Test Your Faith | Open

[Johanna India Eastman]

The itch to be out on the track was almost overwhelming. Jo could feel it calling to her, but there wasn’t any way she was getting out on to the track that morning. She still didn’t trust Erin to exercise her when there were other horses on the track, she was the first to admit that the mare was bat shit crazy, she didn’t need anyone else to tell her that, and she wasn’t going to risk the other horses and riders out there in case the young black mare decided to freak out in the middle of the course. And, she’d had to ride Arty the previous evening, her truck had decided not to start, so she hadn’t been able to travel between the barn and the live in horse trailer she was still living in. No regular mounts meant no money was really coming in, so she couldn’t afford to spend all of her savings on renting an apartment or something, she needed to pay board and Crossfire and feed her horses with something.

Sighing, she leant back further against the bleachers, flicking open her rather worn copy of Little Women, trying to keep her mind off the things that were worrying her the most. Perhaps leaving Casey hadn’t been the smartest idea...well, maybe moving all the way to Addison hadn’t been particularly bright. She’d definitely not thought about finances, or where she was going to live, or what she was going to do, when she had. She had just wanted to get away from her cheating husband...ex husband now, hopefully. He probably wouldn’t sign the divorce papers just to spite her.

Crossing her ankles lightly, glancing again at her slightly mismatched wardrobe – it was what happened when you needed to do laundry and lived in cramped quarters, she couldn’t find anything to wear – her eyes kept wandering hungrily back to the track.

Tagged Open
Words 315
Outfit Click
Muse Nothing - The Script
Notes Eh, not good, hate opening posts. But I need to get posting on here more xD
Credits IrishEyes of D&W. Lyrics @ Orianthi

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[leilanideluca]

remember my name...,
('CUZ IT'S HISTORY IN THE MAKING. )

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» Today was a beautiful day to ride. Hopefully it would stay as nice as this when Lani got out there. She had just arrived at the new barn and, truthfully, this was her first day here. She loved it already, this place was so beautiful and everyone around here was so sweet. She had also just gotten her new horse, Zenyatta, a few weeks ago and this would be her second time riding the two year old filly. Since Zenyatta couldn't race yet as a two year old, Lani was working her out to get those bones nice and strong. Zenyatta could be racing if she wanted to, but rules are rules and Lani wasn't going to break those first day on the job. As Leilani walked through the barn she reached her hand in the air to rub the noses of the other Thoroughbreds. Some pinned their ears and lifted their heads up so she couldn't reach while others pricked their ears and watched her with kind eyes.

» Leilani smiled at each one of them, she had always been around horses but never as many and never in a stable this clean. It was as if someone would always come in and clean when a straw of hay fell on the ground. It was a lot better, a cleaner stable meant cleaner horses, right? Leilani's riding boots clicked against the concrete hallway that sat in between the rows of horse stalls on each side. Once she got to Zenyatta's stall she smiled at the filly and rubbed the crooked blaze that sat, drizzling, down the femmora's face. Zenyatta's kind brown eyes watched Leilani as she got rubbed. Most trainers and jockeys walked by the horses and didn't offer them a pat, so Zenyatta liked the attention she was getting right now.

» Once Leilani was done saying hello to her horse she took the brown leather halter and slipped it over her muzzle. Zenyatta closed her eyes as the leather slipped over them carefully. She then opened them when she felt the band rest behind her ears. Leilani made Zenyatta turn her head so she could clip the throat latch to the gold metal ring that sat next to the gold metal plate. She smiled at the plate and ran her fingers over the carefully engraved letters that read Zenyatta. Leilani turned away from her horse to get the black lead rope that had a long chain in the front. She fed the chain through the top of the halter and clipped it on the other side. With that she opened the stall door and led the filly out into the hallway. Her shod hooves made that beautiful clipity-clop sound that Leilani loved so much. Once they got to a pair of cross ties, Leilani stopped Zenyatta and clipped them to her halter, taking off the lead rope and putting it on the ground by the stall wall.

» After a while Leilani was done grooming and tacking up Zenyatta. She talked to the filly while she groomed and tacked her up, though Zenyatta just pricked her ears at everything else, not even listening to Leilani. Once Zenyatta had her bridle on and her saddle was held tight by the girth Leilani then clipped on her helmet and gloves before walking Zenyatta out of the barn. The filly tucked her muzzle to her chest and lowered her head. Her front legs went out as if she was trying to do a Spanish walk. No one knew why she did this but Leilani always said she was dancing. Quickly stopping her by the fence, Leilani hopped up the fence and then hoisted herself into the saddle. She lowered the stirrups that were tucked and held up by the leather straps. Placing her feet into the stirrups she smiled and gathered up her reins. Giving Zenyatta a light squeeze with her foot the filly walked on and to the track.

» There was a lead pony that sat there, getting ready to take Zenyatta. Though Zenyatta didn't like the other horse so much so she moved away and off to the side, as if something was spooking her. Leilani shortened her reins and tried to get Zenyatta to go with the lead pony but she wouldn't. She had never been with one before and she didn't really know what to do. "Don't sweat it." Leilani said as she looked over at the guy riding the lead pony. "She really doesn't need a lead pony, I guess." She added with a small smile before letting Zenyatta prance onto the track. Zenyatta's muscles rippled with every little movement she made. She could blink and her muscles would ripple. Her long legs stabbed the dirt before they lifted again to make her move forward.

» Leilani was too busy watching Zenyatta's head that she didn't notice the jockey who stopped next to her. He was about to say something until he saw Leilani's face. "Sweetheart, you shouldn't be out here. It's too tough for a little girl like yourself." The guy said. Leilani narrowed her eyes at the man before she just rolled them. "Look, I may be a little girl but I'll bet I can kick your butt." She said, turning her head back toward him. "Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that, darling. It'll make you feel better." The man said before looking straight. He was about to kick his bay gelding into a canter when Leilani started to speak up again. "One time around the track. From the beginning of the back stretch to the finish line. If my mare can't beat your stallion, then you can keep on thinking guys are better then girls. If my mare beats your stallion then you'll at least have some sense. Deal?" She asked with a slight smirk. "A mare? Fine, deal." He said and then kicked his stallion into a canter.

» Leilani smiled and let Zenyatta pick up a canter. Zenyatta was, by far, much taller then any of the horses out here who sat at a good 16.2 hands. Zenyatta was 17.3, which was tall for a Thoroughbred but she was Zenyatta. Many wonderful things came about her. Once the horses were head at head, going around the first turn and to the back stretch that's when the bay stallion started to pick up the heat, making Zenyatta a good five lengths off... Ten lengths... Fifteen lengths. Though Leilani just held the filly back while they went around the back stretch. As they ran she fed her a bit more rein, and a bit more, then just a bit more. Though she still had a lot of rein left. The two went down the back stretch and they were half way down when Zenyatta started to gain up on the stallion, though she still lacked by quite a few lengths. Leilani watched the stallion ahead of her as they rounded the third turn. About half way around Zenyatta began to lengthen her strides and shoot after the stallion. It wasn't until the beginning of the stretch when Zenyatta caught up to the stallion. Her strides weren't full length but they were about to be. Once the stretch became straight Leilani looked over at the jockey and smiled before she let Zenyatta have all of her rein. he filly ate up the rein, extended her neck out to it's full length and her strides became their full length as well. She was quickly pulling away from the stallion by quite a few lengths before she crossed the finish line.

» Leiani smiled and laughed, giving Zenyatta a pat as she started to slow down around the first turn. The filly gave a small snort, and she kept nibbling on her bridle, sticking her tongue out before she cantered around once to cool off. "That's my girl." Leiani said while she rubbed Zenyatta's neck. A thin layer of sweat formed over the femmora's body, making her coat look darker and making her look shiny. Once they were back at the stretch, Leilani moved her over to the rail and walked her, though Zenyatta pranced... No matter how many times Leilani pulled back on the reins to get the filly to walk, she just pranced. As the two started to head out toward the barn Zenyatta stopped and bolted into the winner's circle. Leilani almost fell off the filly, though she caught herself and pulled back on the reins. Zenyatta rose her head and she bounced her front lightly before she backed up and let her feet touch the dirt again. "No Zenyatta!" Leilani scolded her while she made her walk backward a bit more.

johanna « tag
1,442 « word count
i hope you don't mind if i post (: sorry if it's kind of long. « notes
ammylouise @ caution for the coding, paradiso girls for lyrics « credit

[/justify]

[Johanna India Eastman]

I found myself staring out at the track again instead of my book. I guess I really was my father’s daughter; I really just couldn’t help myself. Racing was in my blood, it was one of my passions in life and I doubted anything would ever be able to come in the way of that. Folding the upper corner of the page I was on, since I hadn’t brought a proper bookmark with me and I hated having to flip through the pages, rereading until I found the exact spot I was on, I shut the book, slipping it back inside the bag I had brought with me. Kicking off the pair of black and white converses I had been wearing, I reached over to my riding boots, swapping them for the well worn, comfortable leather shoes. Maybe I would go and feed my other love, that one of eventing that I had inherited from my mother. Not as strong as racing, I would have to admit, but I still couldn’t tear myself away from the sport. Then again, maybe it just was anything to do with horses that kept me hooked.

As I finished pulling my boots on, a tall bay Thoroughbred caught my eye. Odd, I had to admit, Thoroughbreds didn’t usually get that tall...maybe way down the line she had something else in there. I couldn’t even tell her age, from this far, but by the way she moved I hazarded a guess that she was fairly young. Okay, so, naturally, I had to watch, I hadn’t seen this horse out on the track before, and seeing new horses run always caught my interest...not that it was hard, if you had a horse. I saw one of the regular exercise riders/jockeys approach the girl riding the bay...oh perfect, it was Jason, probably one of the most obnoxious of the riders at Crossfire’s track, he’d tried razzing me on the first day I had ridden Arty there, but that had backfired pretty quickly. Turns out I’d raced against him a fair few times before, and he hadn’t managed to best me yet. Not to mention I give back just as good as I get, and after six or so years in the business I was pretty thick skinned when it came to that sort of thing.

Well, she definitely took the bait, I heard her challenge to him after they exchanged words. I shook my head slightly, I never really had gotten cocky about the whole thing, probably because my father always made sure I kept both feet planted firmly on the ground, if I ever needed a reality check, he was always the first person I would go to, and even though I was his daughter, he wouldn’t hold back with what he said, because, it needed to be said, and I wanted to hear it. I pushed the rim of my fedora...or trilby, I often switched between the two names, never exactly sure what to call it...back so I could see a little better, slipping the old pair of reading glasses I had rummaged out of the glove compartment of my car off, unable to find my newer ones, off the bridge of my nose, hooking the temple of the frame over the top of my tank top, pushing the sleeves of my blazers up a little after I had.

By the time I had carried out all of those small, time wasting tasks, the pair had just started their little competition. I had seen the stallion out on the track before, he was a decent runner, though his rider and trainer never seemed to be able to stretch his full potential out of him, but I’d heard he was getting along in years, well, getting along in racing years, anyway, and was probably due to retire soon. I found my thoughts wandering, he would probably make a good stud...but Erin was far from breeding age, and I wasn’t even sure if I wanted any foals out of her...that is, if I got to keep her that long. I didn’t doubt Casey would come calling eventually, and I would have to fight with every fibre of my being to keep the jet black mare with me.

Right, the track. I really needed to stop letting my mind wander so much. Turning my hazel gaze back out to the well kept track, I had to frown a little, watching the younger girl hold the horse back a good fifteen or so lengths behind the other horse, waiting until the backstretch before racing her forward. Probably not a brilliant idea, in this weather, the cold made it harder for their muscles to warm up, and made it easier to get an injury, I probably wouldn’t even attempt it in a race, where it would be an even worse idea, plus a pack of horses in front of me would make it near impossible.

But they pulled ahead anyway, and I saw the little poke out of the tongue gesture she aimed at Jason, and I let out a soft snort. He was going to take that well. Oh well, that wasn’t my problem. Picking up my bag, I slung the strap over my shoulder, meandering down to the mounting yard, grinning at the man as he rode the horse he was riding back into the yard.

“Morning Jason. Good ride?” I asked, a slightly cheeky smirk on my face as I watched for his reaction. I heard him mumble something that sounded like ‘novices’ and ‘brats’ under his breath, and I had to let out a short laugh.

“Careful, dear, I might decide to take a shine to her. Then you’ll be sorry,” I said, tones cheery, giving him a slight wave as I continued on my way.

I was just about to cross the short gap in the fence that the horses and riders used to get out onto the track, looking both ways, much as if I was crossing a busy road. Luckily I did, the bay Thoroughbred I had just been watching bolted in a moment later, obviously still riled up from her exercise. She was obviously a high strung horse, one I myself would probably take around a second time, at a trot, to calm down, not to mention cool down the muscles she had just used to race, something else that not doing would cause injury.

I watched as she reared, I had been thinking of just leaving her rider to handle her, but...sighing, I walked towards them, stopping a safe distance away, enough so that if she reared again she wouldn’t hit me, and enough distance between us if that she decided to bolt again I would have plenty of time to jump out of the way.

“Don’t pull back, circle her, the pressure on her mouth will just make her more jumpy. If you circle, she won’t be able to lift straight up,” I instructed, using almost the exact same tone of voice as my dad did when he was instructing his riders, the trainer side of me coming out in this instance.

Sticking my hands deep into the pockets of my jeans, I didn’t move forward to offer immediate help, I would only do that if the girl couldn’t get her under control. I was all for learning by doing, so when things like this happened, I tried to offer my advice before I would step in and handle it myself.

Tagged Leilani
Words 1251
Outfit Click
Muse Perfect Day - Lady Antebellum
Notes Don't mind at all =) And sorry for the change from third to first person, I'm finding it easier to write like that at the moment xD
Credits IrishEyes of D&W. Lyrics @ Orianthi

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[leilanideluca]

remember my name...,
('CUZ IT'S HISTORY IN THE MAKING. )

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» As Leilani made Zenyatta walk back the filly flicked one ear back and the other forward, then vise versa. She usually did this when she was thinking or didn't like what Leilani was doing. Who wouldn't like having a steel bar going in the back of your mouth, across your tongue and pulling back? Leilani made Zenyatta walk back then right after walk forward as a sign of punnishment. Zenyatta lowered her head and nibbled on the bit a little more. The young horse kicked out her one hind leg when a stallion cantered by. Leilani then took a good grip on the reins before she heard a voice. She then puled the reins to the side, not hard but not soft. Zenyatta then spun in a tight circle, listening to the reins and the voice she never heard before.

» Zenyatta lowered her head again and nibbled the bit, flicking her ears forward at the new person that now stood in front of her. Lightly pawing at the ground, Zenyatta moved a few steps forward and extended her neck out toward the girl. Her brown eyes seemed to look over the girl before sniffing her hand when she put it in her pocket. Was she getting a treat? The filly pricked her ears and rose her head up a bit high. Zenyatta arched her neck and tucked her muzzle as she began to paw at the dirt. She usually always did that. Leilani lightly squeezed the reins to make Zenyatta stop pawing at the brown dirt.

» "Thank you." Leilani's voice broke the silence before she hopped down. Leilani pulled the stirrups up and put the leather strap through the hole of them to hold them up there. She moved around to the other side and did the same thing. Zenyatta stuck her tongue out to the side, much like she was trained to do. The filly wasn't trained by Leilani's mother. She was trained by a very nice man, John Sherrffs. Sheriffs has been in the buisness for quite a while and has gotten his name out there a bit. He was a good trainer and knew what he was doing, he knew Zenyatta well and trained her since she was a foal. Hopefully he'd do good with this mare, even though its one of the few mares he actually got to know well.

» Lani smiled at the girl, she had seen her before... Or so she thought. "I'm Leiani. Leiani De Luca. I'm sort of new here if you can't tell." She said with a small chuckle. Zenyatta snorted and looked between both of the girls as they stood there. "This is Zenyatta." Lani introduced the mare who rose her head and watched the horses canter around. She let out a nicker over to them, and she even got a few responds. She wanted to go back out there, you could just see it in her face. She looked so desperate to go out and run some more. She lightly pranced in place, and was quite restless when she stood there. Leilani looked up at her and let her walk around in a circle a few times before letting her stand a bit still again. She turned her head back to the girl that was standing in front of her. "Who do you ride?" She asked, lightly tilting her head to the side. Leilani always liked to know who people rode, even though she was new here she knew a lot about the horses that raced here. All the local horses she knew pretty well now. Giving another smile at the girl before turning to Zenyatta and rubbing her crooked blaze again. Zenyatta looked at the girl and extended her nose out toward her, sniffing the air before she lowered her head toward the dirt, looking for grass.

johanna « tag
639 « word count
i hope you don't mind if i post (: sorry if it's kind of long. « notes
ammylouise @ caution for the coding, paradiso girls for lyrics « credit

[/justify]

[Johanna India Eastman]

Hey, I'll have to reply either in the morning, or when I get home from work =)

[Johanna India Eastman]

I watched in patient silence as I waited for the teenager to calm the filly down, though at the sound of my voice the horse seemed to get distracted by it, taking a few paces towards me after her rider had successfully circled her a few times to sniff at my hands as I put them in the pockets of my blazer. I didn’t pull away, letting her sniff at them, knowing that scent was important to animals; it was a strong communication tool. I did take a step back, however, when she started pawing the ground, the last thing I needed was to take a hoof to the leg or foot, not that it would stop me from riding, but it would make it a good deal more painful.

“You’re welcome,” I answered simply, taking my hands out of my pockets again, instead, crossing them lightly along my slight, muscular midriff. I watched in silence as the brunette dismounted, fixing her stirrups, before turning back to me again. I took the time in between to look over the filly again. It was obvious now that she was very young, probably too young to be run that hard...but, some trainers didn’t bother waiting, despite the fact that bone growth and development wasn’t finished, meaning that the horse was likely to become lame and unable to be raced early in their careers. And she wasn’t my horse to train, so I wasn’t going to comment.

I flashed the girl a small, polite smile. “Jo Eastman,” I introduced myself. Yes, I could be a little reserved around people I didn’t know, especially as of late. I was probably just paranoid, but I really wanted Casey to find out where I was later rather than sooner, and one breathe in the racing circle that might reach him would bring him straight into Addison, wanting to get me back for leaving him. Men and their pride, if he hadn’t cheated on me in the first place, I probably wouldn’t have left him with an empty house and a set of divorce papers. It served him right, really.

I waited for her to calm down Zenyatta, who still seemed restless, she probably needed to be walked around the mounting yard for a while until she had calmed down a bit. I wish that would work with Erin, but the mare was just in a bad mood all of the time, whether she had been worked or not, she was always flighty and never wanted to stand still. I couldn’t count the amount of bruises I had received from being thrown by the black mare, I was still struggling to let myself put anyone else on her back when I did decide to let her start racing...if she ever got that far. She wouldn’t, if my ex husband had anything to do with it.

Shaking off the thoughts running through my head, I focused back on to the question Leilani had directed at me. “I have two racers of my own, I don’t race them myself, but I do train them. Biohazard, and Erin Shore,” I started. I guessed telling her Erin’s registered name wouldn’t hurt, the mare hadn’t actually been raced yet, so it wasn’t like she was known as anything else besides the crazy bitch mare around Crossfire. “And I ride Danny Towning’s Arabians. Well, about to, I haven’t officially been in a race with them yet,” I continued. I was hoping that partnership was going to continue working, I needed it. All it needed was a race to seal the deal, and I could be sure that it wasn’t going to fall through...unless he had a change of heart. But I had the confidence in myself that I could do it, I hadn’t raced Arabians before, but I knew I could do it.

Tagged Leilani
Words 640
Outfit Click
Muse The Motivation Proclamation - Good Charlotte
Notes Sorry it took soo long, I just had a hectic few days.
Credits IrishEyes of D&W. Lyrics @ Orianthi

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