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Pemberley Park: Event II

Date: March 2019
Placing: TBD

Class: CSI4*

Horse: FHF Kissed the Kat
Rider: Bea Pemberton
Stable: Iron Horse Stud

Extra Images: Curiosity Kissed the Kat
Previous Placements: jaws (2nd), Practice (2nd), link to results on images
Version without the jump in front: no jump

Storyword count, 1,238
It was show day. Oliver was groomed and ready with Bea putting the final touches on her jacket. The sky was still dark, with the scent of rain in the air. It echoed the mood she'd been in for the past few days, but today it felt like the weight had been lifted. She felt calm and confident, they'd come so far since their first show together almost three years ago. Bea was proud, yes, they'd busted ass and now she was going to the Champions League. It seemed surreal and with everything that had happened recently, it felt all the more bittersweet.

Oliver had his hoof cocked as he relaxed in his cross ties, lazily playing with the battered stuffed shark tail he'd kidnapped from their Shark Event outfit. He loved the thing, a poor stuffed shark that Bea had hacked apart and duct taped to her helmet. Stuffing oozing out the sides, Oliver had picked it up afterward and hadn't let it out of his grasp since. The dumb thing came everywhere with them and he'd sleep with it in his stall. Bea had gone so far as to patch it up and make it look more official if a hunk of stuffed shark could look official, it had been dubbed "Sashimi."

"That'll ruin your image, you know," She teased, poking her stallion in the barrel. Oliver wuffed quietly and bobbed his head, Sashimi's midsection flopping between his lips. She double checked her girth, tightening it a hole as Oliver had a habit of puffing out. "C'mon, give it," Bea tugged the shark free, it's once plush coat was damp and sticky with horse slobber. Tucking Sashimi into her tack trunk, Bea untethered Oliver and headed for the warm-up ring.

It was drizzling as Bea put the young stallion through his paces, Oliver was responsive and working well with her as she pointed him towards some of the jumps in the middle of the ring. They bounded swiftly over them, Oliver tucking up neatly, Bea practicing her strides between each one. Looping around the outer edge of the ring, they waited for their turn at the jumps again. A few simple cycles like this and Bea felt ready, Oliver sufficiently warm as she let him walk out on the rail.

When their number was called, the pair entered the ring. Oliver stepped confidently, and it oozed over onto Bea. She felt herself relax, hips swaying in time to Oliver's stride as they walked around the ring. She took her time to show the stallion each fence, making a mental note to watch the combinations, remembering the tricky course walk she'd had that morning.

With a firm nod and salute to the judges' box, Bea touched her heels to Oliver's white flanks. The stallion snorted, skipping into a brisk canter as Bea aimed him between the timers. They were off. The course started off immediately with a large, bold painted oxer. Bea giving Oliver his head so they could get the proper lift off and they cleared it easily, Bea aiming the stallion between the two jumps to head towards the second.

The vertical was simple enough, but it was the set up for the third jump that posed a problem. They could either swing wide around the last jump on the course to line up for it, or they could cut the corner around jump seven and jump at an angle. It was risky, especially since the third jump was a massive spread, but it would save time and Bea wasn't here to play it safe. Narrowing her eyes, she tucked Oliver around the seventh fence, running parallel to the next fence. She gave him as much room as she could, pressing her right leg into his barrel and pointing his nose towards the fence.

It was a turn that would have made a barrel horse proud, Oliver knew what to do, tucking his haunches and spinning slightly to make the lineup. Kissing and giving his flanks a kick, Bea let the stallion loose. He grunted with effort, but the speed had given them enough clearance and she exhaled the breath she'd been holding as they strode away, pressing praise to the stallion's neck as they moved towards the fourth.

The next set of jumps were fairly straight forward, I wider, sweeping turn compared to the one they'd just done set the pair up for the five combo and the massive spread at six. They cleared the five easily enough, Bea once again driving Oliver forward as they headed towards the six, she could feel the stallion stretch out as they sailed over. They didn't have enough room to cut across, so Bea let Oliver loop wide, keeping as close to the final jump as she could, so much so she was tempted to reach out and touch the standard.

Seven, eight were simple, Oliver clearing them well as Bea prepared for the nine. She could loop wide again as was suggested, or she could cut between the first jump and try to make a sharp turn for the triple combination. Again, it was risky, it was important to line up properly for combos, especially one with three jumps. If one small mistake was made, it could throw the whole thing. Bea reminded herself that she was here to risk it all and leave everything on the table. Tugging Oliver to the left, she lined them up with the left standard of the very first fence. They'd take nine at an angle. It was a vertical so it wouldn't be too bad, and the extra room would let them make the turn for ten.

Gathering her reins, Bea sat back, easing Oliver down from the brisk canter he'd maintained, letting him slow, giving them as much room for error as she could. The stallion launched himself over the fence and time seemed to slow, they remained suspended for what felt like half a lifetime. Oliver landed with a snort, Bea already steering him towards the corner of the fence, weaving past it and around the left start timer like a traffic cone, she could almost feel the tripod bobble as they cantered past.

Giving them as much space as possible by riding towards the corner of the arena, the pair turned, suddenly staring down the barrel of a triple combination. A vertical, spread and a hefty oxer to top it all off. Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Bea urged Oliver forward. They cleared the first vertical, with the pretty red flowers beneath it, gathering themselves quickly. Two short strides and they were over the spread, Bea counting under her breath in order to fit in the extra half stride. The terrifying smack of hooves hitting wood rang loudly in Bea's ears, but there was no familiar thump of the pole hitting the dirt.

Without a look back, Bea heeled Oliver sharply, pushing him back up into a swift canter. A single vertical stood between them and a clean round, or so she hoped. Giving a kiss, she guided the stallion over, he cleared it without hesitation, striding past the timer. Bea glanced over her shoulder, the pole was still up. She grinned, leaning down to give Oliver's rain-slicked neck a hearty pat. Looking towards the board Bea's smile only grew, her concerns and sorrows faded. They were fast, but were they fast enough?

Comments

WHAT IS CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER? I dunno, you tell me. I'll be sure to add little next buttons once I get my shit together :')

They're jumping what I guess is 10a and 10b, i didn't want to add a third jump because that felt just excessive, so the shot was taken between the second and third jump in the combination. The first is a simple vertical with a flowerbox (originally was the BCC jump but I never finished for Event I), and the second is a spread with a single white pole on the far side (closest to viewer).

lots of grateful hugs to NimblePickle and SammyTheFloof for helping me with the final composition (and the title lmfao). we went through so many WIP shots :')

artwork + IHS characters, oTapirus

refs - AskebodaStock , unsplash.com/photos/Pe1Ol9oLc4… and Show resources provided by host.

Description

PREVIOUS • NEXT

Pemberley Park: Event II

Date: March 2019
Placing: TBD

Class: CSI4*

Horse: FHF Kissed the Kat
Rider: Bea Pemberton
Stable: Iron Horse Stud

Extra Images: Curiosity Kissed the Kat
Previous Placements: jaws (2nd), Practice (2nd), link to results on images
Version without the jump in front: no jump

Storyword count, 1,238
It was show day. Oliver was groomed and ready with Bea putting the final touches on her jacket. The sky was still dark, with the scent of rain in the air. It echoed the mood she'd been in for the past few days, but today it felt like the weight had been lifted. She felt calm and confident, they'd come so far since their first show together almost three years ago. Bea was proud, yes, they'd busted ass and now she was going to the Champions League. It seemed surreal and with everything that had happened recently, it felt all the more bittersweet.

Oliver had his hoof cocked as he relaxed in his cross ties, lazily playing with the battered stuffed shark tail he'd kidnapped from their Shark Event outfit. He loved the thing, a poor stuffed shark that Bea had hacked apart and duct taped to her helmet. Stuffing oozing out the sides, Oliver had picked it up afterward and hadn't let it out of his grasp since. The dumb thing came everywhere with them and he'd sleep with it in his stall. Bea had gone so far as to patch it up and make it look more official if a hunk of stuffed shark could look official, it had been dubbed "Sashimi."

"That'll ruin your image, you know," She teased, poking her stallion in the barrel. Oliver wuffed quietly and bobbed his head, Sashimi's midsection flopping between his lips. She double checked her girth, tightening it a hole as Oliver had a habit of puffing out. "C'mon, give it," Bea tugged the shark free, it's once plush coat was damp and sticky with horse slobber. Tucking Sashimi into her tack trunk, Bea untethered Oliver and headed for the warm-up ring.

It was drizzling as Bea put the young stallion through his paces, Oliver was responsive and working well with her as she pointed him towards some of the jumps in the middle of the ring. They bounded swiftly over them, Oliver tucking up neatly, Bea practicing her strides between each one. Looping around the outer edge of the ring, they waited for their turn at the jumps again. A few simple cycles like this and Bea felt ready, Oliver sufficiently warm as she let him walk out on the rail.

When their number was called, the pair entered the ring. Oliver stepped confidently, and it oozed over onto Bea. She felt herself relax, hips swaying in time to Oliver's stride as they walked around the ring. She took her time to show the stallion each fence, making a mental note to watch the combinations, remembering the tricky course walk she'd had that morning.

With a firm nod and salute to the judges' box, Bea touched her heels to Oliver's white flanks. The stallion snorted, skipping into a brisk canter as Bea aimed him between the timers. They were off. The course started off immediately with a large, bold painted oxer. Bea giving Oliver his head so they could get the proper lift off and they cleared it easily, Bea aiming the stallion between the two jumps to head towards the second.

The vertical was simple enough, but it was the set up for the third jump that posed a problem. They could either swing wide around the last jump on the course to line up for it, or they could cut the corner around jump seven and jump at an angle. It was risky, especially since the third jump was a massive spread, but it would save time and Bea wasn't here to play it safe. Narrowing her eyes, she tucked Oliver around the seventh fence, running parallel to the next fence. She gave him as much room as she could, pressing her right leg into his barrel and pointing his nose towards the fence.

It was a turn that would have made a barrel horse proud, Oliver knew what to do, tucking his haunches and spinning slightly to make the lineup. Kissing and giving his flanks a kick, Bea let the stallion loose. He grunted with effort, but the speed had given them enough clearance and she exhaled the breath she'd been holding as they strode away, pressing praise to the stallion's neck as they moved towards the fourth.

The next set of jumps were fairly straight forward, I wider, sweeping turn compared to the one they'd just done set the pair up for the five combo and the massive spread at six. They cleared the five easily enough, Bea once again driving Oliver forward as they headed towards the six, she could feel the stallion stretch out as they sailed over. They didn't have enough room to cut across, so Bea let Oliver loop wide, keeping as close to the final jump as she could, so much so she was tempted to reach out and touch the standard.

Seven, eight were simple, Oliver clearing them well as Bea prepared for the nine. She could loop wide again as was suggested, or she could cut between the first jump and try to make a sharp turn for the triple combination. Again, it was risky, it was important to line up properly for combos, especially one with three jumps. If one small mistake was made, it could throw the whole thing. Bea reminded herself that she was here to risk it all and leave everything on the table. Tugging Oliver to the left, she lined them up with the left standard of the very first fence. They'd take nine at an angle. It was a vertical so it wouldn't be too bad, and the extra room would let them make the turn for ten.

Gathering her reins, Bea sat back, easing Oliver down from the brisk canter he'd maintained, letting him slow, giving them as much room for error as she could. The stallion launched himself over the fence and time seemed to slow, they remained suspended for what felt like half a lifetime. Oliver landed with a snort, Bea already steering him towards the corner of the fence, weaving past it and around the left start timer like a traffic cone, she could almost feel the tripod bobble as they cantered past.

Giving them as much space as possible by riding towards the corner of the arena, the pair turned, suddenly staring down the barrel of a triple combination. A vertical, spread and a hefty oxer to top it all off. Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Bea urged Oliver forward. They cleared the first vertical, with the pretty red flowers beneath it, gathering themselves quickly. Two short strides and they were over the spread, Bea counting under her breath in order to fit in the extra half stride. The terrifying smack of hooves hitting wood rang loudly in Bea's ears, but there was no familiar thump of the pole hitting the dirt.

Without a look back, Bea heeled Oliver sharply, pushing him back up into a swift canter. A single vertical stood between them and a clean round, or so she hoped. Giving a kiss, she guided the stallion over, he cleared it without hesitation, striding past the timer. Bea glanced over her shoulder, the pole was still up. She grinned, leaning down to give Oliver's rain-slicked neck a hearty pat. Looking towards the board Bea's smile only grew, her concerns and sorrows faded. They were fast, but were they fast enough?

Comments

WHAT IS CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER? I dunno, you tell me. I'll be sure to add little next buttons once I get my shit together :')

They're jumping what I guess is 10a and 10b, i didn't want to add a third jump because that felt just excessive, so the shot was taken between the second and third jump in the combination. The first is a simple vertical with a flowerbox (originally was the BCC jump but I never finished for Event I), and the second is a spread with a single white pole on the far side (closest to viewer).

lots of grateful hugs to NimblePickle and SammyTheFloof for helping me with the final composition (and the title lmfao). we went through so many WIP shots :')

artwork + IHS characters, oTapirus

refs - AskebodaStock , unsplash.com/photos/Pe1Ol9oLc4… and Show resources provided by host.