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Description

Horse:Therron | Dusana Stallion | 9 yrs
Rider: Mikayla Turner | 35 | AUS
Show:Home Grown Show
Class: English (Cross Country)

“You should be training for the Olympics.” Aunt D’s voice rang in the air of the relatively tranquil barn. Mikayla sighed softly, adjustusting the girth on her bay stallion.

“We’ve gone over this. I’m not sure I even want to compete this year”

“You have a good handful of horses prepared and ready to go.”

“I also have students who are starting shows this year, and a seven year old who would like to spend more time with his mom.” Mikayla retorted. For a split moment, Therron pinned his ears, glaring at Aunt D who stood well enough away. The dusana wouldn’t actually do anything to the familiar elderly woman, but it was clear her insistence on Mikayla joining the Olympics this year was beginning to grate on the red-head’s nerves.

“You are the face of the stables. Your competitions bring in the support needed to run this place.”

“So is the horse breeding program, so are my students, the riding lessons, the boarding and leasing program, among a list of other various things that bring money and support. What is your point?”

“My point is that you should be focused on the horses that will take you and your students to the top. Dressage is your strong suit.”

“Dressage is your strong suit, D. Listen, you want me to showcase our horses, that’s fine. I’m already doing it.”

“Therron is not a horse you should be showcasing. He’s a pasture stud at best.”

“Therron was injured and has been recovering.”

“For over five years? He’s a fat pasture pet.”

Mikayla turned her head, a sharp glare and mouth thin from the anger clear on her face, nevermind the annoyed snort and loud stomp from the dusana that reverberated in the barn.

“He’s in training, yes he’s not Olympic-quality at the moment, and maybe he never will be, but he’s a permanent part of this stable, of me, and he will be training and competing just like all the other horses in Tazzmaran. He might not bring in the thousands in stud fees that you want, but he’s a good steady horse. You, of all people, should respect my decision to compete with him. Think of this as… showcasing our endurance and cross country trails then, if you will.”

“Are… you thinking of hosting a competition?” Aunt D’s eyes lit up at the prospect.

Mikayla sighed softly, brushing the hair from her face. “This or next year, yes. That’s the goal. We need to get things in order, guest cabins and pastures cleaned up, maybe repaint the barns or the indoor arena. I will consider the Olympics this year, but I won’t make any promises.” She finalized, before lifting herself onto Therron’s back. The bay stallion snorted, champing at the bit as Mikayla made the last few adjustments of the Cam-box on her helmet, pressing the recording button. Sophie would be the one to call start, as Mikayla trotted the energetic stallion to their starting point.

Therron hadn’t had much luck in the competition department so far as far as racing around was concerned. In halter and liberty he was a flashy boy, neck finely crested and bright blue eyes. He was on the thicker side of the breed, which meant he was never going to be best for the heights of show jumping. He was a lot better in endurance, the hardy thick bodied stallion thriving in cold weather and rough landscapes. They did cross country as a way to mostly practice his speed and agility. Despite being on their home turf, Mikayla was sure he’d treat this as a real competition, the bay stallion a near mimic of her own competitive spirit.

Sophie’s alarm went off, and with a quick burst of speed they were racing down the dirt trail, headed straight for the first obstacle. This particular trail went over the shoot-off from the main river twice, one without a jump, and one where the jump led straight into the water. They’d spent hours clearing the trail, even so much as to trim trees and the grass by the paths.
They reached the homestretch, where the forest began to become sparse. Sophie eyes were flickering between her and the timer on her phone, while Siobhan took pictures to send in. They’d send in the cam-box footage as well, and a shot of the time to validate the ‘score’ for the cross-country.

By the time Therron slowed from a gallop to a trot past the finish line, his coat was shining from the sheen of sweat. Mikayla slid off his back, handing her helmet to Sophie. “Go ahead and put the footage together, I’m going to cool him off.”

“I’ll get the specialized cooling blanket ready for you and the hose ready.”

“Thanks. He’ll be easier to manage and cool down when it gets cooler.” She stated the obvious as she removed his tack and took him for a walk to help cool him down. A sense of pride swelled in her chest, though she couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or herself at this point. She patted Therron’s neck, walking down the side of the dirt road as the sun began to sink lower in the sky.

Word Count: 872

I tried to stay off DA, lasted the majority of two days
That's okay, there's a lot of good shows going on right now, and it's not like I'll be leaving any time soon. Once i get things sorted, I may use an outside website to organize everything for the stables like a few others have done already. It seems like a good idea, sort of a choose your own formatting.

Reference: youtu.be/_mLldiMZswo?t=4013
Tools: SAI + Elements 14

Description

Horse:Therron | Dusana Stallion | 9 yrs
Rider: Mikayla Turner | 35 | AUS
Show:Home Grown Show
Class: English (Cross Country)

“You should be training for the Olympics.” Aunt D’s voice rang in the air of the relatively tranquil barn. Mikayla sighed softly, adjustusting the girth on her bay stallion.

“We’ve gone over this. I’m not sure I even want to compete this year”

“You have a good handful of horses prepared and ready to go.”

“I also have students who are starting shows this year, and a seven year old who would like to spend more time with his mom.” Mikayla retorted. For a split moment, Therron pinned his ears, glaring at Aunt D who stood well enough away. The dusana wouldn’t actually do anything to the familiar elderly woman, but it was clear her insistence on Mikayla joining the Olympics this year was beginning to grate on the red-head’s nerves.

“You are the face of the stables. Your competitions bring in the support needed to run this place.”

“So is the horse breeding program, so are my students, the riding lessons, the boarding and leasing program, among a list of other various things that bring money and support. What is your point?”

“My point is that you should be focused on the horses that will take you and your students to the top. Dressage is your strong suit.”

“Dressage is your strong suit, D. Listen, you want me to showcase our horses, that’s fine. I’m already doing it.”

“Therron is not a horse you should be showcasing. He’s a pasture stud at best.”

“Therron was injured and has been recovering.”

“For over five years? He’s a fat pasture pet.”

Mikayla turned her head, a sharp glare and mouth thin from the anger clear on her face, nevermind the annoyed snort and loud stomp from the dusana that reverberated in the barn.

“He’s in training, yes he’s not Olympic-quality at the moment, and maybe he never will be, but he’s a permanent part of this stable, of me, and he will be training and competing just like all the other horses in Tazzmaran. He might not bring in the thousands in stud fees that you want, but he’s a good steady horse. You, of all people, should respect my decision to compete with him. Think of this as… showcasing our endurance and cross country trails then, if you will.”

“Are… you thinking of hosting a competition?” Aunt D’s eyes lit up at the prospect.

Mikayla sighed softly, brushing the hair from her face. “This or next year, yes. That’s the goal. We need to get things in order, guest cabins and pastures cleaned up, maybe repaint the barns or the indoor arena. I will consider the Olympics this year, but I won’t make any promises.” She finalized, before lifting herself onto Therron’s back. The bay stallion snorted, champing at the bit as Mikayla made the last few adjustments of the Cam-box on her helmet, pressing the recording button. Sophie would be the one to call start, as Mikayla trotted the energetic stallion to their starting point.

Therron hadn’t had much luck in the competition department so far as far as racing around was concerned. In halter and liberty he was a flashy boy, neck finely crested and bright blue eyes. He was on the thicker side of the breed, which meant he was never going to be best for the heights of show jumping. He was a lot better in endurance, the hardy thick bodied stallion thriving in cold weather and rough landscapes. They did cross country as a way to mostly practice his speed and agility. Despite being on their home turf, Mikayla was sure he’d treat this as a real competition, the bay stallion a near mimic of her own competitive spirit.

Sophie’s alarm went off, and with a quick burst of speed they were racing down the dirt trail, headed straight for the first obstacle. This particular trail went over the shoot-off from the main river twice, one without a jump, and one where the jump led straight into the water. They’d spent hours clearing the trail, even so much as to trim trees and the grass by the paths.
They reached the homestretch, where the forest began to become sparse. Sophie eyes were flickering between her and the timer on her phone, while Siobhan took pictures to send in. They’d send in the cam-box footage as well, and a shot of the time to validate the ‘score’ for the cross-country.

By the time Therron slowed from a gallop to a trot past the finish line, his coat was shining from the sheen of sweat. Mikayla slid off his back, handing her helmet to Sophie. “Go ahead and put the footage together, I’m going to cool him off.”

“I’ll get the specialized cooling blanket ready for you and the hose ready.”

“Thanks. He’ll be easier to manage and cool down when it gets cooler.” She stated the obvious as she removed his tack and took him for a walk to help cool him down. A sense of pride swelled in her chest, though she couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or herself at this point. She patted Therron’s neck, walking down the side of the dirt road as the sun began to sink lower in the sky.

Word Count: 872

I tried to stay off DA, lasted the majority of two days
That's okay, there's a lot of good shows going on right now, and it's not like I'll be leaving any time soon. Once i get things sorted, I may use an outside website to organize everything for the stables like a few others have done already. It seems like a good idea, sort of a choose your own formatting.

Reference: youtu.be/_mLldiMZswo?t=4013
Tools: SAI + Elements 14