"You must in all Airs follow the strength, spirit and disposition of the horse, and do nothing against nature; for art is but to set nature in order, and nothing else." – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle

A student had trailered-in his bay gelding for a lesson. I could see them down in the outdoor, trotting around. They are a beautiful pair. 

I am hurrying up. I want to watch his lesson. His horse is Intermediate I level, which is just two levels below Grand Prix. They do full canter pirouettes. 

I just have to turn out the yearlings. I take them both at the same time. They live together so they are good to walk together. One in each hand. We stride down the driveway and I watch him do a shoulder-in on the long side. 

He sits the big bay horse’s trot, making it look easy. 

The path goes past the short side of the outdoor and around the indoor to their pasture. 

As we get closer I admire his horse’s white socks. 

This horse is as nice as the red mare. 

They do a trot extension across the long diagonal away from us. They might be floating. 

I am now close enough I can hear my teacher on the far side.

“Good! That is exactly right!” 

I wish I rode this nicely for him to be this happy with me. 

I walk the yearlings on the path that runs adjacent to the short side of the ring.

The student rides through the short side and comes across the diagonal again, pushing the trot out into a large, sweeping extension. 

The horse’s neck shape is perfect, he doesn’t resist the bridle in the slightest. They are getting closer. I can see the foam on his ne- 

My arms jolt. 

The yearlings don’t know the railroad ties are a fence. 

They both paddle backwards as they try and get away from the approaching bay horse. 

One of them leaps towards the right and the other leaps towards the left. 

Great. 

I had better decide quickly which one I would rather hold onto. I am running out of lead rope and they are going opposite directions. 

I decide I will keep the small bay filly. She is more flighty than the gelding.  

“Halt!!” I hear my trainer yell. 

The student halts his horse neatly, almost on the spot out of the extension, his horse’s legs curled up underneath them both. 

I am at the end of the ropes but I still have both yearlings. 

They both freeze. 

Their eyes are wide as they stare at the student’s horse. 

I pull the bay filly in and then the gelding. They look back at me and they both exhale at the same time.

I tug on them to start walking again. 

“Hurry!” I hear my trainer call. 

“Sorry!” I yell back.

“Don’t mind our intern, she is still learning.” I hear him finish off to the student. 

My ears burn. 

I finish walking them down to their paddock.

I don’t go to watch the lesson.