|
|
Post by courtree on Oct 18, 2010 18:02:13 GMT -8
It was...weird. Giving orders to others. Having people hire you to do so and step in when needed. It was great that finally people had started taking interest in her way with the beasts, she knew them top to bottom and easily figured newcomers out. People on the other hand. It was easy to figure them out too, it was just the whole socializing and getting along part that stood in the way. Josh kept to herself most of the time, maybe a witty comment here, a smart ass response there, but she really had no interest in people. Most deemed her a bitch, but my all means if it meant they left her alone, then they could call her whatever they wanted, made no different to her. Okay Okay, typical "broken goods" sob story, but that's not what Josh wants to hear. She knows she's cold to people, she knows she doesn't put any effort to put herself out there, and she does want to change that, it's just...she doesn't know how. That fun girl down to earth bubbly girl is in their somewhere, but everyones patience wears too thin and eventually breaks before it even has a shot. She focus back on the track, stomach leaning against the rail as digits pull the binoculars to her face, watching as the massive grey and rider swerve all over the track. It was always the question in the back of her mind when she saw people ride like that, How did they honestly get a job?.
She push the thought aside as she bring the radio closer to her face, "Bring him in" she spoke, her tone flat. It was easiest to show or hold no emotion. Most people can spot a forced smile when seen, so Josh gave everyone a break and kept things moot. She wasn't rude, she wasn't overly pleasant, she was simply....professional. The rider obeyed to his ear piece and stood in his stirrups as Josh watched through the binocs, the big grey clearly not happy nor willing to slow down, but as the rider sea sawed with the reins on his mouth, he reluctantly slowed. It made the girl cringe to see that sort of "technique." Gary had said this was his best horse, but lately he had gone sour and just didn't want to run anymore. He was stumped at why the million dollar horse was acting in a such a wild manor. He has owned the horse for two years, knew everything there was to know about him, apparently, and didn't know why the horse was doing it. Josh had only just now seen the horse and already knew the problem.
As the pair slowed near her, the girl pulled her vest over her head, pulling at the velcro sides and wrapping them around her torso. She grabbed her helmet and stepped to the approaching pair, exercising boots leaving prints in the newly raked track sod. She motioned for the jockey to get off, but he simply pulled his goggles off his face and back on top of his head and stared at her as if she had just asked him to do a strip tease. "Jump off" her words casual, covering her irritated tone. The rider slid off and the horse pranced sideways, chomping at the bit. He grabbed for the reins, pulling the horse back. Josh stepped in front of him, laying a hand on the horses shoulder, feeling his warmth, and his body shake. She gather the reins at the top of his withers, standing on her tip toes to do so as she life her left leg, waiting for the other rider to help her. She knew he would, the same reason she had helped him mount up. Common courtesy. Simple as that. She land gently on the horses back in the small leather saddle, the big grey pulling at the bit and prancing in place already. She cooed quietly to him, her tone soft and gentle, a rare tone for others to hear, but this was how she talked to most horses. No baby talk, no high pitch whiny talk. Normal, casual, calm. The grey settle a little, feet still moving, but not in a nervous manner.
She pull the lightly tinted goggles over her eyes as she stand in her stirrups, testing her position. Hunkering down, the other rider step aside, and just like that, the grey was off like rocket, swerving all over the place. She give the horse his head, staying off of his face. Light pressure was applied to the horses side, and he moved over towards the rail like a pro. She once again cooed to him, telling him to relax, though obviously he couldn't understand, though it was the calming tone he apparently did. He stopped his swerving and went to work. A leg and voice kinda horse she thought to herself. No wonder the other jockey was having troubles. It's like people these days didn't know how or when to stay off a horse's face and use leg. No wonder he had gone sour. What horse wouldn't when someone rips on their face and gives 'em a smack every time they drop their shoulder? She add light tension to the reins, lightly murmuring to the grey, telling him it would be fine. Once again, of course he wouldn't understand, but it was all in her calming tone. Lowering her body lower to the horses back, she start pumping with her arms, asking for more. The grey was already flat out, and she figured he didn't have another gear to move into, but as she kissed to him, the grey switched leads and roared around the track picking up more speed with each powerful stride.
The sound of the thundering hooves was like morphine to her. Made her feel all giddy and happy inside, but at the same time adrenaline pumped through her as she ripped past where the other jockey was, standing on the outside of the rail. It wasn't her fault she could ride the horse better then he could. As she neared the half mile marker, the girl stand in her stirrups, words escaping her lips, easing the horse down in gears. He listened eagerly, slowing down to a lope, still ready to continue ripping around the track, but it took little effort to keep him controlled. Back to a walk, they casually made their way back to the other rider. The grey was clearly exhausted from his double workout, but he seemed relieved and content now. she stop the grey near the outside rail, throwing her leg over his withers and sliding down, hitting the ground with a light thud. She hand the reins to the other rider, and he lead the horse away and up the path without a word. Josh's face held no smug grin or anything that gave away a triumphant look. She was never one to show off, to make snide comments on how poorly someone else rode. Well, not all the time. She pull off her helmet, bright red hair falling on either side of her shoulders. She made her way to the stands, setting her helmet beside her, elbows propping themselves on her knees as her hands cradle her face as she watch the other mounts around the track. It might just turn out to be a good day after all. Who knew such a thing could happen?
|
|
|
|
Post by rivalox on Oct 21, 2010 16:05:55 GMT -8
&& she's lost like Alice
in a painted past
in a looking glass
i see me looking back [/SIZE]  LEAH CONRAD[/size] [pronounced 'lay-uh'][/center] The bombshell blonde eighteen year old hadn't been on the property for long; in fact, she and her brother had only just moved into the Addison area within the past week and it had been with a mix of irritation and relief that she'd come along for the ride with Liam. He had cared for her since she was a little kid and even joined the military to provide for her, but at times he could be absolutely smothering. He'd been hawking her since they'd arrived, but now that he was occupied with a show out of town with his big mare Leah could finally go out on her own without being interrupted. They'd come from Oklahoma to start over in Texas, bringing along three horses and Leah's ever-faithful and present shadow Gretch, a tan and white Jack Terrier. Determined to get out of the two bedroom house he'd purchased just for them, she'd high tailed it in her small sedan to the barn and nearly gave her grulla paint mare a heart attack snatching her out of the pasture so quickly.
Technically the mare belonged to Liam, but they both knew that he couldn't ride her if he wanted to. It took a specific hand to deal with the nasty tempered small horse, not to mention he was much too large for the little mare. Considering Rancher hadn't been ridden in about a week made it an unwise decision for Leah to simply hop on bareback with only the mare's full cheek snaffle in her mouth, but Leah wasn't one to stand for fear. As predicted, Rancher became Rancid and attempted bucking the small statured young woman off but didn't succeed, and after fifteen minutes of angry pacing she settled into a quieter walk. Leah turned the mare away from the barnyard with little Gretch prancing along behind and settled for exploring the property. There were ample trails and several rings full of mingling horses and riders, but it was the race track that soon drew Leah's attention.
She rode largely Western events - namely the speed events - and had never competed in an English discipline, much less racing, but she adored the power that came along with a massive thoroughbred as it shredded down the racetrack. Now that would be something worth trying. As Rancher paced ever closer, Leah became distracted in watching a thoroughbred thunder around the track before coming to a stop, a flame-haired young woman sliding to the ground like a cat before propping herself up on the stands. Was she just an exercise rider, and so intended to sit and watch and wait for another horse? Eager to meet a new person and see what she did for a living, Leah prodded the mare into a quick lope to cover the distance. Gretch kept up easily, and after a minute she pulled the mare up and slid to the ground. Undoing the rope she'd tied around the mare's neck for just this reason, she tethered the grulla paint to the fence before cutting through and heading in the woman's direction.
Hands slipped inside the pockets of her skinny jeans after pulling her patterned band hoodie tighter around her shoulders and slipping through a nearby gate. She only had flats on her feet, another unwise choice for riding, but she'd only intended to hop on and see the sights, get some anxiety out and breathe again with her mare since they'd moved. Not to mention it had also been a week since she'd done her last line of heroin. She'd not met any dealers here. She didn't plan to, but the pangs of need were always clawing at her insides to try jumping at another opportunity.
Gretch took the liberty of hopping onto the stands and clicking her toes rapidly towards the seated woman and parking right beside her as if they'd been friends their entire lives. The brown and white dog looked idly out at the track as if she'd seen it all before and then wagged her short nub as Leah approached. Biting her lip, she ignored the fact that this woman was quite attractive (and likely older than her, who knows?) and waved in a friendly manner. "Sorry about that, Gretch is pretty friendly." she called, wagging a finger at the Jack Russell. As she got closer she smiled, her brown eyes lighting up at the fact that she was meeting a new person. "I'm Leah, just moved out here." she said with a slight shrug before gesturing to the place next to the dog, on the woman's left. "Mind if I have a seat?" she asked, her slightly Southern accent just barely noticeable. Oklahoma had rubbed off a little; Texas wasn't likely to help. [/size][/blockquote] i'll take another
D R I N K M E , baby,
and slowly
i'll D I S A P P E A R
under saddle: RANCHER
along for the ride: GRETCH
--------
lyrics property of anna nalick
comments: well i think this post was horribly rambly and what not, excuse the nonsense. i get better, i swear. xD [/font][/i] |
|
|
|
Post by courtree on Oct 23, 2010 11:05:19 GMT -8
It was descent this morning, the weather cool, the track a little sticky. Her perfect conditions for riding track horses. There would be the idiots today who decided to ask the same performance from there top horses in the heat of the day, exhausting them before evening hitting the track. How they were actually successful was a whole other question to her. People just weren't her forte. Josh was pretty good at seeing through people, at judging them from a simple hello. So why did she push everyone away? She preferred to be alone, quiet, or was it, accustomed to being alone, thus leading to not caring? Which ever one it was, people normally took one look at her expressionless face and distant eyes, and decided to move on. Of course, there was the occasional guy who saw that as a challenge, making them think they had to win her over, but in the end they tired quickly of her smart ass comments and witty retorts and left with a bruised ego probably smaller then when it was when they started. Of course there were days her broody look wasn't exactly working properly, and today was obviously one of those days.
It took her a moment to realize the little clicking sound had stopped, and as she looked to her side, there was a small terrier looking out towards the track, not in an excited way as if it wanted to chase the horses, but in a calm way, as if it had watched the horses warm up on the track everyday and grown accustomed to watching out for them. The terrier glanced up at her, it's little nubby tail wiggling furiously as Josh just stared at it before looking back out to the track, the dog doing the same. A light sigh escaped her lips, hiding the pain it caused to breath in, the jockey vest holding things firmly together, offering some relief. Exercise riding wasn't exactly the prescription the doc had given her to heal real quick, but she had a job to look after, horses to care for. Her body came after that. Still lost in thought, she noticed another person stepping onto the stands, the small dog beside her wiggling like it was on drugs, excited to see this person. Maybe they were going to take it away. Most would look over, offer a friendly smile at the least, but Josh kept her gaze out on the track. She still wasn't sure why she had stayed. Better things to do then just sit around. A girls voice popped into her head, soon realizing the person was now off to her left, talking to her.
Josh's gaze looked to the blond then down to the dog, a light shrug of her shoulders being her only way of saying That's okay. Was the girl just saying her apologies, taking the dog and leaving? That's what she figured, but, she's been wrong before. And now. The blond spoke again, offering her name, and normally one would say it's nice to meet the other, offer their name in return etc. go on to be the best of friends. All Josh said back was her name, simply, "Josh" as she tried to offer the other girl a smile. The girl was new, didn't know anyone and was clearly friendly and looking for someone to talk to. Josh couldn't relate to the "looking for someone to talk to" part, but the being new and knowing no one, she understood that clearly. "Not at all"
[/b] she responded to the girls question. That was probably the longest response she's ever given someone. She push the random realization out of her head, focusing back on the track, watching as someone fought with a massive bay. Well, she couldn't just get up and walk away now. That would be rude, even for Josh. [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
|
|
|
Post by rivalox on Oct 25, 2010 8:43:25 GMT -8
&& she's lost like Alice
in a painted past
in a looking glass
i see me looking back [/SIZE] LEAH CONRAD[/size] [pronounced 'lay-uh'][/center] Gretch's incessant wiggling was quite adorable in every right, but Leah never could figure out how dogs stayed so happy all the time. The red haired woman didn't seem at all bothered by the dog's appearance and Gretch was all the more grateful for it. The Jack Terrier adored meeting new people and getting into their business about as much as a six year old social butterfly. The red head offered a glance before concentrating again on on the horses thundering down the track, but Leah didn't mind. This woman was working; Leah was exploring. As she thought of it maybe it had been a bit bold to approach, but now that she was here she might as well follow through.
Leah sat obligingly, glad to be accepted even if it was just subtly by allowing her to sit down. Leah followed the woman's gaze, happy to sit silently with her for a few moments while she watched a particularly difficult large bay horse charge about with its rider battling for control. Some Thoroughbreds loved the run so much they could ruin it being over eager; an admirable thing to a certain extent, but still disappointing. "That's an interesting name." she said idly, somewhat to herself rather than to Josh, and reached over to scratch behind the dog's half erect ears. Gretch responded with an outstretched neck and a wildly happy full body wiggle before her attention was diverted to where Rancid was tied against the fencing. The blue and white mare pawed angrily, pinning her ears in the direction of a horse that was several yards away but watching her with interest. Leah rolled her eyes in amusement at this; the mare always had such a nasty attitude for no apparent reason, but maybe she was in heat and it made it worse. It probably wasn't the best place to tie a mare in heat, but these horses ought to be used to that by now.
Turning her attention back to Josh, "So I noticed you ride. Are you a jockey or just an exercise rider? Or an owner who is surprisingly hands on?" she asked with a smile, amused by her own words even though it wasn't really all that funny. It was quite irritating to her when the owners of show or race horses never ride or much handle their own horses and only care about the money or ribbons the horse is bringing in for them. That always made it easier to toss them out when they couldn't run or show anymore. As a brisk breeze swept across the stands in their direction, she pulled her thin hooded jacket tighter around herself and glanced once more at her tethered mare. Despite Rancid's temperament glitches, Leah wouldn't trade her for anything. She knew how Rancid ticked, and the mare would never do anything to deliberately try and injure her rider, so Leah knew they meshed well together. She wouldn't be one to take to the higher levels of competition, but she made stunning babies with loads of chrome and could tear up a speed course. Looking out across the track, she thought idly about what she intended to do with herself after this. [/size][/blockquote] i'll take another
D R I N K M E , baby,
and slowly
i'll D I S A P P E A R
--------
lyrics property of anna nalick
comments: sorry about the wait, been out of commission for my birthday over the weekend.  [/font][/i] |
|
|
|
Post by courtree on Oct 31, 2010 18:26:33 GMT -8
They sat in silence, and for a moment, Josh was quite happy about it. Seems not everyone found the need to start blabbering right away about themselves, how they got here etc. etc. blah blah, but just as the thought left her head, the girl spoke, though it wasn't a phrase Josh would have expected. Okay, that's a lie, it was expected, but normally one didn't have the balls to actually say it. Kudos to the new chick. Already Josh felt comfortable around the blond girl and her mutt. In response, Josh merely shrug her shoulders slightly, her gaze still fixed on the bay, though her attention kept drifting to the small wiggling dog by her side before her pools noted a grulla paint tied to the rail, attitude written all over it as it pinn it's ears at a passing horse. Must be a mare she thought to herself, eyes lightly rolling.
The girl spoke yet again, and Josh feared she was going to have to actually respond, but oddly enough she didn't really mind, the girls words simple, not pressing, just observational really. Though the fact she had noticed her and the grey on the track was odd. The again, how many massive grays do you see with tiny little red heads on top? She push the thought aside a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips at the girls last words, "Exercise" she spoke, slightly bobbing her head in agreement to the girls first accusations. Josh shift her weight, adjusting her seat to get a little comfier, though on the metal stands you couldn't really adjust yourself to be comfy. Her head finally click in that the paint tied to the rail was probably the girls. No clue why it hadn't clicked in earlier, but she just put the pieces together. "Yours?" she asked, gesturing with a tilt of her head towards the paint. She had to admit, it had beautiful coloring.
Notes: Muse = peanut butter. Or in other words, Ick xD Sorreh deary.
|
|
|
|
Post by rivalox on Nov 8, 2010 11:42:10 GMT -8
&& she's lost like Alice
in a painted past
in a looking glass
i see me looking back [/SIZE] LEAH CONRAD[/size] [pronounced 'lay-uh'][/center] Josh was rather quiet, especially for a woman, but Leah found she hardly minded. Having finally finished high school, she'd found herself less and less comfortable around the chatty girls she'd been surrounded by in high school. It was much more comfortable to just shut the hell up for a minute. It did seem, though, that she appreciated being told that her name was interesting. Did people not say that often? Making a mental note of it, she stroked Gretch's striped head and crossed her legs to lean comfortable against her knees and watch the horse flail angrily down the track. Josh's eyes stayed locked to it for the most part, but Leah knew the red head had heard her question, so she waited. Exercise, as she had expected, and so she nodded appreciatively. "Sweet." she said simply, the fact that she was mildly impressed obvious in her tone. Leah didn't have the strength, much less the tiny stature to do anything like that, so meeting someone that did on a regular basis was pretty exciting. Obviously it took a lot of self discipline and training to do that kind of work, so a notch in the respect belt was placed in Leah's head.
Catching Josh's question and the nod of her head, Leah turned to see her mare still chomping angrily at every horse that passed yards away. What an arse. Leah scoffed quietly; she found the mare's nasty attitude almost endearing now that she'd grown up with it. "Speed events mostly, Western." she said with a shrug. The mare's small and powerful stature made her a phenomenal barrel horse, but she would prove far too challenging for the English disciplines she wanted to get into. She thought idly to the cremello filly her brother had recently bought and wondered at what his intentions were for the youngster, but let the thought slip quickly from her mind. Figuring to keep up conversation, "That's Rancid. Er, Rancher technically. She's my brother's on paper, but he and I both know he can't do a thing with her. Snotty mare she is. I won't deny it." she said with a chuckle before looking back to Josh's intently focused face. "Got one of your own? Or just ride everybody else's?" she asked, not bothering to think that Josh might be working and not want the distraction of a freshly graduated eighteen year old.
Gretch took that moment to yawn quite obviously, making a humorous mix of growling and groaning come out before she settled to lie on her side, stretching her short legs out and placing her head closer to Josh than to her owner. Little betrayer was always out for everyone else's attention than Leah's, but you wouldn't know it by the way the dog moved in response to every step Leah took. She placed her brown and white nose conspicuously upon the leg of Josh, looking imploringly up as if she'd never been touched in her life, and would likely die if it didn't happen soon. "Suck up." Leah muttered quietly, quite possibly unheard by the redhead, but a well known phrase to the dog. The Jack looked comically at her owner, letting her tongue loll out in response before placing her head back on Josh's leg. [/size][/blockquote] i'll take another
D R I N K M E , baby,
and slowly
i'll D I S A P P E A R
--------
lyrics property of anna nalick
comments: GOOD THING I LIKE PEANUT BUTTER A LOT!  [/font][/i] |
|
