|
|
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 16, 2024 21:44:42 GMT -5
"You will be referred to as 'idiot' if you don't stop asking stupid questions. Moving on!" Grace clicked to the next screen. “Ah, here’s a fun one.” She turned to face them. “As you all know, you will each be assigned a school horse, whom you will be riding for the next four years. You get no switches or exchanges. Save the horse’s tragic and untimely death — something that has happened only once in all the years this Academy has been running, so let’s try not to do it again — you will not be getting any other. The horse you pick is the horse you get. End of story. As such, you will each treat the school horse as if it were your own. It will be your job to feed it, clean it. Your job to arrange for vet and farrier visits. Your job to replace anything lost or broken, be it tack, grooming supplies, or feed buckets. The Academy will pay for it all, but you must put in the work to get it. That extends to your chosen broodmare and her foal. That foal really will be yours, one hundred percent. Even if you don’t cut it and are asked not to return next year, you’ll still walk away with that foal. But you can practice owning a horse with the school horses, because for most of this year, you’ll be leaving that foal alone to grow up with its mother. Are there any — intelligent — questions?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 16, 2024 22:27:22 GMT -5
When no one else posed a question, Grace turned back to the projector. “Alright, kiddos. The final rule. And the most important, if you ask me.” She pushed the button, and the last rule appeared. “You will treat all horses — and I do mean all of them; I don’t care who it belongs to or what it has done — you will treat it with respect. You will remember that these are thousand pound animals with a mind of their own. If they did not want us on their backs, then guess what? It would be beyond easy for them to get you off and never let you back on. Keep in mind that they can have good days and bad days, just like we do. I won’t just be teaching you to ride, I will be teaching you to recognize your horse’s mood so you can behave accordingly. If you believe your horse needs to take it easy one day, then tell me and I will give you an easy assignment. You will gain favor, not lose it, if you put your horse’s needs before your own. Are we clear?”
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 16, 2024 22:52:50 GMT -5
(See front page for references if needed. xD )
Grace briefly locked eyes wuth each student, silently confirming that they all understood. When she was satisfied, she nodded.
“Right.” Grace hit a button on her remote, and the projector powered off. “Here are your schedules.” She picked up a stack of papers from the table beside the projector and handed them to Khloe. The girl made a face, but took the stack. “Take one, pass it on. They’re all the same.” Then she pointed at Saylor, which made her tense and wish for invisibility. “I don’t have an extra one for you, so you’ll just have to look over someone’s shoulder.”
Saylor nodded, but she wasn’t sure if she’d have the guts to actually do so.
Once everyone had their schedule, Grace continued talking. “You’ll notice there are actually two schedules there, and you will also notice that you have classes even on the weekends. This isn’t a luxury resort. This is a riding academy first, but a school second. You will need normal high school credits to graduate, on top of the marks you will get for riding, horse management, and horse training. So, you all see that little gap of personal time every evening? I suggest you use that for studying and homework. Because guess what? If you can’t pass your classes, you can’t ride. And I will be keeping track of your grades.”
Grace paced the front of the room. “I’m sure the second schedule interests you more. As it says on the page, that is your riding schedule for the year. However, for the next four weeks you can pretend it doesn’t exist. Because I plan to test you, and until I know you are capable riders to my expectations, you won’t be doing anything on that schedule. Clear?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 17, 2024 18:30:44 GMT -5
Once Grace was sure everyone understood, she moved on. “Now, before we start the tour I need to check in and see if a certain matter has been settled.”
But, in a show of perfect timing, Dean Adams entered the room just then, making Grace’s job that much easier.
The dean smiled briefly at the students before focusing on Grace. “You’re the deciding vote. I found the cause of the mishap, and watched the application video again. She’s qualified, and we have the space…”
Grace nodded slowly, then looked right at Saylor. She, like everyone else, was watching blatantly. Grace and the dean weren’t exactly being secretive. They hadn’t used her name, but it was fairly obvious who they were talking about. At least now she knew what “matter” Dean Adams had been handling.
“Alright,” Grace said at last, looking back at Adams. “She can stay. I’ve always believed seven was a lucky number.”
Dean Adams smiled. “Then I’ll get her registered and added to the class roster.” He nodded briefly to the students. “Enjoy your tour, and I’ll see you all in class tomorrow.”
The door had barely shut before Grace was yanking it open again. “Come on, kidlets. It’s time I did my duty and made sure none of you are capable of getting lost on paved paths with signs at every turn.” And she strode out the door without looking back, though she did call out loudly, “And don’t forget your luggage!”
Khloe looked aghast. “We’re expected to lug it over the whole campus?” she asked incredulously.
“Yep!” Grace’s voice responded from down the hall.
Well, Saylor wasn’t waiting. She left the others to grab their things and darted to the door and down the hall. Her mother was still in the waiting room with her things. She accepted them back from her, then hugged her tightly. “I’ll call when I can,” she promised.
Her mom kissed her head. “I’ll be ready,” she answered. As the other students appeared in the waiting room, she let go and stepped back. “Go on, now. Be good, and do your best.”
“I will.” Saylor slipped her backpack over her shoulders and grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase. “Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, hon.”
As her mom slipped out the front door, Saylor turned to see where Grace had gone. Saylor expected her to be by the door as well, but she wasn’t. She was standing in front of the left side hall, waiting.
“About time you all got here,” she said, even though it had only been a minute since she left the orientation room. “Let’s go.” And she marched off down the hallway.
Saylor glanced at the other students, wondering if they were as confused as she was. Why wasn't Grace using the door? With a mental shrug, Saylor started after her anyway.
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 17, 2024 18:50:36 GMT -5
The question of where Grace was headed was soon answered when the students entered the hallway and saw the coach opening a door at the far end of it. Sunlight streamed in as Grace held the door open, ushering the seven teenagers out.
Outside was a small cobbled path that curved to the right, where it met up with a much bigger gravel path that extended far to the left and right behind the administration building. Anywhere that wasn't path was yellow-green grass, wide open space, and—
Horses!
There was a pasture of horses on the far side of the wide gravel path. The fence line was about four feet from the path, and several feet beyond it were a pair of chestnuts. One had several white markings while the other had almost none. Saylor was so absorbed watching them graze, their tails swishing occasionally, that she almost missed it when Grace started talking.
“Alright, children, your tour begins now. The building you just exited? That's the administration building. It's where you sign in and sign out, any and every time you come or go from campus. Any requests you have, like getting the sugary treats you teenagers can't seem to live without, must be made here. If you need clothes or other equipment, you come here. Any non-emergency vet or farrier requests are made here. There are also administration boxes in your housing unit, the school, and the barn. If you're not in a rush to get the things you need, you can drop your requests in one of those boxes and it'll find its way here. But if you need the thing ASAP, then I suggest you hike your way over and hand in your request directly. You can enter through this door, or the identical one on the opposite side of the building. Everything I just said make sense?”
|
|
*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
|
Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 19, 2024 21:28:55 GMT -5
There was a lot of excitement in the air. And rightly so. Becoming a student at Champion Equestrian Academy was a once in a lifetime dream-come-true for a lot of kids, especially those who grew up in some form of horse riding scene. Whether that be from those belonging to families who were famous in the sport/lifestyle, or those who were horse-crazy and spent a lot of time chasing the dream. Melanie came from the fame and established lifestyle, so the novelty of it all was more or less… faded.
She stayed around the middle of the group as they followed Grace around the property. A quick glance around her told her that at least half the class was champing at the bit, pun intended, to get to the stables. Khloe was, well, she wasn’t sure what the girl was thinking, though she doubted that wouldn’t be a problem for long. She seemed liked a self-entitled drama queen, so Melanie would give it a week before her personality was readable. Saylor and Lori were the typical horse girls, much like her younger sisters. David was a clown, and she wasn’t sure if that was in a good or bad way. The others didn’t give off much, but they had made it clear in their intros they were here by their own choices.
It wasn’t a bad thing that they were excited. If they weren’t, why would they have enrolled here? Which left her feeling like the odd one out. Why was she here? She knew the main answer to that question. She was here because her parents enrolled her here. The only thing was, she didn’t say anything about wanting to join the school. In fact, she wasn’t even interested in the world of equestrian sports. Growing up around the training of racehorses had shown that, while she did adore the horses, the life of a competitor was not something she wanted. Her chores at the farm took away a lot of her free time, meaning she couldn’t hang out with friends much. She had missed a lot of events she would have loved to have gone to, but because work on the farm was never ending, she had to forgo many of them. All because her parents wanted her to learn “responsibility and work ethic.” Both are good to have, but to now be studying event showing?
Melanie had wanted to tell her parents that she didn’t want to attend Champion Equestrian Academy, but the choice had already been made. The application had been sent, and they, at the time, were waiting to hear back. The reasoning behind it was so she would be well-rounded in all types of horse competitions, not just on a racetrack. To gain the knowledge of how special breeding plays a huge part for different purposes. All understandable, but not exactly what she had in mind for her high school experience.
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 20, 2024 8:52:56 GMT -5
When no one said anything, Grace nodded. “Perfect. Follow me, keep up, and keep your ears open, because I will not be repeating myself,” she ordered. She walked to the large path, which had to be wide enough for at least four horses to walk side-by-side, and went left. Saylor and the others followed, suitcases rolling clumsily over the gravel.
Grace began talking, her voice loud and clear, her pace never faltering. “On your right is pasture two, and any horses you see belong to the third-years. Coming up on your left is the path that will take you to the trailering area, which is how we’ll get your horses on and off property — after you prove you deserve that privilege.”
As they passed the branching path, Saylor looked left to see the path eventually ended at a parking lot. A building was off to one side. It looked like a very large garage. There were four trucks parked in the lot, but no sign of any horse trailers. Saylor assumed they were in the garage.
Looking ahead again, Saylor felt a thrill. There was a barn ahead and to the left, down another, shorter, side path. It was long and low, with open doors that let in the light. She didn’t see any people or horses, though.
“This here is the mare and foal barn,” Grace told them as they approached the side path. “You’ll get to go in and pick your mares later. For now, onward we go.”
Saylor followed rather reluctantly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 20, 2024 15:35:26 GMT -5
Grace rolled her eyes and faced forward again.
The path they were on was curving to the right. More fences appeared ahead, this time on the left side of the path. On the right was still pasture two. The new fences didn’t appear to be pasture fences; they were lower than the fences on the right, there were no horses inside, and the ground within the fences looked like dirt.
Just before the new fences, another path branched off to the left. “That path there will take you to the cross-country courses. And these up here are the outdoor arenas.”
Now that Grace pointed it out, Saylor could see them for what they were: two massive riding arenas. Lining the sides opposite the path were covered grandstands, and in the wide space between each arena was what looked two like judge’s booths, one facing each arena.
“On your right,” Grace said, pulling everyone’s attention away from the arenas, “is one of four paths to the main barn.”
Saylor turned around. A path did indeed branch off on the right. It marked the end of pasture two, and on the other side of it was another pasture. And at the end of the long path was the largest barn Saylor had ever seen. Frankly, it looked more like four barns put together into a giant cross, with a domed square section in the middle binding them all together.
Saylor very much wanted to go down there and check out the barn up close, but Grace was still striding along down their original path. With one last look at the impressive barn, Saylor hurried after her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
|
Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 20, 2024 16:45:13 GMT -5
“Now, pay attention. This path here goes to the forest trails.”
Saylor followed her vague gesture. They were passing another branching path. This one went to the left, and headed almost due north. The path narrowed gradually until it was only wide enough for one horse, at which point the gravel gave way to packed dirt. Shortly after that, it wound its way into the trees that lined the horizon. Saylor couldn't see how far it stretched in either direction. To the west was just meadow meeting trees as far as she could see; but to the east, her view was blocked by the building they were now approaching.
It was clearly a school. It was red brick, two stories, with lots of windows. Yet another branching path — this one cobblestone — led right up to the front door. Behind the school was a football field within a running track, and then a chain link fence between the track and the forest.
“Obviously,” Grace said, “this is the school, where you will attend all your classes and eat lunch everyday. Tomorrow, Dean Adams will give you a tour of the place. For now, just remember where it is so you're not late in the morning. You'll probably be coming from this way.” She pointed in the opposite direction of the school, where another path branched off the main one due south and ended at that massive barn.
“The barn has four wings,” Grace told them, confirming what Saylor was beginning to guess. “Each wing has fourteen stalls, two wash stalls, and one tack room. In the center is a lounge room and the office space for me and my fellow coaches. First-years have the south wing, fourth-years the north wing, and second- and third-years the east and west wings. You'll get a proper tour of it later, but consider this your pre-tour. Now, let's keep going.” And she started walking again, continuing on down the main path.
|
|
