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 Cara-Jean Kitchi on May 28, 2018 23:56:54 GMT -8
Cara smiled her thanks as the Wilkes' family walked Pyre out for her, and as much as Tea wanted to be sitting on the pony, her parents were firm about her remaining on the ground, promising the girl they would come back another time so that she could have a ride on the pony before they made their final decisions.
With the mare taken care of, she turned her attention to Tex, she pushed his grumpy nose away from her, as he lashed out; grumpy at being left in his stall in cross-ties, even if he had had a haynet to keep him occupied. It didn't take her long to sweep over his copper coat with a brush and then tacked him up, all the bling that was on Pyre's bridle was missing with Tex's. With him looking like he was ready for a photo shoot for an equestrian supplies magazine, she led him from the stall to oil his hooves.
Leaving the pony again, she went and got herself ready, grabbing her clothes, she raced to the bathroom and her shirt she had been wearing was swapped with a white shirt with wraparound collar, dirty white breeches were changed with beige breeches and she shrugged into a blue hunt jacket as she walked back out to the Welsh Pony, tying her number back into place.
Clipping her helmet under her chin, she led the the flaxen chestnut out of the barn and vaulted into the saddle as she rode Tex over to the warn-up ring, where she began to work him in, trying her best to get the spirited pony to focus on her, and not everything that was happening around them. It was times like that that she wished she had only ridden the mare in two classes to give her more time to settle Tex into his work.
She thought they were as ready as they could be when their number was called and she trotted the pony into the arena. Getting straight to work, she did her opening circle as she asked for a canter and then it was time to concentrate. Unlike show jumping, her strides mattered here, and she really needed to ask for the pony to collect and then extend as was needed.
Tex flew over the first fence, and she kept her legs against his sides, asking him to think about what he was doing, rather than him kicking up his heels, and she nodded as they flew over the second fence, pleased with the pony's scope. It was just a pity that the pony wasn't trying to impress anyone like Pyre had been.
She gave him his head a little as they rode around to the next fence, and four long strides to the fourth fence. "Steady." She breathed as Tex stumbled as they landed and she sat back as he regained his balance and they rode around to the next fence.
She jumped a little late at the first combination and only just managed the two strides, and with a quick shake of her head, she was back in the game again, thinking of the next fence as the got to each one, and the number of strides that were expected between the ones that had them.
After a bit of an argument about riding passed fences, they completed the course as it was set out and she rode the gelding from the arena, pleased with how they had done, even if Tex had decided to buck as they reached the gate.
Post by Luke Brown on May 31, 2018 16:13:46 GMT -8
Luke rolled his shoulders to loosen up before he mounted and, as he settled himself comfortably in the saddle, he sighed to see the multitude of hairs which were already adhering to his smart black jacket- especially, he noted, around the cuffs. Muttering his way through a lengthy, if halfhearted, tirade against all grey horses ever bred and raised, Luke did his best to shake off as much hair as he could before finally sitting straight in the saddle, taking a firmer hold on the reins- not that he expected Ace to make a run for it, but one never knew- and moving off gently in the direction of the ring. He touched his helmet to the girl who passed him on her way out, smiling slightly at the incongruity of the pony she was riding, but then he turned his head to face dead straight, and the smile slipped from his face. It was time to get serious.
They took the first fence in a canter, and Luke had to keep half-halting the gelding on the approach to the second as he did his best to get faster and faster. There came a point where speed and going over the jump safely be a,e incompatible, and while Ace didn't recognise it, Luke certainly did, which was why it was a good job that he was controlling the pace, because the neat arc that took them over the second fence could so easily have been a disaster. He kept a firm right rein to keep them well out around number seven- speed was one thing, but a good line was always nice too. Three and four went well enough; they were more closely spaced than their predecessors, and Ace didn't have time to get carried away. Luke slowed him a little, even so, to make the sharpish right hand turn towards the fifth fence and, though the pole rattled, it didn't drop. On to six, then- the double- and while the first part went well enough, he knew that they'd landed badly even before the gelding stumbled, and wasn't surprised when the pole hit the ground behind them. But he couldn't afford time to worry about that now; they had to press on.
Taking care to keep the grey collected, Luke took the seventh fence at a slightly unusual angle, wanting to allow for the tight turn that would follow towards number eight. The boy found himself uncomfortably close to the fence as they turned, but the moment passed, and both he and the fence survived unscathed as they pressed on towards the next fence. Ace seemed to have recovered well enough after the earlier mishap, and Luke's worries were unfounded. Nine and ten went smoothly enough, they just about squeezed around the edge of number five in between, and then came the triple. Luke took a deep breath, and then gave thanks to whatever God might be listening as they cleared the three without a knocked pole in sight. On the home front, now. And as they soared over the final fence, Luke couldn't contain a quiet grin. It hadn't gone so badly, for his first show.