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.
Scout walked alongside him as he walked across the field. Nodded along as he talked, trying to imagine what her days would be like once she had fully settled in, her own little routine that she would have at the school. She had yet to take her gelding out on a ride and she thought that the trails sounded like a nice idea.
"Yeah I was planning on going out on the trails sometime, I know my boy would like a chance to stretch his legs and get used to the place, kinda like me. Maybe I'll see you when I'm out there." she nudged him teasingly "and if you take any pictures of me try and get my good side."
She turned her body to her new friend and kept walking slightly sidestep, she was slightly surprised that she hadn't asked before "Do you have your own horse or did you get assigned one?"
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 8, 2017 13:42:56 GMT -8
He wiggled his eyebrows. "Sounds like a plan." He said, and gave a cocky grin as he dropped back a few steps as he watched her walk ahead of him. "Your good side, huh? I'm sure I can manage that." He nodded as he picked up his pace to walk beside her again.
He groaned at the mention of horses. "I have two." He replied offhandedly. "My dad couldn't handle the idea of me riding some washed-up school horse." He thought about Casper, the school horse he had been riding at the time, and the Hanoverian was anything but washed-up. So he bought me a horse, an Andalusian, Mustang cross. Then he must have done some research, or one of his... work buddies must have said something and low and behold a flashy Selle Franciças turns up at Christmas time." She flashed her a wolfish grin. "How did you come to get your Finn?"
Last Edit: Feb 8, 2017 13:43:24 GMT -8 by Fionn Paquet
Scout scoffed when she heard the term 'washed-up' to describe the horses. When he finished his explanation talking Scout turned to him, her eyebrows raised and her mouth opened slightly her voice laced with annoyance and disbelief of the boy's father "Has your dad even seen the horses at this school 'cause 'washed-up' isn't a word I'd use to describe them."
She put her hands in her pockets as she walked, imagining what the two horses looked like. "Ooh fancy, daddy must have splashed the cash on that Christmas present." she said jokingly her eyes glittering with amusement. She kicked the ground a little as she walked adding with a more soft and serious voice "But you like them, right?" wondering what he thought about his two horses.
Her face softened slightly in remembrance "My family own an animal shelter, it ain't that big or fancy but everyone in the county knew about it. It was kinda just me and my grandpa working there..." she trailed off slightly when thinking about her dead grandpa but she steered her explanation back on course "Well, anyway. One of grandpa's old friends was planning on giving away a gelding and she wanted to give him a good home so- she gave him to us." laughing under her breath, thinking about it"I must've been nine years old at the time. Love at first sight and all that jazz." she joked trying to cover up what she thought was a sentimental chick flick moment.
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 9, 2017 10:46:35 GMT -8
Finn shrugged. "My dad can't see what's right in front of his face at times." He replied with a smirk. "Though that fact that the gymnastic coach here is a former Olympian didn't slip passed his notice."
He shrugged at her joke about the arrival of Enfant. "I love Spur, the Mustang cross." He said as he kicked the ground as they walked. "The other one, I've kind of ignored for a year. I signed him up for the catch rider show last year, only because I wouldn't have to ride him." He shrugged again as he kicked the ground once more, knowing that he sounded like a spoiled brat right then. "I rode him in the New Year's show though, he was my saving grace for not having to spend the hols with the fam-dam-ily. He's a good horse. Wonder what dear old dad would do if I sold him?" He blew out a breath, he didn't think he'd ever forgive his dad for sending Enfant to the Academy without at least talking to his son first. He didn't want a flashy horse with a perfect pedigree!
He glanced her way as she spoke about how she got her horse. "Sounds like fun." He said in a wistful voice. He chuckled. "I was fifteen when I got Spur, and with him it was like connecting on a whole new level. So I get the love at first sight analogy."
Scout looked at him understandingly "Two horses does seem quite excessive but you know..." she hesitated slightly hoping that she wasn't becoming some soppy agony aunt, she shrugged and continued on regardless "you can always keep trying to get to know him" Scout wasn't usually one for giving advice and tried to think of what her wise ol' grandpa would say in this situation. "and if you wanted, I can come round to his stall and, you know, help you out with him or something?"
"Spur sounds cool and if he is anything like his rider he must be fun to be around" she chuckled as she walked nearly to the end of the grass "Maybe your two can get a chance to meet my Finn and like I said before I'm probably going to have a go on the trails maybe I'll get a chance to see how cool you are in a saddle."
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 9, 2017 11:53:27 GMT -8
He nodded, completely agreeing that two horses was way excessive when he only ride because it was part of the curriculum. "I think he was hoping that I would be as shallow as he is, fall in love with Enfant's fantastic pedigree and would beg him to sell Spur." He visibly shuddered at the thought of begging his father for anything, the whole idea of his made his stomach churn to the point he thought he was going to throw up."I'd love to take you up on that offer." He said with a genuine smile. "Though the barn managers are really big on the students pulling their own weight so if they thought I was getting someone else to do my work, I'd be in trouble. And unlike a gymnast in White Oak, I actually like doing all the hard work."
He put a hand to his heart at her next words. "Awe. flattery will get you... well everywhere these days." He gave her a wolfish grin, and arched an eyebrow at the idea of riding together. "How does Sunday sound?" He asked. "Depending on whether you're a morning person or not, we could leave early and make a day of it? I could show you the waterfall." Technically it wasn't a waterfall like most people expected, but it was still a really good ride. "What equine classes are you taking? You might even get to see me in the saddle before then.
She sniggered as she seen him shudder. She nodded to herself as he talked, she already knew about the barn managers rules but she wanted to offer anyway, she loved keeping herself busy and offering to help would keep her occupied. "Yeah, I kinda figured but the offers still there if you ever need it."
she grinned up at him when he mentioned being a hard worker truthfully stating "Honestly you do seem like that kind of guy. I'm the same, I like working and getting my hands dirty, you know" she pursed her lips in thought and added "I don't think I've met that gymnast you're talking about but I probably will at some point" she added in explanation "Finn is staying at White Oak Barn."
She slowed down slightly as she walked, mentally checking her half constructed timetable in her head. "Sunday is great!" she said nodding her head "I'm always up early in the morning so that would be no problem and it sounds amazing." Scout looked up, her head tilted slightly trying to remember the equine classes she was in, actually quite annoyed that she had nearly forgotten "Well... I'm taking show jumping and the cross country, are they any of your classes?"
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 9, 2017 17:02:31 GMT -8
He bowed his head with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind should I ever need it." He said graciously, as there were bound to be times when competitions would take him away for a weekend and he'd need someone he trusted to help look after his brutes rather than expect the barn staff to add them to their already busy schedule. He smirked as he thought of one particular student barn hand who would already be caring for two ponies should the team be away for a weekend.
He chuckled and nodded. "Trust me, if you'd met Libby, you'd know." He replied as he wiggled his eyebrows. "She's not shy about making herself known."
He grinned when she agreed to go on a trail ride on the weekend. "Great! We can talk more about that closer to the time." After all, anything could happen in a matter of days and it was best not to cement too early in case they had to change. "My only mounted class is eventing, so it seems that we won't be in class together. Other than that, I take herbal remedies and natural horsemanship." He shrugged. "As I said before, riding just isn't my be all, end all. It's fun, but not the only thing I want to do." And his father was furious that he had chosen only one mounted class.
"Well then, I can't wait to meet this Libby and you never know, she may replace you on my list of gymnastic friends." Scout teasingly stated and repeated the action of wiggling her eyebrows.
Scout agreed with the trail idea, nodding and humming in agreement to what he said.
She was disappointed that they didn't have any mounted classes together "Well that's a shame." Her eyes widened slightly as she remembered the horsemanship class "but hey! I'm taking natural horsemanship too, it seems like an interesting class and I like doing stuff like that"
"Yeah I get you. I mean, I love riding but I wouldn't want my life to be completely focused on it." and it was true she love riding but she didn't want her love for riding to turn into a love for competing, it reminded her of the old lady who used to own Finn and how she became with distant and only focused on winning competitions.
"Do you have any ideas what you want to do when you leave this place 'cause I still don't have any idea what I want to do." She was actually quite curious to know if anyone else knew what job they wanted and it would give her some relief if she found someone in the same situation as her.
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 10, 2017 22:37:57 GMT -8
He couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Libby ever regrading Scout as a friend. "If that ever happens, make sure you get it on tape!" He said with a nod!
He grinned at the idea of maybe being in natural horsemanship with her. "What about your academic classes?" He asked. "We could share a few of those?" He closed his eyes, forehead creasing in concentration as he thought about what classes he was talking that year. "I take... algebra 2, English lit, bio, world history, PE and drama...." He went through the list in his head again and nodded. "Yup, that's it."
He arched an eyebrow when asked if he had ideas for after school. "The twenty-twenty Olympic Games." He replied with a cocky grin. "I'm hoping to get noticed by a few more scouts during this year and next, and if I get a gymnastics scholarship to some college, then I can keep in the game." He grinned. "I might even study photography... which means I should take art next year rather than drama."
Scout scoffed jokingly, already understanding what kind of girl this Libby was "Oh please, the girl will fall for my charming personality and before you know it, we'll be BBFs, you'll see." her voice took a high pitch girly tone as she said 'BFFs', chuckling to herself as she imagined she was a girly girl in some chick flick.
She looked up in thought ticking off all the similar classes in her head smiling at the amount of classes they had the same, nodding her head slightly as she listed them off "Algebra 2, English Lit, Bio and PE. I'm also doing Geography and Art."
She looked slightly awed as she listened to his plans for the future "That sounds amazing and I think you can do it." she breathed out a laugh as he mentioned scouts "Well I think a Scout has already noticed you so that must be a good sign."
"Art class is amazing, I think you will enjoy it."
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 11, 2017 14:02:16 GMT -8
He threw his head back and laughed at the idea of Libby being BFFs with anyone, shaking his head at her tone of voice. "She'd probably hand you a ten page contract to sign before she'd even class you as an antiscience. Her name's Libby, as she has this 'only my friends call me Libby' thing going on, and it's only the fact that I train with her six days a week that gives me the right to shorten her name."
He grinned that they were in nearly all the same academic classes, though it didn't mean they would be in the same class though as most of them were broken into groups. "We could become study buddies!! He made the last two words sound as excited as her being BFFS with Libby.
He shrugged. "It's what's expected of me." He replied. "If I keep daddy happy, he'll stay out of my life." And the longer he could remain away from his father and no doubt the political career that was coming his way, the happier he would be. He grinned at her next words. "Indeed!" He replied. "And this Scout I'm happy to have the notice of."
Part of him wondered if it was already too late to swap electives, and decided it was since they were only a few months away from summer and he'd have no hope in hell of passing a class this late in the year, where he could easily pass the class he was already taking.
Scout giggled at the study buddies idea, placing her hand on her chest and put on a bubbly Valley girl voice "Yay, OMG that would be amazing!" She casually waded side to side as she walked almost at the end of the field to the road ahead.
She batted the complement away jokingly and pouted her lips mischievously as she pretended to be bashful "Oh stop it you'll make me blush."
Scout stopped when she it came time to leave the field and turned to look at her new friend. Her hands stuffed in her pockets and her half grin on her face "Well... that's my social interaction done for today." slightly awkward at what she could say "But erm it was cool to talk to you, and erm... she pointed at him her question in the air "I'll see you on Sunday?"
Post by Fionn Paquet on Feb 12, 2017 11:53:01 GMT -8
He laughed and rolled his eyes skyward at her antics. "In all seriousness, we could share notes if you ever need them."
His eyebrows shot up, hand moving to his heart. "You mean I'm not your first?" He asked, sounding shocked and hurt. "I don't think I'll ever get over that." He gave her a grin. "It was wonderful meeting you too, and yes, I will see you on Sunday. I'll grab something from the cafeteria for lunch, so all you'll need to bring is your charming self." Now it really was beginning to sound like a date, though he was hardly going to take her on a long trail ride without taking food as well.
Heading back across the field, he grabbed his bag and then made his way back to his dorm.