HOME | DD

Description

Horse: FireStorm | 7+ years | Waler Mare

Rider: Mikayla Turner | 34 | AUS

Class: Endurance Race

Show: Winter Champion's Cup 2018

Advertisement: www.deviantart.com/rosela/stat…

Placing: N/A

--

Mikayla let out a soft sigh as they slowed down. They were about halfway through the endurance race, and she needed to give Firestorm a small break. The younger mare had been more than eager to show off at the beginning of the race, even took almost falling into five feet of deep snow in her stride, just pushing through the snow and shaking off her face that had gotten partially covered in the white stuff. They were probably somewhere near East Angus at this point, where the trees had gotten thick on both sides of them and the trail was beginning to become more covered by the light snow fall. The wind was at their backs at this point, a constant reminder for them to keep going.

She brushed off some of the snow that tried to cover the safety reflectors on the mare's tack before urging Firestorm onwards. The mare wasn't sweating yet thankfully, but Mikayla was beginning to wish she'd brought an extra jacket, as the chill sunk deep into the bones when the wind was right on you. They had assured her that visibility would be good, but sometimes the snow became a little heavier than normal. They could still see a good ways ahead of them, but it wasn't exactly crystal clear as far as Mikayla was used to.

"Just a few more hours lovey," Mikayla spoke softly. The silver bay roan mare flicked her ears backwards before returning her full attention to the trail and their surroundings. Stormy snorted before picking up her hooves and bursting into a trot. The sooner they got to the end of this oddly long trail, the better, as far as the mare was concerned. There would be hot cocoa waiting for Mikayla, a fresh bed of hay and oats in the stables, and an even warmer blanket for the both of them. Mikayla was actually rather glad that this would be the last event for the rest of the champion's cup. They passed by a broken fence, an orange flag leading them into the forest, away from all the rather scenic areas and into the dark dense woodland. Firestorm tossed her mane, head moving to watch as a deer darted past them, startled by the sound of the mare's hooves and jingling tack.

The sound of hooves in the distance reminded Mikayla that this was actually still a race. Feeling the direct tension from Mikayla, Firestorm burst forward into a canter, carefully navigating through the underbrush. They had already sped past people who had started before them near the beginning of the race, as all the riders had been started off in intervals of 5 minutes so there was less likely to have injured horses. The waler is rather known for it's hardy and friendly nature, so when push came to shove, the little roan mare was more than willing to kick up her hooves and book it. Mikayla gave a loud whoop as the other rider slowly came upon them, their horse at an almost flat gallop in the trees. It wasn't until Mikayla saw the treeline that she allowed the mare to have her head, a burst of speed rippling through the mare's muscles as she took off into an out-right gallop, passing by their competitor- someone who'd had over a 10 minute start before them. If that person had finally caught up, who knew who else was on their trail. Mikayla could feel the other rider's glare at her back as the mare's hooves tossed snow everywhere, leaping over a fallen tree with the precision that only a cross country horse and rider duo knew.

___

Word Count: 610

Information:

Reference: Dressage Salute by Sim-stock

Approx. Time: 7hours

Tools: SAI + PS Elements 14

Description

Horse: FireStorm | 7+ years | Waler Mare

Rider: Mikayla Turner | 34 | AUS

Class: Endurance Race

Show: Winter Champion's Cup 2018

Advertisement: www.deviantart.com/rosela/stat…

Placing: N/A

--

Mikayla let out a soft sigh as they slowed down. They were about halfway through the endurance race, and she needed to give Firestorm a small break. The younger mare had been more than eager to show off at the beginning of the race, even took almost falling into five feet of deep snow in her stride, just pushing through the snow and shaking off her face that had gotten partially covered in the white stuff. They were probably somewhere near East Angus at this point, where the trees had gotten thick on both sides of them and the trail was beginning to become more covered by the light snow fall. The wind was at their backs at this point, a constant reminder for them to keep going.

She brushed off some of the snow that tried to cover the safety reflectors on the mare's tack before urging Firestorm onwards. The mare wasn't sweating yet thankfully, but Mikayla was beginning to wish she'd brought an extra jacket, as the chill sunk deep into the bones when the wind was right on you. They had assured her that visibility would be good, but sometimes the snow became a little heavier than normal. They could still see a good ways ahead of them, but it wasn't exactly crystal clear as far as Mikayla was used to.

"Just a few more hours lovey," Mikayla spoke softly. The silver bay roan mare flicked her ears backwards before returning her full attention to the trail and their surroundings. Stormy snorted before picking up her hooves and bursting into a trot. The sooner they got to the end of this oddly long trail, the better, as far as the mare was concerned. There would be hot cocoa waiting for Mikayla, a fresh bed of hay and oats in the stables, and an even warmer blanket for the both of them. Mikayla was actually rather glad that this would be the last event for the rest of the champion's cup. They passed by a broken fence, an orange flag leading them into the forest, away from all the rather scenic areas and into the dark dense woodland. Firestorm tossed her mane, head moving to watch as a deer darted past them, startled by the sound of the mare's hooves and jingling tack.

The sound of hooves in the distance reminded Mikayla that this was actually still a race. Feeling the direct tension from Mikayla, Firestorm burst forward into a canter, carefully navigating through the underbrush. They had already sped past people who had started before them near the beginning of the race, as all the riders had been started off in intervals of 5 minutes so there was less likely to have injured horses. The waler is rather known for it's hardy and friendly nature, so when push came to shove, the little roan mare was more than willing to kick up her hooves and book it. Mikayla gave a loud whoop as the other rider slowly came upon them, their horse at an almost flat gallop in the trees. It wasn't until Mikayla saw the treeline that she allowed the mare to have her head, a burst of speed rippling through the mare's muscles as she took off into an out-right gallop, passing by their competitor- someone who'd had over a 10 minute start before them. If that person had finally caught up, who knew who else was on their trail. Mikayla could feel the other rider's glare at her back as the mare's hooves tossed snow everywhere, leaping over a fallen tree with the precision that only a cross country horse and rider duo knew.

___

Word Count: 610

Information:

Reference: Dressage Salute by Sim-stock

Approx. Time: 7hours

Tools: SAI + PS Elements 14