Blue Ridge is a fictional town located deep in the heart of Kentucky. It is home to one of the most well known equestrian academies in the United States. Students and staff from all over the world join the academy for what it has to offer. Do you have what it takes to join us and learn from the Academy?
Smilys were made by Sapphire Heaven of LiveJournal.
The mini-profile hover follows a tutorial by Kagney of Adoxography.
Photos in the skin used under CC from Flickr.
Post by Fionn Paquet on Dec 28, 2014 22:07:50 GMT -8
Finn wiggled his eyebrows. "I like to know what my competition is doing at all times. Maybe I should become a PI instead?" He replied. "Nah, I just like to people-watch. Libby doesn't seem the type to hang around campus if she doesn't have to. And Cara? I'm not sure about anything about her." He nodded his head to the comment about their coach. "Though he would do it just to throw us off. Well, he probably would if cancelling practice. Though if he wanted to make training earlier, he'd send us a text at two in the morning!"
He nodded as he listened to the other boy's thoughts about what field he'd enter, though Finn could guess that whatever he did, he would do it back in Germany, where his father's name would give him a foot in the door - like he would if he followed in his own father's career. "I got into taking photos a few months before I discovered horses." He laughed at the memory. "Photography, and people-watching, is actually how I found horses. Though I took hundreds of photos and watched for a couple of months before I put the idea to my parents, to work in my advantage the Badminton horse trails were on tv."
Post by Stefan Eder on Dec 28, 2014 22:40:26 GMT -8
Kai grinned at Finn's answer, "You'd probably be good at it, although I think that's a job that'd quickly lose its glamor." After the fifth or sixth time sitting around watching a house, it would probably pale relatively quickly in excitement. He nodded in agreement with the other male's assessment of their female teammates, "Yeah, I agree on both counts. I feel like I don't know much of anything about Cara other than that she's great at almost everything." The tiny gymnast didn't really seem to have a personality, even in the classes that they shared, although he knew from when she did provide answers that she was intelligent.
He shuddered at the thought of a 2 AM wakeup text, "Please don't give him that idea. I enjoy gymnastics as much as any of you, but I do enjoy my time to sleep too." He considered, "Although now that you mention it, he might just throw us off like that. We'll have to see." Since they were both new to the team, there was no frame of reference, really, for major holidays and the like, "Just no near-midnight wakeup calls, please."
Hearing how Finn had come to start riding, Stefan smiled, "I'm going to guess that you were successful, since you're here and on a horse." Lupus sidestepped something that must have looked funny, at least to her, on the trail, and Kai took a moment to make sure that the mare settled again before glancing at the straight trail ahead of them, "Would you care to trot again?" Lupus still had some excess energy, it seemed, and he would be glad of the chance to work it off before they returned to the barn.
Post by Fionn Paquet on Dec 29, 2014 13:21:45 GMT -8
Finn pressed his lips together and nodded, he had to agree with his friends assessment of the idea of being a PI, he'd get bored stiff sitting in one place staking someone out. He smirked at what Kai said about Cara. "Ah, but being great comes with greater responsibilities... or something like that." He was almost thankful that the only class he shared with her was herbal remedies, and for that she was silent, unless called upon.
Finn shrugged when the spoke about success on horseback. "To be completely honest with you, I was sent here because of what my parents read about Coach, I don't even think they noticed the horses after that, as long as my schooling would move my gymnastics in the right direction." He sighed. "I became a problem, so my parents sent me away so I wouldn't do anything to embarrass them in front of the public eye." He knew he'd probably said too much, but there was something about being on the trail, in the middle of nowhere, that made it so much easier to open up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to throw all that at you."
At the question, he looked up and saw that the path was approaching an open area. "A trot sounds wonderful." He agreed. "And if that area up there is good to trot on, we could turn around at the end and have a canter if you feel up to it."
Post by Stefan Eder on Dec 30, 2014 7:41:07 GMT -8
Stefan chuckled at Finn's words, "Fair enough." Because Cara was an awesome gymnast, but she didn't seem stuck-up in the way that Libby was. Who really cared? Girls were almost their own species anyway, he didn't want to try to understand most of them.
It was an interesting point of view, being sent to an equestrian academy solely because an Olympian had chosen to spend time working there. But that was the way of the truly pushy parents, seeking the best for their children in the areas they wanted their offspring to excel in. As he heard that Finn had been sent away because he was 'a problem', in whatever sense of the word that he meant, he felt something similar to his own situation, "I'm sorry to hear that." He paused, shaking his head at the boy's apology, "Don't worry about it. It just seemed to hit on my situation pretty squarely, the final straw for my coming here, was that I had managed to cause some problems back home too." Different problems, more within the family, but it had been better to get him away, "So I somewhat understand where you're coming from, although I will admit, I'm happy to be here." He was supposed to be sent away, and had chosen the school himself, with Katy's help, after all.
Hearing Finn's suggestion, he nodded, "That sounds like a plan." Loosening his grip on Lupus' reins, he urged her forward, although he kept her to the side of the trail that they had been riding on. Luckily, Lupus chose to ignore most things when they were moving quicker, and they reached the end-point without incident. Slowing her to a stop, he looked over at Finn, "I think it's good ground, what do you think?"
Post by Fionn Paquet on Jan 7, 2015 23:24:59 GMT -8
Finn decided that right then was a good time to drop any more talk about the girls they trained with. It wasn't like either of them were crushing on any of the girls - or at least he wasn't and Kai wasn't sending out any vibes that he was either - and they weren't out here on their horses to talk about girls anyway.
He arched an eyebrow at the information Kai gave him, though he couldn't see the other boy having done drugs in the past so his reason for being banished across and ocean had to be different from his, yet the consequences much more sever than his own, at least he was only on the other side of the country to his parents, Kai was half a world away from his, so he made a quiet note not to act like he'd lost too much from his old life. Especially when things here were so much better than what they had been, and he was enjoying his new sense of freedom, even if Coach did push them to an almost breaking point. "I agree, being here isn't the burden that my parents thought they were thrusting upon me." He said with a smile and a nod.
He was pleased with Casper's training as he asked the gelding to hold back as the mare trotted ahead of them, and once he felt that there was a safe distance between them, he too asked his mount to move forward at the faster gait, and he moved in time with the gelding as they trotted along. He reined the gelding back to a walk, as Kai halted his mare and he nodded his head in agreement. "I think the ground is great." He said with a huge grin. The reason he had held back at the trot was to make sure that the ground was safe on both sides of their path. "Do you want to race?" He asked with a laugh, hoping that a little competition would keep his friend's horse thinking about what they were doing rather than the monsters that could be surrounding them, even though she had seemed pretty sedate at the trot.
Post by Stefan Eder on Jan 12, 2015 20:41:35 GMT -8
Kai grinned, "Exactly." It was nice to know someone who understood, even if their situations probably weren't the same. Who would lie, and blame a family member no less, for the death of a horse? Now, looking back, he regretted it, but at the time... He didn't know what he'd been thinking. It was a knee-jerk reaction to get out of trouble, but that hadn't worked out as planned.
Enough of that. He could regret it, but not when his distraction might mean an injury to Casper, or Lupus for that matter. After turning Lupus back around on the trail, he grinned at Finn's suggestion, jumping at the chance. The ground was clear, and he hoped that Lupus would behave, as she had at the trot. Yes, they should be fine, "Sounds like a plan." He bent down to pat Lupus' neck, then looked over at Finn, counting down slowly, "Three, two, one, go!"
With that, he loosened his grip on Lupus' reins and tightened his heels around her barrel, grinning as the Oldenburg launched forward. It seemed like too short a time before they had to pull up again, and Lupus didn't seem to want to, although she finally did slow. Exhilarated, Kai looked over at Finn, "That was great!"
Post by Fionn Paquet on Jan 13, 2015 9:25:15 GMT -8
Finn had enjoyed the faster speed, and he could tell that his gelding has enjoyed it too, as the bay horse's steps now had a little more bounce. The boy gave a wolfish grin when the other gymnast agreed to the race and he leaned forward to rub Casper's neck. "Come on, old chap." He said. "We'll show this pretty little lady... and her rider, what it means to go fast."
He readied himself as Kai counted down and when the word was given, he squeezed his legs and gave the gelding his head. The horses remained neck and neck for a bit and then the large Hanoverian began to drop back, and not from Casper slowing down. The next thing Finn knew, he was slowing the gelding down to a fast trot and then a walk, though Casper threw his head up and down, begging to keep going. "Was it ever!" He agreed. "I think both wanted to keep going! We should find a place where we can race the two of them another time." Somewhere with a much longer stretch, though he just didn't know where.
Now they they were headed homeward, he guessed it was time to take the horses back to the barn so that they could return to the real world, joy.
Post by Stefan Eder on Jan 14, 2015 16:04:46 GMT -8
Kai listened to the suggestion, "That sounds wonderful!" He would guess that Lupus was fine going for quite a distance more, although he wouldn't want to push her too far. But this... This had almost been too short, although it was what they had, "Maybe near the cross country courses, there might be some flat ground without jumps?" Areas that hadn't been implemented in the plans for the courses, or just a line through the jumps, perhaps it might be their best shot, "I haven't really seen anything straight and flat yet, but I haven't been looking hard." Now he would keep an eye out.
Looking out towards the trail they were on, Kai rubbed Lupus' neck. They were heading back, but that was okay. It had been long enough outside for the time being, and while Lupus certainly could keep going, there was no need to push her. "I think we'll be back just before it starts getting really dark." The sun was starting to get lower, and they might just hit the beginning of gloaming, so they had picked a good time to turn around. "What do you think they'll be serving in the cafeteria today?" He wasn't going to starve, but considering what might be served would give them something to talk about.
Post by Fionn Paquet on Jan 14, 2015 17:44:06 GMT -8
Now that he had suggested finding a place to race, Finn couldn't, for the life of him, think of where a good place would be. "Yeah, the cross country course must have some flat areas where they can transport out the temporary jumps, and repair or fix the permanent ones." He agreed, at least he knew that there was a pretty flat roadway type thing near the course at his old barn, so he was hoping that other places were the same. "I've never thought of racing another horse before this either." He chuckled at the thought, he could aspire to be a jockey! At least it didn't seem he was going to get any taller any time soon, though he wasn't sure how his father would react. How much did a jockey make anyway?
It was only when Kai mentioned it that Finn noticed how low the sun was in the sky. "Yes, heaven forbid they think we're lost and need rescuing." He was more worried about the fact that if they thought he was lost they would call his father and that would open a can of worms he didn't want to be a part of.
His eyes lit up at the thought of food, and his stomach grumbled. "Enchiladas!" He declared, though he hadn't paid any attention to the menu at lunchtime and didn't have a clue as to what would be served up for dinner. He put his hand on his stomach when it grumbled again. "I feed you not too long ago, stay out of this!" He said in a mock stern voice, as though his stomach was going to answer back, and he was sure he would fall off Casper's back laughing if it did. "What do you think will be dished up?"
Post by Stefan Eder on Jan 15, 2015 17:38:23 GMT -8
Kai grinned at the boy's immediate response. He'd never had the dish before coming here, but had tried it at the cafeteria, and indeed had quite enjoyed it. It was something different. He had, of course, tried other culture's foods back home, but there wasn't quite the emphasis on it there. Here, everything had to be in its own little category. He chuckled at the boy's conversation, if it was that, with his stomach. Adopting an affected, high-English accent, Kai grinned, "Far too long ago, by my reckoning." Sure, possibly he'd been reading too many historical novels, but it was amusing nonetheless.
Asked about his thoughts, Kai frowned, thinking for a moment, "I'm hoping they'll have that clam chowder again, I really enjoyed it." Another new thing, to him, and one of the best things he'd tried. "But I'm sure I'll find something to eat even if they don't have that." His stomach was rumbling too, now that food was so prominently in his thoughts. He looked ahead, trying to gauge how far they were out from the barn, but there was still another bend between them and the academy, "If we don't get back quickly, I might ask Lupus to share her food for want of a snack." He grinned, "I don't know how she'd respond to that."