Work Cut Out For Sure [open]

[Deleted]

It was a brisk morning, but nobody seemed to care. At least, none of the horses in any case. Their jockeys were a different story, but Jaimy wasn't exactly one to care about what his jockeys thought of the weather. So long as it was safe, they would ride. Besides, he knew that Lucy didn't care, she'd ridden in Canada during the winter season. This was nothing, but she enjoyed harping on about it so he let her. As he swung into the saddle of his appendix cross mare, his hand immediately went out to grab hold of Vox's bridle, who had chosen that moment to skirt sideways with his head in the air with a shrill, worried whinny. Lucy chortled at the animal, sitting atop Adelle, who looked almost sleepy. She was a good filly, and a nice runner. Jaimy hoped she would do well, and he knew she had the potential but he would have to wait and see what the season brought. Vox on the other hand could go any direction. He certainly had the speed, and the guts to be good racehorse, but his brain seemed to get in the way more often than not. This was why he paired the two horses for workouts - they balanced each other out. At least...that was the hope.

"Sometimes I wonder why you bought that horse," Lucy noted as they made their way to the track. It wasn't a bad thing to wonder, Jaimy often wondered himself. Jeff was gnashing his teeth as the horse shook his head from side to side furiously, jigging his way towards the track. Of course, Adelle was doing the same thing, but the colt had an ungainly, awkward stride that made the jig uncomfortable to sit. The filly also felt no need to shake her head or roll her eyes. Jaimy simply had to remind himself that the colt was still full of potential, and perhaps having him gelded might get a better horse out of him. For now though, he was going to let him be what he was. 

"What intrigues me," Jeff grunted. "Is why you chose this track." There was another fair question.

"One day you will find all the answers to all of your questions," Jaimy said in a bored voice. "But for now, you are taking these two out. They've never been here before so take it easy today, let them push each other to whatever they're comfortable with. Lucy, if she feels good, see what you can get out of her at the three-eights pole, and make sure you push her all the way through the wire. Jeff, keep him straight, keep him on her tail or ahead of her but don't let him run away with you. More than anything I'm concerned about both of them having a safe ride in a smooth line, got that?" 

"Aye captain!" Lucy said, springing to salute and causing Vox to start and crash into the lead pony. Jeff shot her a dirty look but she didn't look the least bit abashed. He grunted his own acknowledgement at Jaimy, and he finally let go of the horse's bridle. He probably should have scolded Lucy, and he would have if it hadn't been Vox; the animal was not one who was frightened easily, he simply looked for excuses to be a jackass, because when he was running or out in the pasture, there could have been World War Three going on around him and he wouldn't have given a rats ass. The two of them set off at a jog, and twenty feet or so away, he heard Jeff growl "Scoot up there!" and no sooner had he said that the horse lept into a clunky canter, Lucy moving Adelle into an easy pace beside him.

Jaimy's horse watched with mild interest, and the trainer stood in silence as the pair made their way slowly around the first turn of the empty track. It was an unusual spot, this track. Many claimed that it was haunted, although Jaimy wasn't so sure he believed that. The stories he'd heard were just that - stories. Yet as he watched, a gentle breeze rustled through the overgrown brush, and in a moment, his usually calm mount snorted and shied sideways a little bit. Giving her a pat on the neck, he looked over at what she was staring at, but saw nothing. He cocked an eyebrow, and looked across the track just in time to see Vox pull a spectacular rear. His stomach clenched momentarily as he went up higher and higher, but Jeff threw his weight forward and the animal lurched to the ground, his leap being mid canter. Even Adelle was disturbed by this, and as he watched, she swerved sideways, Lucy saying something to Jeff that Jaimy couldn't make out. He waited another moment to see if the situation would be brought under control, and was pacified only a little when Jeff managed to get the animal moving in the right direction again - it wasn't saying much seeing as Vox was completely sideways.  He was about to yell at Lucy to pick up the pace, but she read his mind, urging Adelle into a slow gallop and leaving Vox and Jeff behind.

This had the desired affect. Far from being afraid, Vox refocused and took off after his exercise partner, nearly unseating his rider with the sudden righting of direction. In another moment, Jeff was organized and had him trailing Lucy and Adelle, and the scuffle of before was forgotten by the time they reached the half mile pole. As they came around the final turn, the two horses were level with each other, Vox finally focused, and Adelle settled comfortably into her own stride. It was interesting to watch the two horses; a distance horse and a sprinter. The odds were for Vox winning this little duel, even though that wasn't what it was supposed to be, but in the weather and with the jockey's moods, he wouldn't be surprised. Sure enough, Lucy went for the fast route at the three-eights pole, and Adelle responded well, although not with her usual gumption. He expected that was due to the unfamiliarity of the track. Vox was hot on her heels, and soon Jeff made a move, bringing him up beside Adelle on the outside, and as they drew level the rotten horse flattened his ears and barred his teeth at Adelle, but the filly merely pressed her own ears against her skull and did not rise, nor did she back down. Strides getting longer and steps getting a bit quicker, the two horses shot towards Jaimy, and in the end it was Vox who had more to go, taking the lead by a length and a half and shooting under the wire. Jaimy rolled his eyes - he had his work cut out for him with these two, that much was for sure. 

[Ripley]

Maggie Reynolds stayed away from the haunted track as much as possible. Number one: Because it was haunted. Number two: she just couldn't justify going to a haunted track with spooky horses. Not that Witch Creek's horses were spooky, but more often than not they were hot. Hotness equaled spook because hot horses created their own spook. At least at Witch Creek. Sometimes intelligence was not a good thing.

Ripley had asked her to come to the track with Artemis' Glory to get her used to the environment. More likely than not the Positively Precious filly would be spending a great deal of time at The Wire. The haunted track was a great place for horses who couldn't handle the public and all of its quirks. There was less of a likelihood running into a ghost here than a human at the main track. However, Maggie would accept being here than back at the main barn packing things up for the return to home. It was an every week ordeal. One rider a week would catch a break. Luckily, she'd had an excuse.

That excuse strode beneath her with purpose and intent. Artemis' Glory was a brilliant filly. In brains, talent and heart. She just had this extra something that made her special. Her bay-roan coat glittered in the sun when she bowed her neck to sniff at the recently painted white railing. Her eyes glittered brightly out of a blaze-marked face. Most people would underestimate the filly upon first sight. A look into her pedigree promised something else: a chance at the big time.

There was definitely a chance at the big time with this one. Upon second glance, people noticed her high head carriage, her steely-eyes, her well-proportioned conformation. Then, Artemis went from being a lowly horse to a horse to watch. At the moment, Artemis was doing the watching. Maggie joined in as movement caught her crystal blue eyes. A bay and a liver chestnut were freaking out about a breeze that rustled some bushes. The bay went straight up in the air, looking to equal his scenery in creepiness. It was a powerful moment until he broke into a canter, tagged along by the strong filly.

Artemis' ears pricked, twin towers over her elegant head. She watched them circle, still as a stone. Maggie didn't dare move, not even when Artemis' craned her head around the bleaches to follow them. Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back. Maggie had to admit she impressed with both horses though she couldn't name them or the man that was clearly their trainer. He was a handsome fellow. A new handsome fellow was always welcome.


Maggie nudged Artemis forward between the gap, pleased when the filly listened. She was as alert as an owl watching its prey. Maggie patted the filly, grinned when she stepped into a choppy jog. In a matter of moments Maggie was at the man's side. "Hello there. Haven't seen you 'round these parts ever."

[Cavallo]

She snuggled into her knitted cardigan in an attempt to ward off the morning chill. It was the end of August and September was right around the corner. Fall was in the air and with that came the additional coldness that accompanied its arrival. Her charge's breath came out as smoky tendrils in the morning light and she ran a soothing hand down the bay mare's muscular neck. Admirable was in peak condition for a now mother to three foals. She'd taken the past breeding season off and all the added energy was transmuted into her every action and whim - a complete terror around the barn and mistress of all she surveyed in the paddocks. She led the mare down the neglected path to the "haunted" track. She laughed at the idea of the track being haunted. She remembered back in Y8 when this very track had seen legends race over its terrain and now with the new the old was forgotten. She suddenly felt every bit of her forty-one years of life as the cold threatened to penetrate her layers of clothing. She distracted herself from more morose thinking with the vitality that Addie was displaying. She moved with eagerness down the path over to the track with a movement of remembrance. She had raced for thousands of fans over this very track and it was like the ghosts of the past rushed to greet the mare and she responded to their silent cheers with animated action.

"Ha, you remembering your golden days there Addie girl?" She rubbed her toned neck reassuringly, but stopped before they set foot onto the track as she noticed two horses working diligently over the terrain. She studied them carefully, but no recognition sparked within her brain with neither horse nor the riders at work. She quickly noticed the trainer standing off to the side and took him in quietly with keen observation. These were not the faces of known competition, these were the faces of something new and she had to admit, this was most intriguing. She would have watched the going-ons in silence, but as one familiar face appeared with another horse Admirable had other ideas. She rolled her blue eyes in annoyance as she grasped onto the bridle of the mare to prevent her from outright bolting onto the track as a Witch Creek rider made her presence known. From the looks of it, the WCS rider was on one of their yearlings and she did not need her bossy/aggressive mare scarring the youngster before she ever hit her debut stage.

The mare let loose a challenging scream and attempted to throw her head up and out from under the woman's control, but for Beth's appearance as a willowy woman, she was all steel and core strength and maneuvered the mare into a tight circle of distraction before they proceeded with their walk down the far right side rail. They might have unplanned company for today's walk of exercise, but she'd be damned before she let a little change bump her off her schedule. As they drew nearer to the trio, Admirable grew more agitated, but Beth's control was resolute and curiosity was blooming within her belly and sinking her down into its relentless claws. It would be rude after all to walk by and not say a friendly hello... She smiled as she heard Maggie Reynolds introduce herself and remembered the female jockey as the rider of one Paranormal Hunter, a filly that Nick had been groaning about for weeks. She offered a willing smile to Maggie, having never met the jockey in person and gave the same to the man who was so obviously in charge of the two racehorses working on the track.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt anything here." She said as she nodded and made friendly eye contact with the two jockeys and Maggie as she turned back with intention to the trainer. Admirable chortled her disagreement for their pause in motion and eyed the three horses with a cold calculation. She gave a sharp jerk of the lead to remind the mare of her place and Addie pinned her ears in frustration, but made no other moves of defiance. "Sorry, Admirable here is not the friendliest of beasts, but she needs to stretch her legs too. I'm Beth Cavallo by the way, Nick Landing's sister and broodmare manager for Intrepid."

[Deleted]

Jaimy was now officially annoyed. "Well, keep him going! Don't let him choose the direction, take him all the way to the six-eighths if you have too! Lucy you can turn around and start coming back this way!" He called after his two riders. Vox was attempting to turn around and go the other way down the track, which was making Jeff's job today much more of a challenge than he'd wanted. Of course, bad behavior was expected with Vox. Jaimy just hoped he could pull through in the end. He'd liked the horse when he'd spotted him being shown in Washington - he'd gone ballistic and passed three other horses who were working out. For some reason, that had spoken to Jaimy. Well...he usually had a pretty good eye...maybe he wasn't going to break his streak just yet. He had to have some amount of faith in the horse, and there was a part of him that liked the colt's ridiculous attitude.

Atonement was a far better horse, and he turned his attention to her, which lifted his spirits considerably. Despite her appearance, Adelle was a clever beast. Cool and calculating, she wasn't fussy, and the only thing she ever demanded was attention, which she even managed to do quietly. As she cantered swiftly around and to the outside of the track, her head dropped and her body shifted sideways slightly. She was obviously eager for more, but from the way Lucy was riding he could tell that she was being extremely polite. Regardless of her success as a racehorse, Adelle would make a beautiful jumper and an excellent broodmare. It wasn't until his appendix looked around that he realized more horses were arriving, and when he turned to look, he saw a couple of newcomers. One was astride a youngster, probably a year and a half or so, and beautiful to boot. The other horse seemed to ooze confidence and authority. In fact, as she approached, Jaimy's mount took a step away from her. At the woman's greeting, Jaimy smiled. "No, you haven't," he replied. "I've just moved here, you could say we're the new kids on the block. James Peterson."

He did not reach out his hand to shake, simply because yearlings were unpredictable, and he was distracted by a commotion. He whipped around just in time to see Vox throwing another tantrum, and Lucy slowing to a walk as she pulled up next to him. Vox was...well, technically cantering back towards them, if it could be called that. "Oh great," Lucy snorted. The essence of the situation was captured in her tone, because Vox was now crow hopping his way back, his eyes on the black mare. Almost as if on cue, she proceeded to let out a challenging scream, which riled Vox up even more, sending him into a fit of head lashing. He seemed blind to what Jeff was doing, even though he was doing everything right - he tried to circle but the horse just spun backwards and continued to run, he bridged his reins on the animal's withers but the horse just curled his head under and continued to crow hop. While Jaimy was far more interested in hearing what Beth had to say, his attention was, regrettably on his horse. He seemed preoccupied by the black mare, as if drawn to her scream by a magnet, and Jaimy knew that if he made contact it would not end well. "Excuse me," he said in a clipped tone, turning his lead pony to face the oncoming horse, but as it turned out, there was no need.

Lucy was too busy laughing to be worried, but when Vox suddenly cut closer towards her, she quickly made to back Adelle away so they did not collide, but it seemed as though the filly had other ideas. While she had not been cowed by the new mare (Admirable? Now that was funny...), it was obvious that she was getting annoyed, and Vox's shrill whinny as he approached seemed to be the end of the line. It was like she had been saving up all her irritation towards the colt for this moment, because when he was a stride away, she spun around, ears flattened, teeth bared and lunged forward, her teeth closing around the soft skin of his shoulder. Vox squealed like a pig, jamming his feet into the ground and skittering sideways like an odd insect, Jeff clinging on for dear life. Adelle did not pursue him, but went back to standing with her neck arched, chewing on the bit and looking thoroughly annoyed. Vox meanwhile was standing in shocked silence, staring at her as though he could not believe he had just been so rudely assaulted. "Morning!" Jeff called irritably, although as he stood a few strides away from the little gathering and did not seem interested in approaching. Lucy meanwhile was practically howling.

"Jaimy you should let me get one of those GoPro cameras, we need to capture priceless moments like these," she snickered. Jaimy merely rolled his eyes, and turned his attention to the group.

"Go cool her off properly," he snapped, but he was grinning. Still chortling, Lucy tipped her hat at the other two newcomers and took off at a loose trot. Finally, he was allowed to turn his attention to the others.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I've only just gotten back into the business, so I'm still getting used to my new recruits. It's nice to meet you both. I've heard of Intrepid, in fact I believe I may have one or two horses from your stock," he said conversationally, and then turned to the other rider. "What did you say your name was? That's a nice looking filly you've got," he added. He always liked blazes on horses, and the marking suited this filly just as well. 

[Ripley]

Artemis' Glory was not an easy to be around most times. She had a temper to match her short coupled body. If anything aggravated the filly, she had a tendency to strike first and ask questions later. Maggie could sense her irritation with the older horses on the track and then the further hype caused by the appearance of the broodmare. The filly danced beneath her, fidgeting as she was prone to do. Positively Precious foals were live wires to say the least. Maggie patted the bay filly's neck, twirled her away from the man who spoke with exasperation in his voice. It was so obvious that he was a newcomer. If it wasn't for his fantastic looking horses, wild as they were, Maggie wouldn't have stopped.

But he'd caught her eye and apparently, Beth Cavallo's. Maggie whirled the filly around to face off with the Admirable. Artemis eyed the adult horse with sharp interest. It was painfully obvious Artemis was in over her head, but Maggie appreciated the confidence and boldness. Such traits would come in handy on the track. The blond woman smiled as the riders came closer, though it dimmed when the colt misbehaved again. Definitely newcomers who needed to acclimate to the track.

"Nice to meet you James. Track getting to your trainees a little?" Maggie teased. "I'm Maggie Reynolds. I ride for Witch Creek Stable. This is my two year old for next year, Artemis' Glory. She's a little bit of a fuss-budget so we have to take some energy off with a gallop."

Turning to Beth and Admirable, Maggie's eyes lit up. Talk about a gorgeous mare. "She's a beauty. But I don't expect anything less from Intrepid." She wished she could touch that satiny hide, always the fan before the rival. Politness and decor held her back, but she wouldn't deny the sudden itch in her fingertips.

[Cavallo]

Addie silently glared at the horses and flicked her ears dismissively at the youngster's tantrum and stomped her right foreleg into the ground with annoyance at the delay in her workout regimen, but Beth stayed her with a simple touch of her hand. The mare flicked her ears around in continued annoyance, but settled to stare down the horses she was already labeling as competition. Her cunning worked over each horse and Beth could feel her mind working, but as long as the mare didn't make any crazy moves...she'd let her be. It was only when Addie tried to make her cunning reality that they ran into problems.

She smiled back at Jaimy in deference as he handled his situation. She watched with a bemused smile as the colt acted up once again and was glad that for the moment Addie was pleased with the minute challenge she'd dished. She snorted at the yearling filly, her teeth bared lightly in warning to the youngster, lest she try something, but other than that stood at Beth's command. Beth felt the stilled tension in the mare, but it was a controlled power that the mare could tap into at any moment should the request for speed be asked of her and she relished the power at her fingertips. It didn't matter that she wasn't racing anymore. She was still Admirable and she was still very much the powerful, cunning racehorse that she was back in the day, except now she was passing on the torch to her offspring and so far things were looking up. Beth snapped from her mental reverie as the colt was reprimanded by his workout partner and chuckled at the shocked gaze that suddenly came upon the colt and she was with Lucy on this one, though she tried to hide her silent laughter. A GoPro camera would have definitely made for some entertaining footage, especially aboard that bouncing colt. She gave the woman a reaffirming chuckle as her boss ordered her off to cool her mount and Addie watched the filly's progress like a hawk, but her ears pointed sideways fixed on each of the remaining horses. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous picture Addie made, but she had to give it to her, she knew where everyone was on the track.

Beth turned her face back to the man as he once again addressed her and mentioned owning some Intrepid stock. She arched an eyebrow in question, but held her tongue as he turned to address Maggie. She was intrigued as to her mount's identity and was eager herself to see which Witch Creek hopeful this was. The guys always came back to the barns talking about their yearling training sessions, but being broodmare manager didn't allow much for fraternizing with the "enemy" so to speak. Even Adele knew more than she did about the competition, but then being in a serious relationship with Witch Creek's Yearling and Weanling Trainer would give anyone an unfair advantage... She admired already the fire in the yearling, much to Admirable's annoyance, but it was a quality that both Intrepid and Witch Creek loved to foster within their stock. She was a stunning bay with attractive chrome and spirit to boot and realization dawned on her with her name revealed. She's heard Ethan mention about the Positively Precious daughter in passing, but it was nice to see for herself what the stud had produced. All of his freshman crop would be hitting the tracks next year and it looked like the results would be effective to say the least if Artemis was any indication. Maggie then complimented Addie and Beth beamed with pride as if she had ridden the mare herself after coming off a win and graciously thanked Maggie. "Thanks Maggie, Addie here if she actually liked people I'm sure would have been flattered so I'll have to be her manners for you." Her laugh was like a low caress in the wake of her speech as she returned the admiring gesture. "Please be sure to tell Ripley that I think Positively Precious here has a beautiful daughter. I like her fire and am interested to see how she does for you next year. Hopefully the juvenile fields won't be all over the place like they were this year." She teased in comment about the flux within the Y14 juvenile ranks. One day a juvenile could be the next big thing and then a few weeks later they were the underdogs. It had been an interesting year to say the least for the juvenile division and now another party was attempting to enter the fray.

She turned a peering gaze back at the man named Jaimy. Pure curiosity and interest lurked within her azure depths as she took him in closely. He was not like Nick in age. While her younger brother was every bit the respected owner and trainer that he was at 34, he still had a touch of youthfulness in his features, but this man was not as soft around the planes of his face. He was like a seasoned bourbon that was aged with gentle perfection and full of mature potency. This was no thirty-somehthing-odd man and while it was apparent that his barn was very green and just getting into the swing of things, she could see that it wasn't going to take long with the maturity and easy confidence that his man carried. Yes, she was curious. "I'm flattered that you already own some Intrepid stock, as I'm sure my brother would be as well. Whom have you taken in? If you don't mind my asking that is?" This cat was curious and she was sure it was all business-like interest...certainly.

[Sammy]

Morning had come quickly and Carlos Sanchez and Chris Stevens had been up early to work at the ready. This morning they would be taking out a juvenile and a yearling to get their legs stretched and ready. The two jockeys had started with Nature Blues together and were very close friends like brothers, walking into two different barns first, Carlos grabbed a bridle and rope to pull out Noadiance and saddled him up to head out on the trails. Chris Stevens would be taking out yearling Chaotic Limitations, one with a nasty attitude. Lately the filly had been nipping at everyone and Chris felt it was time for her to get some fresh air and away from home for a bit.

Chris remembered one place that would possibly put fear into even Hatter if the right moment. Carlos kept Noah at an easy pace following the yearling and Chris along the path to the haunted track. Chris first came here a long time ago when Nature Blues first withheld GS SuperCharged. When the two reached the track it was certain that they were not alone, seeing those there the place was good for a good workout. However, a new face sprung in the open and Chris urged Hatter forward. This track gave Chris the goosebumps and it had Hatter steady not really caring of her surroundings, Noadiance on the other hand snorted not wanting to push forward but Carlos managed to get the colt to go after patting him on the neck to calm him down a bit.

Chris spotted two familiar faces and chuckled as Chaotic Limitations bobbed her head with her ears pinned to her head. "Well I see we are not the only ones to join this party." Chris said with a chuckle in his voice. Carlos watched the other horses whom also seemed agitated. "Buenos Diaz, I'm Carlos Sanchez my friend here is Chris Stevens we race for Nature Blue Stables, fine animals you have here." Carlos said rubbing Noah's shoulder as he seemed anxious around the others. Chaotic Limitations was a bit on the wild side, crazy, and brave at the same time. She was the daughter of Limited Bluez out of Cry Out Chaos, she had some potential as her half sister won a leg of the triple tiara. Noadiance was still young, a juvenile that would show his true colors very soon.

[Deleted]

Jaimy was beginning to see a potential problem. As he noticed two more horses coming out onto the track, he realized rather quickly that there were now a total of seven horses on the track, and five of them were all coming together in one space. Even as he watched, he could see Vox and Adelle making their way back towards them again, Vox covered in a lather but significantly less worked up, and Adelle looking slightly winded. He had not planned on a hard workout for their first time on this track, but he also knew that Lucy wouldn't pass up a chance to talk to people, although as they mad their way back, both she and Jeff seemed to recognize that the situation was quickly getting crowded, and as Jaimy turned around to look at them he gave a curt nod, and the two riders both turned their horses and jogged off the track towards the trailer. Both horses looked a great deal more comfortable than when they had first arrived, and he knew that this would likely be a good place to bring horses in the future. However, as his appendix mare shifted uncomfortably, he told himself he was not going to buy this mare, and instead continue to use Windsor.

"They've both had close to a week off," he said benignly, taking her tease in stride. "Of course, Vox Populi, the bay who just put on a show is seldom in the mood for behaving himself. He certainly has attitude, but Atonement always seems more than happy to sort him out." It was true, of all his horses, Adelle was the only one who would tolerate Vox, well, her and Winny. But then, there wasn't much Winny didn't tolerate, set aside races. It had been a disappointing day when he'd first run her in a race as a two year old. He had attempted to relax the mare, entering her in a few more races to see if she settled down, but when she got worse...he gave up. He let the mare have a year of light riding and training, and then began to train her as an event horse and a ponying horse, both of which she excelled at. She was also a good mare if you wanted to just go for a run, and so the eight year old was seldom just sitting around waiting to be bred. 

The two girls interest was almost comical to him, as it was obvious that their curiosity was oozing. They were dying to know more about him, to pick him for every little detail. Of course, Beth's was an acceptable question. "I believe my stallion Canjun Moon is out of one of your mares, Requiem," he said. Frenchie was a good horse, and while Jaimy hadn't owned him for all that long, there was no doubt that the horse brought a pleasant liveliness to the stables. As he was introduced to various people, stables, and other horses, his eyes flicked from one animal to the next, taking it all in stride. There wasn't a bad looking horse on the track, and he was quite certain that he had a great deal to compete with in the coming years, but he wasn't too concerned about that. He had enough money that he wasn't fussed about winning every race, or beating certain people or horses. Of course...Jeff could be viciously competitive but not to the point of stupidity. Lucy didn't care at all, he was just glad that she was actually enjoying herself these days.

When the two newest arrivals turned up, Jaimy backed his mare up away from the group, allowing for the other horses to comfortably spread out if necessary. He had half a mind to simply turn around and make his way back to the trailer and leave them to their conversation, but he also had no desire to be rude. He smiled, his expression still relaxed and unperturbed. "Nice to meet you," he nodded. "James Peterson." The two new horses were lookers to be sure, and every rider here seemed friendly enough, but Jaimy wasn't really the sort to stand around and talk on the back of a horse. If he was going to be riding and talking, he wanted to be doing something, not just standing there while everyone else sat atop fidgety race horses. "Tell you what," he said after a moment. "I'll treat anyone who'd like to have a chat with the new kid to coffee later, but just at the moment, I believe - and correct me if I'm wrong - that you all have come here to exercise some horses, yes?"