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 Katherine Lorelia on Sept 24, 2018 13:15:10 GMT -8
Kitty whistled softly to herself as she worked thoroughly over her newest mount's coat with a currycomb, although she had to pause every so often to dodge a well-aimed bite. It would take more than that to get around the blonde, though; she'd been working with horses ever since she could remember, and by now, she could probably have avoided Fee's relatively halfhearted attempts at biting even with her back turned, though she wouldn't have cared to try it. The mare was a trial; she was a nuisance, a bully, a kicker and a biter and a bucker who reacted to the barest touch of a riding crop as though she was being burned at the stake, and one had to learn to roll with her before even daring to carry such a thing in her vicinity. Needless to say, the Irish girl had learned to do that long ago. That wasn't to say that she would have been in a similarly advantaged position with every difficult horse- they were all different, after all- but she'd seen this one grow up, worked with her for years, and by now, she knew her inside and out. Still... she was definitely kept on her toes.
Post by Ivan Theodore Mallon on Sept 26, 2018 9:51:44 GMT -8
Teddy left Thyme in the paddocks, grazing happily, and then made his way to the White Oak Barn, planning on grooming Avise and possibly taking her out for a trail ride or something similar. As he walked into the barn, and his eyes adjusted to the indoor lighting, he spotted someone familiar, with an unfamiliar horse. He walked over where Kitty was grooming the bay, and raised an eyebrow, "You didn't tell me you were bringing a new friend. Who's this?"
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Sept 26, 2018 10:04:14 GMT -8
"I didn't know!" Kitty protested, not turning to greet her friend- she could tell who it was well enough by his voice, and she didn't particularly want to take a chance on turning her back on the mare if she didn't have to. The haunches were always the worst part; she might be out of biting range, but she was closer than she liked to those back legs, and Fee was definitely a kicker. "This is Fee. Sometimes, I call her Fiend." At last, the Irish girl turned and gave the dark-haired boy a sunny smile. "And she deserves it."
Post by Ivan Theodore Mallon on Sept 26, 2018 12:37:16 GMT -8
Teddy chuckled, "Ah, surprise horse. Makes sense." He considered the mare, although he kept his distance, taking his cues from Kitty. His concerns were justified as the girl continued to speak, giving the mare's name, and then the nickname. He chuckled again, smiling back at Kitty as she finally turned to face him, "One of those fiery McGinty horses?" He looked the mare up and down, "Nice-looking, at least. How far away should I stand?"
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Sept 26, 2018 12:56:02 GMT -8
"She's a definite mare. And honestly, I'd prefer you to stay on the other side of that door," Kitty told him firmly, dropping her currycomb into her grooming kit with a clang and slipping neatly out of the stall, closing the aforementioned door with a firm snap just as the mare tried to follow her. Safety thus assured, she then felt herself able to devote her full attention to giving Teddy the tightest hug that she could possibly manage, which she did, despite the fact that, having spent a couple of hours in riding before she'd even started on her grooming, she was probably not the most fragrant of individuals just at present.
Post by Ivan Theodore Mallon on Sept 26, 2018 13:30:32 GMT -8
Teddy nodded at Kitty's instructions, glad he hadn't barged in to start with. He shouldn't have been surprised at the next thing that happened, but he still found himself slightly startled. He recovered and hugged her back, though, tightly with one arm, gingerly with the one that still hurt sometimes. "I'm glad you're back, I've missed you."
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Sept 26, 2018 14:23:53 GMT -8
"I missed you more," Kitty countered somewhat predictably, holding him tightly. She loved all her friends, of course she did, but Teddy was special- he was the first friend she'd made at Blue Ridge, and, she thought, the closest. The blonde kissed his cheek briefly before finally releasing him and stepping back to look him up and down. "You look really good!" she exclaimed. "Maybe you should fall off more often!"
Post by Ivan Theodore Mallon on Oct 1, 2018 9:49:21 GMT -8
Teddy flushed bright red, and he wasn't sure if it was the comment, or the kiss. Kitty had that affect on him. As she looked him over, that flush darkened, but he chuckled, "I'd rather not, if it's all the same!" He grinned, "Unless it gets you doting on me, but still. You look lovely as always."
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Oct 1, 2018 10:30:32 GMT -8
"No accounting for taste," the Irish girl teased in return, picking up her grooming kit from where she'd set it down to hug Teddy. Automatically, her finger traced the shape of the logo embossed on the handle, growing somewhat worn now, and the blonde considered whether or not it was worth buying a new one. Probably not, she suspected, but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to anyway. "And hey! I dote on you anyway!"
Post by Ivan Theodore Mallon on Oct 3, 2018 9:33:42 GMT -8
Teddy raised an eyebrow, "Sure." He laughed at her indignant response, "Yes, you do, and I enjoy it anyway." He grinned, "Come say hi to Avise if you have a moment? I'm sure she's missed you, and you can tell her all about her friends back home." It was still amusing to him, that his mom had bought him a horse from Kitty's family, without knowing that he and Kitty were close friends. "She's a bit grumpy, we haven't been able to get out as much as I would have liked."
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Oct 10, 2018 9:00:12 GMT -8
Kitty nodded briskly. "And I should think so too!" She poked him gently on the nose. "I always have time for you and Avise! So what have you been up to over the summer? Nothing dangerous, I hope?" The blonde linked her own arm through the boy's and began tugging him briskly in the direction of the other horse, not that they had far to go. Of course she knew Avise's stall almost as well as she did Pride's- she might be Teddy's horse now, but Kitty wasn't going to forget her so easily!
Post by Ivan Theodore Mallon on Oct 17, 2018 11:05:28 GMT -8
Teddy laughed, "Nothing dangerous, no. Some PT for my arm, it's getting there. Lots of round pen work for Avise and Spice, lots of trail walks, nothing very exciting." He followed Kitty without much resistance, smiling as he spotted the pinto mare's head pop up, "Did you do anything exciting over the summer? Please tell me stories, I was stuck here."
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Oct 17, 2018 13:58:30 GMT -8
"That's good," the blonde nodded, resting her arm around the boy's shoulders instead as she leaned the other one against the top of the stall door, clicking softly to the mare. "Uh, yeah! I went home, and we went to Camphire Horse Trials! That was really good; there were a couple of our horses competing. A few famous faces, too... I got a couple of autographs," she confessed with a grin, stroking the mare's nose with her free hand. "I missed you, though! You have to come and stay with me for a bit next summer!"