Evelyn's POV:

Tryouts day one

Dressage

This was it

Ash and I were up just as the sun rose. The EFA scouts had been here since the yesterday, getting the grooms to set up the show-jumping and cross-country courses just how they would like it for the next two days of tryouts. The EFA riders that had come for Sky, Felix, Harry, and Jewel's clinic would be here later this morning to observe and then after our dressage tests, the first day of the clinic would begin. The clinic ran in unison with the tryouts, first dressage, then cross-country and finally ending with showjumping, however, for the clinic, there were additional classes the final day for Felix to teach the basics of Puissance jumping and Harry to teach some Polo. At first, I was worried that nobody would want to learn Puissance or Polo, but after seeing the sign-up sheet my worries melted away. The classes were fully booked.

The riders horses had arrived a day ago and they all seemed to be settling in just fine. Not that I expected anything less from top EFA competition horses.

While I was fixing a few of Navarre's braids, Jewel walked by, looking super professional in white breeches and a red show jacket. She and the others looked as if they were going to be the ones riding in the clinic instead of teaching it. It kinda made me laugh.

" I can't find Shadows boots... " Jewel sighed as she checked just about every grooming box down the aisle. It was weird to see her so...nervous, instead of her usual calm and collected manner. Guess even the best got nervous from time to time.

I giggled as I saw her pass by the boots, which were sitting wedged in the bars of Shadows stall, probably where Jewel had originally put them.

" Why don't you ask Shadow? " I teased. The black horse raised his head from his hay net. He also looked stunning with his mane braided and his coat spotless.

Jewel raised a brow, turning on her heel and looking at her horses' stall. She smiled as she shook her head. " Ugh, I hate clinics so much "

That was a surprise. " Why's that? " I asked. " You're a great teacher "

" Thanks...but I'm much more confident when I coach one on one or just two riders. I can focus more on that particular horse and rider. But groups...I get confused " I could see her face turn a bit red, but didn't say anything. " I find it hard to give each rider the right amount of attention... "

" This is your clinic " I reminded her as I grabbed Navvares white show saddle pad and placed it gently on his back. He was calm and sleepy in the crossties, but I knew as soon as I got him outside to start warming up, his energy would peak.

" I know, and that's why I have to do a good job " Jewel replied as if it was obvious.

" That's not what I mean. It's your clinic, you get to decide how you teach it. Teach the way you're most comfortable with...nobody's going to correct the teacher in their own clinic " I smiled as I saw her relax and take a breath, turning to smile at me.

" When did the student become the master? " She teased, making us both laugh.

" Well, I've had a great teacher " I replied. " She's so calm and collected, even under pressure...Sky is awesome " I joked.

We both froze before bursting into giggles.

" Fair point... " Jewel replied as we caught our breath. " Now get tacked up and into the warmup ring " She peeked out the door. " Ash is already there "

" ...How's Beauty looking? " I couldn't help but worry about Ash and her gelding. This was Beauty's first official test since the major trauma he went through with Lacey, and this test would also determine where the two would be for their final year of high school.

" He looks amazing...if a bit sensitive, but Ash has got him handled " Jewel replied.

I sighed with relief. If there was one person that I knew could bring Beauty back to his original calm, lazy state, it was Ash.

I carefully raced through getting Navarre tacked up and when I felt that he looked perfect, I led him out to the warmup arena.

People were already lining up the stands surrounding the dressage arena, either here to watch the tryouts or the clinic. Either way, having an audience was oddly more calming for me. It made it impossible to see who was the EFA scouts among the crowd, as well as the other riders.

Ash and I stayed relatively quiet as we warmed up, each of us focused on ourselves and our horses. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was focused, show atmosphere silence.

Navarre snorted as I pushed him into a trot. Hearing the crowd just a few feet over, and the smells of the new horses around the property were pulling his focus. Sitting deeper in the saddle, I made my presence known to him. After a few rough laps, he settled into a nice rhythm at the trot and smoothly transitioned into the canter when I asked him to.

The order of the rider would be determined at random, so I didn't know when I would be going.

I just hoped it wasn't first.

" ...Evelyn Holloway "

Shouldn't have thought that

I jinxed myself...

Halting Navarre mid circle, I looked at one of the grooms that were running messages from the scouts to the riders and felt my hands get sweaty.

This was it...the first step to determine where I would be my final high school year...either EFA...or back at home...

_________________________________________________________________

The scouts were tesing us at the preliminary eventing level for Dressage, and I had the test memorized that they had sent me. Just to make it that much harder on the riders, each had been sent a different test to ride, and I had test one.

After two laps around the outside of the dressage arena, I entered in a working trot, making sure to keep Navarres focus on me and not the crowd that watched us intently.

At C, we tracked left and made out way towards E. Navarre seemed to prance in his steps and even though it was only the beginning of the test, I was so happy with how the young horse had grown over the year. When I had first started riding Navarre, the smallest movement would've pulled his attention away and he would either speed up or slow down, but now he kept his pace and listened to my every cue.

At E, we made a 15-meter circle to the left, then another to the right, reaching B and switching directions, now going right at a working trot pace back towards A. We needed to perform a leg-yield down centerline, which was something Navarre had been struggling with during our training, struggling to figure out where he needed to put his hooves while he moved.

I felt my heartbeat speed up as we turned down the centerline and I felt my leg signals come on too strong, startling Navarre, who shuddered slightly to the side. I felt disappointment surge through me, but shook it off and focused on making the last few steps of the leg yield as perfect as I could.

Navarre snorted as his ears flicked forward when a rider walked her Palamino horse by the arena. He whinnied, head threatening to come up from being on the bit, but a soft squeeze from my inside hand stopping him immediately as we swept past C and made our way towards M.

Crossing the diagonal, I was surprised when Navarre extended himself nice and round into a medium trot without me asking. Maybe he memorized this test as I did. As we passed K and made our way back toward A for another leg yield in the opposite direction, I was determined to have no mistakes this time around.

I barely moved my legs and Navarre responded by moving right across the arena and stepping back onto the track exactly between B and M.

" Good boy! " I whispered quietly, wanting so badly to pat him, but it would have to wait until the test was finished.

Now came the fun part, canter work.

At C I cued my gelding into a canter, sitting deep in the saddle to keep my balance when Navarre bounced into the stride. he seemed to lift his legs higher, with more of a spring in his step, but still kept himself well rounded and still moved forward instead of sucking back. We circled at C and then made our way towards H back in a working canter.

Now came the most challenging part of the whole test, the loop...

Navarre almost always changed his lead when performing the loop, still trying to find his balance in the counter canter. If he did that now it would be exactly what the judges didn't want to see in this test...

Starting the loop at H, I kept my legs against his sides, keeping them still so that Navarre didn't feel that I was going to ask him to switch leads. At X we straightened for a stride before turning and heading to K.

I couldn't stop the smile from crossing my face when I didn't feel Navarre switch his leads.

One down, one to go...

We cantered around the arena from H to A, then to F before turning to cross the arena at X. I slowed Navarre to a trot at X and he snorted, slowing his pace from a working trot, but picked it back up again when I pressed my heels against his sides to recapture his attention. We passed H and made our way to C at a working trot and just before Navarre picked up canter again, I noticed that girl and her horse were now watching from the fenceline. navarre nickered and mouthed the bit. he was getting bored with all this dressage, but I was almost over.

I just wished I could tell him that...

Giving him a quick pat as I pushed him into another canter, I noticed the girls' horse seemed to be getting antsy standing at the fenceline, and Navarre seemed to be feeding off the horses' energy, shaking his head as we circled at C.

" Easy... " I whispered as we passed by the girl and horse again to get to M to perform our final canter loop.

I felt myself start to panic as Navarre refused to listen to my cues when I thought back to a piece of advice Sky had given me turning our training.

'Onyx gets worked up all the time by other horses. I used to try and hold him back until my arms ached, but that only made him ignore me more. Sometimes with high strung and younger horses, you just have to let them go and have them find their footing. There's no telling how it'll go, but it's better than looking to the judges like you're fighting each other...'

I took a breath as I loosened my grip on the reins and relaxed my seat. Navarre snorted and pricked his ears forward as he cantered towards X and automatically turned to loop towards F. It wasn't the best, but it was definitely better than if Navarre and I had been fighting against each other the entire time.

Taking back my reins, I slowed him to a working trot at A and another medium trot across the arena to M, picking up another working trot pace to C.

Now came Navarre's best part of his test. At C I slowed him down to a medium walk until we reached H, where I turned him and let my reins go all the way to the buckle. navarre took the long rein with ease, stretching his neck all the way down but kept over tracking his steps as he made his way to B. Navarre's best gait was his walk, his high energy made it effortless, yet impulsive and forward without me even having to keep him going.

I gathered my reins at B and Navarre pushed himself back into a medium walk towards F. He was breathing a bit heavily, but it didn't seem like the test had exhausted him, thanks to all of his training over the winter and spring and his natural high energy.

Turning down centerline at A, I felt like I wanted to cry when I realized just how far this horse had come since I first bought him. He was growing up and it made me feel like a proud parent.

At G, just before C, I halted him and saluted, the roar of the crowd as they stood and clapped for us giving me my second wind as I leaned down and rubbed the geldings sweaty neck.

" That's my boy! Good job Navarre! " I praised as I let him exit the arena on a loose rein.

One phase down, two more to go

Tomorrow was going to show the real power this smaller, skinnier gelding could give!

Tomorrow was cross-country day!