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Description

Updated story to suit my liking more, and my anticipated plot for my stable!
Also I realized I left out the girth UGH

My entry to the Alerian Arena competition!
I've been waiting for this since I got into the nordanner community, and I'm DYING to enter the second event.
I just have to figure out what I want to do for it first.

This is actually my first drawing of Mousie, other than his registration image.
And - AND It's my first time drawing a rider. That's exciting.
I feel like I did really well on this! Definitely my best piece so far.

Here's the story (Prepare for a long one):

Cindy Fitzgerald – Business woman, multi-millionaire, widow- equestrian? No one had been more surprised to hear the news than the rest of her existing family. Her father, father-in-law, mother, and husband had all died in a freak accident on Floridian golf-course, when a landslide had either washed them into an overflowing river, or buried them alive, three years ago. Much of their money went to Cindy- the ultimate gem of the two families, but she never touched it. In fact, she didn’t really do much of anything in those three years. She went silent. The widow of a world-renowned businessman seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth, as far as the public knew.
Then she resurfaced in the microscopic Scottish town of Little Lamplight.
She’d opened a multi-million dollar equestrian center, investing all of the money that had been willed to her in building the stables, buying supplies, and, of course, importing horses. During her years in the spotlight next to her husband, she had met many people in the equestrian world- most of whom had been thrilled to hear about her stables, and were eager to sell to her.
However, due to the fact that she had created those stables in Scotland, it took quite a bit of preparation to get the horses to her, mostly from America.
By the time that the annual Alerian show she had so enjoyed seeing in her youth and marriage, she’d only brought one horse to the stable, with no riders, other than herself. More than anything, she had been determined to enter, and began the hunt for a rider looking for employment. It was then that she had found Anastasia Volkov: A Russian immigrant, looking for a job in Britain. And she’d grown up showing horses. Perfect.
The two woman had gotten in contact, agreeing to meet at the Alerian event eagerly.
---
The weather had been so beautiful early morning, when Cindy had arrived with Mousetrap, EverClear Stable’s first horse. So far in the day, she hadn’t had the greatest experience with him; it felt like they weren’t getting along. He wasn’t an aggressive horse, though she had seen some that day, but he was stubborn, and seemingly lazy.
There’s no way he can win this. Why this horse!? Similar thoughts flowed through Cindy’s head all day, as her spirits fell more and more. There was no way she was ready for this. Not this horse, this event, this arena, or the entire life she had built around her. No way. How could she have been so impulsive? As more time passed, there hadn’t been any texts from Anastasia either. The stress was building up, and it only increased as she saw some of the most beautiful performances from the horses that she’d ever seen at the Alerian Arena in her life.
Noon came, and the humidity had reached a high intensity. Taking a single breath was causing people to sweat, and the horses were beginning to lose energy. Every time Cindy had gone to visit Mousetrap, he had been sleeping. Again, she thought, why this horse!? He seemed lazy and with a definite lack of any competitive spirit.
However, he was sweet. And... He was hers. Maybe not for long- she wanted to give him to an employee to encourge more people to work for her- but right then, the two of them had to be a team. Gently, she reached in a stroked his muzzle, and she slowly began to relax, her head cleared, and her panic from the day began to fade.
“Today doesn’t really matter, does it boy?” She murmured, smiling as he woke up at her touch, slowly raising his head. He nickered softly, stretching out his head to nuzzle her before pulling back, just out of reach in the stall that had been provided.
“Hey,” she said softly and clicked her tongue. “I don’t know where our rider is, so I’m gonna tack you up now, okay Mouse?”
He lowered his head submissively as she entered his stall, grooming him for the millionth time that day, before she began the tacking process. She’d bought him because he’d been described as calm, submissive, and easy to work with. With the exception of his stubbornness, he fit the description perfectly. He was clearly used to a saddle and girth, but Cindy had to stop in confusion as she got to his bridle. Nothing he had was fancy or out of the ordinary- there had been no time to custom-order show tack for the first event for him, but she had some on the way for the second event (at this point it was looking doubtful Mousetrap was cut out for that)- but he reacted strongly to the reveal of the bridle. The moment it caught his eye, he let out a loud whinny and shoved his head between his legs.
Cindy stood, perplexed. What was she supposed to do with that? After a few attempts to get him to work with her, and without a thought on what else to do, she put the bridle up, and back up went Mousetrap’s head. She frowned and rubbed his muzzle.
“What a horse you are," she chuckled, turning to leave his stall and facing a tall, platinum-blonde woman with a wide smile on her face.
“You’re Miss Fitzgerald, yes?” she asked with a thick Russian accent. Anastasia.
Relief flooded through Cindy as she nodded, but gave no smile at first. Where had Anastasia been?
“Yes, I am. You’re Anastasia?”
“Please, please, call me Stacey!” she exclaimed with a grin. She looked from Cindy to Mousetrap, having witnessed their tack-struggle with the bridle. She could tell that Cindy was new to all of this- too new. She had no clue what was going on, and Stacey was glad to be of service. “May I take-over? I will have him ready for our event, Miss.”
Cindy finally smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Stacey. And, of course, you may call me Cindy.”
The Russian gave a wide grin, moving into the stall as Cindy left, heading back out to the spectator’s area. The clouds had grown heavier and darker, but the humidity was even worse.
“I hope this storm breaks tonight,” she sighed to herself, focusing back on the current event entry- the horse and rider were specializing in dodging the fire obstacles. They’d clearly had practice… she slowly realized, she had no clue if Mousetrap had any beforehand. Every minute she’d realize a new mistake. But after bonding with the new horse, and meeting Anastasia in person, she had a little more confidence to believe in herself.
“This year may not be our year. But we’ll get there.”
---
Stacey had struggled with the bridle, quickly learning that Mousetrap was very food-motivated. Just to be sure, she’d groomed him over one more time, clipped his mane to a more even cut, and brushed his tail. The entire time, she’d spoken to the horse, enjoying his tolerance to everything. As far as she could tell, in the stall, he was perfect (minus the odd bridle-resistance).
After getting him ready, she’d brought him outside a half-hour before their entry to warm him up. He was quick to respond, with a smooth gait, and decent transitions. He’d be a beautiful dressage horse. But in complete honesty, she had minimal expectations for riding him in the event- she’d even admit to being nervous. While he’d seemed fine so far, he was still an unknown horse. He thought of her as a stranger as well, but a strong rider. He’d found no reason to resist her, and he wasn't looking to pick out one.
The entrant before their event left the warm-up arena, smoothly cantering out into the course. Unfortunately, the moment the Nordanner’s hooves hit the grass, a light rain began to fall.
“Oh no, little boy. We’re not getting good luck today, are we?” she murmured, trying to shake off the building uneasiness. That would only make their performance worse.
The nord and rider before them finished, kindly wishing the pair luck as they passed by. It was pouring by that point though, and Stacey had a feeling they'd need more than luck. There was a soft pat on the neck from Anastasia, before she pushed Mousetrap forward into a canter, heading straight for the first line of jumps. She counted as they soared over them:
One
The first one, single bar, was smooth, easy, and completed nicely. The horse was clearly already trained.
Two
Just as smooth as the first, but a three-bar jump.
Three
Decent. His hoof barely clipped the last bar, but if things continued going this well, Anastasia had a chance to-
!
Before she could prepare herself for the next set of obstacles, the most worrisome of which involved fire, an unbearably loud crack of thunder roared out from the sky, and a bolt of lightning hit the field, about 10-yards in front of the two, creating a blinding light.
About a million things happened at once. Screams and gasps erupted from the crowd, and other horses in the nearby area were thrown into a panic, ripping away from leaders and lead lines, charging in one direction or another. Mousetrap reared and screamed in sheer terror, bolting as Anastasia held on for dear life, so scared of the sudden bolt herself that tears had begun to form in her eyes. She knew though- things would only get worse if she didn’t regain control.
Stacey seized the reins, and the rain poured down harder. Mouse had led them to a much more advanced side of the arena- a side that he had not been entered in. Quickly looking around and taking in the sights of the obstacles around them, Stacey knew there were two options. Fry or fly. All of the jumps or other obstacles were burning hot, even at a distance. This horse couldn’t handle that- not without training or an experienced, familiar rider. The other option- leap the ditch.
A wide, deep ditch, which could easily look like a canyon to a horse, loomed on their right, but it was the fastest connection to the correct arena- and completing an obstacle like that could be their only chance at regaining some points and placing somehow.
“We have this, Mouse, don’t worry, she murmured, re-directing him towards the wide jump, pushing him back up to a full gallop again.
His ears turned back to face her, and concern pierced through his body, mixing with his previous terror. Mousetrap was more hesitant to do this than he had been with anything he could recall. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t-
He had to. He’d already passed what, in his view, was the point of no return. And this new rider, well, she was a good rider. He trusted her.
Mousetrap narrowed his eyes in determination, and charged, full speed ahead at the chasm in front of him, and leapt at the very last moment, pushing off from the edge. He soared to the other side, feeling complete freedom for just a moment.
Stacey felt something too, but it was more of an absolute surge of power before the leap. Mousetrap landed with a minor stumble, and she safely cantered him out of the arena as quickly as she could. They didn’t do well. Nor did they complete the course. But the circumstances had to have been understandable. She sighed and hugged him around his neck as at least a dozen people- doctors, vets, spectators, and, thankfully, Cindy- all approached the two of them.
They were okay. The event barely mattered to them anymore, or Cindy for that matter. They didn't need to say anything to agree that they weren't cut out for an actual dragon hunting event. They all needed to get home- back to the stables- and Stacey would be introduced to her new living quarters. With some great training and a larger team, EverClear stables could have a solid chance next year.

KAARING:
Art:
Full, Paint, BG - +2
Show Entry - +1
Alerian Arena Bonus - +2
Writing:
1849 words - +3

Total:+8 Kaaring

Description

Updated story to suit my liking more, and my anticipated plot for my stable!
Also I realized I left out the girth UGH

My entry to the Alerian Arena competition!
I've been waiting for this since I got into the nordanner community, and I'm DYING to enter the second event.
I just have to figure out what I want to do for it first.

This is actually my first drawing of Mousie, other than his registration image.
And - AND It's my first time drawing a rider. That's exciting.
I feel like I did really well on this! Definitely my best piece so far.

Here's the story (Prepare for a long one):

Cindy Fitzgerald – Business woman, multi-millionaire, widow- equestrian? No one had been more surprised to hear the news than the rest of her existing family. Her father, father-in-law, mother, and husband had all died in a freak accident on Floridian golf-course, when a landslide had either washed them into an overflowing river, or buried them alive, three years ago. Much of their money went to Cindy- the ultimate gem of the two families, but she never touched it. In fact, she didn’t really do much of anything in those three years. She went silent. The widow of a world-renowned businessman seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth, as far as the public knew.
Then she resurfaced in the microscopic Scottish town of Little Lamplight.
She’d opened a multi-million dollar equestrian center, investing all of the money that had been willed to her in building the stables, buying supplies, and, of course, importing horses. During her years in the spotlight next to her husband, she had met many people in the equestrian world- most of whom had been thrilled to hear about her stables, and were eager to sell to her.
However, due to the fact that she had created those stables in Scotland, it took quite a bit of preparation to get the horses to her, mostly from America.
By the time that the annual Alerian show she had so enjoyed seeing in her youth and marriage, she’d only brought one horse to the stable, with no riders, other than herself. More than anything, she had been determined to enter, and began the hunt for a rider looking for employment. It was then that she had found Anastasia Volkov: A Russian immigrant, looking for a job in Britain. And she’d grown up showing horses. Perfect.
The two woman had gotten in contact, agreeing to meet at the Alerian event eagerly.
---
The weather had been so beautiful early morning, when Cindy had arrived with Mousetrap, EverClear Stable’s first horse. So far in the day, she hadn’t had the greatest experience with him; it felt like they weren’t getting along. He wasn’t an aggressive horse, though she had seen some that day, but he was stubborn, and seemingly lazy.
There’s no way he can win this. Why this horse!? Similar thoughts flowed through Cindy’s head all day, as her spirits fell more and more. There was no way she was ready for this. Not this horse, this event, this arena, or the entire life she had built around her. No way. How could she have been so impulsive? As more time passed, there hadn’t been any texts from Anastasia either. The stress was building up, and it only increased as she saw some of the most beautiful performances from the horses that she’d ever seen at the Alerian Arena in her life.
Noon came, and the humidity had reached a high intensity. Taking a single breath was causing people to sweat, and the horses were beginning to lose energy. Every time Cindy had gone to visit Mousetrap, he had been sleeping. Again, she thought, why this horse!? He seemed lazy and with a definite lack of any competitive spirit.
However, he was sweet. And... He was hers. Maybe not for long- she wanted to give him to an employee to encourge more people to work for her- but right then, the two of them had to be a team. Gently, she reached in a stroked his muzzle, and she slowly began to relax, her head cleared, and her panic from the day began to fade.
“Today doesn’t really matter, does it boy?” She murmured, smiling as he woke up at her touch, slowly raising his head. He nickered softly, stretching out his head to nuzzle her before pulling back, just out of reach in the stall that had been provided.
“Hey,” she said softly and clicked her tongue. “I don’t know where our rider is, so I’m gonna tack you up now, okay Mouse?”
He lowered his head submissively as she entered his stall, grooming him for the millionth time that day, before she began the tacking process. She’d bought him because he’d been described as calm, submissive, and easy to work with. With the exception of his stubbornness, he fit the description perfectly. He was clearly used to a saddle and girth, but Cindy had to stop in confusion as she got to his bridle. Nothing he had was fancy or out of the ordinary- there had been no time to custom-order show tack for the first event for him, but she had some on the way for the second event (at this point it was looking doubtful Mousetrap was cut out for that)- but he reacted strongly to the reveal of the bridle. The moment it caught his eye, he let out a loud whinny and shoved his head between his legs.
Cindy stood, perplexed. What was she supposed to do with that? After a few attempts to get him to work with her, and without a thought on what else to do, she put the bridle up, and back up went Mousetrap’s head. She frowned and rubbed his muzzle.
“What a horse you are," she chuckled, turning to leave his stall and facing a tall, platinum-blonde woman with a wide smile on her face.
“You’re Miss Fitzgerald, yes?” she asked with a thick Russian accent. Anastasia.
Relief flooded through Cindy as she nodded, but gave no smile at first. Where had Anastasia been?
“Yes, I am. You’re Anastasia?”
“Please, please, call me Stacey!” she exclaimed with a grin. She looked from Cindy to Mousetrap, having witnessed their tack-struggle with the bridle. She could tell that Cindy was new to all of this- too new. She had no clue what was going on, and Stacey was glad to be of service. “May I take-over? I will have him ready for our event, Miss.”
Cindy finally smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Stacey. And, of course, you may call me Cindy.”
The Russian gave a wide grin, moving into the stall as Cindy left, heading back out to the spectator’s area. The clouds had grown heavier and darker, but the humidity was even worse.
“I hope this storm breaks tonight,” she sighed to herself, focusing back on the current event entry- the horse and rider were specializing in dodging the fire obstacles. They’d clearly had practice… she slowly realized, she had no clue if Mousetrap had any beforehand. Every minute she’d realize a new mistake. But after bonding with the new horse, and meeting Anastasia in person, she had a little more confidence to believe in herself.
“This year may not be our year. But we’ll get there.”
---
Stacey had struggled with the bridle, quickly learning that Mousetrap was very food-motivated. Just to be sure, she’d groomed him over one more time, clipped his mane to a more even cut, and brushed his tail. The entire time, she’d spoken to the horse, enjoying his tolerance to everything. As far as she could tell, in the stall, he was perfect (minus the odd bridle-resistance).
After getting him ready, she’d brought him outside a half-hour before their entry to warm him up. He was quick to respond, with a smooth gait, and decent transitions. He’d be a beautiful dressage horse. But in complete honesty, she had minimal expectations for riding him in the event- she’d even admit to being nervous. While he’d seemed fine so far, he was still an unknown horse. He thought of her as a stranger as well, but a strong rider. He’d found no reason to resist her, and he wasn't looking to pick out one.
The entrant before their event left the warm-up arena, smoothly cantering out into the course. Unfortunately, the moment the Nordanner’s hooves hit the grass, a light rain began to fall.
“Oh no, little boy. We’re not getting good luck today, are we?” she murmured, trying to shake off the building uneasiness. That would only make their performance worse.
The nord and rider before them finished, kindly wishing the pair luck as they passed by. It was pouring by that point though, and Stacey had a feeling they'd need more than luck. There was a soft pat on the neck from Anastasia, before she pushed Mousetrap forward into a canter, heading straight for the first line of jumps. She counted as they soared over them:
One
The first one, single bar, was smooth, easy, and completed nicely. The horse was clearly already trained.
Two
Just as smooth as the first, but a three-bar jump.
Three
Decent. His hoof barely clipped the last bar, but if things continued going this well, Anastasia had a chance to-
!
Before she could prepare herself for the next set of obstacles, the most worrisome of which involved fire, an unbearably loud crack of thunder roared out from the sky, and a bolt of lightning hit the field, about 10-yards in front of the two, creating a blinding light.
About a million things happened at once. Screams and gasps erupted from the crowd, and other horses in the nearby area were thrown into a panic, ripping away from leaders and lead lines, charging in one direction or another. Mousetrap reared and screamed in sheer terror, bolting as Anastasia held on for dear life, so scared of the sudden bolt herself that tears had begun to form in her eyes. She knew though- things would only get worse if she didn’t regain control.
Stacey seized the reins, and the rain poured down harder. Mouse had led them to a much more advanced side of the arena- a side that he had not been entered in. Quickly looking around and taking in the sights of the obstacles around them, Stacey knew there were two options. Fry or fly. All of the jumps or other obstacles were burning hot, even at a distance. This horse couldn’t handle that- not without training or an experienced, familiar rider. The other option- leap the ditch.
A wide, deep ditch, which could easily look like a canyon to a horse, loomed on their right, but it was the fastest connection to the correct arena- and completing an obstacle like that could be their only chance at regaining some points and placing somehow.
“We have this, Mouse, don’t worry, she murmured, re-directing him towards the wide jump, pushing him back up to a full gallop again.
His ears turned back to face her, and concern pierced through his body, mixing with his previous terror. Mousetrap was more hesitant to do this than he had been with anything he could recall. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t-
He had to. He’d already passed what, in his view, was the point of no return. And this new rider, well, she was a good rider. He trusted her.
Mousetrap narrowed his eyes in determination, and charged, full speed ahead at the chasm in front of him, and leapt at the very last moment, pushing off from the edge. He soared to the other side, feeling complete freedom for just a moment.
Stacey felt something too, but it was more of an absolute surge of power before the leap. Mousetrap landed with a minor stumble, and she safely cantered him out of the arena as quickly as she could. They didn’t do well. Nor did they complete the course. But the circumstances had to have been understandable. She sighed and hugged him around his neck as at least a dozen people- doctors, vets, spectators, and, thankfully, Cindy- all approached the two of them.
They were okay. The event barely mattered to them anymore, or Cindy for that matter. They didn't need to say anything to agree that they weren't cut out for an actual dragon hunting event. They all needed to get home- back to the stables- and Stacey would be introduced to her new living quarters. With some great training and a larger team, EverClear stables could have a solid chance next year.

KAARING:
Art:
Full, Paint, BG - +2
Show Entry - +1
Alerian Arena Bonus - +2
Writing:
1849 words - +3

Total:+8 Kaaring