#but I can pretend to be a showjumper

[boneless-mika]

I saw a video about “realistic roleplay” in SSO and everyone is super condescending in the comments section but the poster pretty much specifies that those people are the only people allowed to comment so now I’m being annoying here instead. I am an equestrian. A real life, realistic equestrian. I do not need a guide to tell me how to pretend to be an equestrian when I am one.

[littlemissagrafina]

@comfortember Day 1. Discovery + 21. Pets

Summary: Morgan goes through the horse girl phase and Peter teaches her how to horse ride.

Read on AO3

Morgan, just like any other seven year old child, had obsessions. Sometimes it was dinosaurs, sometimes it was princesses. Things like astronauts, pirates, ballerinas, and collecting anything and everything that could be collected had made appearances in her wildly bouncing attention span.

There was one interest, however, that had stuck its claws in and refused to leave, and it was the stage that every young girl had. The horse stage. Now Tony wasn't one to outright deny his family something they asked for, quite the contrary, he was usually coercing them into letting him spoil them. But the idea of his little girl on a large unpredictable animal? Tony wasn't quite as comfortable with the idea as Morgan would have liked.

It took months of horse movies (Tony thought he could recite both the movie and soundtrack of the Spirit movie by heart at this point), a slowly growing collection of horse toys and plushies, and yet another afternoon of Morgan pretending to be a showjumper that finally made Tony relent and say he would try and find somewhere for the little girl to take lessons.

After a few days of searching and not finding any suitable stables (they all just felt off to Tony), he was a bit desperate. Sure, he wasn't entirely keen on the idea but he definitely didn't want to dissuade or disappoint Morgan, a fact he shared with Peter when he came up to the lake house for the weekend.

"This phase seems to be sticking around, huh?" Peter had teased his dad, watching as Morgan ran around the little course she had made out of branches and the yard chairs.

Tony just huffed at him, rolling his eyes, the movement softened by the fond smile on his lips. "Yeah, it seems it is. She finally got me to cave a few days ago, ya know? I said I'd look for somewhere for her to try lessons at but wherever we've looked so far has just felt off for some reason. Too proper and fake almost." Tony's nose wrinkled.

Peter hummed. "Yeah, you get a lot of places that are in it for the image and money, the really good ones can occasionally be a bit more difficult to find. Not all of them, but there are definitely some that aren't great." He said, and Tony looked at him in surprise, his attention turning away from watching Morgan.

"How do you know that?" He asked, head tilted a bit in confusion.

Peter was a bit surprised at the realisation that he hadn't ever told Tony about this, but a plan started forming in his mind and he ran with it.

"Ben had friends in the station he worked at who were mounted policemen. Greg and Monica. They owned a stable and some of the horses they used in the force. They became pretty close family friends eventually and we would go visit them sometimes at their stables." Peter explained, his idea still forming in his mind.

Tony nodded. "Makes sense." The man was pulled away from the conversation by Morgan running up and stating she was hungry and that she "wished to ingest the last remaining family of dino nuggets in the freezer."

Honestly Tony was surprised sometimes at the unique ways Morgan found to say normal sentences but he supposed it was to be expected with him and Pepper as her parents and Peter as her brother.

He clasped her hand in his, and turned to Peter. "Want some dinos too, Kid?"

Peter scoffed. "Duh. As if you have to ask. Dino nuggies are the best, Tony."

---

Tony had almost forgotten their conversation entirely until he got a text from Peter a week later. It was just a location with the accompanying text "A new place for you and Morgan to try." And the time and day of the apparent appointment for the next weekend in another following text.

And so the next Sunday brought him, Pepper and Morgan driving through a winding, tree shaded road and eventually breaking out into an area spread out with fields. They drove a few minutes longer before pulling in past a sign that said Blue Maple Acres. They followed the tree and field lined drive up to the parking and main office area where Tony stopped the car. Morgan had her seat belt undone and was out of the car in seconds, hopping on the balls of her feet as Tony and Pepper got out too.

"C'mon! I wanna gooooo!" Morgan drew out the 'go' but Tony just ruffled her hair, clasping her hand in his as Pepper did the same on her other side.

"We're going, sweetheart. We're going." The man chuckled as they walked over to the office. 

Just before they could knock on the door, it opened and a woman stepped out with a bright smile on her face. To Tony's surprise and approval, she smiled and waved at Morgan first.

"Hi there! I'm Monica." The woman held out her hand to Morgan, shaking it when Morgan held out her hand in return. "You must be Morgan. I've heard a lot about you from Peter." 

The little girl simply beamed at Monica. "Petey said you were nice. He was right. I like you."

Tony blanched, but couldn't help the amusement spreading in his chest either. It was no surprise the little girl had no filter when she was his daughter. Before he could apologise or excuse Morgan's bluntness, Monica smiled.

"Peter said the same about you all as well."

"Wait." Tony said, his brows furrowing. "When has Peter told you about us?" He asked in slight confusion. "I thought he hadn't seen you for a while."

Before Monica could answer, a familiar voice piped up. "I never actually said I hadn't seen them, Mr Stark." Peter said as he walked around from the direction of what looked like the barn or stables.

He smiled cheekily at his dad. "All I said was that I knew a place for you and Morgan to try."

He stopped beside Monica, pouting when the woman poked his side. "Peter Parker! You didn't tell them?"

"Hey! They were gonna find out anyway when they got here!"

Pepper, obviously seeing the bewilderment on Tony's face, took pity on him and asked the question they were all wondering.

"I'm sorry, find out what, exactly?"

Monica waved a hand in gesture to Peter, the three Stark’s taking note of the jeans and gumboots he wore.

"That Peter here is the resident pro in charge of being Morgan's instructor today." The woman smiled cheerfully. "Now, let's go get our miss Morgan some comfy pants and boots to wear for her ride."

And with that, she and Peter led the three Stark’s away from the office, Morgan's happy voice calling out, "Oh! Can I ride a gold horse!"

---

Tony and Pepper stood with Monica, watching as Peter and Morgan–both in leather riding boots, although Peter's were knee high and Morgan's only went to her ankle, and special pants that Tony had found out were called jodhpurs (I would usually wear jeans but Morgan wanted to match, Tony)–brushed a gold coloured horse.

The teen picked up and showed his sister about each brush and grooming tool as they went along. First he told her what it was for and showed her, then let her try for herself. Tony had never thought there would be such a thing as a curry comb. He’d thought it was just a food, but now, apparently, it was also a brush.

Eventually after doing the same with tacking up as they had with the grooming, Peter led Morgan out into a sandy arena, gave her a helmet, and helped her up onto her Palomino that Peter had told her was named Eldorado. 

(Yes, Mr Stark, I'm sure it isn't just called a gold horse. Yes, she's named after the movie.)

Tony and Pepper followed behind them, heeding Peter's warning of getting too close to Eldorado's hindquarters because "She's a pretty chill girl but we always be careful just in case, okay Morgs?"

They stood leaning against the arena fence and neither parent could contain their smiles as Peter chatted to Morgan as he led her around and taught her what to do.

He explained the different gaits of the horse and how they would, at most, go up to a trot today. He showed her the right way to hold the reins as well as saying that there are different ways but the English way is what they would learn today. He helped her to put her feet the right way in stirrups, adjusting her feet to the right position before having her repeat it back to him by herself, only adjusting her heels a little bit lower.

"Good job, Mongoose! You're doing so good already!" Peter praised his sister, genuinely proud of the way she retained and thought over what she was learning.

After leading her around like that at a walk and getting her used to it, he led her through it again but at a slow trot after a glance over at Monica for confirmation that she thought the seven year old could go for that as well.

Throughout the lesson, Tony and Pepper had clapped and cheered from the sidelines, albeit quietly and not wildly as to not spook Eldorado.

After Peter had helped Morgan off, he again coached and helped her through untacking Eldorado. He also showed her how to feed the golden mare some carrots without getting her fingers nibbled off.

Walking back from turning the mare out, Peter felt Tony fall into step beside him. "So," the man said as he slung an arm around his kid's shoulders,"How come it never came up that you knew all this?" He quirked an eyebrow at the teen and Peter shook his head with a smile.

"I genuinely don't know." He answered. "I guess it just never came up in any conversations before. It's not like there was really any topic that would have brought it up between us."

Tony nodded, seeing the logic in what Peter had said. "Makes sense. Would Have liked to know my resident spider child is apparently a horse whisperer though." He smiled, and Peter could see that he wasn't angry or upset that he hadn't known, just genuinely curious.

They'd just made it back to the arena side when Morgan bounded up to them. "Petey! Are you gonna ride, too?" She asked, her head tilted in question.

Peter shook his head, "Oh, no. Not today, Bug. Today was for you." He smiled at her but she only pouted in return.

"You know, I had a feeling you would say that, kid." A man said, from behind them as he led another tacked up horse towards them, and Peter groaned.

"Greg, c'mon. Really?" 

The man, Greg, smirked at him. "Peter, c'mon. Really?" He mimicked. "Kid, you never show off, hardly anyone besides May even knows you can ride. Be a snobby teen and show off your talents for once, yeah?"

Based upon the looks he was receiving from his family and Monica as well, Peter knew he wasn't getting out of it, so he just sighed and stepped forward to take the reins from Greg.

"I need a hel–" Monica chucked a helmet to him. 

"There. No excuses. Now, introduce that horse of yours to your sister and get your behind to the arena. Greg was oh so kind as to set up a few jumps for you as well." The woman smirked at him and Peter just shook his head with a smile.

He averted his attention to Morgan, gesturing her forward. "Morgs, I want you to meet my friend, Nova. He's a Thoroughbred. He used to race but when we rescued him and gave him a new home, we found out that he really, really likes trail rides and jumping."

Morgan was basically on cloud nine. "What's his colour called?" She asked curiously, looking up at the red-ish, caramel coloured horse.

"It's called chestnut."

She blinked up at him and smiled. "Cool. You gonna ride now?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Can you go stand by the fence?" He asked her and she nodded, walking over to Tony who hoisted her up to be able to see nicely over the fence as Peter led Nova into the arena.

He checked his girth and stirrup length, explaining to Morgan what he was doing again. Finally, he slid his helmet on and fastened it before bringing his left leg up into the stirrup and hoisting himself up into the saddle.

He let Nova walk and stretch as he slid his feet into the stirrups and got settled into the saddle before he gathered up the reins a bit more.

Peter leant forward slightly, and with the barest squeeze of his legs, he urged Nova forward into a slightly faster walk.

He spent a few minutes working on circling and lead changes before urging him up to a trot and doing the same thing. When he felt Nova was warm and ready, he guided them straight down the arena and they picked up into a canter.

Nova bucked and Tony clenched his fist, but Peter just laughed as the horse's stride turned bouncy before Peter calmed him again. 

"Morgs," Peter called out as he circled Nova around to canter nearer to the fence. "I'm gonna pop over a couple of the smaller jumps to get Nova warmed up and then you can choose what jumps I do next if you'd like to." 

Morgan gasped, her excitement clear as she bounced on her toes where she was standing and holding onto the middle of the fence. "Can you jump that purple one?" She asked, pointing to a medium sized upright.

Peter nodded back to her. "Sure can. Lemme just go over a few of those crosses and smaller uprights first."

He steered Nova back towards one side and took a wide circle to bring him in line with a little, blue cross and popped them over it, only leaning slightly thanks to the small height. He did a few more before turning them towards the purple upright.

Nova jumped it easily, his tail flicking up behind them before he threw another little buck. "He's just excited. He likes to jump." Peter called back, obviously catching a glimpse of the worry crossing Tony's face.

"It's Nova's way of letting me know that he's energised and wants to do more. The same way that Morgan bounces when she's excited." Peter explained all the while smoothly guiding Nova over the next jump that Morgan called out.

"It also helps that I know his tics and sort of mannerisms. I can tell when his bucks are "This is fun, let's go!" Or if they're "Hey, I'm not liking this." And I adjust accordingly to what he's feeling and telling me."

"What's next?" 

Instead of Morgan calling out a jump, it was Monica. "What if you take him over that green oxer and let him go into the combination with the two lighter greens over there?" She pointed up towards one side of the arena and again Tony felt a bit of concern when he saw what she was pointing at. 

Both jumps were around double the size of the previous few Peter had been taking Nova over. He was distracted a bit when Morgan piped up with a question.

"How high can horses jump?" 

Monica considered the question for a moment. "Well, it depends on the horse, really. If it's a small horse or pony, it can still jump fairly high but some might not quite get to the same height that a larger horse like Nova could." She nodded her head towards where Peter and Nova went over the green oxer.

"It's maybe not always the case, but the size definitely factors in how high a horse can jump. It also depends on how fit the horse is, if they do competitions or just jump at home for fun. There's lots of different reasons for the heights horses can jump. You following?" Morgan nodded, Tony and Pepper doing the same as they listened in, too.

Monica smiled. "Cool. Well, Eldorado, being a horse we mostly use for beginners, doesn't jump very high, mainly only the cross rails that Peter jumped first and some small uprights. She also doesn't really like jumping as much as Nova or some of the other horses.

"Nova is different though. Once we found out that he liked jumping, there was no stopping him and Peter. The two of them both love the speed and rush of it, they're matched perfectly that way. Often you'll find them here in the arena or in some of the fields and trails going over the natural and cross country jumps we have dotted around for those who like that thing."

What she said made Tony curious. "If they both enjoy it that much, do they ever compete?" He asked but Greg shook his head from where he stood next to Monica.

"No," He said. "They don't compete. They could easily compete and do well, but when it's been brought up, Peter has just said that both him and Nova are content to just have fun together around the property here. And if you want my honest opinion? It's kind of refreshing to hear that."

This time it was Pepper who asked another question. "Refreshing in what way?"

Greg gestured to where Peter circled around to do yet another jump Morgan had instructed him to do. "Just that. The way they genuinely like their rides and how they aren't just using it as a sport to compete and instead finding the joy and companionship in it. There's something incredibly special in the riders who can do that. Although that doesn't mean that those who compete can't have that either." He finished and Tony watched with a quiet smile as Peter laughed when Nova gave another jaunty buck.

He guessed it really was pretty amazing, and smiled even wider when Peter showed Morgan that he could ride with no hands, dropping the reins to rest over Nova's withers as Morgan's delighted laughter rang out when Peter waved his arms around.

Maybe being the dad and subsequent bank for his horsey kids wouldn't be as bad as he'd thought when Morgan first started asking.

[princessanneftw]

Funny moments you know of about Princess Anne?

Telling @annefic she had bad manners.

The not-shading Trump shady Trump moment.

This entire thing because what the fuck.

The time she got confused for Prince Charles.

The cake incident.

Getting excited about more cake.

Duke of Cornflakes.

Her and Tim being giant dorks.

The time she dressed up as one of the Mr Men characters at the Gatcombe Horse Trials and people had to guess who was inside.

I’m sorry Anne but this.

Calling Mark Phillips a silly bastard and locking him out of their hotel room because she has no chill.

“As Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union for more than 30 years, she rarely misses a match at Murrayfield and saw the joke when one of the Scotland team suggested she join them in the showers to celebrate a win.”

Having the best reaction to Prince George’s birth:

The time she pulled out a giant fucking book at the Sochi Olympics because she cba with opening ceremonies.

When she was screaming at Zara to start her showjumping at the European Championships cause she didn’t hear the bell, and then asked why she couldn’t hear her in a stadium of 50,000 other people.

When she did the cAnnecAnne in the hall at a house party.

Kissing her then-boyfriend at a red light and causing a traffic jam and some drama.

When someone’s phone went off during a speech.

Her knowledge and wisdom joke about tomatoes and fruit salads that she used ALL THE TIME SHES SO PROUD OF IT.

When asked what she’d accomplished as a jockey, she said: “I got the other lady jockeys more lavatories.”

Being unimpressed at a plaque.

Her general sassy comments to journalists. One of my particular favourites: “I was having a lovely day until I saw you.”

Hiding behind a flag.

Taking a breathalyser test and pretending to be drunk.

This is all I can think of for now! If anyone has anything else, pls add to the list! ☺️

[sarah1982sblog]

The real Malory Towers experience: Take your child to boarding school!

"You have to dress up posh too, mummy," says my daughter, half stern, half playful. "Or we'll never get away with it!"

Saturday morning and me and my 11-year-old daughter are going undercover.

We're going to the most expensive girls' boarding school in Britain (£37,275 a year to be exact) for their Open Day – as a pretend prospective pupil and parent. My bog-standard-state-school educated daughter has devoured Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series – just as I did when I was a kid – and her head is filled with a fantasy life of midnight feasts and hockey sticks. Wouldn't it be fun – and a tiny bit mischievous – to see inside that world for real? We're a little nervous (do we have the acting abilities to pull it off?), but really, what difference will one extra mother and daughter tagging along make? They'll barely notice us.

Wrong! All parents potentially willing to fork out £37K a year on their daughter's education will be noticed. People have flown in from all corners of the globe for this Open Day. It's a v. big deal. As soon as we enter, my bobbly coat is whisked off me (in the end I’d decided the I'm-so-posh-I-can-be-scruffy look would be more convincing) and we are greeted with fresh coffee, still-warm Danish pastries, and programmes with our names on (sports fixtures in school today: showjumping and lacrosse). 

A pretty, skirt-suited woman, a member of the leadership team, bounces over to us. "Just act confident," I whisper to my daughter. "It's all about confidence." The woman introduces herself and reassures us that she has worked in prep schools for many years before coming here so she "knows where the girls are coming from". "What school do you go to now?" she asks my daughter. My daughter looks her straight in the eye and says the name of her bog-standard-state-school loudly and clearly. I see the woman flicking furiously through her mental files of prep schools. Nope, that one's not in there. She moves on quickly. "So, would you be a boarder or a day girl?" "Oh, definitely boarding!" says my daughter, beaming. (Impressive acting!) "Oh yes, boarding is great fun," says the woman. "Like a perpetual sleepover, right? The other day, the girls all took their duvets down to the den with hot chocolate and marshmallows and slept there all night!" she continues, feeding my daughter's fantasies. 

Then she plucks us our own personal schoolgirl to be our tour guide: a quietly-spoken, very sweet girl in Year 8. I notice that both her shoelaces are undone and she has a big smudge across one of the lenses of her glasses (seems £37K a year doesn't get you quite the care from Matron you might hope for). "First, it's really great here," she says, without changing her expression."I have to tell you that first." (Have to? Like, instructed to?)

She takes us down Alice-in-Wonderland marble corridors and past a huge wood-panelled library with spiral staircases. "Wow, wow, wow!" my daughter and I mouth to each other with sneaky sideways glances. Her tour is interjected with bits of housekeeping information, like, "That's where you put your lac stick while you're in lessons". I nod, knowingly, as if lac is a word I bandy around a lot. 

I notice the door security code she presses to let us into the drama department is in roman numerals. (That should keep the riff-raff out.) She seems super-excited about using the lift to take us up to the theatre. "It's the only lift in the whole school," she tells us. "Everyone loves using it." I look at the buttons. There is only G, 1 and 2. "Erm, do you ever get to go out of the school?" I ask. "Yes!" she says. "Sometimes on a Saturday, Matron takes us to Waitrose." 

She escorts us to the astonishingly beautiful Assembly Hall with chandeliers, balconies and organ playing and we take our seats for an introductory talk and Q & A session with the Headteacher and senior teachers, a row of neat grey bobs and androgynous types in tracksuits. I get myself into slightly sticky waters when the couple next to me strike up a conversation. "It does make one reflect on one's own schooling, doesn't it? And whether you want the same or different for your own child." (Erm, yes, but not in the way you think). I bluff my way through with vague answers, reddening. I'm glad I put foundation on at least.  

The Head actually has a bun. And an ample bosom. Perfect. She's like a nice Miss Trunchbull and has a down-to-earth sense of humour. In answer to the question, "How do you keep the girls secure?" she replies, "Well, if I lose a girl, it's game over for me!" We're also reassured that House Mistresses keep an eye on the girls' table manners. She tells us that she went to this school herself. Now she works here. This is her world. "The chance to go into town with Matron [not just Waitrose] when they get to Year 11 becomes a wonderful thing," she tells us, without a hint of irony. 

Next we are taken to a Boarding House by two pupils from uk.. It is modern. Smart. Comforting, if not exactly cosy. We are greeted by the House Mistress (who lives in an adjoining apartment with her cat) and shown around: Dorms, showers, prep room, dining room. There's also a common room on every floor with sofas, cushions, beanbags – and microwaves. For their Waitrose-bought snacks.

Now, who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? It's fantastic. A choice of hot meals with a choice of hot side dishes, a salad bar, an assortment of fruit and desserts and cheese and crackers. We sit down with our trays and a group of five girls immediately join us. "Great food!" I say. "Yes," they agree. "Though you have to moan about school food. It's just what you do!" They seem eager to meet people from the outside world. Super-eager. They compete for my attention, talking over the top of each other, and I feel motherly towards them all. 

We're feeling really brave now and ask all the things we really want to know. Were you homesick? How often do you see your parents? Can you choose who you share a dorm with? Are you made to have a shower everyday? Do you have midnight feasts? They use words that are foreign to us like mufti and exeat and tell us the nitty-gritty details of their daily life: How their dirty laundry comes back to them washed, ironed and folded in their cubbyhole. How they have to do prep for an hour and a half every evening (though they're allowed to personalize their study booth). How you must walk to and from lessons with your Walking Buddy. How they get sanctions if they talk at night. And how they have to keep their mobile phone in a pigeon hole and are only allowed access to it twice a day (though one parent, they tell me with joyful horror, gave her daughter two phones, so she could secretly call her anytime). The chef rings a bell and two of them jump up like Pavlov's dogs. "That means seconds," they say. "Do you go to school with boys at your school now?" the others ask my daughter. She fends them off wonderfully. "Yes, but I  wish I didn't. Boys can be soooo annoying." She's way better at this than me. 

“So what are you doing this afternoon?" I ask as we get up from the table. "We're going to Waitrose with Matron!" they answer. "Everyone seems really keen on Waitrose here," I say. "Why's that?" They look puzzled. "Well...it's really big," one of them ventures. "So what's on your shopping list today? I ask curiously. "Strawberries!" they say. I look round at the food counter. There is a big pile of strawberries ready for the taking. Clearly, the thrill of Waitrose isn't about the food. 

As we enter the outside world, I'm eager to know my daughter's opinion of the place. "It's a bit like a prison," she says. In Malory Towers, it always says things like 'Daryl nipped off to post a letter', but those girls are there 24/7 – apart from when they go to Waitrose."

"That reminds me," I say."We need to get a few things for dinner on the way home. Let's go to that Waitrose over there." "Urgghhhhh..." she groans. "Do we have to?"

~maisarah dato waad~

[medicinqui-blog]

Badminton Special p2

The next day Yuuri was undoubtedly more nervous than anybody else. Victor had disappeared some time after 10am to find a bar and thus Yuuri had been left as the sole caretaker of Yuri until he set off for the warmup at about 12:30am. Already several people had gone, four of which had retired. 'Do you have your armband?' Yuuri checked before they left the lorry. 'Yes,' Yuri sighed. Yuuri had been fussing round him all morning like a mother hen and was probably going to end up chasing round after him on the course with a golf buggy. 'And your gas canister is all good?' 'Yes.' 'Is your girth tight enough?' 'I'll do it up when I'm on.' 'And you-' 'Relax! I've evented before, you know.' 'Yes, but this is bigger.' 'Yuuri, relax,' Victor finally appeared, visibly tiddlier than he had been when he'd left and, Yuuri noticed, laden with shopping bags. 'What did you buy?' He groaned, thinking of how full the lorry was going to be when they left the place. 'Oh, I got the most gorgeous new show jacket and some matchy matchy sets. I might've bought you a few things too, but I'll show you them later.' 'Have you spent our entire pension?' 'Possibly. But you know I love my matchy matchy.' Yuuri rolled his eyes and tucked his arm through Victor's in an attempt to calm his nerves. Victor squeezed him close and kissed his cheek. 'Please don't,' Yuri pleaded as he ran down his stirrups and gave his girth a last check before mounting from the ground with an energetic spring. 'Okay. I'm ready.' 'You sure?' Yuuri began to go search the lorry but Victor quickly intercepted him and dragged him back into his arms, hauling him away to follow Yuri down to the warmup ring. They stood in the middle of the ring, ignoring the stewards who gently suggested that they wait outside. Victor yelled at Yuri nonstop as he rode, pretending he knew what cross country entailed. 'Why is he going so fast?' He hissed to Yuuri, who patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. 'Because this is cross country. If he's not fast he'll not make it in the time, and he's both got the smallest horse and the most to prove so he's under pressure to do well.' 'Like a jump-off?' 'If that's what you have to tell yourself then sure.' They watched for a while longer as Yuri bombed around the warmup, still cutting everybody off and almost causing a few falls. Slowly the number of people in the warmup who had been there when they'd arrived began to dwindle and soon Yuri was being directed over to the arena. 'Should we go with him?' Yuuri suggested and Victor nodded his agreement. They hastily dashed down to the field behind Yuri to hold Fluffy on each side whilst they waited for him to be called into the start box. 'You'll be fine,' Yuuri assured him, patting him on the thigh for good luck. 'I know,' Yuri growled. 'You've trained over fences of this height before.' 'Yes, I know!' 'And you've got a good pony.' 'Yeah, that's great but I kind of need to go into-' 'Don't worry. Not like you're going to win with that dismal dressage,' Victor observed. 'Look, there's your boyfriend.' Yuri looked over his shoulder to see Otabek, who had just finished his round moments before and had obviously run full pelt to see him off judging by the magenta colour of his face. 'Yuri, davai!' He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth so that the sound travelled. Yuri was suddenly being bustled into the starting box, but he found the time to give Otabek a thumbs up and flash a toothy grin before the countdown began. He replaced his hand on the reins and gripped them hard, bridging them in preparation for the gallop up ahead. The first fence was suddenly looking a whole lot bigger than it had in the company of his scathing coach and his fellow competitor when they'd been joking about it but confident enough. The crowd was agog yet again at the age of the rider and the size of both of them, no doubt underestimating them. Yuri knew that without a doubt he had to do justice to his horse. 'For mother Russia,' He muttered. 'Go!' The gruff shout came and Fluffy seemed to understand the command just as clearly as her rider. She launched forwards to the sound of the audience cheering, thundering down to the first with a determination in her that Yuri had never sensed before. He clung tightly to her mane and fought against the urge to just close his eyes and kick as the first fence flew towards them with increasing speed. Despite the nerves eating away at his insides it was quickly behind them and the audience's applause faded away as they began to gallop down the slope to the second. 'Give 'em hell, Yuri!' He heard Yuuri calling from the sidelines and this spurred him on faster. He was going to make the time, no question. He just had to keep the pace and not let Fluffy get either distracted or lose her momentum. She had brilliant stamina thanks to her constantly taking off but her concentration failed due to her career as a showjumper meaning she only had to do a few fences and then she was done. Without a fence to look for during a long gallop she was wont to searching for something else to stare at. He kept chatting to her with his leg and his reins, trying to keep her interest piqued in what she was doing. Before long they were rounding the corner to the first big ask- Savill's Staircase. He gulped hard and gave Fluffy a sharp kicking coming up to the string rails, meaning she launched herself over with renewed vigour and as a result was going too fast to worry about the steps. She skirmished a little going down the second due to the awkward striding but threw herself down it and up over the brush. The spectators clapped him on and he grinned, giving her a quick scratch on the withers and churning forwards. He gritted his teeth and took the angled approach to Countryside Birch, Fluffy leaving her back legs behind for an agonising moment but correcting herself neatly and continuing down over the next fence and then to The Lake. Yuri had never planned to go the long way due to the lack of leeway with time, and he wasn't about to change his mind now despite the 2 metre drop seeming even further than before. He took a deep breath and kicked on, growling loudly at his horse to ensure she knew there was no other choice. 'Get on!' He shouted and gave her a smack on the shoulder as she came into the last stride. He buried her a little bit she duly catapaulted herself over the rail and down into the water. He grimly held on and rode strongly towards the bank with his reins flapping and his heart in his throat. For a few seconds it looked like she was going to duck out to the left, but in the second stride she locked on and he breathed a minute sigh of relief as she lifted her feet up over it. The Offset Oxer next, something of a breather mid-course that provided a confidence build for any messy water mixups. Shogun Hollow, too, paled in comparison to some of the questions being asked of the riders and horses. He took the quick route through the KBIS Bridge and before he knew it he'd made it to the Grand Slam Trakehner. The one fence that scared him most. He'd had countless stops and falls at these fences, a more serious one resulting in a quick trip to A&E and a two week red card. This was undoubtedly the biggest and deepest and scariest he'd ever faced and he wasn't exactly looking forwards to whatever happened. This mindset wasn't helping matters, but thankfully the horse was not listening to her rider and she was going too fast to have a refusal. It would either be a runout, a hard slam on the brakes many strides before or a messy jump. He knew which one he wanted. 'Please just jump it,' He murmured to her, scratching her withers and beginning to sit back in preparation. He rammed his heels down and his legs forward to keep his seat as secure as possible should anything untoward happen. 'I swear, if you jump this fence you can have four feeds tonight.' Her ears pricked as if she knew what he was saying and, although she floundered a little in the face of such a magnificent ditch, squirmed over it and just managed to make it over with her rider still intact. 'Oh, good girl!' He cried with elation and rubbed her neck as she opened out her strides again. 'You brilliant, brilliant horse!' She popped easily through Hildon Water Pond and he felt much more confident coming up to the Sheep Feeder. Mirage Pond was gone by in a flash and even the Devoucoux Oxer- the biggest fence on course- didn't seem as terrifying as before. He barely even needed to encourage her coming into it and this was to be a brief downfall. Her feet fumbled without rider communication and her front legs caught on the first rail. Yuri's brain turned to static and he cried out as she began to tumble downwards, her weight transferring forwards. He knew if she continued in her trajectory it was going to be a rotational, and a bad one at that. Her back legs scrambled desperately midair against the bars and the spectators all gasped unanimously, waiting for the impact. Somehow, and Yuri would never know by what miracle they were saved, she managed to find her feet upon landing after stumbling around for a few strides with her head almost on the ground and her legs flailing madly. He could feel that she'd lost a good bit of her confidence from this and that he needed to bring it right back for the Corral or he was for it. 'Good girl,' He soothed, reaching forwards to pat her as they galloped down to the tricky complex. 'You've got this.' She lengthened her stride a little more in solidarity with his reassaurances and heaved herself up the hill, grunting as she forced herself over the rails at the top. He collected her up and slowed her right down for the next part of the combination, making sure she kept her balance and could see the line clearly out of the complex. She hadn't quite got to grips with the whole 'locking onto a fence' thing but she was getting better with each outing, and today she was firing up all engines and was instantly transfixed by the Event Mobility Dining Table. She gave him a beautiful feel over it and went charging along on landing down to what was definitely one of the more demanding series of fences in the course. She was tiring fast and Yuri could sense that she wasn't quite as responsive as she ought to be coming over the first of the Joules Corners, but a strong, sweet kick and check with the reins got her head back where it ought to be- namely, in the game. She flew the last two with surprising ease and seemed to be having a second wind, her little legs chuntering away beneath her and eating up the ground. Yuri checked his watch and saw that they were slightly behind schedule. Once they were past the tricky Irish Horse Gateway Hunstmans Close he picked up the speed a notch, not having wanted her to tire out too much before that particular combination. The World Horse Welfare Gates were a breath of fresh air after some of the stickier moments they'd had and then they finally reached The Quarry. They soared over the first fence and then going down the hill felt like the world had dropped out from under their feet. He swallowed hard and forced himself to kick on up the hill. Fluffy's strides slowed down massively and it felt so painfully steady that it was nigh unthinkable that they'd ever make it. By some miracle, however, they were past it after a few troublesome seconds and a commendable effort by Agape. Within moments they were galloping along the homestretch towards the penultimate fence and by this point Yuri was panting so hard for breath he wasn't sure his heart was going to stay intact. He couldn't even think about how exhausted his poor horse had to be. Despite his difficulty in even seeing anything other than blurred shapes he rode on and ignored the trees that were only in place to bemuse and distract the rider on the approach to the penultimate fence. He just had to get past this and then he was in the stadium... Just this fence and he was almost home and dry. He could feel Fluffy really beginning to tire and a quick check of his watch told him that she didn't have room to slow down for even a second. 'Just two more,' He promised her, chucking his reins forwards and revving her up for one last push. He would be naive to think that he could maintain her health at this level after this event was over. This was their last hurrah at the top tracks and then he'd step it down, maybe let some little kid back at Hasetsu ride her in smaller shows and learn on her. She'd done so much for him, more than could ever have been expected of her, and the fact that this was his last chance to do her justice kept the pressure on to the last. He tore into the stadium at breakneck speed and blinked hard to dispel the haze creeping across his vision. It was unreal that they'd been clear so far- beyond what he'd hoped for. In all honesty, he'd always known it was too much to ask of a 14.3hh to go round this track. It was the impossible, but he was doing it. He was, astonishingly, clear so far. He couldn't lose focus now though- not with so much at stake. This last fence was the final cross country fence at this height for them in competition and he was determined to make it count. He could hear the crowd's raucous calling already and he caught a glimpse of his loyal supporters- and Victor- on the other side, waiting to lead away his horse and hose her off. He was physically trembling with fatigue and it was a wonder he could stand in his stirrups at all as they rounded in on the last few strides. Then it all went very, very quiet. The crowd dissipated and all that was in his line of sight was the final jump. All he could hear was the sound of his own stertorous breathing matching Fluffy's heavy hoof-fall. She was floundering a little and he could feel her legs begin to straighten in preparation for a stop. 'Don't you dare,' He snapped, smacking her hard on the shoulder and kicking on defiantly. The clock was ticking down and he couldn't afford to have anything go wrong. He kept his heels digging firmly into her sides right up until the moment she took off. She landed with a heavy grunt and almost fell to her knees with the tremendous strain she was under. Yuri, unable to think for even a moment about anything other than getting past that damn finish line within the time, yelled at her to move and she obeyed. It was like she knew exactly what he was thinking, and that this was their last gravity-defying feat of brilliance. She kept on galloping right through the flags and Yuri punched the air ecstatically, falling onto her neck and almost sobbing for joy and relief. He could barely breathe when Victor and Yuuri fluttered to his side and gasped their congratulations, let alone reply. He allowed himself to be led from the arena down to the cooloff area, where he promptly dismounted and drank half a gallon of water as his horse was drenched with cold water and then covered up with an exquisitely embroidered mesh rug. He was just walking down to the trailer park when Clare Balding dashed up with her microphone. 'Yuri Plisetsky!' She beamed at him and he forced a strained smile. He was mentally finished and he couldn't help but think he'd rather skip the interview. A quick look at Victor's intent expression warded him off of running away. 'That was history made right there. How did you feel your round went?' 'I'm so proud,' He gushed, patting Fluffy on the neck and grinning into the cameras directed at his face. 'She gave me such a good ride and got me out of some really tricky moments, I couldn't have asked any more of her.' 'You're breaking two esteemed records here today- you're both the youngest rider and riding the small horse. Do you think that Badminton is about to be taken over by a younger generation?' 'Nobody's as good as me,' He declared breezily and Clare laughed. 'Thank you very much, and a massive well done. Brilliant round.' 'Thank you,' He nodded and then they were finally able to return to the stables, where Fluffy was quickly put away and given a bucket of water after she'd stopped panting. 'That was bloody impressive,' Victor clapped Yuri on the shoulder, making him wince. 'I have to say, I didn't even think you'd make it past the first fence.' 'I proved you wrong,' Yuri raised an eyebrow, pulling off his hat and air jacket to put them away. 'I think you owe me an apology.' 'For what? Calling Fluffy a glorified bog pony?' 'No, for saying that like it's a bad thing.' 'Oh. Sorry, I suppose.' Yuri harrumphed, upset that he didn't get a proper apology, but he knew it was the best he would get and he ought to settle for it before the words were rescinded. 'I'm so proud of you,' Yuuri counteracted his fiancé's shortcomings by throwing an arm round Yuri's shoulder and hugging him tightly. 'You did incredibly. I'm so glad you could finally do what you wanted, and that you did it so well!' 'Thanks,' Yuri mumbled, going a little pink. They stood around for a while until Otabek showed up, sweeping Yuri off of his feet and planting a celebratory kiss right on his lips for all the crowds to see. A bit of cheering commenced and Yuri went even redder, covering his face with his still-gloved hands and retreating behind Victor, who was more than happy to soak up the attention. Eventually the crowd subsided and they could talk freely. 'How did you do?' Yuri turned to Otabek, who imparted the knowledge that he'd had two stupid stops at Outlander Bank which had ensured he was dropped from contention. In spite of this, he was overjoyed to be amongst the 13 who had successfully completed the course so far. Yuri was one of just 4 clears, and so far only the 2nd to finish it within the time. 'Showjumping tomorrow,' He remarked, much to Victor's joy. This was the part he most looked forward to- he understood it, although he was shocked by the laziness of some of the horses when it came to the less solid fences. The next day would bring its own challenges and difficulties, but for now Yuri was happy in the knowledge that he'd done his best and that his best had been bloody brilliant.

[emvisc]

Showjumping!Viktor and Aria SV So here's a wip of part of the showjumping au, there are like 10,000 headcanons to attach to this once I've finished cleaning up the second pic (I'm so lazy n also I love the contrast between how well I draw horses n how well I draw ppl it just shows how much time 12 year old me put into HARPG lol) (we had to make our own equestrian au because I hated reading all the American ones because I throw up every time I see the word barn or some shitty riding advice or like pretending that America is the centre of the equestrian world n now my rant is over)(if I see another American talk about eq when they can't ride for shit imma flip some fuckin tables)(just because u have ur heels down doesnt mean u can ride luv)

[smokeselks]

Personal Rambling

It's been a funny year or so. And since last weekend I've been doing a lot of thinking. Last weekend was the best one I've had since I can remember. A weekend away with an awesome woman, in a group of other awesome like minded women. It was...it was so bloody good. We ended up with me and Kash, plus three mad Geordies, Catty, Amy and Maddie who were amazing. Weekend of being the naughty group, of antics, shenanigans, bonding, banter, and fun and supportive times. I've never felt that way before. Free. Connected. Hours spent pushing ourselves to our limits hiking up mountain peaks, across valleys, round lakes and reservoirs, then more hours spent clambering and scrambling around rocky tracks, riverbeds and waterfalls, punctuated by good food, great company and chilled snuggle time. Middle of nowhere in the mountains of the national park. So yes. It's given me a lot to think about. About life and what I'm doing with it. About people. About everything. I am done with dealing with toxic people. No more of that. I am ready to just say 'no', that I am not accepting it anymore. I don't remember the last time I felt as alive as I did last weekend. It was outside my comfort zone in some ways but worth it and then some. So that's something I want to take away, to seize again and again. In which vein I'm heading off showjumping with Kash tomorrow, heading on the road at 5.30am. Let's do it! We're already talking in our group about the other adventures we want to plan... Hard, but fun. Camping and hiking Hadrian's Wall, hiking Cheddar Gorge and caves... So many things to go and to just do. Because this weekend proved to me just how sick and tired I am of losing myself just hanging around at home, wasting time online. Outdoors. With outdoorsy people, bants, laughter. With people who love it just as much, who are up for saying 'fuck it let's go climb a mountain today', and 'fuck I we can totally carry a horse's skull home over the miles and jumping rivers because damn it, he's not being left behind'. I hate going shopping, traipsing around the concrete jungles. I would rather go visit a coal mine than a museum. I would rather go and find a crazy new spot for wild swimming than go to an art gallery. I would rather spend a day hiking and sleep in a tent or in the car than go to a spa and stay in a hotel. I would rather get muddy and filthy hiking and climbing than have a makeover *shudders* Yes you know what, I do enjoy a night out. I'd forgotten how much. Yes I love going to live music events. And again, that's something that I realised all over again within the last month. I will admit that it involved a lot of pain physically and it's done a bit of a number on me, but it's been more than worth it. I am not the person I was a year ago. I am ready to embrace who I am now, to be that person, to do what I want to do, to refuse the things I don't. I'm ready to embrace life and the world without being false to myself any longer. I like the things that I like. I don't like the things that I don't. I will not be ashamed of either of these things. Less saying yes to things I don't want, less pretending, less stuff, less crap, less clutter, less being a person I'm not. What I want is life outdoors with the kind of crazy outdoorsy people I love, more tattoos, more music, more spur of the moment adventures. I'm ready to say yes. Let's do this.