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Description

Horse: AVS Moonshadow Mystique

Handler: Madison "Madi" Callaway

Show: FOYS 2021 Summer 'n' Fall Qualifiers
Class Entering: Endurance

Music: NA

____

Madi had fallen in love with the draft-built Faimé horses the first time she laid her eyes on them. Their large size, majestic necks, and flowing manes & tails were like something straight out of a fairy tale. They had been bred and refined for their strength – a total powerhouse of a horse. And yet, despite her size, Mystique was quite a docile mare. She was eager to please and easy to work with – at least for Madi, whom had fallen in love with the sweet grullo splash mare from the very first time she laid eyes on her.

As the very first of the Faimé horses to arrive at AVS, Madi had always intended to give Mystique the opportunity at a show career and chance to make a name for herself. They had started with basic groundwork training , and worked up to low-level dressage maneuvers. Mystique gave it her all, trying to learn whatever was asked of her by Madi and Zach – the lead trainer at AVS. But Madi could tell Mystique’s heart wasn’t truly in it, and the mare always seemed much more content when she was out exploring the natural views on a day hike.

So, it was decided that Mystique would be utilized for activities that seemed more suited for her personality – much to the delight of the Faimé mare. Madi started working her with short day hacks, which turned into long explorations, and eventually into overnight camping adventures. The grullo mare was strong, with solid legs, that allowed her to cover a decent amount of distance. And while no one would ever say speed was quality she possessed, the mare did have an incredible amount of stamina – and was able to carry Madi and their pack supplies tirelessly across long distances.

That was when Madi and her dear friend Thienna, from Chevalier’s Dream Stables, had begun to get together and train both of their Faimé mares in endurance and prolonged outings. The girls were rewarded with an adventure to Tasmania , Australia – where the beautiful mares were able to capture second place in their first ever Orienteering Class. Seeing her gentle giant play and splash in the sparkling surf was all the confirmation that Madi needed to know that their place would always be outside – exploring nature where Mystique could utilize her strength and stamina to their advantage.

Now they were taking their next big plunge – into the official Faimé Of the Year Show (FOYS) Endurance Qualifier. They had travelled to Seychelles, the native island home of the breed, and were going to take part in a 75 mile, single-day ride over rolling terrain on the edges of Seychelle's Royal Equestrian Park and neighboring forest land. The weather was quite comfortable – sunny, but with a crispness in the air thanks to the island breeze. Colors of Fall were beginning to appear among the deciduous trees and farms – bringing a beautiful vibrancy to the entire endurance course.

Mystique had passed the vet exam earlier that morning, and was now tacked up with her endurance gear – sporting some fabulous Fall colors of her own. Madi wasn’t above the chance to show off her pretty grullo girl against some fun Autumnal hues. Madi had her newly-dyed hair pulled back underneath her safety helmet. She had decided at the last second that she wanted her hair to match the grullo mare’s – and had roped Thienna (who was also at Seychelles showing her stunning stallion Hades) into helping her dye it the night before. Zach had shaken his head when heard her rationale, but said nothing and merely helped to adjust her registration number arm band so it was clearly displayed – a perfect match to the safety number painted on Mystique’s rump. Madi zipped her safety vest closed, making sure the clasps were fully secured, and then double checked to make sure her map and GPS tracker were stowed in her pack safely.

Mystique turned her head, her quivering white nostrils sniffing at Zach’s pockets for any potential goodies he may have hidden. Madi laughed, patting the large mare’s velvet soft neck, and let Mystique know that rewards were for after their performance. She quickly climbed up into the saddle, making sure everything was in place where it needed to be. Zach had already done an extra safety check on the tack – just to make sure the team wouldn’t have any issues or malfunctions during their ride. She gave a subtle squeeze of her legs, urging the grullo mare forward to the starting area.

At the group start area, Madi maneuvered Mystique into a comfortable starting position in front of a majority of the contestants. Madi had memorized the course from the map, and knew to look for the surveyor’s tape ribbons that would help guide their path. As soon as the path was “opened” Madi allowed Mystique to settle into a slow canter, giving them an early lead and clearing some space between themselves and their competitors. She wanted Mystique to move at a pace that was comfortable for her, sustainable by her stamina, and not be influenced by the other riders.

The girls settled into an easy rhythm – each moving in time with the other, as they had on so many occasions before. Madi was able to look ahead, scouting for landmarks or ribbons, and occasionally pulling the GPS navigator from her pocket as confirmation that they were on the correct route. The path through the Seychelles countryside was absolutely stunning – hedged by trees in all shades of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. Hale bales and berry branches marked some of the compact dirt paths, as they moved past vast fields of sunflowers basking in the September sunshine. Pumpkins of every shape and size dotted the countryside – some growing naturally and some having been set up as décor by proud island farmers. It felt like they were travelling through a charming Thomas Kinkade painting.

Mystique was able to maintain an impressive pace for her large size, alternating between jogging and cantering as they moved past each mile marker. She passed the first compulsory (veterinarian) hold location with ease and the girls were back out feeling the island breeze through their hair in record time. No matter how they placed, this would be a wonderful ride/journey to remember…

____

Word Count: 1048 Words

Pose Ref: Dressage Cup_162
Madi/Mystique belong to ReQuay
(curteousy mentions of Thienna thanks to monymay14 )

____

I haven't entered a show since the Golden Hunt last year... I don't know where all the time has gone (other than RL has definitely not let up at all for 2021), but I was determined no matter how many (many, many) weekends this took I was going to at least get one show entered this year. So sorry for being so quiet - as I often mass delete my inbox because it's become unmanageable by the time I get back online - but I really do hope to make more of a return to HARPG in the next few months (or maybe 2022)... hopefully.

Description

Horse: AVS Moonshadow Mystique

Handler: Madison "Madi" Callaway

Show: FOYS 2021 Summer 'n' Fall Qualifiers
Class Entering: Endurance

Music: NA

____

Madi had fallen in love with the draft-built Faimé horses the first time she laid her eyes on them. Their large size, majestic necks, and flowing manes & tails were like something straight out of a fairy tale. They had been bred and refined for their strength – a total powerhouse of a horse. And yet, despite her size, Mystique was quite a docile mare. She was eager to please and easy to work with – at least for Madi, whom had fallen in love with the sweet grullo splash mare from the very first time she laid eyes on her.

As the very first of the Faimé horses to arrive at AVS, Madi had always intended to give Mystique the opportunity at a show career and chance to make a name for herself. They had started with basic groundwork training , and worked up to low-level dressage maneuvers. Mystique gave it her all, trying to learn whatever was asked of her by Madi and Zach – the lead trainer at AVS. But Madi could tell Mystique’s heart wasn’t truly in it, and the mare always seemed much more content when she was out exploring the natural views on a day hike.

So, it was decided that Mystique would be utilized for activities that seemed more suited for her personality – much to the delight of the Faimé mare. Madi started working her with short day hacks, which turned into long explorations, and eventually into overnight camping adventures. The grullo mare was strong, with solid legs, that allowed her to cover a decent amount of distance. And while no one would ever say speed was quality she possessed, the mare did have an incredible amount of stamina – and was able to carry Madi and their pack supplies tirelessly across long distances.

That was when Madi and her dear friend Thienna, from Chevalier’s Dream Stables, had begun to get together and train both of their Faimé mares in endurance and prolonged outings. The girls were rewarded with an adventure to Tasmania , Australia – where the beautiful mares were able to capture second place in their first ever Orienteering Class. Seeing her gentle giant play and splash in the sparkling surf was all the confirmation that Madi needed to know that their place would always be outside – exploring nature where Mystique could utilize her strength and stamina to their advantage.

Now they were taking their next big plunge – into the official Faimé Of the Year Show (FOYS) Endurance Qualifier. They had travelled to Seychelles, the native island home of the breed, and were going to take part in a 75 mile, single-day ride over rolling terrain on the edges of Seychelle's Royal Equestrian Park and neighboring forest land. The weather was quite comfortable – sunny, but with a crispness in the air thanks to the island breeze. Colors of Fall were beginning to appear among the deciduous trees and farms – bringing a beautiful vibrancy to the entire endurance course.

Mystique had passed the vet exam earlier that morning, and was now tacked up with her endurance gear – sporting some fabulous Fall colors of her own. Madi wasn’t above the chance to show off her pretty grullo girl against some fun Autumnal hues. Madi had her newly-dyed hair pulled back underneath her safety helmet. She had decided at the last second that she wanted her hair to match the grullo mare’s – and had roped Thienna (who was also at Seychelles showing her stunning stallion Hades) into helping her dye it the night before. Zach had shaken his head when heard her rationale, but said nothing and merely helped to adjust her registration number arm band so it was clearly displayed – a perfect match to the safety number painted on Mystique’s rump. Madi zipped her safety vest closed, making sure the clasps were fully secured, and then double checked to make sure her map and GPS tracker were stowed in her pack safely.

Mystique turned her head, her quivering white nostrils sniffing at Zach’s pockets for any potential goodies he may have hidden. Madi laughed, patting the large mare’s velvet soft neck, and let Mystique know that rewards were for after their performance. She quickly climbed up into the saddle, making sure everything was in place where it needed to be. Zach had already done an extra safety check on the tack – just to make sure the team wouldn’t have any issues or malfunctions during their ride. She gave a subtle squeeze of her legs, urging the grullo mare forward to the starting area.

At the group start area, Madi maneuvered Mystique into a comfortable starting position in front of a majority of the contestants. Madi had memorized the course from the map, and knew to look for the surveyor’s tape ribbons that would help guide their path. As soon as the path was “opened” Madi allowed Mystique to settle into a slow canter, giving them an early lead and clearing some space between themselves and their competitors. She wanted Mystique to move at a pace that was comfortable for her, sustainable by her stamina, and not be influenced by the other riders.

The girls settled into an easy rhythm – each moving in time with the other, as they had on so many occasions before. Madi was able to look ahead, scouting for landmarks or ribbons, and occasionally pulling the GPS navigator from her pocket as confirmation that they were on the correct route. The path through the Seychelles countryside was absolutely stunning – hedged by trees in all shades of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. Hale bales and berry branches marked some of the compact dirt paths, as they moved past vast fields of sunflowers basking in the September sunshine. Pumpkins of every shape and size dotted the countryside – some growing naturally and some having been set up as décor by proud island farmers. It felt like they were travelling through a charming Thomas Kinkade painting.

Mystique was able to maintain an impressive pace for her large size, alternating between jogging and cantering as they moved past each mile marker. She passed the first compulsory (veterinarian) hold location with ease and the girls were back out feeling the island breeze through their hair in record time. No matter how they placed, this would be a wonderful ride/journey to remember…

____

Word Count: 1048 Words

Pose Ref: Dressage Cup_162
Madi/Mystique belong to ReQuay
(curteousy mentions of Thienna thanks to monymay14 )

____

I haven't entered a show since the Golden Hunt last year... I don't know where all the time has gone (other than RL has definitely not let up at all for 2021), but I was determined no matter how many (many, many) weekends this took I was going to at least get one show entered this year. So sorry for being so quiet - as I often mass delete my inbox because it's become unmanageable by the time I get back online - but I really do hope to make more of a return to HARPG in the next few months (or maybe 2022)... hopefully.