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Post by Abby Vuori on Oct 12, 2008 1:13:11 GMT -5
The slim girl walked down the hall-way calmly, hands in the pockets of her dark grey sweater. She turned around the corner calmly and kept walking, taking her hands out of the pockets only when a curious equine head was thrust at her.
Horses where her life really. She loved them with all of her heart, which is perhaps why she'd been sent here. She wasn't complaining, but it was far from Finland with all of her friends. And she didn't stand out so terribly there.
Rounding a second corner she was greeted by a high-pitched whinny. A smile broke out over her face. Sovereign seemed to miss her a lot. Poor bloke.
She stopped infront of the gelding's stall and rubbed his forehead a few times. "How are you my pretty boy?" She asked calmly as the gelding nodded his head. Sovereign would always be her favorite horse no matter, he'd been her first after all.
She grabbed the halter and lead that was hanging on the peg outside his door before opening the stall door and easing herself in. She haltered the large stallion easily before leading him out into the ring and letting him go free. Of course the silly creature had stopped at the window from his stall and was peeking in as he watched her muck out his stall.
Abby couldn't quite wait until her other two horses arrived. That was all she really thought about, besides the "peeping tom" of a gelding who would nicker occasionally should he feel that she wasn't paying attention to him.
When she'd laid down some fresh straw for the gelding she walked to the door with the halter and lead in hand again. She caught up her gelding and on her way back grabbed her grooming bucket.
Letting herself and the gelding back into the stall, she grabbed a curry comb and started going over the dun appaloosa coat of her crossbred boy. "Maybe later ve'll go for a ride Sovereign." She said gently as she rubbed the gelding's neck, who was obviously enjoying the attention.
Abby glanced around curiously, thinking she'd heard the crunching of straw, but continued to groom the gelding, figuring that it was just the horse shifting under her as she continued to brush him.
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Post by !!.Curtis.Axel.!! on Oct 12, 2008 16:50:06 GMT -5
Curtis jumped slightly as the stall next door had whinnied. Seduction was already out in the turnout ring and he was just busy mucking out his stall before he brought him back in. He smiled as he heard a girl talking to the horse that had whinnied. ‘How are you my pretty boy?’ Of course, Curtis being the joker and flirt that he was, he was tempted to say, ‘Oh, I’m just fine.’. But, for once in his life, Curtis kept quiet. He rolled the wheelbarrow out of the stall and took it outside and emptied it.
He returned to the stall and took the empty hay net, water bucket and feed bucket. He went out side and rinsed out the water and feed bucket, filling the water bucket full of water. Then he walked towards the feed room and filled up the hay net and mixed together Seduction’s daily feed. He returned to the stall and hung the water bucket in the corner, put the hay net in the back right corner and placed the feed bucket on the peg beside the water bucket. He dusted off his hands and sighed.
Walking out of the stall he stopped and looked into the neighboring stall that the girl had been in. He looked in and watched the girl curry the gelding. She had obviously cleaned out his stall and was talking to him silently. ’Maybe later we’ll go for a ride Sovereign.’ He walked closer, accidentally stepping on some straw that she must have dropped on the way to the stall. She looked around but obviously hadn’t seen him. Perfect, time for his pickup line. He walked towards the door and leaned against it. He made an ‘ahumm’ sound and once he was sure he had her attention, he winked at her.
“Surely a girl like you wouldn’t want to go on that ride alone, now would you? Lucky for you I feel like being the knight in sighing armor today. I’d be honored to take that ride with you.”
Word Count: 340
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Post by Abby Vuori on Oct 12, 2008 17:28:31 GMT -5
Abby had been basically focusing all of her attention on her gelding, but hearing a sound startled her much like a little filly that was on her own. She glanced around at the door, blue eyes widening slightly in surprise to see a boy leaning against Sovereign's stall door.
Recovering herself, if perhaps not her dignity, she spoke to the boy. "If you really want to, and if you think you have a horse that can keep up with Sovereign here." She said with a very slight smile.
She glanced at Sovereign who seemed to not understand how another person had managed to get so close without him noticing was stretching his head to investigate, trying to get as close as he could without moving his hooves, something that Abby had trained him to do when they where younger since she'd been small and the horse would easily crush her on accident. After all, the only thing the gelding harmed on purpose, or tried to, where flys. She didn't blame him though.
She dropped the curry comb into her bucket and grabbed the hoof-pick. Returning to the horse, she rubbed down his leg calmly and when her hand reached his hoof he lifted it without a fuss. Now she wasn't being rude, but she did need to finish taking care of her boy. "I'm still listening, I just need to finish taking care of him so he does cause a fuss." She said calmly, glancing back before she started to dig out the muck from the gelding's hoof.
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Post by !!.Curtis.Axel.!! on Oct 12, 2008 22:15:15 GMT -5
Curtis couldn’t help but smile as he seemed to have startled her. ‘If you really want to, and if you think you have a horse that can keep up with Sovereign here.’ He thought back to his 18.2 hand stallion. The stallion was a cross between a Tennessee walking horse and a clydesdale. He smiled softly, he was pretty sure Seduction could keep up. He reached his hand over the door and scratched the gelding’s nose as he seemed to be investigating the newcomer at his door. ‘I'm still listening; I just need to finish taking care of him so he does cause a fuss.’ Curtis smiled and nodded, he understood.
“Excuse me for a moment; I’m just going to go bring Seduction in. I’ll meet you out front once I’m finished getting Seduction ready. Alright?”
And with that, Curtis turned towards the tack room and grabbed his tack and a grooming bucket and headed off towards the turnout ring. He sat the supplies down on the outside of the gate and climbed up on the fence, sending out a shrill whistle for Seduction. A pretty bay with a blaze raised his head and trotted over to where Curtis was standing on the fence. Grabbing the bridal, Curtis went into the ring. He slipped the bridal onto the stallions head and and buckled it on him, glad that he had turned him out without a halter on. He clucked and tugged the reigns and led the stallion out of the ring.
Tyiong the stallion up on one of the fence posts, Curtis picked up the curry comb and began loosening the dirt and dead hairs on the stallions pelt. Grabbing the body brush, he quickly went over the stallion, removing the dirt and dead hairs on his pelt. Then he simply grabbed a soft brush and caused the bay stallions coat to shine. He picked up a comb and went othrough the stallions mane, tail and long feathers until all the knots were gone. Picking up the hoof pick, he cleaned out all four hooves.
He piled the grooming supplies back into the bucket and returned them to the tack room. Coming back to Seduction, who was now pawing the ground in anticipation, Curtis rubbed the stallions shoulder until he calmed down. He placed the saddle pad and saddle on the stallions back and tightened the girth. He fastened the breast strap in place and double checked the girth. There, finished.
He untied the stallion from the fence and walked out front where he had told the girl he would be waiting. What was her name again? Oh that’s right genius, you never asked for it. Nor did you give her your own name. Curtis sighed and pulled down the stirrups and mounted the 18.3 hand stallion. He just hoped the girl didn’t show him up and had already left without him. He busied himself with looking around for her as Seduction fidgeted beneath him, ready to get moving.
Word Count: 499
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Post by Abby Vuori on Oct 13, 2008 0:29:34 GMT -5
She nodded slightly when he excused himself, though he probably hadn't noticed since she had her back to him while she picked out one of Sovereign's hooves. When she was finished with the first she let him have his foot before doing to same process to his other three hooves.
Finishing with the hooves she threw the hoof pick back into the bucket and cross the hall-way into the tack room, grabbing a simple bridle with a green browband, a mostly green saddle blanket and a plain barrel racing saddle. Odd yes, but that's what she liked to use when just going to for a simple ride.
She placed the bit underneath Sovereign's chin and held the head-piece over his head, and the gelding, seeming to realize that he was actually going for a ride, not a workout snatched the bit rather quickly from Abby's hand. She laughed slightly as she fitted the rest of the bridle to him before buckling and letting the reins drop before grabbing the saddle blanket. Setting that on his back the gelding simply turned his head to watch his girl, as if trying to hurry her along.
Abby pushed the gelding's head away gently before swinging the light-weight barrel racing saddle onto his back. She much prefered the barrel racing saddle for her gelding since he was tall and she didn't feel like lugging a 20 pound plus saddle off and on him compared to a ten to fifteen pound one.
She threw one of the stirrups over the seat of the saddle as tightened the girth, poking the gelding's ribs gently increase he decided to pull a trick and blow up on air like many did.
Figuring she'd just check it again before she swung up on him, she opened the stall door and lead the gelding out before shutting the door.
Dodging under his neck Abby grabbed the reins and walked down the hall-way towards the door, Sovereign eased into a short little jog to keep out without straining the reins.
When she got outside she noted that the boy was already there, astride a massive stallion, a draft, or at least a draft cross no less. She had her doubts that he could keep up, but Sovereign himself was half friesian, it just didn't show that much, other than the length of his mane and tail, and he was a bit stockier than full-blooded appaloosas.
Checking the girth one more time, she was slightly disappointed when she pulled it in another inch, but didn't worry about it as she set the stirrup down and gathered the reins over the gelding's neck before stepping into one stirrup and hoisting herself up to settle in the saddle easily.
She glanced over to the guy as she rubbed Sovereign's neck in praise for standing so nicely while she mounted. "Where to?" She asked calmly. This was going to be interesting she figured, and Sovereign certainly thought so since he'd begun mouthing the bit a little, but nothing worse than that. Sovereign was what many people could refer to as a bomb-proof, dead-broke horse that someone could trust a two year old to ride without fuss. Which was almost true, but the gelding would take care of his rider. Especially if that rider was Abby.[/size]
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Post by !!.Curtis.Axel.!! on Oct 13, 2008 21:19:39 GMT -5
Curtis turned in the saddle as he heard hoof beats coming from inside the stable. There was the girl with her appaloosa gelding. He smiled slightly and turned Seduction towards them, who seemed to realize he was going to have company out on the ride today and nickered to the gelding excitedly. He reached his nose forward to sniff the gelding and then snort his approval. Curtis smiled and patted the stallion’s neck affectionately.
“This is Seduction, my Clydesdale and Tennessee walking horse cross. And I, and I do apologize for not saying my name earlier, am Curtis Axel.”
Where to? That he didn’t know… he was still new here and didn’t know where all the trails led yet. So squeezing his calves he sent Seduction into a walk and he lined up behind the girl, not too close since he didn’t know her horse that well and didn’t know if he was the type to kick or not. He shrugged his shoulders slightly.
“Surprise me.”
He had said this with a teasing smile, letting his gray eyes shine as he watched the girl silently. Oh wasn’t he talented? He was able to keep from looking dimwitted for not knowing the trails around the place that his prized horse was boarded at by simply flirting. Well, maybe not talented. But still, you get where he’s coming from. He laughed as Seduction bobbed his head and pulled at the bit, mouthing it the tiniest bit as he was eager to get going. He’d been standing still too long and he was trying to tell Curtis and the new girl that he was ready to go.
Word Count: 274
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Post by Abby Vuori on Oct 15, 2008 20:52:04 GMT -5
Abby smiled inwardly, he hadn't seemed to notice her accent, or maybe just didn't care. She rubbed her gelding's neck calmly as he eyed the stallion calmly before snorting gently and watching as the horse was moved to stand behind him. "Very vell then." She said calmly, wincing inwardly knowing her accent was entirely noticeable that time, if not the first.
She picked up her reins and pressed one of her calves against his side while clucking to him. The gelding moved in a nice side-pass. Sovereign was a dressage horse basically, or at least she was trying to teach him a few of the moves for it, and he seemed to like it. After the gelding had moved a few steps she released and let him walk normally, too much of a good thing is bad. She didn't want to sour her horse up, especially not Sovereign of her three, she'd had this gelding the longest, and he had come of from Finland with her. He was priceless to her.
She glanced back slightly as she reached the edge of the trails, waiting to see if the boy was coming already. And honestly, she wasn't trying to show off her horse and horsewomanship, just trying to reinfornce her gelding's training. [/size]
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Post by !!.Curtis.Axel.!! on Oct 15, 2008 22:10:41 GMT -5
Curtis smiled at her accent, he hadn’t noticed the accent before, but this time he had. It was cute, and defiantly different than anything he had ever heard. Well, no he wouldn’t say that, some of the judges and competitors he went up against when traveling had accents, but he had never tried to befriend them. He went there, he rode, he and Seduction gave it all they had and took their placing and then were already off for the next competition or his mother was busy looking for one that he qualified for. Showing was his life, that’s why he had come here to Vision Springs in the first place.
“Well then I guess you won’t mind if I show off a little bit too.”
He sat deep in his saddle and nudged Seduction’s sides twice and held the reigns tightly, but not tight enough to hurt Seduction. Seduction immediately went into focus mode and done a few series of slow trots, where it literally looks like the horse is floating on air. Curtis released all pressure and relaxed again; bring Seduction down to a nice walk alongside the appaloosa gelding.
“He listened to you well when you asked for a side pass. How long have you had him?”
Word Count: 210
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Post by Abby Vuori on Oct 17, 2008 23:22:31 GMT -5
She had glanced back a little curiously when she heard the thick thuds of the draft stallion behind her, then he was near her side. She resisted the urge to frown at his first comment, she wasn't showing off, but maybe he'd seen it as that. Hmmmm, oh yes, this was a highly competitive stables.
She smiled slightly. "I've had him about eight years now, and vhat is your stallion anyvays? He doesn't strike me as a pure draft." She said calmly. She reached down to rub the gelding's neck, much to his obvious enjoyment. Scary thought that she'd have had him for nine years in summer and then the gelding would be able ten years old. She'd probably retire him in a few years so he could have the break he'd deserve. She still have Duchess and Prince to compete and train with, and she'd have Sovereign until he died, which would be a sad day indeed.
Blinking quickly, the Finnish girl sought to disrupt her thoughts about the death of her beloved gelding. It wouldn't happen for a long time, especially if she took good care of him. So she merely contented herself with waiting for Curtis to speak. Holding off on her little 'showing off', to use his term, aka, training her gelding for a few more moments.
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