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 Andrea Valentine on May 23, 2018 18:38:33 GMT -8
Felix had been oddly relaxed for his dressage test. Andrea had noticed it and it had worried her, but all those worries melted away as she and Felix waiting for their turn to run the course. He was tossing his head and pulling at the reins, and his legs hadn't stopped moving. She shifted in the saddle and adjusted her grip on the reins just before they were given the go. Felix took off at a dead gallop, throwing her off balance just a bit before she collected herself and her mount.
His ears were pricked at what was ahead and he took the first of many jumps rather gracefully. "Good boy," Andrea said. His ears flicked back toward her. She just hoped that he'd remember how the cross country jumps wouldn't give way if he collided with them. Herself, she counted strides and made sure her horse wasn't going to hurt himself. Or her, for that matter.
She knew it was dangerous; her father practically had a panic attack every time she went out on a course. She'd fallen her fair share of times, too. But there was nothing she'd found that could top the feeling of the wind in her face and her horse's mane. Her heart was pounding from the thrill and the effort of riding as correctly as possible. She found the strain in her muscles strangely invigorating. That was probably something she and Felix had in common.
The water splashed high, all the way up to her legs. She remembered how afraid she'd been of cross country obstacles when she first arrived at Blue Ridge.
They soared over the flower box. It turned out that cross country was right up their alley.
She could see the last obstacle now. They cleared the last few that stood in their way and finally jumped over the picture window. Felix would be tired, but she knew him well. He had a bit more in him. So, she gave him his head for the last leg. There really was nothing like sitting on the back of a galloping horse. As soon as they were okay to stop, she swung out of the saddle and started untacking him. Her legs felt like jelly and he was lathered with sweat, but at least they had some time to recover now. She rubbed his hot neck lovingly. He pawed the ground impatiently.
Post by Karina Fuchs on May 24, 2018 8:59:25 GMT -8
Finally, it was the cross country course. Karina had stopped by the barn yet again to change into her body protector and to strip off her show jacket, reattaching the medical information to her arm as reburied. After picking up her cross-country helmet, she headed back to the bright day outside.
She mounted Ella again and walked her towards the cross country course, where they circled in the field until it was almost their turn. Karina slipped out of the saddle again to slather on Ella's grease quickly, then left the gloves and tub carefully hidden out of the way of anyone, behind a fencepost so it wouldn't be stepped on. She remounted and got Ella focused as they waited for the all-clear.
Finally, at the 'go', she released her hold on Ella's reins and let the mare fly forward, giving her a few moments to just run before she controlled the mare and prepared them to take on the bench. That didn't bother Ella at all, and they popped over easily before continuing on to the logpile. Some of the jumps passed in a blur, although they did have some trouble turning properly to tackle the coffin. They hit it at a strange angle, although Ella was able to correct herself and got them out of it without further trouble, and soon Karina had forgotten it as a minor snag.
The water obstacles provided a nice relief, a brief splash of water, although gone to fast, in a blur, as they jumped out and continued towards the table, and then a tricky Normandy bank. Ella managed it with a huge effort, and Karina patted her neck as she urged the pinto onward. Finally, they soared through the picture window and were done. Karina brought Ella down to a trot, both horse and rider breathing heavily, before she slowed to a walk. She left the showgrounds behind her and let the mare walk back to the barn, where she slid out of the saddle and quickly untacked the mare, leaving it all against the wall of the barn, before switching to a halter and taking the mare out for a stroll, ignoring the muscles in her legs that were protesting the walking.
Post by Katherine Lorelia on May 24, 2018 9:22:48 GMT -8
Kitty didn't feel quite so glamorous dressed for cross-country as she had done when she was ready for her showjumping or even her dressage competitions, but the fact remained that she wasn't here to look pretty, which was perhaps just as well because if that had been the case, so far as the blonde was concerned, she might as well not have bothered turning up. Fortunately, she considered herself to be rather better at cross country riding than she was at dressage, although that admittedly did not take much, and so as she rode up to the first fence, she felt quite relaxed. Taking a moment to stretch herself out, the blonde felt something click in her back, and, with a nod, she leaned forwards. "Let's go." she murmured to the grey, nudging him on into a canter as they approached the first jump. He had been raring to go all day, she knew, and he seized this opportunity with delight. Initially, she held him back a little, controlling him as they passed the bench and the log pile, but her hands were beginning to give up after three classes spent holding him together and, mentally crossing her fingers, the blonde relaxed her hold, allowing the gelding to lengthen his stride and stretch out. The roll top passed without incident, and although there was a moment over the spread when Kitty was seriously worried that she would be dismounting involuntarily over Pride's head, it didn't come to pass, and she managed to regain her balance following a rather excessive jump from the grey. And no sooner had she done that than the arrow was approaching, and the blonde barely had time to straighten up her approach before they were in the air once more. This time, they landed in a gallop, and Kitty couldn't contain a grin. She loved cross-country.
For a second, she thought that Pride was trying to slip out of the side as they approached the brush fence, but Kitty had forgotten the grey's inherent love of jumping, and she was rewarded with a sudden jolt to one side that brought them over the fence to land at a rather awkward angle. Muttering insults to her horse, though she couldn't conceal the growing smile on her lips, the Irish rider leaned low to the horse's neck and applied a little pressure to the reins as they approached the coffin, which required a little more care. Again, they practically flew over it, and not for the first time, Kitty wondered whether Pride would happily do the course on his own. The stone wall posed little obstacle for either of them and before she knew it, the bench jump was approaching. The blonde lost a stirrup as they passed over the jump, but she was accustomed to such things, and while she felt distinctly uncomfortable over the next couple of jumps, she did at least manage to reclaim it before the water jump. And this was where it could all go terribly wrong.
Fortunately, it didn't. There was a tremendous splash as they thundered through the water, the rhythm of Pride's canter echoing in Kitty's ears, and she was barely aware of the fact that her jodhpurs were now soaked up to the knee as they returned to dry land and approached the table. Pride tried to shy at it, but Kitty was having none of it, and urged him on. She'd made a hash of the dressage; she was damned if she'd do the same here, when it had all been going so well up to now. All went well up until the last jump, and that was where Kitty really came unstuck. As Pride hit the ground, she landed slightly off balance, and distinctly felt the saddle beginning to slip. The Irish girl frowned- she was sure her girth had been tight- but there was no time now to think of that. She applied pressure to the opposite stirrup, pressing down as hard as she could, but it was to no avail and as the gelding, unbalanced, began to slow, Kitty felt the slip continue. She barely managed to make it over the finishing line before dropping with a total lack of grace or elegance to the ground. God, that was going to bruise later...
Post by Tenaya Hannah McDavid on May 24, 2018 11:11:59 GMT -8
Finally it was Cross Country time, the last class of the day for Tenaya and Keena. The pair had another quick break after show jumping to change tack and riding attire, choosing navy and orange as their colours. Tenaya slid her vest on and did up the chinstrap of her helmet. Once Tenaya checked the XC tack on Keena, they were ready to go.
She had to wait a few moments as the rider before her had fallen off. Tenaya was worried, she hoped the rider and horse were both okay. But that was something she would have to push to the back of her mind. The focus now was supposed to be on the course in front of them. Tenaya got the nod from the Steward and she began, letting Keena go at a nice canter. The bench jump came up and Keena spotted it even before they started. Tenaya nudged the mare, helping her have enough power to go up and over the first fence. The bay mare picked up the pace after the first fence and Tenaya glance for the log pile and steered her mare towards it. She felt Keena almost flat out gallop underneath her before adjusting the pace with her reins.
The rest of the course was interesting. Especially the water. Keena wasn't expecting to jump into the water and let out a snort when she felt the cold water against her hooves. Tenaya nudged the mare forward and the pair kept going through the course. Tenaya was wet and thankful that the course was almost done. The next five fences were thankfully uneventful but Keena didn't see the picture window until they were two strides away. The mare had to think quickly and Tenaya did her best to help the mare out. The mare brushed her back legs on the fence but both horse and rider made it safely to the other side. Tenaya sighed and patted Keena on the neck, knowing they had to work on galloping through water for the next show.
"Whatever it takes. 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins..."
Post by Victoria Greco on May 25, 2018 23:59:53 GMT -8
The stop off at the barn took mare moments, as Tori grabbed the mare's all-purpose boots, back protector and her medical armband, and she sat deep in the saddle as the mare jogged her way toward the cross country course. She could feel the nerves begin to build though her veins, and that wasn't going to do anything to settle the mare. "Easy girl." She breath as she circled the horse and when they were given the word, she walked into the staring box.
This didn't give her much time to settle her nerves, and she listened as the steward standing there told her everything she needed to know about what was currently happening on the course and she gathered her reins as they were counted down, and as soon as the steward called go, they were off like a rocket and she sat back in the saddle, fighting for the leadership of this partnership as they approached the first jump. "Calm down, dammit!" She yelled as she pulled on the reins, and almost flew over the mare's head as she went from gallop to trot. The girl bit back the curses that wanted to fly from her mouth, though she kept her temper in tight rein as she asked for a canter, just in time for them to fly over the bench and continue on their way.
After another bad take-off, and Stella having a stumble after the spread, horse and rider found their stride and the mare's canter became even and fluid as they covered the ground easily, and Tori leaned forward to keep her weight forward so that she was working with the horse, and encouraging her to carry on as she was going.
She shook her head as she mare's ears pricked at the sight of the water jump. "No!" She said firmly as she closed her legs on the mare as they entered the water. "Forward!" She wished she had though about picking up her crop before leaving the barn, but right now all she had were her natural aid, though even smacking the mare on her neck with the reins wasn't helping as Stella came to a standstill and began to splash at the water. Sitting deep, she lifted her legs off the mare's sides and then brought them down with a hearty kick, which gave the mare enough of a fright that she thundered forward again, almost leaving her rider behind, and they left the water behind them... well, they left the water jump, since the girl had enough water on her that she was sure she could fill a pool.
They were half-way through the combination jump before they got their rhythm back, and Tori knew that she had to remain in the saddle to get to the end, even if her clothes were drying uncomfortably on her, and the joyful thought was that they had another class right after this one before she could get changed... or there might be a chance that she could change between classes.
She grinned from ear to ear as they flew through the window and she circled the mare after galloping through the flags and she slowed the mare down to a trot as they made their way toward the show jumping ring, just to see how much time she had before she was due in the arena.
Last Edit: May 26, 2018 0:00:57 GMT -8 by Victoria Greco
Post by Stefano Rice on May 26, 2018 23:50:44 GMT -8
After a stop-off in the barn, long enough to grab what he needed; swapping the jacket and shirt for a long sleeved polo-shirt, back protector and medical armband, and swapping the gelding's shin boots for the all purpose boots that he preferred for cross country, her swung into the saddle and rode toward the cross country courses.
Seth could feel the gelding tense up as the neared the course, which was a typical Hoot reaction to cross country. He was just lucky that that tenseness was excitement, not nerves, and it tended to work well for them.
He kept the gelding at a steady trot as they waited and then rode into the starting gate. He nodded as he listened and gathered the reins as they were counted down. All the class and etiquette of the arena was out the door now, and as soon as he was given the word, he just gave the gelding his head. He knew that Hoot could be a little headstrong at times, but he also trusted the horse and knew that as long as he didn't mess with the gelding's mouth, he would do well. Seth's job here was to steer and suggest when to jump when the horse needed the help.
Cross Country was where the horse was in his element, and before he even knew it, the first four jumps were behind them and he sat back in the saddle as he used his seat and legs to guide the gelding around a bend in the track before their next jump was ahead of them.
Hoot didn't seem phased by anything that was in front of him, and while he had been a little unsure with the show jumps, out here, where the jumps didn't fall apart when hit, the Sporthorse took everything in his stride, fighting a little as he was asked to slow down as they approached the first combination of the coffin, though if they had continued at their break-neck speed, it would have been disastrous, as the gelding lost his footing as it was and slipped as little as they came out of the third part of it.
Now that he had Hoot back at a steady canter, he did his best to keep him at that, even chancing a trot when they had the space between jumps, just to give the horse a breather, and then pushing him back int a ground-eating canter as they neared the end, speeding up more as they approached the park bench and kept the speed up as they headed to the window and then flew through the flags as he circled the gelding and brought him back to a trot. ""
Post by Cara-Jean Kitchi on May 28, 2018 21:45:58 GMT -8
Back in the barn, Cara left Pyre in her stall, slipping the head collar over her bridle and attaching the cross-ties to the side to keep the mare from thinking she could roll while in there. She then went to the tack room where she shrugged her jacket off and pulled her back protector on in its place. After pulling on her medical armband, she grabbed the mare's all-purpose boots and went back to put the red boots onto the black pony's legs, to keep her protected over the course. When they were both ready, she led the mare from the barn, and vaulted into the saddle.
"She looked wonderful in the dressage arena."
Cara turned the mare to face the woman who had spoken, and bowed her head. "Thank you, Ma'am."
"We said we wouldn't bother her until after the competition." Mr Wilkes said as he touched his wife's arm, holding the hand of their nine year old daughter, who's eyes looked like they were going to pop out from watching all the horses. "We'll see you after your jumping round."
Cara nodded as she gave a ghost of a smile. "Thank you." She inwardly rolled her eyes, as she had already said that and with their best wishes, she squeezed the mare forward.
Pyre tossed her head up as they reached the cross country course, picking up the excitement that filled the air, and she kicked her heels up with a gas bomb. "I thought we spoke about this." Cara muttered as she circled the mare to settle her down and they rode into the starting box.
Cara released her hold on the mare as they were given their go, and the pony flew forward with a burst of speed. Getting closer to the first fence, Cara half halted the mare, reminding Pyre that they actually had a job to do, rather than the mare just running for the joy of it, and the pony dropped back to a steady canter as they flew over the bench.
Depending on the difficulty of the fences, Cara adjusted the mare's speed from canter to letting her gallop flat out, while also making sure that she wasn't going to be winded by the end of their run, as they did still have another class before she could retire the mare for the day.
Cara was feeling a little cautious after the mare had a slip in the water jump, but allowed the mare to pick the speed the moved at. "Easy, now." She breathed as they approached the second element of the Normandy Bank, and she reined the mare in before they went over the jump so that the pony would have her feet under her before the drop fence.
The mare seemed to take offense to the skinny, and Cara used her seat and legs to keep the mare moving. She cringed on behalf of the mare as her forelegs connected with the jump, though Pyre didn't seem too affected by the knock and flew forward at a canter toward the next jump.
The rest three fences proved no issue for the the spirited pony, who flew over each of them as though they were simple logs, and Cara circled the mare as they flew through the flags, bringing her back to a trot before they made their way to the arenas, to find out when they were due in the arena.
Post by Luke Brown on May 31, 2018 16:32:54 GMT -8
Luke would have cracked his knuckles, but it could give you arthritis, which was not a pleasant condition. Or so he had heard. So he gave Ace a pat on the neck instead, then proceeded to hop up into the saddle. He loved cross country; it was his favourite discipline. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to match the sheer exhilaration, the wind in your ears, the rhythm of the hooves whilst you waited and waited and waited for the next fence to come up, just anticipating that wonderful empty feeling in the pit of your stomach as, for just a few short seconds, you left the mundanity and normality of the world behind for such a brief experience of what it must be like to fly unsupported by machinery or technology- for Ace was far more a part of him than any Boeing would ever be- and then came crashing back down to earth, with always the possibility that you would go further down than you expected...
He'd tried to explain the feeling, once, to his mother. She'd looked at him as if he was mad and gone off to see her next patient. But Luke knew what he meant, and he knew what it meant to him, and that was what was important. He knew that he wanted to go on experiencing that feeling for as long as possible, for as much of his life as was possible, for as long as he was still capable of climbing into a saddle and staying there- stuck down with superglue if necessary, because he never wanted to give up that tiny little sliver of flight; that miniscule thing that made him different from everyone else around him.
It was a little like what he'd felt when Sina had kissed him... Or possibly the other way around; he didn't really remember.
Luke had very little trouble with the course in general until they came to the water jump, at which point Ace decided that he didn't much like the idea of a swim, even in the hot Kentucky sun, and that he would much rather stop dead and damn nearly throw his rider over his head. Suffice it to say, Luke was not in the slightest bit amused. Using words which would have shocked his mother had he ever been stupid enough to use them in her presence- which he wasn't; he didn't want her having a heart attack, after all- he circled the gelding and tried again. This time, with much persuasion of the rougher variety, he finally got the grey through the water jump and out of the other side. Somehow, he didn't quite recapture the rhythm that he seemed to have lost with that minor disruption to the flow of the course, but Luke finished nevertheless and in a reasonable time, too. What was more, he managed to stay in the saddle, which was always a bonus, at least so far as he was concerned. He had no wish to spend the evening in the emergency room.
Post by Demeter Carr on Jun 6, 2018 16:02:08 GMT -8
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CAN WE PRETEND THAT AIRPLANES IN THE NIGHT SKY ARE LIKE SHOOTING STARS CAUSE I COULD REALLY USE A WISH RIGHT NOW - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Things flew in every direction as Demeter searched through her locker in the tack room. She'd got the gelding ready as soon as she got back, she had her medical band in place, had swapped her dressage helmet for the one she preferred for cross country, and now all she was missing was her back protector, and she couldn't find it in her locker! "Mom!" Ah, it was just like when she was a student all over again.
Finally, with her back protector on, she led the gelding out of the barn and swung into the saddle as she guided him down to the cross country courses, using this time to get his body warm again after the small amount of time he had been standing in the barn, and she rode him in circles as they waited their turn in the start box, as she could already feel the energy flowing through him.
She gave the black and white horse his head as they were given the go and she knew that all she really needed to do was point the horse in the direction she needed him to go, and he'd take care of the rest... well, mostly, as there would be a few fences where she would need to get him to think about what he was doing, and she just had to remain on the horse.
Tau flew over jump after jump, listening well and following the suggestions he was given; as Demeter knew better than to command he listened, and they were covering the ground beneath them without much thought. Things were going really well, he was even listening when asked to slow down for combination fences, before powering off again. Things were going really well, until the gelding slid to a stop as the water jump came into view. "And today, you decide you are afraid of water?" She laughed, pleased that they hadn't been anywhere near the jump, so it wasn't a refusal and she wouldn't need to circle him. Tau didn't argue as he was asked to go forward and easily took the jump into the water, and got out as quickly as he could, before they continued on their way.
As they neared the end of the course, Demeter began asking her gelding to slow down his speed, as she could feel him tiring, and they still had another class before they called it a day. She nodded as he reluctantly dropped back to a canter and they jumped over the last four fences before she circled the gelding and brought him back to a trot and they made their way toward the show jumping arenas.