Dark Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy Book 2)

by Michele Scott

  Once the bell rings the rider is allowed forty-five seconds to enter the ring or is eliminated.

  If all four feet of the horse exit the arena during the test, this results in elimination.

  If the horse resists more than twenty seconds during the test, this results in elimination.

  Many people refer to dressage as the ballet of horses. Good dressage is like watching a dancer. The horse and rider make the movements look easy, but they are far from it. Mastering dressage takes many years of study.

  drop: A fence where the horse must jump over a log fence and land at a lower level from the one from which it took off. Drop fences require the rider to have a great deal of trust in the horse, because often the animal can’t see the landing until it is about to jump.

  eight out: the eighth rider to be sent out on course

  eventing: Three-day eventing is the combined training sport that showcases dressage, stadium jumping, and cross-country.

  fallen log: a log jump on a cross-country course

  faults: penalties—time, knocked poles, refusals, etc.

  fence: a jump

  flat cups: The cups that hold the poles on the jumps can be more rounded, making it harder for the poles to be knocked down. A flat cup makes it easier for the pole to come down in show jumping.

  flyer: taking off too early at a jump

  forehand: refers to the front half of the horse’s body

  gate: a type of jump built to look like a gate

  gelding: A male horse that has been castrated. A stallion tends to be difficult to handle and not good around other horses. Gelding male horses calms them and allows them to be used in the sport as working horses.

  get spun: To fail to pass the vet inspection in the jog-out at a competition, resulting in elimination.

  girth: Similar to a belt, the girth keeps the saddle from coming off. In English riding, girths are typically made from leather.

  go clear: To have a clear jump round without knocking any jumps, or having any refusals or time penalties.

  hack: to exercise lightly

  half halt: A brief, almost invisible signal that tells the horse to use its hind end to balance itself and be prepared to pay attention. The rider must be sitting tall and balanced; the leg remains on the side of the horse and it is a simple closing of the fingers around the rein, usually the outside rein, which is closest to the arena on the outside. The half halt is a quick and subtle movement, but it is effective and one used frequently when riding correctly.

  half pass: A lateral movement seen in dressage, in which the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time.

  hands: Horses are measured in “hands.” One hand is equal to four inches. A horse is measured from the ground to the top of the highest nonvariable point of the skeleton, called the withers.

  haunches: a buttock and thigh considered together

  Holsteiner: A breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the thirteenth century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a dominant force of international show jumping and are found at the top levels of dressage, combined driving, show hunters, and eventing.

  ice boots: Wraps that have pockets to place ice into. Ice is placed in the boots, which are then wrapped around the horse’s legs in order to bring down any inflammation.

  impulsion: Refers to the movement of a horse when it is going forward with controlled power. Impulsion helps a horse effectively utilize the power in its hindquarters. To achieve impulsion, a horse is not using speed but rather muscular control; the horse exhibits a relaxed spinal column, which allows its hindquarters to come well under its body and “engage” so that they can be used in the most effective manner to move the horse forward at any speed.

  infrared machine: A machine that uses infrared light with a wand directed over parts of the horse’s body for healing purposes.

  Jeffries, Richard: a world-renowned jump course designer

  jog-out: A jog-out is the first presentation of horse and rider going into an event. The rider jogs the horse out on a lead line.

  the lead: Similar to a leash, the lead is hooked on to a horse’s halter and is used to lead the animal out and around.

  leg on: Riding a horse is about balance. Proper riding comes from riding with leg. When Vivienne’s instructors tell her to “put her leg on,” they are asking her to use the calf of the leg as an aid. The horse feels the pressure, and with Vivienne also using her core, and steady contact with the reins, the horse is able to balance itself. The horse can then use its hind end properly, and the hind end of a horse is its “motor.” If a horse is always on the forehand because a rider doesn’t know how to properly balance the horse, then the horse will lose muscle definition and not utilize her or his body properly, causing soreness and many other ailments. That is why learning proper balance and how to use one’s body and various aids is so important to riding.

  letter A: One of the letters on the outside of a dressage arena. At each letter a rider-and-horse team is expected to ride a different maneuver.

  liverpool: a ditch or large tray of water under a vertical or an oxer

  minute markers: Riders are given an optimum time for a cross-country ride. Riders know at their minute markers where they need to be in the ride. For example, at three minutes in they should have reached a particular obstacle. They wear a special watch that they look at while riding the course to check their progress, since cross-country is a timed event.

  obstacles: fences/jumps

  one star: Preliminary (USA) or Novice (Britain) level, used as an introductory level to the three-day event.

  Rules:

  • Riders must be at least fourteen years old, and horses at least six years of age.

  • Cross-country has a maximum of thirty-two jumping efforts on a 4160–4680-meter course, ridden at 520 mpm (meters per minute), with a total course time of 8–9 minutes.

  • Stadium has a maximum of thirteen efforts and 10–11 obstacles, ridden at 350 mpm, with a course length of 350–450 meters.

  option line: At times the rider is given two options on a cross-country course with certain obstacles. The first option is usually more difficult, and the second is an easier ride but may cause time penalties. A rider may take the option for various reasons including a tiring horse, or if the rider doesn’t feel she has set the horse up correctly to succeed with the first option.

  order of go: the rider’s turn to be on course

  oxer: A type of horse jump with two rails that may be set even or uneven. The width between the poles may vary.

  path finder: The path finder is the first rider to go out on the cross-country course. It is her objective to ride the course and be able to come back and relay to the instructor and other riders how it rides, for instance, whether it is slick in certain places, what they should be careful to watch for, etc. The path finder is typically the strongest rider/horse team.

  poultice: Poultices are medicinal in that they are used to bring down inflammation. Clay poultices are applied to the leg and then wrapped with standing bandages to decrease any swelling and heat in the horse’s legs.

  rollback: A rollback is a stopping and turning movement all in one, in which the horse turns 180 degrees over a hind pivot foot. The movement helps to “supple” the horse by asking for a lifting action from the hindquarters, a softening of the body, and lateral crossing of the front legs all at the same time.

  run out: when the horse refuses a jump

  scope: a horse’s amazing ability to jump

  short hack: A basic warm-up of the horse where the rider will put the horse through the walk, trot, canter, and possibly warm-up over fences. It depends on what phase the hack is dedicated to.

  show jumping: Show jumping is the third phase of
the three-day event. Once again, the rider must memorize the course, which consists of twelve to twenty fences (jumps). This phase tests the technical jumping skills of the horse and rider, including suppleness, obedience, fitness, and athleticism. These jumps are usually painted with bright colors. Unlike cross-country jumps, the fences in show jumping can be knocked down. This phase is also timed, with penalties being given for every second over the required time. In addition to normal jumping skills, eventing show jumping tests the fitness and stamina of the horse and rider, generally being held after the cross-country phase in higher level and international events.

  side passing: In the side pass, the horse moves sideways without stepping forward, a maneuver executed from a halt. It originated in the cavalry, to help correct the spacing of two horses that were side by side in a line.

  spook: When a horse is frightened by something, he may spook at it. He may go sideways, halt with his ears forward, or prance around. A spook can consist of any anxious behavior the horse might display. It essentially means that the animal is afraid of what he is seeing or hearing, and he doesn’t understand it.

  stick: Also called a crop, it is a long handle with a leather flap at the end, and the rider uses it to encourage the horse to move forward.

  stride: a single, coordinated movement of the four legs of a horse

  sunken road: These are combination jumps involving banks and rails. At the lower levels, it may consist of a bank down, with a few strides to a bank up. At the upper levels, the sunken road often is quite complicated, usually beginning with a set of rails, with either one stride or a bounce distance before the bank down, a stride in the “bottom” of the road before jumping the bank up, and another stride or bounce distance before the final set of rails. Sunken roads are very technical, especially at the upper levels, and require accurate riding.

  table: A fence with height and width, with the top of the table being one piece of material. Tables are also usually built so that the back part is slightly higher than the front, or with a piece of wood at the back, so the horse can easily see that there is width to the obstacle and therefore judge it appropriately. Tables may be extremely wide, and generally test the horse’s scope. They are intended to be jumped at a forward pace with a slightly long stride.

  tack: The equipment used on the horse. This umbrella term for all equestrian-related equipment includes the saddle, bridles, halters, and saddle pads. When Vivienne “tacks up,” it means she is putting on her saddle, bridle, etc. When she “untacks,” she is removing the tack.

  tack room: where tack is stored

  Thoroughbred: A horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered “hot-blooded” horses, known for their agility, speed, and spirit.

  three-day eventing: The sport that Vivienne and the students at Fairmont Academy participate in is called three-day eventing, an Olympic equestrian sport where a single horse-and-rider combination compete in the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Competitions may be run as a one-day event, where all three events are completed in one day (dressage, followed by show jumping and then cross-country) or as a three-day event, with dressage on the first day followed by cross-country the next day and then show jumping on the final day. Eventing is essentially an equestrian triathlon.

  In the United States, eventing is broken down into the following levels, all of which are recognized by the United States Eventing Association (USEA) and are run in accordance with their rules. International events have specific categories and levels of competition and are conducted under the rules of the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale). CCI (Concours Complet International, or International Complete Contest) is one such category and defines a three-day event that is open to competitors from any foreign nation as well as the host nation.

  CCI: International Three-day event (Concours Complet International)

  CIC: International One-day event (Concours International Combiné)

  CCIO: International Team Competitions (Concours Complet International Officiel). Includes the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan Am Games, and other continental championships

  The levels of international events are identified by the number of stars next to the category; there are four levels in total. A CCI* is for horses that are just being introduced to international competition. A CCI** is geared for horses that have some experience of international competition. CCI*** is the Advanced level of competition.

  The very highest level of competition is the CCI****, and with only six such competitions in the world (Badminton, Burghley, Rolex Kentucky, Adelaide, Luhmuhlen Horse Trials, and the Stars of Pau) it is the ultimate aim of many riders. The World Championships are also considered CCI****. Rolex offers a financial prize for any rider who can win three of the biggest competitions in succession. These are Badminton, Burghley, and Kentucky.

  One-, two-, and three-star competitions are roughly comparable to the Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of British domestic competition, respectively, and to the Preliminary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of American domestic competition, respectively.

  time faults: penalties for going over the time allotted

  trainer: The trainer is responsible for daily care and education of the horse.

  Trakehner: A light warmblood breed of horse originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name.

  triple bar: a spread fence using three elements of graduating heights

  triple bounce exercise: Bounces are jumps set close together so that the horse lands and takes off again without a stride in between. Therefore, a triple bounce would be three jumps set very close together that does not allow a stride in between them.

  verticals: A jump that consists of poles or planks placed one directly above another with no spread, or width, to jump.

  vet box: An area sectioned off so that when horses come off the cross-country course they are taken here to have their pulse, temperature, and respiration monitored. The rider and the rider’s team have ten minutes to get the horse stabilized. They will use cold water and walk him or her out. It is vital to stabilize the horse within these ten minutes.

  warmblood: A warmblood is not a breed of horse. A warmblood is a horse that is distinguished from many different kinds of horse breeds that share certain characteristics. The warmblood breeds were the result of breeding large coldblood draft horses of northern Europe such as Clydesdales and Percherons with hot-blooded, lighter and faster Arabian horses that warriors captured in the Middle East and Africa and brought back with them after their battles during the Middle Ages. The combination resulted in horses with smaller heads and bodies than large work or draft horses and with temperaments less excitable than hotbloods. Many Olympic horses are from the warmblood breeds.

  wash rack: Where horses are bathed. There is typically a rack on either side of the horse to keep the animal from moving around too much. There are usually cross-ties that hook on to each side of the horse’s halter. This makes it easy for riders to bathe their mounts.

  water combination: These fences range in difficulty from simple water crossings at lower levels to combinations of drop fences into water, obstacles or “islands” within the water, and banks or obstacles out of the water at upper levels of competition.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This is always the hardest part about writing a book. It’s when I turn it in and let it go, and hope it reaches readers who will enjoy it as much as I have loved writing it and living in Vivvie’s world.

  It’s also the hard part because it is inevitable that I will miss acknowledging someone who has helped in the process along the way. I will do my best to remember everyone!

  First off, I wan
t to thank my family: John, Alex, Anthony, Kaitlin, and my mom. My entire family is super supportive, but there are a bunch of them and it would take five pages alone to list them. I am positive they know who they are and how much they mean to me. I do have to point out one of them, though—my aunt Anita. She reads everything I write before it goes to print and she’s been doing that now for twenty-two years.

  I want to thank the editors who worked on this book. I started out with Alison Dasho, who is a lovely woman and very supportive. I haven’t lost her completely (thank God) as she edits my thriller work over at Thomas & Mercer. I was a little nervous to switch from Alison to Kate Chynoweth, but that is no longer the case. An author simply could not ask for a better person to be on her team. Kate has a skilled eye and her suggestions are always “spot on.” She took her time learning about the horse world and the sport of eventing and we worked beautifully together. I can’t wait to start book three with her. Amy Hosford saw many authors through a digital transition that I think was a bit scary for all of us. She did it with grace and what appeared to be ease—although I am sure there were moments when she wanted to scream.