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.
* Lucy Woodhaven - Darkest Raven * Ráhel Sárközi - H Wregölő * Cara-Jean Kitchi - Night Mystique * Finn Paquet - Père Temps * Kall Rolleston - Mr. Nice Guy * Victoria Greco - Cosa Nostra * Katherine Lorelia - McGinty's Pride of Place
Post by Victoria Greco on Aug 28, 2017 1:04:38 GMT -8
Tori hummed softly as she groomed Stella's coat, brushing out the running braid she had left the mare's mane in the night before and smiling at the way the black mane spilled down the horse's neck. Once the brushed were put away, she began to get the mare tacked up, loving the way that the gold trim on the saddle blanket just seemed to pop against the mare's glowing coat and the black of the pad.
She was dressed a lot more casual than the day before; in a shortsleeved black and gold shirt and her beige breeches, with her shiny black field boots. Once her back protector was on, and her medical cards attached to her upper arm, she clipped her helmet in place and led the mare out of the barn.
Swinging into the saddle, she squeezed the mare forward and tightened the girth as they headed toward the cross country course. "We got this one girl." She told the mare, knowing that the day before had been a disaster. She pushed dressage out of her mind though as they reached the marshaling area and she began to warm the mare up as they waited for their number to be called.
It was much too soon when it was called, but she didn't tell them that as she rode the mare toward the starting gate, already feeling the adrenaline coursing through the mare, who danced on the spot, and as soon as they were given the go, she didn't bother trying to hold the mare back as they flew across the grass and toward the first fence.
This was the discipline that had always terrified her mother, as, unlike show jumping, these fences didn't fall apart when one hit them, and everything could go wrong in a split second. A slightly insane laugh escaped the girl as they flew over the first fence, knowing that she really shouldn't be thinking about how everything could go so wrong. No matter though, this is why she lived for riding, she loved the ability to run hell for leather toward an inanimate object and putting all her faith in the mare to see them over to the other side of that object, while at the same time, the mare trusted her, to keep her safe and to help keep her on a true path.
The mare lost her footing in the water jump, but quickly recovered and jumped out soundly so Tori thought n more of it as they continued around the course, loving every minute of it, and it was only as the cleared the last fence at a flat gallop and she began to circle the mare to bring her back to a trot and then a walk did she look down and realise that the Warmblood was missing one of her boots. The stumble now made sense, as Stella must have stood on her own boot and tripped, pulling it all the way off. "Good girl!" She breathed as she leaned forward and gave her lathered horse a hug for a job well done. Now it was the girl's job to cool the mare out and take her back to the barn for a well earned rest.
Post by Lucy Woodhaven on Aug 28, 2017 8:15:20 GMT -8
Lucy finished grooming the mare. Raven had always been a rock star when it came to cross country. She had that in her favor when it came to three days. After their somewhat disappointing dressage round yesterday Lucy hoped that this went much better. She had brought a new vest finally so she was feeling much safer. She had found a lime green short sleeved shirt finally. She had finished her outfit with a pair of cream breeches. She put her medical info into the holder on her arm before clipping on her helmet. Lucy had left Raven's mane free. The mare wore a brown saddle, her black pad with the lime green trim and lime green boots.
Lucy lead the mare out of the barn. She swung into the saddle as soon as they were outside. Lucy tried to put everything else out of mind as they marshaling area and she began to warm the mare up as they waited for their number to be called. She watched the other rider's take off to ride their rides. She put Raven through her paces at a walk and a trot no need to risk any faster.
Just as Raven was feeling warmed up, Lucy heard her number called. She made her way to the starting box. Raven seemed to be taking this in her normal stride. Not much get Raven to act hyper. When Lucy asked the mare to go through she sprung up and into a powerful gallop. Raven took the first fence with ease. Lucy sometimes felt like she just along for the ride with Raven in control.
Pheasant feeders, to the earth banks Raven controlled the ride and it was fast and clear. At the houses Lucy took a little more control back as the soared over them and headed for the roll tops. Lucy and Raven were looking good as they came through them headed for the steps. Lucy felt Raven tense to make the jump up. Then the mare landed, she did this for the steps then picked up a better gallop coming away from the steps. She soared over each log in her path.
When they where through the lake Lucy breathed a sigh of relief but didn't let up her riding. Submerged roads had never been her favorite fence. The where over the bridge and galloping away to the brush jump. Raven jumped it high and tight. Then they made there gallop for the next fence. They soared over it. Lucy reined her mare back a little as she picked her line to ride. The 14th and 15th fences went off easy. they soared over the wagon top with just as much ease. Raven heisted a little at the ditch but still jumped. It was late however and she taped the rail with a leg. She stumbled a little but pulled it back together. They bounced through the sunken road.Lucy road her up and over the treasure chest. Then they where are the step's Raven was light on her feet and Lucy kept her in hand as they jumped down the steps and over the sheep feeder. Lucy felt the mare find her highest speed again as they headed for the last fence. Lucy let the mare jump high and fast.
Then it was over and Lucy was dropping the mare into a walk. This had to be one of their best runs as a team yet. Lucy got off and ran up her stirrups and let the girth out. Raven was sweaty and she would need hosed off. Lucy also knew she needed to rebraid the mare."That was so good Raven so good." Lucy said as she walked the mare towards the barn.
Post by Kallistos Rolleston on Sept 1, 2017 0:32:13 GMT -8
Kall could feel the excitement buzzing through him as he got Jett ready to be ridden, and he couldn't blame the gelding from jumping at every noise, as he was reacting to what he could feel from his handler, so the teen didn't waste any time in mucking around as he finished getting the black horse ready. The red saddle pad seemed to pop against the black of the gelding's coat, as did the horse's boots. And as soon as he had his back protector in place, with his medical band fastened, he clipped his helmet under his chin and led the horse outside the barn.
He had been expecting it when he swung into the saddle, so managed to pull Jett around before the gelding could take off full throttle in whatever direction he was facing, and it made the boy wonder if the gelding had been a Thoroughbred in his past life, which made him laugh. Keepin the Hanoverian on a tight rein, they made their way toward the cross country course and he began to warm the horse up slowly, making sure not to push anything and end up injuring the horse later on.
He could fee the horse's tension rise as they watched the riders before them head off and he felt calmer than he probably should as he rode the gelding into the stating gate and held the gelding in as they waited while the steward counted them down and he barely heard the word go, as the gelding bolted forward! If he had thought that the horse had eaten the ground the day before, it was nothing like what he felt now. He gathered his senses as they approached the first fence and he rose out of the saddle, giving the horse his head, as they flew over the jump, and he barely had enough time to catch his breath as the gelding was powering down the track toward the next jump.
There was a little voice in his head that told him he should be taking this slowly, as it was their first timed round on a cross country course and they were still getting to know each other, but Kall threw caution to the wind and gave gave the gelding his head as his hooves just seemed to eat the ground under them.
The fences went by in a blur, though the horse took direction well enough, as the teen took charge at combination fences, and Kall had a feeling that as long as Jett knew that they were both in this together, he would be happy to throw himself over everything in their path. He shook his head in disbelief as Jett flew over the final fence and he began to circle the horse as he asked him to transition downward, even if the gelding thought that he was ready to go again.
Post by Fionn Paquet on Sept 1, 2017 0:57:12 GMT -8
"Let's do this." Finn said as he groomed Enfant and got the ready. He curled his nose as he put the horse's gear on, not quite sure how much he like the lime green on the saddle pad. Sure, the browband and his boots looked, so maybe the pad needed to be toned down. However, now wasn't the time to worry about that, as this wasn't about the turn-out, but the timing and jumping. With the horse ready, he walked into the tack room and finished getting himself ready. Fastening the helmet under his chin and adjusting his armband, he led the horse outside. "Are you awake?" He asked the horse, slightly concerned with his quietness as he tightened the girth and swung into the saddle.
Arriving at the cross country course, the gelding was still acting a little sluggish, and Finn decided that he'd give the chestnut until they were called and if the Selle Français hadn't picked up by then, he'd scratch their class. With a shrug, he began to warm his lackluster horse up. The change in the horse's attitude was instant as soon as the first horse left the gate, and Enfant suddenly seemed to realise that they were here to do, and Finn laughed.
Their number was finally called and he squeezed the now almost explosive horse toward the starting gate, and he kept the chestnut bouncing in place as they waited and then allowed him to explode forward. They thundered toward the first fence and barely made it over. After nearly running into the second fence, Finn knew that he needed to take control of what was happening and he slowed his horse down a notch as they continued on their way. "Sorry, bud." He said as he rubbed the gelding's neck. "Think we both got slightly ahead of ourselves there."
He knew that cross country was a bit of a sore point with his father, as this was the one event that could ruin his entire future, but the teen didn't want to think about this right now as he continued to keep the horse at a slightly slower than breakneck speed. Through the water, over the brush, the coffin - Finn's less favourite of jumps - and then the trakehner. "Good boy." He loosened his grip on the horse and allowed Enfant to pick the speed the rest of the way through the course, knowing that the gelding had his craziness out of his system and he pumped his fist into the air as they cleared the final fence and he circled the gelding down to a walk and loosened the girth before he rode him back to the barn, giving him a long rein.
Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on Sept 1, 2017 1:44:23 GMT -8
Cara ran a brush through Pyre's mane, doing her best to remain focused on what she was doing, and not how she was feeling, as that would just disrupt everything. She stepped back and nodded toward the slight wave through the mare's normally unruly mane, pleased that she had thought to leave her mane in a french braid the night before. She checked the pony's tack; the close contact saddle was sitting where it should, no folds in the pad under the saddle, the red and black cross country boots were done up properly with the mare's feathers tucked away so they would be uncomfortable during their ride.
Heading to the tack room, she slipped out of the tracksuit she was wearing to reveal her beige breeches and the white shirt she was wearing. She had been tempted to try and shake her normal style and wear a two toned shirt for this event, but she couldn't do it, so her short sleeved show shirt had been what was put on. With a shake of her head, she slipped the black body protector on and did it up before she fastened her medical armband in place and grabbed her helmet. Putting it on, she walked back out to where she could hear Pyre shifting in place with nervous energy. "I know, it's time to go." She whispered as she removed the crossties and led the pony from the barn.
Using the ride down to the cross country course as part of their warm-up, she knew that she could get straight into the work of supple and flexion when they reached the grass. Keeping her attention mostly on the pony she was riding, she also split it to everything else that was happening around them, watching the other riders and paying attention to the numbers being called.
She squeezed Pyre forward when their number wall called, and she could feel the tension in the mare, like that of a coiled spring, ready to let loose, and she backed the mare up a step when she knew that all Pyre wanted was to go. When they were given the word, she gave the people around them a silent apology as the mare shot forward with an explosive burst of gas, though she didn't have time to think about it as the mare headed to the first fence. Rather than letting the mare run hell for leather, as she would need to, just to make the time limit, she checked the mare in right before the fence and they flew over before she allowed the mare forward and to the next fence.
The rest of the course continued much the same way, Cara gave the black sprite her head between fences and asked for her partnership before each jump so that they could do it as a team. Cara had never been a fan of water jumps, probably because of the height thing and her riding a pony, but she didn't let this get in her way as they thundered through the water and out the other side.
As they neared the end, Cara wanted to be able to circle her shoulder, just to try and loosen the tightness in there, but she also knew that she was doing all she could to keep the mare between her legs as Pyre seemed to pick up speed as they went over each obstacle, and she grinned from ear to ear as the mare powered over the final jump and Cara sat back as she circled the pony back to a walk, bridging the reins in her right hand as she circled her left. Quickly pushing it away as she turned the mare back to the barn to give her a well deserved rest.
Post by Katherine Lorelia on Sept 1, 2017 4:20:32 GMT -8
Kitty let out a long, slow breath as she stepped back and contemplated the results of her labour. Pride seemed to shine in the sunlight as it slanted through the window and the blonde was very pleased with the outcome of her handiwork. The hours which she had spent on grooming the gelding had been well spent. His tack gleamed; his saddlecloth was immaculate. Kitty was rather happy with herself, but then again she was just a happy person.
She didn't look at all bad herself, either. White breeches contrasted nicely with brown leather boots and gloves. She hadn't neglected the sparkle either; her cuffs and collar glinted with red glitter, vibrant against the white of her shirt. Kitty closed her eyes for a moment, then she tightened her gelding's girth, slipped on her gloves and led Pride out into the fresh air, where she vaulted lightly into the saddle and adjusted her stirrups slightly before beginning the journey up to the course.
Knowing that she was late, Kitty had sensibly put the gelding through a few different warm ups on the way, which was just as well since she had barely arrived before her number was called. The blonde waved at the girl who finished just before her, before turning her focus to the course before her. Kitty took a deep breath. "Here we go." she murmured to her mount. And then they were off.
The blonde had to hold Pride back for the first few strides as he set off far too fast, but she'd been expecting it, and after a moment or two, he slowed to a more sensible pace. Satisfied, the blonde put pressure on her left rein to bring Pride further into the centre of the jump, and then they were off the ground and she felt the moment of flight which she loved... And then they were on the ground again. Kitty's heart stopped for a moment as the gelding seemed to stumble, but then he found his footing once more and she allowed herself to breathe. After this, she scarcely missed a beat; drawing smooth lines from one jump to the next. The water jump was, as always, a problem, but Kitty stayed in the saddle, and that was all that she could ask for. As she reined to a halt, the blonde gave her mount a firm pat on the neck, already thinking of the next round.