, Dollar,” Treize soothed, sitting deeper into his saddle and trying to collect the horse up a bit.

Dollar was half listening to his rider, the rest of his attention wandering around the place he was currently in. He was used to jumping courses and was always willing to please, but the setting was the distraction. Dollar suddenly realized there was a jump coming up.

Knowing his horse wasn't completely focused on him, Treize sat down harder and used his legs strongly against the bay sides in an effort to push the horse together and have enough impulsion to clear both elements. Fortunately, they weren't too high otherwise he would have had no hope.

Deciding he'd better keep his attention on his master, Dollar shortened his stride a little and gathered himself together. They cleared the first part, landed and took two strides before the second element was upon them. Dollar managed to get his hind quarters underneath him and shoved off the ground, belly and hind legs just skimming over the top poles and rocking them slightly in the cups. Luckily they didn't fall.

“Maybe now you will keep your mind on the job and not the fillies,” Treize muttered and sat deep, turning the horse towards jump six.

In the collecting ring, Heero watched with an amused smile on his face. Dollar wasn't a nasty horse by any means, he just didn't have a very long concentration span and as his rider, one needed to try keep his attention at all times.

Jump six was cleared, Dollar seeming to have settled down into his rhythm and focus on the job at hand. A left turn and the pair were coming into jump seven, the oxer. Dollar didn't like the look of the jump ahead and gave a loud snort. Treize pushed harder with his seat and legs. Dollar tossed his head and began to slow down. Treize wasn't about to let the horse refuse though and gave a sharp kick. Dollar lurched forward and tried to cut out to the left.

Treize used his whip.

Seconds later the pair landed safely over the oxer, Dollar having cleared it by a good six inches!

“Shit! That was a huge jump,” Zechs exclaimed, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

“I think he was making sure it wasn't going to bite him,” Duo snickered.

“Only two more to go,” Heero stated.

Having recovered from the huge leap, Treize shortened his reins and drove his legs against the bay sides. The off set rails were next and Treize was determined to have Dollar listening to him and going forward. The bay spotted the jump, the rails sloping down towards the inside of the arena and he naturally aimed for the lowest part of the jump. Treize had other ideas. Using his hands, legs and seat, he rode the horse for the center of the jump.

Dollar didn't want to jump the higher part, he wanted to jump the lowest bit and did his best to ignore his master and sidle over to the left.

The jump ended up being a compromise. Dollar jumped further right than he'd wanted to and more to the left than Treize had aimed for. The jump remained standing and all that was left to clear now was jump nine; the triple.

Using his inside leg as they turned to the left, Treize did his best to push Dollar out further to the right. He needed to have Dollar further over if they were to come into the triple on the right stride. Dollar did move over a little, but not quite enough and they came into the jump half a stride out. It was either get right under the jump to take off, or take off half a stride extra away. Dollar's current level of education hadn't reached the stage where Heero was teaching him to shorten and lengthen stride quickly.

Treize elected to go for the earlier take off.

Dollar pushed himself into the air and stretched as much as he could for the far pole, but that half a stride had added a good deal of width to the already wide triple. His forelegs tipped the pole, back ones clobbering it soundly and sending it flying.

“Four faults for Treize Khushrenada and Dollar,” the commentator announced.

“Damn!” cursed Zechs.

“Very unfortunate,” Heero agreed.

Duo remained silent for the moment, doing his best to figure out why Dollar had come into the fence on the wrong stride. He thought back to the earlier rider who had done the exact same thing. Glancing back at jump eight, Duo studied it carefully, drawing on all he'd learnt from Heero to try and work it out for himself rather than ask Heero – if he could.

A small light bulb went off in Duo's head as he studied the two jumps and followed an invisible line between them. Feeling pretty sure he had the reason why figured out, he decided to test his theory. “Heero?”

“Hai?”

“Both Treize and another rider had problems with the wrong stride for jump nine and scored faults, correct?”

“That's right.” Heero watched his partner carefully, seeing Duo's mind ticking over and knowing his lover was trying to work out why.

“I may be totally wrong, but, it seems to me that when they jump fence eight, the horses are aiming for the lowest part of the jump which happens to be towards the inside in this case. By jumping the lower end, it's causing them to come into jump nine on the wrong stride.”

Heero's face lit up into a big smile. “That's exactly right, Duo. To come into the triple on the correct stride, you need to jump the offset rails in the middle and not the lowest end. It's a crafty piece of designing by the course builder.”

Duo beamed at having figured something out for himself. Otto and Zechs looked impressed with the vet's knowledge. Before anyone could say anything further, Treize exited the arena and joined them in the collecting ring.

The usual congratulations and commiserations were passed around before Treize also confirmed Duo's logic; the offset rails had been their downfall. Over all, Treize was pleased with Dollar's performance, the horse would make a very good jumper in the future, all he needed was further education and experience.

The 'trap' on the course caught many horses and riders out, no one having a clear round other than the third rider when it came time for Heero to jump.

“Be careful,” Duo said and squeezed Heero's calf as his lover prepared to enter the arena for his turn.

“Don't worry, I plan on taking it easy. We're only here for the experience,” Heero replied and collected up his reins.

Echoes of 'good luck' followed Heero into the ring, the dark haired rider pushing everything from his mind other than the horse beneath him and the course ahead. Peacemaker felt a little flighty, but nothing Heero couldn't handle. He was sure the mare would settle down once they started their course. Locating the judge, Heero saluted and then moved off between the jumps towards the start flags. Peacemaker kept a steady trot but was sure to take a good look at the jumps as she moved between them. Reaching the start flags, Heero pushed the mare into a canter and circled around. The whistle blew and Heero passed between the flags.

The cross bar appeared before them, Peacemaker's ears went forward and she jumped it easily.

“Good girl,” Heero praised.

The second jump lay straight ahead, Heero keeping his hands light on the reins and pushing the mare together with his seat and legs. The chestnut was taking a good look at the fences as she approached, something Heero was pleased to note. She was a sensible horse and usually listened well to whatever Heero was asking with his aids.

The stride lengthened out and the mare drew her hind quarters underneath, pushing off the ground and clearing the jump with inches to spare. Once all four feet were back on the ground, Heero used his legs and hands to ride the horse forward and begin a sweeping turn to the right where jump three awaited. It was a small spread – well, small by Heero's standards – but still large enough to test a novice horse out. It didn't prove to be any problem for Peacemaker; she sailed over it with her ears pricked. Jump four waited a few strides away, Heero pushing his horse together and riding forward.

“So far, so good,” Duo muttered, doing his best to keep his fingernails away form his mouth. They had only just begun to recover from the assault of his teeth gnawing on them at the Olympics.

“She's a honest mare and a pleasure to ride and teach,” Treize said from where he was standing beside Zechs and watching. Otto had taken charge of Dollar and was walking the stallion around, keeping one eye on his charge and the other on Heero in the ring. No one knew if they would be needed for a jump off or not at this stage.

“Now for the first test on this course,” Heero said to himself.

Peacemaker cocked an ear back at the sounds of her rider's voice. She was enjoying herself, the jumping efforts all well within her capabilities and the rider on her back was kind and sympathetic with his aids.

They turned to the right, Heero sizing up the double ahead and working hard to keep the impulsion contained within the mare's hind end. Spotting the jump, Peacemaker began to pull a little. She was more than ready to jump.

“Steady,” Heero soothed, keeping a tight hold on the mare's mouth. Judging his striding, Heero gradually came forward and eased off on the reins, allowing the mare to stretch out her head and neck, balancing her body as she drew her hind legs underneath and pushed from the ground.

They cleared part A, landed safely and Heero was right there with his legs and a steady hand on the reins, giving the mare all the assistance he could. Two strides and Peacemaker was again launching into the air, her forelegs tucked neatly up as her hind followed over the jump.

“They're doing well,” Zechs remarked as the pair in the ring landed safely and cantered away from the double.

“Yeah, they are,” Duo replied, his eyes still glued to his lover. “The real test is still to come though.”

Zechs frowned. “The real test? I thought the whole damn course was a test.”

Snickering softly, Duo gave the other vet a brief explanation on the possible problem of jump eight if the horse didn't listen to the rider.

“Clever,” Zechs mused.

“I just hope that Heero manages to keep that mare together and listening to him, otherwise he just might end up with faults as well.”

Having cleared the double, Heero made a slight, left turn and was riding for jump six; the wall.

Peacemaker hesitated a little, the wall up ahead and she wasn't too sure about it. It looked solid enough, perhaps too solid. Feeling the hesitation, Heero used his seat to push the mare on, keeping his contact on the reins steady and the mare straight. Peacemaker snorted, Heero pushed with his legs. The chestnut gave in and lengthened out her stride, leaving the ground, putting in a large leap and soaring over the jump.

Knowing what the mare was capable of, Heero was prepared for the larger than normal 'leap' and dug his knees into the saddle flaps – grabbing a good chunk of mane didn't go astray either. He managed to stay with the horse, only slightly off balance as they landed and quickly centered himself again.

Another slight left and jump seven, the oxer waited ahead. Peacemaker started to pull again, wanting to race ahead and jump the fence. Heero had other ideas and kept the mare to a good, steady canter; he knew the biggest problem on the course was coming up and he wanted to have the mare listening properly to him and give her the best chance to clear the jump and be on the correct stride for the triple.

The oxer flashed beneath the chestnut belly, front legs cutting into the grass as the mare landed. Taking up a firm contact with the reins, Heero used his seat and legs to guide the mare forward and towards the center of the off set rails.

Peacemaker had spotted the rails ahead and picked up on the sloping end, naturally she gravitated towards the lowest part of the jump. Heero's eyes were fixed firmly on the center of the jump and he did his best to ride the mare at the middle. With the slope being downwards to the left, Heero applied a harder left leg to the mare's side in an effort to push her across a touch to the right.

The horse wasn't interested in listening though and continued on her current course. Heero used a harder left leg and applied pressure to the right rein, keeping his left rein steady in support so the mare wouldn't simply turn to the right. Peacemaker wasn't educated enough at this stage to completely understand what was being asked of her and knowing there was a jump ahead which she was probably supposed to jump, she continued on her course.

Heero did manage to get the mare to move slightly across, but they were still further to the inside than he would have liked.

“Seems Heero's having the same problem as the rest of us,” Treize mused as he watched the rider and horse.

“Looks like it,” Duo replied. “I hope he can sort her out before the triple.”

“Guess we will have to wait and see.”

Both Duo and Treize watched as the horse and rider in the arena cleared jump eight.

Knowing his striding would be out for the triple, Heero did his best to compensate but pushing the mare out towards the arena boundary and hopefully picking up an extra stride or two. Unfortunately, it didn't work and Peacemaker came into the triple half a stride out.

Keeping a firm contact on the reins, Heero pushed the mare together as much as he could and held her back. The mare put in a short stride, scrambled a bit and launched into the air. Having taken off so close to the jump, the chestnut caught the top rail with her forefeet and sent it flying. Luckily she still landed over the jump okay, although she was a little shaken from the hard rap the pole had given her cannon bones.

Running a hand along the sweaty neck, Heero guided the horse through the finish flags, praising her for her efforts at the same time. Once they were through, he brought the mare to a trot and rode towards the exit.

“That's four faults for Heero Yuy and Peacemaker,” the commentator boomed out.

Once he was back in the collecting ring, Heero dismounted and faced the rest of the group, knowing the questions would be asked. Once they had traded comments, questions and answers, Heero ran his stirrups up and loosened the girth.

“Despite the four faults, I'm very pleased with how they both went,” Treize commented, watching the remaining competitors attempt the course.

“For their first time out, I think they both did very well,” Heero replied. “At least now we know what areas to work on with them both for the next time.”

“True. It's always a good thing to bring them out early like this, that way we can see how they are coming along and work out the areas we still need to concentrate on. Ouch! That's gotta hurt,” Treize said.

All eyes turned to the arena where a brown horse had decided it didn't like the look of the oxer at all and had slammed the brakes on at the last minute, skidding into the jump and sending the poles flying everywhere.

Once the last rider had completed the course, Treize and Heero waited patiently for the results. There was still only the one clear round that they were aware of which would mean that rider was the winner, but there were a few of them with four faults and that would mean a jump off for the minor placings.

The judge did his tallying up and passed his information over to the commentator, leaving him to make the announcement whilst the judge went out to raise several fences for the jump off.

The loudspeakers crackled into life. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a jump off for the minor placings in the Novice Table AM3 event. Would the following riders please return to the collecting ring to be advised of the jump off course and walk the course. Rider numbers one, four, five, eight and eleven.”

“It seems we will be having that jump off, gentlemen,” Duo grinned. Treize was rider four and Heero eight.

“I suggest we move on over to the steward then and find out what the jump off course is going to be,” Heero said with a smile.

“And may the best man win – or come second I suppose,” Treize snickered.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus