Feel Like Flying

[Chevalier Huntington]

Have you ever had the sensation you were flying through the world with no ties to hold you down? The sensation that time has stopped and you’re all alone? If you have, you know what I mean. And if you're lucky enough to own a horse you definitely know what I mean. Chevy was one of the lucky ones. At least in this aspect. Otherwise most people considered him as an idiot. An idiot with no brains who didn't deserve what he had. The worst part is he's not an idiot because of laziness or even spite, no, there's a little thing called Dyslexia. It makes it hard for him to read, spell, or know left from right. Because people didn't know what learning disabilities were when CJ was growing up he was labeled as stupid and made fun of. It probably didn't help that he looked like a worm. But all of that changed when he learned to ride. His parents found out that when he rode dressage he cared more about getting directions and letters right. An added bonus was his looks drastically improved. And that, my friend, is how Chevalier J. Huntington III learned how to fly. He flew his way from France, to Canada, and finally to become Dressage instructor at a riding academy named Wild River Equine Academy.

The 27 year old smoothed back his short brown hair and settled his black helmet more firmly on his head. Already the instructor had warmed up and now he was ready. Nudging his dark chestnut stallion with his black tall boots the horse quivered but waited for Dyslexic command. A spark alighted in his vibrant verde pools as he lightly touched the Dutch Warmblood's rump and asked in just the right way. Picking up a canter the partners began a complicated dance up tempi changes as he crossed the diagonal. The iron-shod hooves of his mount cut deeply into the fresh, dark turf as his pillars worked like pistons to perform the move. The stud's round boa curved in explicably as his veins stood out. Despite the stallion's obvious need to move faster his master's gentle touch on the snaffle bit was all it took for him to calm down. Grinning widely to reveal white teeth Chevy pulled Sprit down to a walk. Leaning forward he gave the horse a pat on his sweat-stained neck.

ooc//urg..cruddy. better next time.

[||Sadie Wilhem||]

Sadie ran a brush over Maverick's bay coat. The next best thing to riding for her, was grooming. She loved making Maverick look the best he could. She probably spent more time worrying about his appearances than she did her own. But don't think that Sadie didn't care about herself at all. In fact, her beige breeches and polished tall black boots gave her a very clean look and although a sweatshirt was covering up the tee-shirt she had on under, she still looked ready and raring to ride. But then again, when wasn't she? A smile held its place on Sadie's lips as she gently lifted the saddle up and onto Maverick's back; which wasn't always the easiest thing considering his height. They did , indeed, look like an odd pair from the ground. Maverick was big and muscular, standing a whole 16.3 hands. Sadie, on the other hand, was a short, petite girl who looked even tinier next to her favorite pal. That was on the ground though, when riding, they fit each other perfectly.

After slipping the snaffle bit into Maverick's gentle mouth and making sure the bridle was in full working order, Sadie pulled the reins over his thick neck and led him into the arena. She was so excited to ride, she hadn't gotten the chance to yet since she had just arrived here yesterday. Part of her hoped that there would be someone in the ring to talk to and socialize with. On the other hand, she knew that any kind of human interaction would distract her from her partner in crime and she always felt bad when that happened. Sliding open the heavy door to the arena, she smiled, seeing someone in there. It was a man, looking a bit older than she was, and a lot more experienced. The pair flew around the ring with a look of effortlessness. Her eyes widened as she stood in awe, wishing that she could do the same. Sadie wasn't horrible at dressage, she had to know some stuff in order to compete in Three Day Eventing. But Dressage was definitly her hardest area of the three, and this man made it look effortless. As he slowed his horse down to a walk, Sadie couldn't help but applaud him.

OOC: I hope its ok that I just jumped in like that.

[Chevalier Huntington]

Life is full of the unexpected. Whether it is from the moment of a friend's surprise or the sudden appearance of another. Let's just say our main character suffered the latter just now. All of his concentration was usually centered on his stallion, so you can't really blame him. Well, I guess you can...But you won't, will you? I didn't think so. A sudden round of applause broke the former silence of the dressage ring as a student applauded his performance. Grinning the instructor asked his chestnut to pick up a trot and proceed to a halt in front of the girl. Dismounting smoothly he bowed, peering up at her smiling facade through hazel bangs. Why did he get the feeling he should know the girl from somewhere? Oh, yes, she was an eventer, technically one of his students. Quickly he rose from his dramatized bow with a hand out stretched for her to take. "Thanks for the applause. I'm Chevalier Huntington, the dressage instructor."


Eyeing the student's bay mount he couldn't help but grin again. Whereas the femme was slight and small, her bay was a mass of rippling muscle. Well, they did say opposites attracted. Chevy himself was around 6'4" with broad shoulders and muscular everything. Sprit, his Dutch warmblood was nearly a perfect match. "And who's this? He's a handsome beast." A rider is nothing without a horse. Why, without one they'd just be a bunch of folk who pranced around in tall boots and tight-fitting pants telling amusing, or boring, anecdotes about their favorite sport. Actually..... Ok, ok, so maybe not every equestrian is like that but to tell the truth, in my experience, a passion is your life.

ooc//it's fine. hope you don't mind shortness.

[||Sadie Wilhem||]

She didn't really realize she was applauding until the man noticed her and came to meet her. It had just been a reaction. Sadie hoped that she hadn't inturrupted his training. She smiled as he thanked her for the round of applause and introduced himself. He was attractive, she couldn't lie to herself, but he also looked alot older then her. Besides, Sadie wasn't one to go after guys, even if they were cute. "Sadie Wilhelm, Dressage Student." She said with a chuckle, reaching up to shake his hand. Sadie's handshakes were unusual for a teen, they were confident and actually meant something. You usually don't find that formality in teens today. Oh well, Sadie was an exception to a lot of things.

"This is Maverick." Sadie said proudly. So what if he couldn't do all those fancy moves that she had just seen, he was still the best horse in her book. Maverick's ears pricked up at the voice of his name, but then went back to nudging at Sadie's pocket for a treat that he knew was hiding. "That was amazing. I wish I could do things nearly remote to that." Sadie said, her awe shining through. Sadie had always been amazed by simple things like that. I mean, she saw dressage at this level a lot, but was always shocked by it. Getting annoyed by the constant nudging of her 1200 pound friend, she flicked him in the nose with her fingers. He jerked away a little, his eyes giving the look of being emotional hurt. That was one of the reasons Sadie loved this horse; he was so animated.

OOC: Don't worry about it, me too.

[Chevalier Huntington]

surprise showed in Chevy's animated optics at her confident handshake before the emotion was quickly masked. Even so it was hard to deny he was thoughtful. So she was one of his students? Good. She had potential. You see, it doesn't matter what your horse can and can't do. Quality means nothing. All that matters is the bond between horse and rider, if the bond is strong enough than your horse could jump the moon. I mean hey, the cow did it, didn't it? The only reason the instructor could do what he did was because of a very simple thing, desperation. Dyslexia could do that. The learning disability had prevented him from exceling in school at a time when learning disabilities were scarely known. Riding was all he could do. Besides, even with out that teh 27 year-old had been riding for 20 odd years, quite a bit longer than the girl before him had been alive.

Pointedly ignoring the wuffling on the nape of his neck as he talked Sadie he continued. "You got lucky with him, my guys most certainly a 'dumb blood'." He was, truth be told. No matter how muched he loved the big guy he was an idiot. The only reason he seemed smart and obedient was because he was too stupid to do anything else. Grinning and shaking his head at her next words the man denied it. It's not skill, just practice. I've been riding longer than you've been alive. Just wait, one day you'll be my match. Finally getting fed up with the incessant annoyance of his attention-hungry horse Chevy gave his reins a light jerk, hoping to settle the idiot down.

[||Sadie Wilhem||]

Sadie smiled. She loved conversation. She chuckled when Chevalier talked about his horse being a dumb blood. That was the mark of a real horseperson, you could call and think that your horse is a complete idiot and still love him to death. "Well, he can't be a complete idiot if he can do that." Sadie could tell that Maverick was getting antsy, he was one of those horses that couldn't stand still for more than five minutes. "Well, let's hope so." Sadie replied to the comment of becoming his match. Although she joked about never being able to get that good, she knew she could do it and, frankly, couldn't wait to continue learning. "Do you mind if I ride in here with you?" She asked, hoping that their training session wasn't a closed one.

She strapped her black velvet helmet over her chocolate brown hair and stroked Maverick's silky neck. She looked back at her new dressage saddle and gave a saddle. Her parents had bought it for her, convincing her that she was advanced enough that she needed a different type of saddle for all three areas of three day eventing. Well, when is the last time you ever turned down a free saddle? Sadie accepted the present but not without a million thank you hugs. That was the cool thing about Sadie. Even though her family was pretty rich and could afford to get her a lot of nice things, she never got spoiled and was always thankful for all her gifts.