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Description
UPDATE
The results are in! In Nugget's debut eventing trip, he placed 5th overall out of 30 other entrants! We are VERY pleased with this outcome and thank =SageSinRiddle for putting on such a great event!

=SageSinRiddle ’s FEI OVEC Championships Dressage Phase Entry

Back to Day One, Arrival °|° Onto Day Three, Cross Country Phase

Day Two || Dressage CompetitionMM Only A Fools Gold

Where did the time go when you were showing? Honestly, AJ always seemed to be running late when ever she was at a competition. No matter how much preparation and planning, things were always down to the wire.

Nugget had been worked an hour before and AJ had just managed to finish up her button braids, a personal feat for her. She was never one to have the patience to make all those perfect little braids and wrap them in perfectly aligned white tape. Especially on an ornery animal that kept trying to push you off the foot stool, but she managed to get them done and she had to say, the looked pretty darn good. Nugget pawed anxiously in his stall, dressage tack set out ready to be place on the horse’s immaculately groomed hide.

AJ quickly went and changed into her tall boots and show breeches, pulling her hair back and applying show make up. She could hear the grandstands outside, the murmuring of the crowd announcing the end of a dressage test. AJ cursed to herself, only three more tests to go before her and Nuggets’ and he wasn’t even tacked up! Rushing out, she tacked the horse up who violently nipped at the air and the hasty tightening of his girth. “Sorry bud.” She said, as she hurried back out, grabbing her dressage jacket and Nugget’s bridle, laying the jacket over the saddle, she slipped the halter off Nugget and replaced it with his bride, his lips snatching up the simple French-link snaffle eager to play with the metal. As AJ turned, she watched in horror as her dressage coat slipped from his back into the stall shavings.

“No!” She yelled, scooping it back up with haste, as if she got to it quick enough it wouldn’t actually gather and dust and shavings. But no such luck. “Damn it!” She hissed, her eyes starting to blur with tears of frustration and she roughly wiped down the jacket, shaving flying everywhere. Donning the newly cleaned coat, AJ pulled the stallion out of the stall and gathered her reins, slipping her shined boot into the iron and hoisting herself up on top of the massive animal.

Nugget breathed out low, looking out towards the grandstand as another chorus of murmurs echoed in the evening air signaling only one more test to go before Nugget and her’s. She pushed the stud into a walk, guiding him with her legs as she pulled on her white show gloves and shifting her helmet slightly. Thankfully, Nugget was being a saint and didn’t try and pull any quick ones on AJ.

The two were soon at the warm up arena and butterflies ravaged her insides as she gathered her reins and asked the stallion for a relaxed long trot. Dressage wasn’t their forte; the stallion was not at all graceful and never had a pretty expression on. Nugget was all raw power and that rarely settled well with the judges. But, AJ was fine with that. As long as her and her mount had a technically correct ride, she was okay with it being rather plain. Besides, she found modern dressage now-a-days a absolute horror to watch. It was all about flash, what horse could flick his front legs out in front of the highest with it’s neck arched all pretty. Didn’t matter if the hind end lagged terribly and the horse was hollow and unengaged. As long as it looked nice, who cared about the horse actually moving correct? (sarcasm)

AJ asked Nugget to collect a bit more, his hocks driving deep under him as he sat back, lifting his shoulders in a lovely extended trot. He accepted the contact of the bit like a gentleman and only gave the occasional swish of the tail. AJ heard the beginnings of the crowd starting to murmur, and she quickly cued Nugget for the canter departure. Like usual, the stallion threw a massive buck, but then worked like nothing had been out of the ordinary, which is wasn’t for him. AJ just needed to get that out of him before she entered the grand prix arena. Slowing him to a walk, she directed him over to the entrance and waited for the other competitor to leave.

The liver chestnut stallion and his rider walked out of the arena, the horse breathing heavily from his performance. As they got closer AJ could see it was the trakehner stallion Dane's Edinburgh and Leesa Barelli from Little Creek Stables. The woman had a soft smile on her face, the obviously had had a good ride. As they passed, AJ called out, “Hope you guys had a good ride, from what I saw it looked spectacular.” But AJ couldn’t wait for a response, it was her and Nuggets turn in the pin.

Taking simultaneous deep breaths, AJ and Nugget both studied the arena and the grandstands. The hundreds of eyes that watched them as the made their way around the outside of the small white dressage fencing. They were about half way down the long wall and AJ pushed Nugget into a collected trot. He was being showy, neck overly arched and on ear slightly raised, swiveling to the sounds of the stands. The made their way to the dressage arena entrance and continued their prance into the center and at ‘X’ preformed a near perfect halt. Nugget, his deep brown coat gleaming almost purple in the setting suns atmosphere, stood stalk still, his legs square, giving politely at the poll.

AJ looked forward, into the judge’s box. She couldn’t see their faces, but focused on the tinted glass, and slowly, curiously gathered her reins in one hand, let the free arm drop to her side, finger pointed at the ground and her head drop, saluting the judges. Returning to riding position, she took a short breath, and pushed Nugget into a collected canter, starting the test.

It was quiet, no music as this wasn’t a musical free style. All AJ heard was the slight rustling of the wind, her and Nugget’s breathing, and the rhythmic tempo of his hooves hitting the damp sand. It was almost calming. After all the preparation, they were here, now – doing the their test with relative ease, the movements flowing together seamlessly. One by one AJ checked the movements off in her head; extend the trot between ‘H’ ‘X’ ‘F’, collected trot ‘A’ through ‘E’, pick up the collected canter at ‘E’, circle 40m track right, until they were traveling down the middle again at the collected trot, “G” “I” “X” halt. Salute judges. Once again, AJ bowed her head for the judges, and then with a grin, dropped her reins and allowed the stallion to stretch down, stroking his thick neck that was warm with exertion.

Art & Characters 2011 © =Jag6201 /Molly Mellinger
Contest by =SageSinRiddle
Tools Used: Wacom Tablet, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6; 7 hours
Artistic References: Unreferenced

Description
UPDATE
The results are in! In Nugget's debut eventing trip, he placed 5th overall out of 30 other entrants! We are VERY pleased with this outcome and thank =SageSinRiddle for putting on such a great event!

=SageSinRiddle ’s FEI OVEC Championships Dressage Phase Entry

Back to Day One, Arrival °|° Onto Day Three, Cross Country Phase

Day Two || Dressage CompetitionMM Only A Fools Gold

Where did the time go when you were showing? Honestly, AJ always seemed to be running late when ever she was at a competition. No matter how much preparation and planning, things were always down to the wire.

Nugget had been worked an hour before and AJ had just managed to finish up her button braids, a personal feat for her. She was never one to have the patience to make all those perfect little braids and wrap them in perfectly aligned white tape. Especially on an ornery animal that kept trying to push you off the foot stool, but she managed to get them done and she had to say, the looked pretty darn good. Nugget pawed anxiously in his stall, dressage tack set out ready to be place on the horse’s immaculately groomed hide.

AJ quickly went and changed into her tall boots and show breeches, pulling her hair back and applying show make up. She could hear the grandstands outside, the murmuring of the crowd announcing the end of a dressage test. AJ cursed to herself, only three more tests to go before her and Nuggets’ and he wasn’t even tacked up! Rushing out, she tacked the horse up who violently nipped at the air and the hasty tightening of his girth. “Sorry bud.” She said, as she hurried back out, grabbing her dressage jacket and Nugget’s bridle, laying the jacket over the saddle, she slipped the halter off Nugget and replaced it with his bride, his lips snatching up the simple French-link snaffle eager to play with the metal. As AJ turned, she watched in horror as her dressage coat slipped from his back into the stall shavings.

“No!” She yelled, scooping it back up with haste, as if she got to it quick enough it wouldn’t actually gather and dust and shavings. But no such luck. “Damn it!” She hissed, her eyes starting to blur with tears of frustration and she roughly wiped down the jacket, shaving flying everywhere. Donning the newly cleaned coat, AJ pulled the stallion out of the stall and gathered her reins, slipping her shined boot into the iron and hoisting herself up on top of the massive animal.

Nugget breathed out low, looking out towards the grandstand as another chorus of murmurs echoed in the evening air signaling only one more test to go before Nugget and her’s. She pushed the stud into a walk, guiding him with her legs as she pulled on her white show gloves and shifting her helmet slightly. Thankfully, Nugget was being a saint and didn’t try and pull any quick ones on AJ.

The two were soon at the warm up arena and butterflies ravaged her insides as she gathered her reins and asked the stallion for a relaxed long trot. Dressage wasn’t their forte; the stallion was not at all graceful and never had a pretty expression on. Nugget was all raw power and that rarely settled well with the judges. But, AJ was fine with that. As long as her and her mount had a technically correct ride, she was okay with it being rather plain. Besides, she found modern dressage now-a-days a absolute horror to watch. It was all about flash, what horse could flick his front legs out in front of the highest with it’s neck arched all pretty. Didn’t matter if the hind end lagged terribly and the horse was hollow and unengaged. As long as it looked nice, who cared about the horse actually moving correct? (sarcasm)

AJ asked Nugget to collect a bit more, his hocks driving deep under him as he sat back, lifting his shoulders in a lovely extended trot. He accepted the contact of the bit like a gentleman and only gave the occasional swish of the tail. AJ heard the beginnings of the crowd starting to murmur, and she quickly cued Nugget for the canter departure. Like usual, the stallion threw a massive buck, but then worked like nothing had been out of the ordinary, which is wasn’t for him. AJ just needed to get that out of him before she entered the grand prix arena. Slowing him to a walk, she directed him over to the entrance and waited for the other competitor to leave.

The liver chestnut stallion and his rider walked out of the arena, the horse breathing heavily from his performance. As they got closer AJ could see it was the trakehner stallion Dane's Edinburgh and Leesa Barelli from Little Creek Stables. The woman had a soft smile on her face, the obviously had had a good ride. As they passed, AJ called out, “Hope you guys had a good ride, from what I saw it looked spectacular.” But AJ couldn’t wait for a response, it was her and Nuggets turn in the pin.

Taking simultaneous deep breaths, AJ and Nugget both studied the arena and the grandstands. The hundreds of eyes that watched them as the made their way around the outside of the small white dressage fencing. They were about half way down the long wall and AJ pushed Nugget into a collected trot. He was being showy, neck overly arched and on ear slightly raised, swiveling to the sounds of the stands. The made their way to the dressage arena entrance and continued their prance into the center and at ‘X’ preformed a near perfect halt. Nugget, his deep brown coat gleaming almost purple in the setting suns atmosphere, stood stalk still, his legs square, giving politely at the poll.

AJ looked forward, into the judge’s box. She couldn’t see their faces, but focused on the tinted glass, and slowly, curiously gathered her reins in one hand, let the free arm drop to her side, finger pointed at the ground and her head drop, saluting the judges. Returning to riding position, she took a short breath, and pushed Nugget into a collected canter, starting the test.

It was quiet, no music as this wasn’t a musical free style. All AJ heard was the slight rustling of the wind, her and Nugget’s breathing, and the rhythmic tempo of his hooves hitting the damp sand. It was almost calming. After all the preparation, they were here, now – doing the their test with relative ease, the movements flowing together seamlessly. One by one AJ checked the movements off in her head; extend the trot between ‘H’ ‘X’ ‘F’, collected trot ‘A’ through ‘E’, pick up the collected canter at ‘E’, circle 40m track right, until they were traveling down the middle again at the collected trot, “G” “I” “X” halt. Salute judges. Once again, AJ bowed her head for the judges, and then with a grin, dropped her reins and allowed the stallion to stretch down, stroking his thick neck that was warm with exertion.

Art & Characters 2011 © =Jag6201 /Molly Mellinger
Contest by =SageSinRiddle
Tools Used: Wacom Tablet, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6; 7 hours
Artistic References: Unreferenced