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Description
Horse: AVS Countess of Cosmology
Handler: Nadya Ryder
Show: FOYs 2024 - Early Qualifier
Class Entering: Show Jumping
Additional Information: Story below
Extra Training Image (for storyline purposes only):

Story:
Nadya was so excited to take Celestia back to Seychelles. It would be “returning home” for the imported mare… right back to staying in the hosted guest stables (which were just adjacent to the Royal Stables where she’d been housed during the last three years of her island training). Nadya could not help but wonder if Celestia would be excited, or if she would be filled with nostalgia (… assuming horses had that particular emotion at all). The flight had felt to Nadya like it had taken forever, and her impatience was noted by Zach, the AVS trainer that accompanied her. He kept offering calming suggestions, but all she wanted to see is how her beautiful, dark mare would react when she smelt the island air.

When the flight was over, the unloading completed, and the trailering to the show destination finally finished, Nadya was not sure who was more excited to get out and see all the surroundings: her or her mare. Celestia had her ears perked straight up with those black nostrils quivering as she drank deep breaths of the salty air. Nadya could have sworn that the mare had an extra prance in her step, one that had nothing to do with finally being able to move after the long travels. Zach agreed whole-heartedly. The seal bay roan knew where she was, and looked as if she was ready to dance right into the familiar stables.

They had arrived few days early, as all participants of the FOYS had been invited to do, to allow their horses to settle into a routine. Nadya was grateful for the time it allowed her to spend with Celestia, working out jitters, exploring the warm-up arenas, and even taking a beautiful beach ride as they got ready for the upcoming show. She would fuss incessantly at keeping Celestia’s coat clean and shiny after each outing, not wanting to make more work for either of them the morning of their class.

And before Nadya could develop any more butterflies, the day of the show was upon them. Zach met her early in the barn, both of them too excited to sleep in. Showjumping was following the dressage class, and it gave them a little extra time to make sure the mare’s button braids were perfectly in place that morning. Nadya had decided to leave the tail unbraided, and added a little extra flair in the way of tiny strands of tinsel streamers in royal purple and gold – the official colors of the breed – woven throughout the tail. The purple matched the amethyst gemstone browband she had acquired for the event, wanting to make sure her mare was showcasing the colors of her proud homeland. Celestia looked amazing, and Nadya was so excited at the chance to showcase the mare’s skill and talent – especially after all their hard work and training – back in the very arena the mare had learned how to jump in.

Zach finished a few glistening brushstrokes as Nadya then got herself ready. Her curly brown hair would be back in a ponytail, tucked neatly below her safety helmet. She had shined her boots the night before, and everything came together as she fastened the buttons on her jacket, adjusting the hemline as she looked in the mirror. Zach led Celestia out of the stables, and Nadya mounted up under a beautiful, summer sky. There were thin high clouds, which kept the direct, harsh light (and shadows) at bay while beautifully displaying the event setting. Her class would be near the beach, where a series of regal jumps had been set up amidst palm trees in front of an iconic ocean setting. Gulls floated on the winds, adding their own voices to the background symphony, as horse and rider headed towards the warmup arena.

After a comfortable warm-up, enough to help limber up all the mare’s muscles without getting her overly tired, Nadya went and watched the rider before her complete their round. She felt her nerves kicking in, just as Zach offered words of reassurance. Their training had gone incredibly so far together, and he encouraged Nadya to listen to Celestia and really work together as the team they were becoming. Today was not about the win – it was about the two establishing themselves as teammates and partners working together in a show arena. The ring steward notified Nadya they were next. Zach gave a few more words of encouragement, patting the mare’s shiny shoulders, and stepped off to the side so he could watch their performance.

Nadya was fairly familiar with the course. She had studied the brochure until she could practically recite it in her sleep. And she had walked the course with Zach yesterday, counting the paces she would need between each of the jumps. She ran through their game plan one more time mentally, as she watched the other competitor finish their course. The she took her place behind the starting line, and waited for the bell to sound. Celestia was excited – the mare loved to jump and she seemed to know she was putting on a show for everyone in the stands. Then the bell rang. Celestia moved into a rapid canter immediately, as Nadya positioned them to take the first jump directly in the middle. Celestia cleared the vertical easily, and swung wide to allow the right number of paces for the second jump, a bright beachy Liverpool jump. Nadya sat back, letting Celestia draw power from her hocks, and soar over the watery jump. Then they made a tight turn with calculated momentum, and headed parallel along the beach for a vertical jump with beautiful topiary adornments. So far, they were maintaining a good balance between speed and precision, and Nadya was completely focused on Celestia’s every movement below her – no longer worried about the audience or onlookers. The mare’s head was upright and alert, assessing the jump, as they approached. She drew her powerful hindquarters underneath her, converting her stride into upwards momentum as she lifted off the ground and soared straightforward towards the jump. Her neck extended forward and she tightened up her forelegs to clear the rails. It felt as though they were flying through the air.

(Word Count 1038)

Reference: Jumping stock 183
Art/Characters © ReQuay
Thanks to YouTube for demonstrating how SJ'ers count their paces
And this blog for explaining the different styles of jumps

Description
Horse: AVS Countess of Cosmology
Handler: Nadya Ryder
Show: FOYs 2024 - Early Qualifier
Class Entering: Show Jumping
Additional Information: Story below
Extra Training Image (for storyline purposes only):

Story:
Nadya was so excited to take Celestia back to Seychelles. It would be “returning home” for the imported mare… right back to staying in the hosted guest stables (which were just adjacent to the Royal Stables where she’d been housed during the last three years of her island training). Nadya could not help but wonder if Celestia would be excited, or if she would be filled with nostalgia (… assuming horses had that particular emotion at all). The flight had felt to Nadya like it had taken forever, and her impatience was noted by Zach, the AVS trainer that accompanied her. He kept offering calming suggestions, but all she wanted to see is how her beautiful, dark mare would react when she smelt the island air.

When the flight was over, the unloading completed, and the trailering to the show destination finally finished, Nadya was not sure who was more excited to get out and see all the surroundings: her or her mare. Celestia had her ears perked straight up with those black nostrils quivering as she drank deep breaths of the salty air. Nadya could have sworn that the mare had an extra prance in her step, one that had nothing to do with finally being able to move after the long travels. Zach agreed whole-heartedly. The seal bay roan knew where she was, and looked as if she was ready to dance right into the familiar stables.

They had arrived few days early, as all participants of the FOYS had been invited to do, to allow their horses to settle into a routine. Nadya was grateful for the time it allowed her to spend with Celestia, working out jitters, exploring the warm-up arenas, and even taking a beautiful beach ride as they got ready for the upcoming show. She would fuss incessantly at keeping Celestia’s coat clean and shiny after each outing, not wanting to make more work for either of them the morning of their class.

And before Nadya could develop any more butterflies, the day of the show was upon them. Zach met her early in the barn, both of them too excited to sleep in. Showjumping was following the dressage class, and it gave them a little extra time to make sure the mare’s button braids were perfectly in place that morning. Nadya had decided to leave the tail unbraided, and added a little extra flair in the way of tiny strands of tinsel streamers in royal purple and gold – the official colors of the breed – woven throughout the tail. The purple matched the amethyst gemstone browband she had acquired for the event, wanting to make sure her mare was showcasing the colors of her proud homeland. Celestia looked amazing, and Nadya was so excited at the chance to showcase the mare’s skill and talent – especially after all their hard work and training – back in the very arena the mare had learned how to jump in.

Zach finished a few glistening brushstrokes as Nadya then got herself ready. Her curly brown hair would be back in a ponytail, tucked neatly below her safety helmet. She had shined her boots the night before, and everything came together as she fastened the buttons on her jacket, adjusting the hemline as she looked in the mirror. Zach led Celestia out of the stables, and Nadya mounted up under a beautiful, summer sky. There were thin high clouds, which kept the direct, harsh light (and shadows) at bay while beautifully displaying the event setting. Her class would be near the beach, where a series of regal jumps had been set up amidst palm trees in front of an iconic ocean setting. Gulls floated on the winds, adding their own voices to the background symphony, as horse and rider headed towards the warmup arena.

After a comfortable warm-up, enough to help limber up all the mare’s muscles without getting her overly tired, Nadya went and watched the rider before her complete their round. She felt her nerves kicking in, just as Zach offered words of reassurance. Their training had gone incredibly so far together, and he encouraged Nadya to listen to Celestia and really work together as the team they were becoming. Today was not about the win – it was about the two establishing themselves as teammates and partners working together in a show arena. The ring steward notified Nadya they were next. Zach gave a few more words of encouragement, patting the mare’s shiny shoulders, and stepped off to the side so he could watch their performance.

Nadya was fairly familiar with the course. She had studied the brochure until she could practically recite it in her sleep. And she had walked the course with Zach yesterday, counting the paces she would need between each of the jumps. She ran through their game plan one more time mentally, as she watched the other competitor finish their course. The she took her place behind the starting line, and waited for the bell to sound. Celestia was excited – the mare loved to jump and she seemed to know she was putting on a show for everyone in the stands. Then the bell rang. Celestia moved into a rapid canter immediately, as Nadya positioned them to take the first jump directly in the middle. Celestia cleared the vertical easily, and swung wide to allow the right number of paces for the second jump, a bright beachy Liverpool jump. Nadya sat back, letting Celestia draw power from her hocks, and soar over the watery jump. Then they made a tight turn with calculated momentum, and headed parallel along the beach for a vertical jump with beautiful topiary adornments. So far, they were maintaining a good balance between speed and precision, and Nadya was completely focused on Celestia’s every movement below her – no longer worried about the audience or onlookers. The mare’s head was upright and alert, assessing the jump, as they approached. She drew her powerful hindquarters underneath her, converting her stride into upwards momentum as she lifted off the ground and soared straightforward towards the jump. Her neck extended forward and she tightened up her forelegs to clear the rails. It felt as though they were flying through the air.

(Word Count 1038)

Reference: Jumping stock 183
Art/Characters © ReQuay
Thanks to YouTube for demonstrating how SJ'ers count their paces
And this blog for explaining the different styles of jumps