:HARPG: Florida Part 1

1st
#003
Stable Name: Cloverbar Ranch
Horse Name: CBR Boomerang
Horse Ref: horsegalmk.deviantart.com/art/…
Handler/Rider's Name: Maddy Kendall
Class: Show Jumping
Show: The Lauderdale Warmblood Spring Showcase
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STORY
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<sup>Maddy awoke to the distant roll of thunder. She rolled over in her bed and looked at her alarm clock, confused at where she was. And then she remembered. She was in Florida. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach as she sat up and walked to the window. Outside, rain pored down and occasionally lightning would glare across the sky. Knowing that she had a long day ahead of her, she got ready, pulling on an old pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Tying her blond hair into a pony tail, she slipped into her cowboy boots and headed down to the hotel lobby for a quick breakfast. When she was done, she headed back up to her room, grabbed her show gear and walked out to her rental car. Thunder boomed overhead and the sky looked ominous. Thank God for indoor arenas, Maddy thought.
The drive to In Sync International was nice, besides the rain poring down, Maddy could enjoy the beautiful horse country that surrounded her. Horses dotted the landscape and she could see grooms running out to the pastures with jackets over their heads trying to get the horses in. She still couldn't believe that she was here. It was good for her and her horses to get out of Alberta, some international experience would do them good. The staff at ISI had been very welcoming, inviting and professional. She knew she was going to enjoy her stay as much as her horses would, for they were housed in some of the most beautiful stables she had ever seen.
Arriving at ISI, Maddy parked in the lot and walked towards the barn. The warm smell of horses and hay wafted over her and she sighed with pleasure. Although waking up at 4AM was a pain in the ass, seeing her horses made the early morning better.
As soon as she entered the stable, she heard Boomer's impatient snort, Beau's low nicker and Cas's indignant whinny. Walking up to her horses, she slipped them apples that she had stolen from the hotel's buffet. Absentmindedly petting Cas's nose as he crunched the treat, Maddy remembered what her day looked up to be. She had three horses in the ring today, but 5 hours from now. Time to get to work.

Maddy entered the ring on Boomer, trying to gather the stallion's bouncing trot into something more dignified. Nodding to the timer and judge, she circled Boomer, picking up her canter and slowly went over her course in her head. Boomer was in no mood to cooperate and bounded forward, the bit between his teeth. Pointing him towards the first jump, she slowed his approach and marveled as he compensated and powered over the jump. Sending him forward to their second jump, a loud crack of thunder startled Boomer and he picked up speed, head high, eyes rolling. They took of from the jump at a wide distance and Boomer hit the rail, which bounced in it's cups, before settling again. Allowing herself to breath once more, Maddy focused her energy on calming the stallion who was still going around the course at a breakneck pace. As soon as they saw their final jump, Maddy gave in and the stallion soared over the fence with a foot to spare. Boomer, still frightened from the thunder slowed down to a walk when asked, but jigged on the spot and bucked whenever he heard a distant roll of thunder. Taking a deep breath, Maddy soothed the stallion, and her heart which was beating at a jackhammer pace.

"Welcome to Florida." she muttered under her breath.</sup>
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ABOUT
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^{Ohmygosh. I can't believe I finally finished this. This series of pictures has seriously taken me so much time and when life got in the way, I had to rethink some priorities. I have a feeling that this will be my last official HARPG show (save for maybe the Olympics) since I have just gotten so busy with everything and am finding it harder and harder to meet deadlines.
Anyways, I am so happy about this piece, I think of the three it's maybe my favorite, hard to decide. Can't wait for the results!}
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<sub>Reference: toffi images
Time: ~ six hours
Made with: PSE9
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*WARNING*
Please do NOT take my images and re-upload them on sights such as Facebook, Youtube etc withought my strict permission. They are copyright of HorseGalMK

Thanks,

HGMK</sub>