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Post by madison on Sept 30, 2010 11:27:38 GMT -8
  She had been at the barn for a few hours now, a tack cleaning binge – it didn’t happen often but when it did the girl went all out. She had washed every piece of leather she owned, well every piece she kept at the barn. All five saddles were clean, she had five bridals assembled that were hanging and sparkling as well. The spare bridal parts were stowed in a tuperware all clean as well. The collections of bits were sorted and shimmering, her horse laundry was clean and folded all her grooming supplies were wiped off and kept accordingly on their shelf and in their bins. She had hated almost every second of it, hell if she wasn’t so particular about her tack she might consider paying someone to do this or something. Sipping from a cool bottle of water she was ready to tack up, she had changed from her comfy jean shorts and halter top to her jods and fresh white polo. She left her helmet behind, if was freaking hot out and she was riding Gia anyways she had a second one in her box if she changed her mind last second. Her tall boots were so shiny you could see your face in them, her trick was an old one passed down. Leather shoe polish applied then buffed with nylons, something about the nylon just brought out the natural shine in the leather. She only shoe polished the outside though, she didn’t want her saddle pad stained. A small pair of English spurs were attached at her heels just in case miss Gia needed a reminder, the mare had been pretty bright lately but Madison was keen on being pre-pared. She grabbed the mare’s work tack, with a square saddle pad and gel sheepskin half pad combination she was headed to the horses stall. Her saddle sat on a rack, pads on top and bridal and martingale hung from a hook. The mare was ground tied in the aisle way, she wasn’t a fan of cross ties so Madison just let her stand on her own instead of causing potential problems and injuries to the horse or herself. Gia was snoozing, rear leg cocked and lips droopy as her slightly OCD owner went to work in preparing her for the lesson. She was groomed to the nines, mane and tail tangle free whispers clipped and bridle path touched up. The mare’s coat shone in a combination of elbow grease and show sheen plus a touch a fly spray to keep the insects from distracting the mare. The look on the horses face made it obvious she enjoyed every second of the pampering. Madi hummed as she applied some clear hoof polish to the mare’s well shod feet. Words were sweet as she cooed to the mare with a doting drawl in her sweet tone,
"Oh Gia, what would I do without you? What a good girl you are, hope you’re ready for a little work though today. You really need to give it your best, first impressions are crucial. "
Madi chuckled as she conversed with her horse, she was talking to her mare the way her parents had spoken to her. It was weird the impact they had on Madison’s manner of operation, she wasn’t letting herself go there right now not right before her lesson anyways. Instead she rolled her eyes and went for a pair fluffy splint boots from her tack box and stayed silent for a while almost afraid of her own voice. She tacked her mare up with care and in no hurry, she had lots of time even as she hummed along to the i-pod she had turned on to keep herself distracted from getting in her own head. Her hair was pulled up in a high pony tail that she had to push back again as she reached down to stick the martingale through her girth before tightening it in place. All that was left was the fancy stitched raised bridle with it’s d-ring bit shinning very brightly. Clean and oiled tack made her smile on the inside and out, taking a minute to gather her gloves and crop she put them next to the water bottle and helmet she had decided to bring. Slipping off the horses halter she left her standing without headcollar in the isle while she hung it on its hook outside her stall. Gia snorted and continued to remain relaxed even as the bit was slipped into her mouth and noseband tightened with the martingale attached. In doing up the throat latch Madison was done tacking up, she tucked the horses forelock in and took a step back. Looking over the horse as she pulled her gloves on, then leaned forward and stuck her hair in her helmet before adjusting it on her head, she didn’t do up the strap yet she still hadn’t decided if she was wearing it. With her water bottle and crop under one arm she took the mares reins and gently encouraged her forward towards the barns exit.
"Well it’s cooled down a little girl, that’s nice for both of us."
The walk to the outdoor was short, she did it on foot thinking about the past show. Gia had been a star in winning one of her classes and coming in fourth in the other, she couldn’t be more than happy with the horse. The simple but stunning bay mare was pretty much perfection in Madisons slightly biased eyes, she only hoped the coach would appreciate the horse as much as Madison did. She knew the horse had her issues, she was prone to getting a little flat and laboured looking over the bigger fences if she was worked too long over the same fences or without enough leg. She wasn’t as balanced to the right as she was to the left and her canter still got a little strung out when she first started to the right if Madison didn’t help her right away. She had a few different exercises to keep the mare supple and properly using her hind end because if Gia had things her own way they would leuisurly lope around the course, the irony was in the mare’s huge stride. She always made her distances even lacking impulsion because her gait was so naturally long, her step was huge and it was one thing that made her a hack winner. Her current thing was jumping a bit far off and reaching over scary looking jumps, she knew better than to refuse. Reaching was a problem Madison needed to nip in the bud if she wanted to up the height, because reaching at 3ft was different than reaching at 4ft, the bigger the fence the more dangerous reaching became. Madi had worked the mare over some lower , spookier fences over that week and found if she really supported the mare with a soft but steady hand and leg in approach to the fence with a little extra weight in her seat the mare would take it at the correct distance and become more relaxed in her courses. She was there before she knew it, her mind had run away with her. Scolding herself mentally Madison needed to focus, she left her water bottle and helmet on the fence she would grab them later as needed. Alone in the ring she halted the mare in the center of the ring and sprung up easily, her stirrups were at her normal over fences length, she dropped them a hole to flat and tightened her girth a hole to before gathering her reins slightly and squeezing her legs slightly. She started the mare at a posting trot, long and low letting her move out and stretch while waiting for the coach to arrive. Madison liked to be early and partially warmed up by the time her trainer back home got there.
[/size] been a long cold 1325 words. lonely winter finished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting rambly. sorry. its alright REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0 [/color].[/blockquote][/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 3, 2010 21:52:24 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
The traces of Summer seemed to slowly be fading away as the long days went on. Trees would soon be stripped of their leaves as they tumbled through the light air, twirling and dancing through the air in shades of orange and yellow. Excruciatingly high heat from the summer was seeming to diminish, leaving the clear indications that fall was slowly creeping up on them. With the humidity lessened, it was making things a lot easier on the horses (and herself). She felt quite accomplished so far this morning, she had managed to leave early enough that Blaise didn't seem to be all that suspicious (for a longer moment she believed he was catching on) and had taught two lessons and ridden two horses. The doctors had told her that she could ride up to seven months if she really pleased, as long as she was careful and took it easy. That was probably the worst thing the doctors could have told her; Grace didn't really have a definition of careful or taking it easy. The first thing she had done when she had been reassured she could still ride was tack up her head strong green mare and battled with her for an hour in the indoor about moving forward off of her leg. Over the period of the last two weeks, she had definitely noted a great amount of improvement with the mare. She was almost back to where she had been before the show where she had sent Grace catapulting over her head in to a jump and stepping on her as she decided to run away.
From that point on, her boyfriend had made it quite clear that he didn't want her riding the mare. He just wasn't aware of how headstrong she was, and she most definitely wasn't going to give up with that mare. She was determined to get the mare like her gelding was, but she still had yet to realize that just because the two were half siblings didn't mean she would ever be like the way he was. Tiny definitely wasn't the mirror image of Time Keeper like she had hoped, they shared the same athleticism but unfortunately would never quite be like him. He was quite, charming, simple and a pleasure to ride- Tiny lacked every single of those traits. But Grace really didn't mind, she saw it as a challenge to try and achieve it, even if she was fighting a losing battle. Eventually like every single one of those battles she had fought, she'd learn that it was going no where. Unless Blaise found out and confronted her about it (and that just wouldn't sit well) she wouldn't stop riding her until she really couldn't. This whole being pregnant situation was a total pain in the ass right now, in her opinion. She didn't mind the concept of having a child, but her stomach was starting to get in the way now, and that was irritating her to no end. It was getting quite inconvenient when she was riding, and she knew very well her time riding was going to be more and more limited (especially as Blaise grew more and more suspicious) during this next month.
Running her fingers through her hair as she leaned against the stall door, she watched the handsome chestnut gelding chew contently on his hay. Ambitious wasn't one of her own horses, but one of her clients new imported horses. A big, energetic horse that was a powerful jumper, and at the same time an amazing hunter. He definitely had won her heart the moment she watched him go and rode him. Scopey and personable, just how she liked them. Her ride on him had definitely been a lot more productive than the one on Tiny, and she had gotten his owner to put the jumps up to close to five feet just to see what happened. Not the best idea on her part being pregnant and all, but she couldn't help herself when they were going that well. It wasn't like she was going to be doing it again any time soon. Smiling slightly to herself, she slid the stall door closed effortlessly and locked it. It had to be time for her to teach another lesson, she had a new student lined up and she was quite thrilled about it. Teaching was definitely one of her favourite past times, and new students were even more fun. Getting to know them and their horses, what their strengths and weaknesses were... she loved it all. Pulling out her phone, she looked down at the time and realized that the lesson itself started in five minutes.
It didn't take her long to get out to the ring, and she was impressed to see that the girl was already on and walking her horse around. Frowning at the fact she had no helmet on, she climbed through the fence and leaned against it. The horse was adorable, as they moved in a posting trot she was pleased to see that the girl had solid equitation and a very cute, flashy horse. But the whole no helmet thing was something that wouldn't sit well with her. “Good morning,” she said quite cheerfully, her eyes never leaving the pair. “Madison, right?” She was absolutely positive that was the girls name. “I'm Grace, but I'm pretty sure you already knew that, or figured it out.” Who didn't know who she was by now? Either she was known for her bat shit crazy mare, her riding, her coaching, or the fact she was dating Olympian Blaise Garcia (and was knocked up with his baby).
“I don't think that the fence can fall and get possible brain damage, and get me in to a whole law suit if that were to happen. But you, my dear on the other hand can have that happen, and I really don't want or need that to happen. So even if you're just walking and trotting, a helmet is a necessity.” Taking the helmet off the fence, she walked out a couple feet from the rail and held it out for her. Smiling at her as she handed it to her, she patted the horse on the neck. “Your horse is absolutely darling. If she jumps as well as she moves I'll be extremely happy. You two look like a good match.”
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyyy
WORD COUNT-- 1069 // complete
NOTES-- SORRY FOR THE WAIT. She likes Madison C: and her horsey xD
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 4, 2010 2:42:54 GMT -8
Madison had the mare trotting out big now, her fancy huge stride was always one to draw attention in the hack – they had a few ribbons to prove it. She did slow to the walk, sitting deeply with a steady hand the horse was more than happy to respond. With foaming lips she snorted auds perked her head dropped down into a further stretch. Reaching forward she stroked the mares shoulder she praised her silently, the horse was always looking for a reward of any sort and she usually rightfully deserved it. Towards the ring strode a slightly pregnant lady, Madison recognised her instantly it was Grace right on time for their lesson. The ladies voice was cheerful, something madison was glad to see. She liked working with coaches who seemed happy to do their job. Madison just nodded to her, though did feel it polite to return the welcome and hello.
"Morning, yea it’s Madison. Pleasure to meet you Grace."
The ladies instant comments about a fence and brain damage made Madison smile, she sort of figured it was coming she really should have just stuck the thing on her head in the first place and dealt with it. Oh well, the fact that she trusted her horse a little too much was the least of her worries. The mare was as sweet as they came, though she knew better than to assume the horse would never do anything to hurt her. The bay mare would never do anything intentionally, she would never purposely hurt Madison but there was always that chance, the small possibility that a freak accident would happen. Madi didn’t usually school over fences without a helmet only on the flat really. Thus far she hadn’t had any problems but then again she never rode Jam her slightly difficult gelding without. She knew better than to try her luck on the chestnut gelding, she was already playing with her life when she got on him some days, not wearing a helmet would pretty much guarantee a trip to the hospital and she hated the hospital with a passion. She accepted the helmet from grace wearing only a smile, she pulled her hair down letting the mare stand the reins rested on her neck. Gia cocked a back leg and snorted, she poked her nose towards Grace. Adjusting the helmet on her head Madison spoke again, to Grace then her mare appropriately.
"Thanks, Gia is just too good some days I trust her a little too much."
Once the helmet was in place and the strap done up Madi gathered her reins slightly pulling the horses face away from the coach. Looking down to Grace again she smiled, the compliment was fantastic. She always loved the mare and they had celebrated some huge wins back home but it was nice to know she was appreciated by new critical eyes as well. Madison sat straight, minding her eq because she knew the second she forgot about it her shoulders would sneak forward and her reins would get too long. They were her bad habits, everyone had them and she was very aware of hers it was something she worked on almost daily. She had gone through other problems like sticking her toes out over fences though these two were the main persistent ones – rather annoying she just couldn’t help herself.
"Oh wow, thanks! I’m pretty lucky to have her.
Madi was quite thankful for the compliments. She knew the mare was nice though having a coach who thought her horse was nice too was always a plus. Sitting at total ease waiting for what Grace instructed next, she was pretty excited to see what exactly she was like as a coach. She had heard of her riding, heard of who she was dating and the father of her unborn child what she was ready to be excited by next was her coaching skills.
[/size] been a long cold 660 words. lonely winter finished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting rambly. sorry. its alright REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0 [/color].[/blockquote][/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 4, 2010 21:55:51 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
She understood completely about what the girl meant about the horse not doing anything and trusting her. That was the relationship she had with her gelding, there had been a point where she could put a beginner on him and trust that he wouldn't step a foot wrong. There had been many times when she had been younger where she had hacked him without a helmet on, and every time had a lecture (more like a stern look and a couple words of warning that they couldn't have her dying) about why she needed a helmet on. Now she always had her helmet on, especially now that she was coaching and had to set an example. Smiling wider at the bay horse sticking her nose out, she rubbed the little bay's head affectionately. Her favourite colour, a cute mover- definitely a new favourite horse for her. She had a soft spot for the flashy, kind bays. And considering both of her horses were bays, it definitely said something there.
“I understand what you mean about trusting them completely,” she said, grinning up at her. “My gelding was the same way, I could put beginner students on him and trust that he wouldn't put a foot wrong. She reminds me a lot of him, actually,” she explained, “what is her breeding? She looks similar to him, smaller, but same colour and similar build.” There wasn't really a huge possibility that they were related, but for all she knew the horse could be another half sibling to hers. Admiring the hard work that had gone in to the horses turn out, she gave her one more pat on the neck before stepping back. “And I say she's lucky to have you, it looks like you take phenomenal care of her.”
Leaning against the fence once more, she wished that she had coffee. It hadn't been pleasant when she went from drinking a good amount of caffeinated beverages daily to this whole not being able to drink caffeine situation- the head ache had finally gone away after a good month of not drinking coffee. It was probably a lot healthier for her, the whole lifestyle she had lived definitely hadn't been good. Drinking tons of coffee and hardly eating through the day. It was how she had learned to cope with early mornings and late nights years, and years ago and the habit had kind of stuck. Old habits died hard, and she was sure the moment she was allowed to drink coffee again she'd be right back at it.
“Alrighty, so tell me a bit about yourself and your horse. How high do you guys school, and show? What are your strengths, weaknesses, goals... what you want to work on, all that fun stuff.” She has asked this question to so many different people, and every single time the answer had been different. That was just something she loved about the job was trying to figure out how to make everyone successful (or at least to the best of her abilities, but she had yet to fail on doing so). “Just give the general idea I guess, then we can start out lesson and work from there.”
She strongly believed that no matter how good you claimed to be, or how well you rode that you would never stop learning until the day you die. She knew that there would never be a day where she would know everything, there was always something to learn. Every coach she rode with, every student she taught and ever single different horse she had ridden had made her realize this.
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyy <3
WORD COUNT-- 605 // complete
NOTES-- cc: she really likes madison and her pony.. HEY. were you on conventry by chance like a year ago?
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 5, 2010 9:12:18 GMT -8
The mare was ever still under Madison, she fiddled with her helmet for a few more seconds before picking up the reins, both hands on either sides of the buckle she was interested to see what exactly Grace would have in store before she started liking her as much as Gia did. The bay mare was being the biggest suck; she had just leeched onto Grace and was loving every second of the attention. Madison rolled her eyes, this horse really knew who to suck up to she was the same way with Madi’s old trainer back home. Madison was excited, thinking back she really missed her lessons. She appreciated every moment of being yelled at because thus far it hadn’t done anything but pay off. No matter what it took to get her to that winners circle, Madi was willing to commit while putting her horses wellbeing first, that was always a given. The worry was the fact that the mare had been there before, done that and realistically had a few years left in her as a main ring open horse before she retired to be bred or went on to work in the children’s ring again. The truth being Madison had always hoped to breed the mare, she had a few nice studs in mind and with her horses fantastic breeding, and pretty impressive show record she didn’t doubt the baby would be worth a pretty penny. Though once again the greedy bit of Madison had planned to keep the foal all to herself, at least the first one anyways – it was a plan she hadn’t made public. Mind you she didn’t have many people to tell, hell her parents didn’t even know about the mare. Madi was living off her saved money and the credit card they had given her to pay for room and board at Harvard among food and everything else. As long as she kept the costs consistent as she had managed to do they wouldn’t even consider looking at what their daughter had being buying or where exactly she was buying it from. Graces cheery voice spoke out again, this time in tale of her own gelding who like Gia was apparently a total babysitter. She smiled big, it was a quality she loved about her horse she was proven in the children’s ring the perfect little angel most of the girls at her past farm had fought over her actually. They all wanted to lease the mare next, though when Madison had swooped in and offered to purchase the mare she was sold rather quickly. Thinking for a moment she spoke in her normal polite tone,
Gia showed in the children’s ring as well before I got her, I love being able to trust her with anyone and anything.
As for her breeding her sire is Rio Grande and her dam’s name has escaped my mind but she is an imported broodmare by Voltaire. Any relations to your gelding?
Haha thanks, I’ve had a lot of help with her but the last month or so we’ve been on our own.
She watched Grace step back and lean on the fence, she smiled. Madison couldn’t imagine being pregnant, hell some days by the end of a long hard day she could barely stuff in enough food to feed herself before passing out, never mind a baby. Though Grace seemed quite content with the situation, and if she wasn’t hell she was hiding it rather well. The coach struck Madison as interested, and devoted two fantastic things. She liked how much of an interest she had taken in Gia and was now wondering if her gelding was of any relations at all, that would be really neat if a half sibling to Gia was running around at the farm heck even a cousin or something would be cool enough for Madi. Anyways no matter who her gelding turned out to be Madi was certain he was a neat horse of some sorts, probably pretty fancy actually. She hadn’t been thinking too long when she heard the lady speak again, Grace was a natural chatterbox and Madi loved it, she had the inability to shut herself up sometimes too. It was wonderful when you met someone you could relate to, Madison knew she was worse about the talking than Grace. Hell she was just doing her job, and now that she came to consider it Grace wasn’t much older than herself, she really needed to stop calling her lady mentally and come up with something better. Oh well, with new questions arising Madison had something else to focus on suddenly and her mind was running before she could even take a breath.
Okay me. Umm, my reins magically like to get long, I like to lean my shoulders forward and my left side is a bit shorter than my right, coupled with back problems I like to twist a little sometimes when I am sore.
Gia pretty much saves my ass daily, she has a long stride and sometimes forgets about her hindquarters. As long as I ride with a steady leg and help her out we keep a consistent pace and don’t forget our hind end. Lately over spookier fences she has been wanting to take the long spot and reach, we have been really working on it and as long as I am on it she knows better.
She took a breath to think for a moment, huh goals? She better start with something she really knew the answer to.
Been showing about 3ft3 – 3ft6 recently and pinning well, she is confident at that height and ready to move up pretty soon, which is my goal. We school anywhere from 2ft6-4ft depending on the exercise, but usually around 3ft6-3ft9 lately. Our main weakness would be tight lines, she has a naturally huge step and it’s hard to condense some days. Strength? Probably that she saves my ass daily and we usually have a nice overall picture, I have been told we look like a real team on our courses.
Madison smirked, she should really shut up now. She hadn’t gone into much history, she didn’t think it was too important. The mare didn’t have any real issues that were sourced from her past, she wasn’t something to complain about and Madison didn’t think she was this fantastic rider, hell she had her faults but she liked to think her and Gia pinned well because the mare was of quality, usually jumped a 10 and they looked like they worked together well, they had a great overall picture. Very well suited is what her old trainer had told Madison after their first course together, where one was weak the other was strong. They were often an unbeatable team back home when they both had their game on.
[/size] been a long cold 1190 words. lonely winter finished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting um holy rambly, madi shut up much! love how the horses leg markings change? oh and her star got abit bigger today haha and oh yah i was on there for a small while i think!. its alright REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0 [/color].[/blockquote][/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 5, 2010 21:09:04 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
The moment the girl mentioned Voltaire she grinned slightly and knew right away that they were definitely related. Time Keeper's sire was by Voltaire, and his half sister was also related to the mare. Time Square wasn't one to be anything like the kind nature- the mare was quiet and sweet on the ground. But the moment you were riding her and asked her to do something that she considered the slightest bit of effort she exploded and didn't stop until she would win the battle (and it didn't matter if it meant tossing Grace carelessly in to a fence and falling on top of her to do so). At the time the mare had been too good to be true when she bought her, and she had been, drugged to be as quiet as can be. “Ah, Voltaire,” she said quite softly. “His sire is by Voltaire, so they're related- I couldn't tell you if they were like cousins or what, I'm no good with figuring that out. My other horse is also related to her too, she's my gelding's half sister. But, she is a bit of a mental case. Bought her from a horse show and she was drugged.” Laughing lightly, she rested her hand on her stomach. It was her mistake to really buy a horse from a show without vetting, and even though the sellers had been very reputable she made a promise to herself to be more careful when buying horses now.
“Do you know where she's shown? I wonder if I've seen her before,” she mused, looking at the mare once more. She didn't recognize her really, but she sure was cute. She had shown pretty much here, there and everywhere over the years. When she had been younger she had gone from state to state for medal finals, with her gelding in tow or random horses that she would catch ride. From winning the Maclay finals in 2003, and decided to expand her horizons and starting dressage for a couple years before returning to the Grand Prix ring in 2008, that gelding had proven to be the most versatile horse she had ever owned. He would still be showing in the grand prix, and even the regular hunters if the fire that had burned Black Hills Equestrian Center down to the ground hadn't left him with mental scars of being stalled and left in the barn for a long time she'd still be showing and riding him. Now he was peacefully living out in the back only coming in at night if he really needed it, occasionally she would jump on him and take him for a light hack- but with the lack of free time she had lately she just admired the tall, elegant gelding from afar as he grazed contently with another couple geldings.
She listened as the girl began to answer the familiar drill of questions that she had asked many times before. When she paused to think, she just nodded. She was almost envious of the girls who could show at their own will over the bigger fences. There had been a point where she had been showing three horses minimum, now she would ride one or two and it would cause a lot of grief between her and Blaise- especially the last show where she had taken a horse in the modified speed jumpers at a solid 4'3”. She was determined and strong headed, and when the two bashed heads it never ended well.
“Sounds good,” she said, laughing slight as she said that the mare saved her ass. “I'm sure you're not giving yourself enough credit.”
Quickly going over a lesson plan in her mind, she decided to just start off with a good warm up to get an idea of her schooling on the flat before jumping- they wouldn't jump huge today, just so she could get a feel with what the girl was riding like.
“So, we probably won't jump over 3' today. Usually for the first lessons we work more on the flat then over fences, just so I can see what you ride like.”
Sighing as she walked out off of the rail, brown eyes studying the pair for a moment once more. “Alright. Let's walk to the left for a couple circles around me down at this end. Then after maybe four circles or so let's start trotting, just really working on getting her up in front of your leg and supple. Once she feels like she's in front of your leg, lets leg yield in to a 20m circle then back out.”
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyy <3
WORD COUNT-- 772 // complete
NOTES-- YEAH i was on there too! LOL. oh rambly, sorry.
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 6, 2010 10:40:12 GMT -8
Madison smiled to the other girl, she seemed pretty educated thus far in the land of equine her inquiry to Gia’s breeding did make her wonder perhaps she knew a lot more than she let on. Madison knew the basic bloodlines, and was already dreaming of breeding Gia to Redwine or Cunningham she would of course look into it much better once she finally decided to breed the mare. Forcing herself to listen a little she let a gloved hand fall forward onto her mare’s well muscled neck , it was really neat to think that she had something to do with the condition this horse was in. She had always admired the fancy hunters, the ones that looked picturesque and it was only just occurring to her more recently that she was sitting on one right now. When she bought the horse she had paid the price for a children’s horse, she had brought her back up to the adults and amateurs with the help of her coach, though maintained the mares new style herself. Now Graces voice rung out once more, Madi was caught off guard at first though recovered quickly without a bump and listened carefully. Her own voice rang out in response ,
That’s pretty neat, I don’t really know what that makes them either.
As for your mare that’s not fun, I have a mental case of my own but we bought him knowing he had problems..
Madison chuckled with Grace, she was laughing at herself mainly. It was ironic really, her parents could have afforded to buy her a horse of Jams quality who was finished and didn’t have the same odd quirks. Madison had insisted that they buy her Jam though, for whatever reason the fiery chestnut gelding had pulled at her heartstrings and there had been no changing her mind. They vetted the horse out, he had no physical problems and he was hers. The number of time that horse made her eat dirt was now well worth feeling him soar over 4ft fences without even using all he had. The horse jumped huge, his scope was undeniable and sometimes made it hard for Madi to stay in the tack, but she didn’t mind. She would rather be jumped out of the tack every now and then over eating dirt because the horse was refusing to go forward. Grace spoke again, questioning Madi about her mare’s show history she took in a deep breath. She had read the whole thing one time, it was long and far from boring. She had ups and downs but mostly ups, dropped off the grid for a few years then resurfaced as a childrens horse, she had made it to the Maclay finals a few times and finished within the top ten most of them, though never higher than third. The mare had shown all over, she was born in California so started there in hand and as a junior horse, was sold up to Florida where she showed HITs year round and then to New York where Madi had bought her, now to condense that.
Well Gia has shown all over, she was born in Cali so showed lots of in-hand and junior stuff around there a few big wins, was sold in Florida as a three year old where she showed HITS and had another few big wins in the open and adult stuff. As a five year old hit her first Maclay Finals as a lease horse was 3rd in 2003. Dropped off the map for a few years had a few foals, showed up in New York this time in the children’s ring, was an awesome eq horse. Hit the Maclay finals a few more times as a lease was always in top ten but never better than her first 3rd, then I found her. So she’s been all over, had a few big wins here and there and will retire in a few more years to a broodmare but before them we have some ribbons to win.
Catching her breath again Madi smirked, her mare was impressive really she had done great in her show career was confirmationaly correct and had great breeding. Who was she kidding she was going to breed the mare at least once before leasing her out at all, and a lease would only be if she found a great home. In the meantime she had started looking at younger hunter prospect to replace Gia over the next few years, she had considered a yearling or two actually. Her attention was turned back to Grace who had moved onto apparently thinking the lesson through, this is where things were going to get interesting. Madison chuckled lightly at the compliment, no she thought she gave herself more than enough credit Gia did a really good job of making her look good too. Nodding to Grace she continued to listen to the lesson plan, sounded about right. She slowly gathered her reins a little, though kept a steady leg and the mare stayed still looking over to Grace Madison spoke once more before getting a move on.
Sounds good to me!.
Excited really Madison gathered her reins more, this time adding enough calf pressure to tell the mare they were going to walk. Without hesitation the mare stepped foward, dropping her head in to the always classy hunter frame she snorted and her huge stride started slightly sticky. Applying more calf pressure and holding the contact soft for a second without locking her wrists she waited for the mare to step up without letting her get strung out. It took Gia a few strides at the walk to really be going somewhere, but in all fairness she wasn’t three anymore and they had been standing around for a while. Once the mare’s working walk was strong Madi released her feel slightly and the mare snorted. She walked forward, her huge swinging stride was pretty true to her hunter breeding, she tracked up and over with her hind legs her shoulders elevated and pace now consistent. Madison focused on sitting square on both seat bones, not letting herself twist. Her shoulders were squared back and lower leg was like a rock. Things were still easy; walking was something she was good at. Once they finished their fourth circle at the walk Madison tightened her thighs and took a bit more feel of her mare’s face, calves tightened and the mare didn’t need any more help. She stepped up into that wonderful uphill trot which usually won any judge over, Madison sat a step before posting off on the correct diagonal. Instantly her body wanted to twist, she corrected herself and made sure her shoulders stayed in their proper place, heels down she added a bit more pressure to the mare’s sides because she knew Gia could trot bigger. Always compliant the mare did as she was told and picked up the spring in her step, she was in front of Madison’s leg totally with just the touch of a spur. Once in front of the girls leg the mare was uphill, her shoulders elevated and power coming from behind. Madison could sit there and look pretty with loops in her reins if she wanted, she did just that, well without the loops in her reins. Foam was building in the corners of the mares mouth and she snorted again. After a few more circles Madison felt the mare start to bend around her inside leg, with her outside rein acting as her balance rein and inside leg keeping her bend she pushed the mare in yielding onto the smaller circle. The mare moved over with ease, she was as supple as she had ever been and the task was easy. Once on the circle she circled once at 20 meters then started to push the mare back out.
[/size] been a long cold 1318 words. lonely winter UNfinished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting done!eep gia has a snip in this picture lawls. coool i've been all over the place lol.. its alright REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0 [/color].[/blockquote][/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 7, 2010 20:52:04 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
The moment the girl mentioned the Maclay finals and New York, Grace's full and undivided attention was on the girl and her horse. She stared at the horse for a long time, unable to really connect why she wasn't very familiar. Maclay Finals 2003, and that had been the year she had won- the mare would have been in the ring with her during the ride off. There had been a point where the riders had almost had to switch horses, and she very well could have rode this horse. It hadn't ended up coming down to that point, but she would have found it really weird and ironic (even more than the situation now). Her memory seemed to fail her to find the horses show name and who her rider had been, she actually didn't remember any of the other riders from her barn at that show.
She had been too lost in the determination to win that fuelled her along to her success.
“Third in the 2003 finals... I don't know how I don't recognize her. That was my last year in the finals... won it too,” she said with a small smile. “There was a ride off between the top six too, so she would have been in there. We almost had to do a horse switch, but the judge just decided to make us do another jump off without stirrups.” She stopped herself from getting too lost in the story and going on about it. “We must have crossed paths in New York too then... considering I lived there for a good twenty two years and have shown there forever,” she paused, studying the mare when it finally slowly began to connect. “Is her show name Gossip Girl by chance?” That had to be the mares name. The longer she let her eyes run over the mares features- her coat had darkened a bit with age and a bit more muscling in her conformation told the story of years that had passed.
“I like your plan for her, by the way,” she called out as the girl went out to do the exercise that she had instructed. She really liked this girl so far, even if she hadn't seen her ride. Unlike most people that she had taught over the last little bit, she didn't want to run her horse in to the ground and jump them as big as they could until they physically couldn't. Watching the pair closely as she walked the mare along on a big, easy step she could definitely tell she wasn't going to have any issues getting down the lines on stride. Maybe a concern for them would be making sure she didn't take out any strides, because that wasn't going to help them win in the hunter ring.
Once the mare really began to come forward, her movement was effortless and fluent like she was just gliding across the ring- almost resembling a dainty, graceful ballerina. Soft and supple on the bit, the mare looked like she was ready to do whatever her rider pleased. As Madison closed her leg to tell her to come forward in to trot, she wasn't too surprised when the mare lifted through her shoulder and stepped up underneath herself into a long, easy working trot. She couldn't help but to smile as the mare lengthened her stride, showing how fancy she really was. “I can see what you mean by you wanting to twist. But you're doing a great job noticing it and correcting it. Just stretch up a bit through your shoulders and lift your hands.” She always found the positives in everything rather than the negatives, no matter how poorly the ride was going for her students- or even herself.
“I love the trot,” she commented. “Good with your lower leg too, just a little half halt with your inside rein to get her to bend a bit more.”
The more the mare bent and became supple, she smiled as she leg yielded in quite easily. The mare was evidently broke on the flat- it was shocking the number of people had horses that weren't all that well schooled on the flat but threw them in front of four foot fences and relied on their scope to really figure it out rather than being ridden correctly and taking the time to get them the training they desperately needed to do well.
“Just half halt your outside rein and tell her shoulder to slow down, she's wanting to kind of drift out rather than cross over behind.... there you go, can you feel the difference? The last steps were great.”
She watched them trot around a bit more on the circle, leg yielding in once more around her.
“Find somewhere in the circle to change direction, without running me over, then we'll do the same exercise on the other side. Except this time after you leg yield in, when you push her back out on to the other circle lets canter for a couple circles.”
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyy <3
WORD COUNT-- 845 // complete
NOTES-- sorry, it isn't very good! grace just doesn't stop talking, babble babble. once you get her going about maclay finals/new york/her horse she just doesn't stop XD she really wants to steal madison's horse, LOL i wonder what markings she'll end up having next post ;D
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 8, 2010 9:39:25 GMT -8
Madison was proud of her mare, 3rd in the Maclay finals. The only reason she remembered that one was because the mare was 3rd in 2003 the riders name was somewhere in the mare’s records she had gotten with the purchase but Madison didn’t know it off the top of her head. She did however find it interesting that Grace was suddenly so interested, she was aware she had won the Maclay finals and knew she had shown in New York but it never even once crossed her mind that she might have seen Gia before Madi had gotten a hold of her. Though when she started talking about the finals of 2003 and how she had won Madison nearly stopped the horse dead in her tracks, though she kept her trotting head turned listening fully to Grace. The irony in the fact that it was such a small world, the fact that Grace might have ridden Gia was also really neat; she would love to see a rider of her quality ride her mare now. All she ever had was video, she had seen her old trainer school the horse but she was always working on an exercise madison or the mare couldn’t get – never really just riding to show off the horses skills. When Grace called out Gia’s registered and show name Madison beamed and nodded enthusiastically. Her words lit the air with extreme excitement.
That’s so neat! I wish I could remember her riders name, the only reason I really remember it at all was because she was third in 2003. Please, you are welcome to ride her any time you want! I would love to see how she goes for a rider of your quality! Yepp she’s Gossip Girl all right. That’s really cool, do you remember seeing her much at the shows?
It was soo neat, the even neater part was the fact that even while Madison had become distracted and spoke Gia continued to trot along, not losing any compulsion or forward drive. Once the mare was there she was pretty solid, some days it was just hard to jump start her and it took a bit more work on Madi’s part. The mare was still soft in Madi’s hands, a gentle consistent feel was what she loved about the mare. She never leaned on Madison or expected the rider to carry the weight, she knew her role and played it well and as long as Madi helped her where she needed and was looking her best the team was usually pretty good no matter where they were. She was attentive to all of Grace’s comments, the compliments to the mare made Madison beam. The fact that she had picked her out, she had secretly bought the horse made it even better every time someone told Madi how wonderful Gia was, it just made the work behind her parents back seem soo much more worth it. The comment on her twist made Madison chuckle. It was a physical problem she had, it was hard to correct but she worked at it daily and was happy when it came across as noted. She didn’t want it to be excused at all, in the show ring judges didn’t know why she twisted, so she didn’t want it to be noticeable at all though realistically the best she could do some days was make it a minor fault and today was one of those days. She lifted her shoulders and felt it stretch her spine a bit straight, huh she thought. For so long she had worked on pushing her blades together and taking her shoulders back by now adding the lift she felt herself grow and straighten. That was point one to Grace, she was complimentary in her coaching and it made Madison feel good and want to try harder, thus far Grace was pretty much rocking it for Madison. “love the trot” made the girl grin from ear to ear, she dropped one rein to pat her mare’s shoulder and Gia didn’t flinch even as Madi picked up the rein again. Grace was defiantly topping the charts right now, so quickly she had picked up on both horse and rider because she had been there, had the time in the saddle and coaching it was obvious she loved her job and did it very well. The slight half halt with her inside rein put a bend in the mare’s neck and brought her head around slightly, with a slight bump of her inside heel the mare’s body followed the curve and the bend flowed stronger through her frame. It was nice to hear a coaches voice again, someone watching and pointing out little things to make the picture that much better was what Madison needed. Plus now she would have someone to go to when she hit a brick wall.
Outside rein added, instant crossover. Huh Madi thought, her eye is good it’s like she says something before I even feel it. Well she was only a few minutes in and loving the lesson. Gia had snorted again, foam was now dropping from her mouth. Following directions was something both horse and rider did well, so once instructed to change directions Madison made sure she was looking up. Gia had been an eq horse, a working hunter and knew how to move her body a tight cut in would have been easy though Madison chose to come down the center of the circle moving the mare to the left off her right leg to avoid Grace by a few good feet and get the right bend started early. She sat twice as she passed Grace and tried lifting her shoulders again, once more she realigned herself and smirked it was something she would add to her checklist. Heels down she made certain her leg stayed as still as possible, it supported Gia stronger on the outside making sure she didn’t swing her hip out though was slightly active on the inside to get the same bend. Steady outside rein kept her shoulders from drifting out and a slight bump on the inside picked up her inside shoulder and moved it to the outside keeping her from falling in as they spiralled the circle down. The mare was a bit more supple this way, so the cross over as they yielded back out to the circle came instantly to the very end. Trotting a few more steps Madison prepared herself to canter mentally, she took a slightly stronger feel on the mare’s face while adding more leg she collected her stride for a few steps before sitting softly and cueing with her outside calf and a touch of spur. The mare picked up the lead correctly and quite fluidly, keeping her frame and uphill cadence Madison did have to encourage her on a little. While Gia would have been content to “lope” along Madison had the idea that they were going for more of a working canter so she pushed the mare on a few more notches. Finally settling into the mares familiar gait after 4 or 5 strides she looked into Grace posing a simple question.
"Shall I remain sitting or do you want me in a half seat?"
Her eq at the canter was easier than at the trot, less to coordinate and think about. The mare basically floated, her canter stride while hard to condense some days was her easier gait, it came more naturally and sometimes Madison just found herself sitting pretty. Once the mare was uphill and elevated all Madison had to do was encourage her on every now and then and the mare pretty much did the rest of the work. When it came to extensions and collections Madison played a bigger role, but with the amount of working canter Gia had done in her days the mare was pretty much automatic. She had found her usual soft frame, was striding up from behind and snorted once more displaying to Madison just how easy this was. Smirking she collected the mare a little more with her seat and legs, she didn’t want her getting strung out or the stride getting to large yet.
[/size] been a long cold 1373 words. lonely winter finished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting ah haha so grace = madi's new fav. lol ooh gia markings = one white foot a biggish star and the wrong bit - she is a d-ring horse for suree lol.. its alright REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0 [/color].[/blockquote][/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 12, 2010 20:03:55 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
The only sound around her was the pounding of horses hooves across the indoor warm up ring for the finals, the top four competitors crowded around nervously. Some trotted their horses around nervously, tension was building up high in the cool November air. The others stood, talking quietly about their plan on how to have the most flawless, successful course. The tall seventeen year old sat tall and proud on the big bay gelding, smirking down at her coach as they continued the conversation. She knew exactly what had to be done, exactly how she had to ride every single fence. Her coach didn't need to repeat the plans over again, but she insisted on running it over once more. Tension and silence was interrupted by the cracking of the announcer calling out for the four of them to make their way back in to the arena for their ride off. Gloved hands gathered her reins, closing her leg to make the big bay step forward. She just smiled as her coach wished her luck, she arrogantly believed that she wasn't going to need her luck. This was her year to win the finals, and she would make it her last year if it pushed her even more to win this.
Halting Time Keeper easily for the other three as they rode in, she noticed the girl on the small bay mare staring evenly at her. It almost looked like a sneer was about to cross her face as she passed, but thought better of it. Shaking her head to herself, she followed them out and lined up between the three one strides that wouldn't be used in the course. The numbers were being called out from highest to lowest, and luckily for her she was the last one in- she got to see her competition, and where people were struggling the most. She took it to her advantage, watching the other as they went around the course almost immaculately to the untrained eye. But to her she could see the simple things like lengthening the stride from the corner, making last minute decisions to get to the distance perfect- just their riders tensing their arm and having the horses brace.
The little bay was the next to go before her, and their course was smooth as silk until the final rollback where the her rider was a bit to aggressive and got the mare just a bit to deep to the next fence. Some horses would have stopped, letting their riders jump it without them- but being sweet as she was, she cleared it easily and made it look like the rider hadn't put her at a challenging distance once so ever. She ignored the fact all the eyes were on her, gathering her reins a bit shorter and trotting off sitting deep and tall through her shoulders. Most would be nervous, but for some reason she couldn't find the nerves, their was no adrenaline pumping or her heart thundering against her chest. Picking up canter, she cantered the circle and made the turn to the first fence that had so much depending on it.
“The only time I really see her going is at the Maclay finals- but I know I've definitely heard the name a couple times after that. I do recall quite clearly her being fantastic, she probably could have snatched the blue ribbon up if her rider hadn't gotten her too deep in the second to last fence,” she said honestly. The girl was smart and seemed to know her quite well (or was just being genuinely nice) already, because there was one thing that she had loved ever since she was young: being complimented. Grinning from ear to ear, it didn't matter that she had gotten older, she loved them still (except when she was younger she had expected them all the time) especially when it was about her riding. Age had humbled her quite a bit from the fiery, arrogant teenager she once had been. Although the pride had faded, but the determination hadn't.
“I would love to ride her, but I'll probably have to take that offer up after I have my baby because I think my boyfriend would go batshit and skin me alive if he found out that I'm still riding, especially other peoples horses,” she said, laughing quietly to herself at the thought. She had a feeling that the fact she was still riding Tiny (after he had asked her not too before she got pregnant) would piss him off more than her riding other peoples horses. But she just couldn't let the mare sit there, and she knew it wasn't good for the mare to sit there and have nothing done with her. She'd get bored, and she'd be even worse than she tended to be. Though she was sweet on the ground, she didn't think the mare would stay that way if she wasn't being worked. That wasn't something she wanted to experiment with.
Studying the girl as she changed direction and leg yielded in and out, she couldn't find a single negative thing to say. Trying to be picky, she noticed that she had twisted just the slightest bit but had corrected it on her own. Madison knew the mare well, sitting straight and centered, the slightly touch of her spur springing the mare up in to a balanced, canter transition. “Her balance was great through the transition,” she commented. “Lets stay sitting. Just sit a bit taller on your right right, connect her a bit more inside leg to outside rein. She has a huge step, really connect her and get her hocks back underneath her.”
She watched as she sat deeper and collected easily from her leg to seat, “good,” she said. “That's a beautiful canter- it would probably give you a 9 in a dressage test, and easily win any hunter under saddle class.”
“Let's canter large now, really work on keeping her straight and connected. Then when you get back down to this end, come across the diagonal with a flying change.”
Watching the two go, she wandered over to a line that she had set up and lowered the vertical coming in to the line just two holes so it was at 2'9” rather than 3'3”. It was an easy four strides to an inviting 3” oxer. She wasn't quite sure why the vertical had been set so high, but she just shrugged the thought off and went to the fence on the quarter line and set it down to 2'9” also. Looking up as the two came cantering down the long side. “Close your leg and give her another half halt, she's getting a bit strung out.”
Waiting until she was done her flying change and cantering in the other direction before calling out. “Bring her back to walk and come see me. Make sure to really use your leg through the transition and keep her stepping underneath herself.” Pointing to the single fence on the quarter line, she looked up at the girl. “You guys seem to be pretty good on the flat, and your mare looks like she's going to fall asleep. Does she feel warmed up enough to you to jump? If she does, lets trot in to the single fence on the quarter line- if not we can play on the flat more.” She knew very well that each horse needed different things done to be warmed up, and some took longer than others. Running her fingers through her hair, she waited to see what the girl would decide.
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyy <3
WORD COUNT-- 1,245 // complete
NOTES-- RANDOM FLASHBACK? yeah idk why xD sorry this took so long. i haven't been feeling good at all.
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 13, 2010 10:10:30 GMT -8
Madison fell into the mare’s canter with ease, she sat on her back lightly though her seat was effective in collecting the horse when she needed to be helped. The stride was simple, ground eating and pretty effortless for both horse and rider. Gia struggled to find her balance more at her trot than her canter, it was almost a relief for them when they called it in flat classes – that was if they were having a bad round of course. Though she hadn’t had a bad flat in a while the mare had been on the top of her game as had Madi, when they both got it right at the same time Madi did admit they were quite the team. She listened to Grace while still focusing slightly on Gia, it made her so proud and feel even more lucky to know the mare let alone ride her. Grace was probably just being nice, the mare was a good girl though she had heard about Miss Grace and her gelding through the grapevine and from what she had heard they were certainly at the top for plenty of good reasons. Smiling bigger now she dropped a hand to her mare’s shoulder while still gripping the rein. The mare acknowledge the pat with an ear but never even thought once about quitting or taking advantage of Madison’s moment of weakness. She just cantered on, as she had been schooled to do so well.
"That’s so neat, but from what I’ve heard and seen you are your gelding pretty much owned every second of it, Gia might have stood a chance against the other rider if her course had been perfect but from what I hear that title was easily yours. "
Madison remembered seeing some pictures or video of the courses, she knew what Grace was talking about on her mare’s trip. She didn’t remember fence for fence of Grace’s ride she did however remember it had been pretty much flawless, they were the obvious winners in her eyes. Gia was a pretty solid girl, she covered her riders ass which was something she loved so dearly about the horse no matter how bad Madison fucked things up Gia did her best to make up for it. When Grace mentioned riding her but being pregnant Madison clicked, right! How rude of her, crap say something!
"Oh that’s right! Congratulations by the way! Well the offer stands till after baby is born, I was hoping I could find someone to show her regular hunter for me next season, I quite like having my working hunters and adults class. So if you’re up to it, don’t have another horse and have time I would love it, and certainly pay trainers fee. "
Madison could ride the class herself, no reason not to well except the fact that she couldn’t cross back into her adults and working hunter class. She thought the rules were a little odd but didn’t really mind, she loved it when her trainer showed her horse back home. She thought the professional in her and the experience just brought out that extra shine the mare had. Madison was a good rider, she looked great as a team with the horse though her courses didn’t have the extra height or room to make bold moves like the regular hunters did and as a professional Grace would know how to ride the class better than Madison did. Maybe eventually Madi would step up to the plate but for now she quite liked the idea of watching a pro and experienced open rider ride the class. Thinking back to business she relived her transition, Grace’s words were complimentary as it essentially had been a nearly flawless though it was more Gia’s doing than Madi so the girl could only take so much credit. She smirked the next bit of criticism was towards her, not the horse which only further satisfied Madi. She listened carefully trying to feel what Grace was saying before she corrected it so she could feel it next time. Her right shoulder was stretched taller once she felt the unevenness sitting up she made certain her outside rein was blocking the mares shoulder as she pushed with her inside leg asking the mare to wrap her body around it. Now that she was nice and warmed up that way the mare complied with little to no resistance, when she finally felt the mare’s back end drive she knew her hocks were under her far enough and as soon as it happened almost as if it was happening grace told her the canter was worth a 9 or a win. She was once again reminded why she respected her so much even after just half a lesson, she knew what she was looking at because she had felt it, because she had experienced it and she had taken the time to feel it. Madi was smirking, she nodded and spoke.
"Thanks, Gia does most of the work, I just stay out of her way and keep her from getting strung out or breaking. "
The mare loved to slowly drop down a gear if Madi wasn’t on it, and as she went to correct her twist again the horse felt it appropriate to drop down. Slow on the reaction time there were two strides of a weak I want to break canter before Madi managed to connect the touch of spur that Gia needed to motor along again, as soon as the mare was reminded Madi could relax again, rolling her eyes she sighed. Just as they were getting complimented out the ass she goes and pulls that one, oh well they never broke didn’t come too close really but if Madi hadn’t jumped on it there was no doubt the mare would have dropped down to the trot or mimicked a huge western horse. Going large was easier, down the long side the mare naturally sped up a little, though she wanted to get flatter too. Madison sat into her back and while pushing with her legs and seat she collected the reins for a few strides, the mare resisted the stronger contact for a moment by leaning on Madi’s hands. Making certain not to lock her wrists or elbows Madi was patient and ever active with her leg till the mare snorted and softened her whole frame lifting her back once more and carrying again. Through the corner she came, the mare wanted to anticipate the change but knew much better, when Madi had first got her the horse desperately wanted to change leads through every diagonal at X on the spot. Someone had obviously drilled them into her, and it had taken Madi a little while to drill them out, even now the mare wanted to change right at X but Madi pushed her past forcing her to relax before asking her to change. The mare was slightly upset by the wait and complied but the change wasn’t as smooth as they could be. Correct from the backend and without bobble Madi just felt jerked a little, the mare wasn’t as balanced as she knew how to be. Some days she would do a few more with the mare making her wait, though it was best she didn’t over work them or it turned into anticipation issues she figured today was one to just leave her be and instead focused Graces voice. She had been slow on sitting into the mare, she forced herself to stretch up and once again ask the mare to collect. She was a bit more fresh from the change and was just waiting to do another, the anticipation wasn’t fantastic but it did make the mare easier to collect any by the time they hit the next corner Gia had relaxed back into her steady canter forgetting about the change totally. Finishing the pass Grace spoke out, she directed Madison through the down transistion which was good because she hadn’t exactly concentrated on them lately they were minor things she usually left up to Gia, the mare did a fine job but would probably enjoy Madi’s help. Sitting into her back she took a soft feel of the mare’s mouth, she continued to push with her seat and leg collecting the mares canter before she rocked back into an easy walk. The mare snorted and Madison released the feel on her mouth, letting her stretch down as she headed to Grace she was all ears, upon stopping by her new coach Madi eyed the fences, figured the distance to be about 4 strides she would be able to tell for sure as soon as they landed the first vertical. She nodded smiling, Gia would eat these fences up and kick them out her back feet. Well that was if Madi managed to do her job, even without Madi helping the mare could manage the line. She was defiantly ready to pop over some fences, she loved jumping the mare even more than she liked flatting her, and the fences weren’t spooky so she shouldn’t be in for any long spots.
"She feels good and ready to me, yah flat doesn’t interest her the way a good set of fences does. Four strides in that line? "
[/size] been a long cold 1551 words. lonely winter finished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting black legs and a starr - rambly post is done and lamee sorreh! . its alright REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0 [/color].[/blockquote][/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 14, 2010 21:15:58 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
The fact that she wasn't going to be able to ride quite shortly wasn't sitting to well with her. She had always found a way to get on right away after an injury, no matter how severe. When she was younger she would climb on when she had a concussion because she couldn't bear not riding (not that her coach ever knew, or her parents cared enough). Broken bones didn't stop her either, she'd find ways around everything because she had the intelligence to overlook the details that other people didn't see. But this was something she couldn't quite move around, and with Blaise soon to be probably breathing down her neck and doing everything in his power to make sure she did not even think about riding. Grace had come to the tragic conclusion that she would go insane during this period of time.
Not that she really had any horses to ride, her own horses were out of the picture right now (at least one of them was, the other was soon to be). Her gelding sat happily retired in the field, grazing his life away when he was more than capable to still be jumping around grand prix. But to her it just wasn't worth it to get him fit and schooling that high when she couldn't take him to shows. After the tragic fire that took the equestrian center in South Dakota- he had came out without any physical scars, but mentally the gelding couldn't cope being stalled. And that just happened to be quite an important aspect to horse showing was being able to stable the horses, trailering hadn't gone down all that well either. Sucking back her bruised pride about the situation, she had went off out of pity to buy his half sister. Other than Tiny, she rode a young girls big green horse that her father had bought her as an “I'm sorry” gift, two of her students horses and then she'd sit on the lesson horses. To her that wasn't a lot, there had been a time where she'd ride six to seven horses a day.
Looking up as the girl began to speak once more, she smiled wearily. The whole pregnancy thing wasn't planned, but she continued to smile and say thank you to everyone who congratulated her. Quite a few of the people who had clued in to her pregnancy had seemed a whole hell of a lot more excited than she was. Most were grinning from ear to ear a the whole idea, but she wasn't like most. But the moment Madison mentioned showing her horse in the regular hunters, she grinned from ear to ear. Compliments, showing, riding, all of her favourite things. “Thanks,” she said quickly about her earlier comment. “She looks like she'd be a fun one to ride and show. I'd love too. Well, that is if you don't find someone better by the time I'm allowed to be riding again.” Her tone was half joking, but there was a serious note in it. There were plenty of other very capable riders who would willingly take the mare in their hands. But quite a few of the very talented riders here refused to set foot in the hunter ring (her boyfriend being one of them) she didn't quite understand why.
She loved hunters, and always would. There was something about the simplicity of the courses and striving for every single moment in the ring to be perfect that she adored. But she also loved the raw power of riding a grand prix horse, with the precision of making it around course without hitting a rail over the high, airy oxers. Or the controlled, lofty movement of a dressage horse as they half-passed. She had been there, done that through the years when she was younger. Going between those three rings for quite some time after winning the finals in 2003 because she didn't know what she wanted to do after that. By the time she had finally made up her mind to pursue the grand prix more once again her horse had gone and gotten himself in to a mental state where he couldn't be shown. So it was back to square one, and she had decided that she had the worst luck ever (she was still convinced that she did).
“Excellent.”
Looking down at the line, she raised her brow at the girl slightly. Very impressed at her eye and how well she had figured that out without even asking. “That it is. You have a good eye,” she commented. It's a quiet four, so you're definitely going to have to sit in and half halt just to tell her to shorten a bit when you get in there. But before we do the line, let's trot in to the fence set on the quarter line and then canter down to the single vertical across the diagonal.” Neither of the fences were set very high, somewhere between 2'9” and 3”, no higher than that. Watching contently as the girl trotted off, she couldn't help but to feel the familiar excitement flutter in her stomach. She loved watching different horses jump, and if this mare jumped as well as she moved she would be quite excited. She couldn't remember how well she had jumped when she had seen her go. From just watching her flat she assumed the mare was a clean hunter. Tight in the front end, good with her neck with a hard kick behind- exactly how she liked them to jump. As she watched them trot up to the fence, she wondered if she'd be right.
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyy <3
WORD COUNT-- 950 // complete
NOTES-- SORRY I WAS GOING TO DO THIS YESTERDAY but there was an accident at the barn and I didn't get home until late Dx
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 17, 2010 6:47:30 GMT -8
Madison sat tall on the mare’s back as she listened to Grace, it must not be easy to be around horses all the time and not ride. Madi would probably just want to die if she had to hang around the barn and not ride. At least Grace had lessons, she seemed to enjoy them and she was very good at them so Madi supposed they would pass the time, not like riding mind you but maybe a little bit similar. She let the mare have her face, she kept her walking for a little, circles around Grace in an attempt to keep the mare supple and her muscles warm before jumping, she didn’t need Gia straining anything the mare was in peak condition right now and Madison had worked hard to get her there, she didn’t need an insane amount of stall rest ruining anything. Madison was certain to be attentive to the coach as she spoke, she didn’t have to try hard as what the lady was saying was very interesting, thus far she agreed with pretty much everything she had said. Halting Gia again for a few moments she adjusted her helmet on head, she fiddled with her gloves once to make sure they weren’t going to bother her. As she looked up Grace was speaking again, Madi smirked the lady really was being too modest. She hadn’t found another trainer with that kind of show record or who was the right kind of rider from what Madi had seen, she wasn’t going to let just any yahoo hop on her horse Grace had the credential, Madi didn’t mind waiting. She did have some patience and it reflected in her tone as she spoke politely still to Grace.
"Well I don’t mind waiting at all, I doubt anyone with your credentials will pop up before you can ride again. I think by then you should know her best too, from all the lessons and stuff. "
Madi smirked, she hoped Grace would be willing to keep doing lessons with her and Gia. When this lesson was finished she would ask about one with Jam, he was a bit of a handful sometimes and a jumper – so she didn’t know if Grace would be interested in the fiery beast. He wasn’t the same kind of mover as Gia was, very different actually. It was why he wasn’t suited to the hunter ring, he had more trot all round, more spring and more knee. He covered ground but with more action in the front and back, which was little easier to condense sometimes – also made him a great dressage prospect if he could ever do a flying change without a buck attached. The horse was well suited to the jumper ring, it kept him on his toes and guessing when he wanted to he could jump anything the scope was undeniable it just came up to what kind of mood he was in. Oh well, she forced herself to mind Gia, asking the mare to walk off again she looked back over to Grace as she passed, she wanted to keep her muscles from catching a chill – Madi should have brought a cooler with them but hadn’t been thinking, it had cooled down a bit more than she thought it was going to. Fall was really sneaking up on them, oh well Gia would manage just fine it wasn’t freezing. Madi was relieved when her gut was right about the striding, she had a good eye for that type of thing because it was something that was sort of pounded into her head working around the farm, with her coach and in stick situations it was good to be able to figure out strides by looking at things. Hell when she was setting jumps if she knew the distance from across the arena it was one less trip to make. Madi smiled, the feedback from Grace had been lots of positive, the criticism had all been corrective as well made Madi proud of keeping the mare going, made her feel like she had done some part in training the horse now that she could maintain her, or at least she had learned to ride her right – her coach didn’t need to get on and fix everything all the time.
"Thanks, it’s something that comes in handy sometimes. "
Madi smirked, it had saved her some time, of course she knew to measure her fences with her stride and quite often tape but it was nice to be able to look over a course that was set and sort of have an idea before changing too much around. The less fences she needed to move the better, that was how she had lived during those hot summers working at the barn. There was nothing like a 3am wakeup call for braiding, then back to the farm to help with lessons – staying at shows was always more work though, the day never seemed to end. It was one horse after another, she liked showing on her own, not grooming for others while her horses sat back at the farm. While it had been useful, earned her a few bucks and good words with a few trainers it had been a lot of work, a job she had appreciated learned from and wasn’t exactly willing to do again. She had moved on, she figured she would make herself a catch rider before she put herself through that again. Grace was talking about the fences, crap. A quiet four, okay Gia that will take some work on my part and some responsiveness on yours but the first two fences will pretty much be a breeze. She sat into the mare’s back, picking up her long ground covering trot she made sure the mare wasn’t too strung out. She headed right for the fence, collecting the mare’s stride slightly but not letting her slow up at all. With a slight touch of Madi’s spur the mare picked up the balanced working trot she was using earlier.
Madison posted till she came out of the corner, sitting lightly on her mare’s back she made sure to correct her twist before she focused on the fece. At first she looked at the top rail, Gia’s auds flicked forward as she found her spot. Madi looked up and over the vertical, it wasn’t very high and Gia trotted in with ease. Trot fences were never as smooth as her canter fences, though Madison was certain it was a rule of thumb. The mare was tidy in her front end, she always was no matter the fence height. She used her whole body over the fence, Madi was light on her back and out of her way, and she had her own balance and made certain to not interfere with Gia. The bay mare was known for her bascule, her hind end didn’t kick quite as hard as she would over a larger fence but she was far from sloppy. With Madi looking around the corner as they landed Gia felt her lead and landed on the right one, the mare took to her rolling canter. Madison felt it appropriate to take a half seat she thought it gave a cleaner more consistent look, the mare also liked having Madi off her back a little, Gia was sensitive that way. Using her thighs to slow the mare down Madi added a touch of feel on the horse’s mouth as they came through the corner at the vertical on the diagonal. The same process was repeated Madi looked at the top rail for a moment, Gia acknowledged the fence and Madi looked above and beyond the fence. Pulling her shoulders up to make sure she wasn’t twisting Madi thought briefly about her heels and legs, though they were as solid over her fences as they were on the flat. She added a touch of leg at the fences base as she folded easily into her two point from the half seat. Their spot was pretty much perfect, the mare snapped up tidy in the front, the fence took little effort but she still put the effort into her form. Her neck was always something the mare used well and this fence was no exception, her bascule was as pretty as the first and her hind end a bit more tightness to it this time, the added height and jump from the canter had helped. They landed as softly as they had taken off, Madi knew the mare had done well so she encouraged her to roll on a little. Their stride extended slightly and the momentum picked up a little as well, Madison knew it was still an appropriate pace for hunters though if they were working a whole course right now she wouldn’t have changed her pace but kept it consistent instead. Finishing with a circle and smooth transition to the walk Madi gave Gia her head and headed over to Grace, she hoped the trainer had been impressed. The mare was a fancy jumper, even over the lower fences or at least that’s what Madi had thought and as for herself she was pretty certain she had done a decent job, but she was more concerned about fixing anything with Gia first, she wasn’t riding Eq anytime soon. She figured Grace would want to talk about the two fences they had just finished before starting the line, but it wasn’t totally clear so Madi held her reins as the mare walked, it would take but a moment for her to gather the mare up again.
[/size] been a long cold 1606 words. lonely winter NAfinished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting new gia pictures found lol i was runnin low. wow sorry soo slow and sooo long and rambly! omge how did it get so long?! lol would shorten it but i am tiredd lolREAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0. [/size] [/center] |
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Post by gracemoselle on Oct 19, 2010 21:25:10 GMT -8
just gonna stand there and watch me BURN, [/size][/color] [/center] - - - - - - - - - -
She smiled at her, loving the girls sincerity and eagerness. “As long as you're willing to wait, I'll definitely be taking you up on the offer. You really do have a lovely mare on your hands,” she said, her expression softening slightly as she scanned the familiar features. There was small resembles to her horse that she could see so clearly, and it made her love the smaller mare even more. She was picky about the horses she liked and didn't like, but there wasn't anything about the mare that she could pick apart negatively. This was a horse that she would buy if the offer ever came up, not that it ever would. Her eyes didn't leave the pair as she trotted away on a circle, posting to the mares easy, elastic gait. The girl had a solid leg, and the mare was at a good working trot. Her position didn't change dramatically as they came out of the corner. Too many times she had worked with riders who rode simply brilliantly and correct on the flat, but the moment she'd set them up to jump they'd let the flat work fall apart and stiffen and brace against their horses. She was very pleased to see the girl didn't have this issue, keeping the mare round and connected as she sat in closer to the jump. Gia didn't even seem to flick an ear at the fence, jumping it tidy and round as Grace had expected. She smiled at the fact, watching as they cantered along.
Many of the students she taught would lose impulsion out of the corner and then lengthen to the fence and not find a distance- but this pair definitely didn't have that issue either. She watched as the girl sat up and half halted, regulating the mare as she wanted to lengthen. In her mind she counted down the strides and saw the distance. Pleased to see that she didn't change the canter, the two came in to the distance and the mare snapped up and jumped even better than she had the first time. She shivered slightly at the cool breeze, suddenly noticing how quickly the temperature had began to drop. Zipping up her coat as high as it would go, she shoved her hands in her pockets. With Autumn quickly approaching, she knew she was going to have some frustrated kids with fresh horses on her hands. She would probably deep down just be as frustrated as them when she couldn't climb on the horse and give them the tune up that they needed. That whole situation really wasn't going to sit with her well, she had decided to recruit a couple of her more advanced riders to maybe sit on a couple of horses and school them in a lesson situation. It was the closest thing she could give them to a pro-ride like she usually would. In her mind she decide that Madison would be one of the girls she'd talk to when the time came, that is if the girl rode as well on other horses as she did her mare, which she assumed that she did. It didn't seem like she would be thrown on another horse and not be capable of doing a good job.
Patting the bay mare on the neck as they came and halted by her, she looked up at Madison. “Good, she jumps as cute as I thought she would. There isn't much I can really say, but just watch her especially coming out of the corners. If I really wanted to be picky, she tends to want to lengthen just the slightest out of your corners.”
Stepping back, she looked at the course that had been set for the last couple of days. “Let's still keep the courses simple. Let's do the same first two fences, but this time canter in to the vertical. Then to the single diagonal fence, to the outside line in four. Then you can come to the diagonal line, which is a three. It's ridden a bit more forward than the four stride, but I can't see you having any problems. After that you can trot a circle to the end fence I had set at the top of the arena. Sound good?”
The diagonal line wasn't set huge, the first fence at 3', and the oxer was 3'3 with a small spread. She couldn't see it being a challenge for the two, and the end fence at the top end of the arena would definitely be no problem. Although it was skinnier than the other fences, it was only set at 2'6 with a box underneath it, nothing that she foresaw as a problem.
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RESERVED FOR-- madison and her ponyy <3
WORD COUNT-- 789 // complete
NOTES-- LOL your post is legit like 1000 words more than mine. SORRY. I just couldn't bring myself to ramble on lol. <3
CREDITS -- images/text banners etc all copyright to their respectful owners. C:
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Post by madison on Oct 20, 2010 12:46:43 GMT -8
Madison smirked, she was glad she had finally gotten Grace to agree to the idea. She figured the trainer liked the mare enough, if she really didn’t want to ride her she seemed like the person to be pretty straight up about things. She said she liked the mare, Madi appreciated that, it wasn’t always that you found a trainer who seemed to love your horse as much as you did. The bay mare stood patiently as Madison listened to Grace, the smile on Madi’s face was pretty big, she hoped she was doing a decent job of living up to the mare. She hoped she did her the justice she deserved, Madi was used to jumping with retard horses like Jam who liked to make her look like a fool so when she first started riding Gia the mare hadn’t liked her guard at all. Though the more they worked together the more Madi relaxed and the mare started to perform better, she had managed to transfer that riding over to Jam and other horses she rode, she found Jam less willing to misbehave when she gave him the benefit of the doubt, taking the first few steps and fences guard free, it wasn’t always easy but proved to really be helping the gelding. Madison smirked, returning a polite thank-you for the compliment to Gia and the agreement to show when she could again.
"Thanks so much!"
She was thanking for both accounts, figured Grace would understand and was now eager to hear what Grace had to say about her fences. When she mentioned the mares jumping Madison felt instantly proud, not like she had bred or trained the mare but she was hers and Madi had been working with her for a while now the mare was as close to her child as Madison ever wanted to get. Then Grace went on to comment on the mare’s corners and Madi smirked, oh Gia the ever stride lengthener. It was something the mare had always been prone to do, when her stride got longer and sloppy she covered the distance but without nearly as much effort, it made distances near impossible and had lead to a very very rare refusal in the past. Madison sometimes forgot to help the mare instantly and found herself making up strides before the fence, luckily today she had been thinking about it and with Graces comment Madi promised herself to make it a permanent thing on her checklist. Nodding to Grace the girl got it across that she understood, quick words verified.
"I felt that a bit, will keep a feel out for it as soon as I come out of the corner over letting it happen then fixing it, thanks. "
As Grace explained the simple course Madi nodded, she was excited to get going though looked over the course for a moment. She rode each fence mentally and planned the course, coming towards the short line she would have to make sure the mare didn’t get to lengthen her stride at all in order to make the distance correctly. Then for the last line she would have to pressure Miss Gia into extending the stride but not letting things get unbalanced that would probably be the easier line. Even if the mare liked to back off she didn’t lose stride length she lost momentum which was a problem for collecting her up over shorter lines. Nodding to Grace she spoke one more time before gathering her reins gently and adding leg.
"Yepp sounds great. "
No sooner had she finished the sentence her and Gia had picked up the smooth trot, she trotted to the end of the arena and as she came into the corner before the vertical on the quarter line she sat for two strides kissed the mare into her smooth working canter and set her sight on the first fence. The mare flicked her ears forward lazily, sitting lightly on her back in her preferred half seat Madi made certain the mare’s stride was an appropriate length though a touch of her spur gave the mare a bit more momentum and spark to her stride. The mare popped over the first fence with little effort, Madi folded forward into a smooth two point, her legs barely moved over the small fence. Gia was tidy with her front and hind end respectively, used her neck like the fence was bigger than it really was and landed ready to head to the diagonal. Her lead was right, Madi didn’t look she could feel it so she urged the mare into the corner slightly. Keeping a light feel on her face with the added leg to collect her through and out of the corner Madi felt herself twist a bit but the mare didn’t lengthen her stride and strode to the fence forward and clean. Madi managed to fix her own twist in the air and Gia saved her ass by managed to keep herself straight and correct. She was just as tidy as before, kicked out hard with her hind but lost a bit of her neck in compensating for Madi’s lack of balance. Landing on the incorrect lead the pair switched effortlessly thought the corner and Madi pulled her shoulders up keeping herself straight. She again kept the mare collected and her stride powerful through the corner, the first fence in the line was a good distance on both their parts. Sitting into the mare’s back on landing Gia came back to Madi instantly, the half halt was a success and the distance was perfect. Though after their fourth stride on takeoff Madi wished they had taken off with a bit more momentum, Gia was every tidy and Madi was straight. She kicked out hard and didn’t have to lose her any of her neck use to balance for Madi, the girl just felt that the fence wasn’t quite as round in her mare’s back as she could jump. Pushing it out of her mind she felt their lead to be right and urged Gia on through the corner, bay mare responded more eager than she had been in the past and her canter stride regained the extra hint of momentum which made her fence go from a 9 to a 10. The line was simple, she didn’t let herself twist rode Gia straight and soft, she was confident with her leg and they made the line look simple. The mare was back on jumping on top of her game when Madi managed to pull her shit together, even when her rider screwed up Gia managed to compensate and make the mistakes look minor.
Gia was a bit resistant coming down to the trot smoothly she figured they were done again and wanted to stretch out she pulled the soft frame she showed in to the floor though Madi sat through it, she picked her hands up a little encouraging the mare’s shoulders to do the same and added leg to ask the horse to keep trotting. Now realizing they weren’t done Gia was happy to trot towards another fence, the stride was pretty dead on Madi popped over the fence like an eq rider, thinking about herself and her legs as Gia managed to care for her own form over the simple vertical. They finished with a canter circle and a smooth transition on Madi’s insistence and headed back to grace. Overall Madi thought the course was smooth, maybe not first place A circuit but top 5 easily in a competitive ring. The mistakes had been her own, though the mare made up for them and when Gia had faltered Madi had ridden with soft patience just the way her past coaches had insisted and the way Gia demanded to be ridden.
[/size] been a long cold 1300 words. lonely winter finished. feels like years MARIAH/grace. since its been clear outfit - tack. slowly melting pssshhh. don't be sorry! your post is great, I should be sorry for making you read so much crapp loll.REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ caution 2.0. [/size] [/center] |
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