Rocket Science

UPDATE 2: The results are in! Whirly-loo managed to grab second place in her first competition!

UPDATE: Just looked at this on the other computer and it looks disgustingly dark. Sorry if it looks that way to you guys.

Who is this airborne horsey? Oh right, it's Whirl, all grown up and making her mark in the show jumping world. I'm really proud of the shading on this, actually. I think I'm making... *gasp* progress! And just look at that gorgeous jump design...
Even at this early stage in her career, Whirl shows an impressive amount of jumping talent. Who knows- maybe someday we'll see her in the Olympics!

Well, maybe.

Horse: MS Whirlwind Lady
Rider: Catherine Lieselle
Show: =femalefred's Brighthelm Summer Bonanza 2012
Class: L1 Show Jumping

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"Ooh, Whirly-loo! You look so shiny!" Catherine squealed as she approached MSS's big, gray trailer. Charlotte had groomed the dark mare while Catherine got changed into her show clothes.

The MSS show team was in England for just under a week for the Summer Dressage Show at Firelight Stables. Charlotte had brought Whirl along, intending to enter her in the Novice Dressage, but after just a few minutes of practice at Firelight, she'd decided that Whirl really was not a dressage horse. She stuck out her nose, spontaneously cantered, and crowhopped like nobody's business whenever Charlotte tried to get her into a nice, collected trot.
So when Charlotte heard about a show going on at Brighthelm Stables, she had entered Whirl in the show jumping class without a second thought. The show was geared toward less experienced horses and riders; perfect for Whirl's first time out in the show ring. Once all the other horses were settled in at Firelight Stables, Catherine and Charlotte had sneakily abducted the trailer and took off to Brighthelm for the day.

Charlotte guzzled the last of the coffee she had gotten at Starbucks on the ride from Firelight to Brighthelm.
"You don't look so bad yourself, my friend," she replied, admiring Catherine's fancy new show coat. The day was sunny and hot, so they had set up a big shade next to the trailer, under which they had set up a card table and a cooler full of cold drinks and snacks. Charlotte had taken care to ensure that Whirl was in the shade of a big maple tree growing next to where the trailer was parked in the field. She grabbed a Capri Sun (Fruit Punch flavored) from the cooler and sipped on it as she adjusted Whirl's ear cover.
"Well, here's your horse!" she said, handing the reins to Catherine. "Your class starts in a few minutes, so we'd better head over to the arena. Do you have the course all memorized?"
"I sure hope so," Catherine replied, smiling a bit.
"Okay, tell me what it is."
"Ehm... the verticals on the quarterline to the oxer at the end, the oxer line along the rail to the vertical line across the diagonal, lead change, the vertical at the end to the vertical and oxer across the middle. Did I get it right?"
"Yep, you did. Just remember to get all the lead changes in the right place. Try to do flying changes like we've been working on if you can, but if she hesitates, a simple change is fine." They stopped near the entrance to the arena to wait, and Catherine began adjusting the girth.
"No, no, no. I'll do the girth. You go look at the jumps and visualize your path," Charlotte cut in, swooping in and grabbing the girth buckles.

The class was soon well under way, and Catherine mounted her noble steed.
"Remember, Catherine. Don't let her rush at the jumps, but don't hold her back, either. Make sure she's paying attention to you."
"Charlotte, please! I've ridden her plenty of times before; I know what I'm doing. Just trust me, okay?" Catherine huffed, exasperated by her boss's constant worrying.
"Okay, okay." Charlotte backed away a few steps to give Catherine some space, and went to find a place along the fence line to watch.
Catherine barely had enough time to straighten out her reins and give Whirl a reassuring pat on the neck before the announcer called, "Next up, we have Catherine Lieselle riding MS Whirlwind Lady!" She gave the mare a squeeze with her heels and headed into the arena. The pair made a wide, opening circle before heading to the first jump, a rustic-looking stone wall. Whirl's attention was fixated on it, and Catherine managed to keep her canter under control.
"1, 2, 3, and up!" she counted the strides under her breath, and Whirl took the jump neatly. The mare was getting excited and began speeding up. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, an- whoa!" Catherine was caught off guard as Whirl chopped off a half-stride before the next jump, a blue-and-green striped vertical. They made it over, but it was an awkward jump. Catherine cringed inwardly as she gave the mare a soothing pat on the neck. The next jump was a leafy, green oxer, and as Whirl rounded the turn at the end, Catherine fingered the reins lightly, keeping her stride in check. It worked well enough, and Whirl sailed over nicely. The mare hadn't gotten distracted yet, but she was still fighting for more rein so she could pick up some more speed. Catherine decided to trust Whirl, and let a half-inch of rein slip through her fingers. This was all Whirl needed, and she pounded around the corner to the two oxers along the rail. The first was a colorful jump with a great, big flowerbox underneath, which Whirl launched herself over without a problem. Catherine was worried that she would get out of control between the two jumps, but she knew that Whirl had a deep, instinctive sense of what she was doing, and let her pick up speed before the second oxer, a black jump with brass ivy covering the standards. She flew toward the jump and catapulted herself over it, looking like an experienced show jumper. Catherine gave her a pat on the neck as they landed, and prepared to fly toward the next jump.

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Any critique on this is appreciated!

This artwork is copyrighted to *Sky-of-Silver and is not to be used in any way, shape, or form without my written permission. Got it?

Reference by Jaques Toffi (www.toffi-images.de)