equestrian team tryouts THE FINAL BLOW HITS YOU

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CLICK. for the course

ooc: Just a few notes before we get started. You will complete a post with a minimum of five hundred fifty words and no word cap. Just don't make it a novel. No one is perfect, so don't make the ride perfect. I'm not saying screw up at every corner, but mistakes are NORMAL. Skylar's post will be coming every few riders and obviously the last post to talk to a few people. She will later announce the riding team. you have until May 15, 2009 at Central Time. Good luck to all riders.


ORDER OF GO
Ashely Westwood
Cassie Hills
Katie Landry
Riley Cruz
Isabella Upshaw


So what are you waiting for? GO!

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OOC: YOU ONLY HAVE 13 DAYS LEFT.

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OOC: don't worry about the order. people just POST.

[Riley Cruz]

I have started Riley's will post soon!

[ashleywestwood]

ASHLEY ,

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[/i] I counted the strides as we approached it, leaned forward in the saddle to allow Emmy time to take off, and exhaled as she landed.

Decision time. Following my typical slacker expectations, I took the planned route, which was easier, but added precious seconds to my time. I hoped that I'd made up enough for it in the earlier jumps, but I felt that I could cut my time down even more later in the course. The ducks and marsh were whimsical, carved of wood and staring blankly ahead. I remembered laughing at them when we walked the course and receiving a glare from our uptight captain, Skylar Whitaker. Emmy and I took these easily, the Oldenburg throwing in a rebellious buck as she landed. I appreciated her enthusiasm, but now was not time for fun and games. I reined her in, praying that Skylar still thought I could control my horse and allowed her to gallop on toward two large tables holding flowers. Whoever had created this course obviously had a green thumb. I'd never had a pension for gardening, but I appreciated their ill-planned attempts to distract Empress and I. The mare tossed her head determinedly, snorting and surging forward. Her hoof clipped the edge in her excitement, and she tripped slightly as she came back to the ground. My face twisted in shock, my eyebrows flying up to the brim of my helmet. Emmy was typically graceful over the jumps, an angel given wings to fly for mere seconds. I was truly upset with her for a few moments.

However, the mare brought back my pride in her as she crossed the ditch after the rails with no trace of fear. She bravely took the squirrels that should have met her ankle instead of her neck. She had faltered as she realized the course was not as easy as it seemed, but Emmy was regaining her courage and was finally paying attention. Though her past failures might have made it seem the coming obstacles would be too much, she proved otherwise. Jumps ten through twenty passed without a hitch, her steps quick and her turns sharp, shaving more seconds off our time. At times her landings were a little sloppy, but the actual jumps and lead changes posessed only a fraction less of a dressage horse's. A bit of a breather came in the middle of these, and I took time to appreciate the length of the course. Skylar had been serious in her expectations of us, that was apparent now. Jump eighteen was where we hit our problems and I was snapped out of my lovely daydream. The last few obstacles had become almost mechanical. Up on the balls of my feet, round over the jump, give with the reins, landing, absorb the shock through the back, take the reins again when Empress shot forward blindly.

We'd just shot through what I would call a low pond, and I was trying to bite back a girlish squeal. My new riding breeches were dripping with dirty water and I smelled. So did Emmy, but if this went well, she would be getting a thorough grooming and some bran mash either way. The log cabins passed beneath us easily after four, long curving strides from the sweating Oldenburg beneath me. Her nostrils flared with effort, but her deep brown eyes set with determination, she knew the course was coming to a close. I caught a glimpse of Skylar on the sidelines, watching us intently. We were approaching the Hollow, which I had been warned of, there wasa bit of a drop right after the fence. However, Emmy had been doing so well the past few minutes, I trusted her athleticism and my own riding skills that I felt we could take the quick route and yet again shorten our time. I slowed her to an acceptable pace the mare taking careful strides as if on cue. She took the drop and a shudder as I clunked down less than smoothly on the saddle. I had just spotted Junior Fountaine through the crowd, watching me, his blue eyes intent. I hadn't thought conciously of Junior the whole morning, because I tried to block the memories from my head every second of the day. The night was when I let down my guard. And here he was in sparkling daylight, the honey highlights in his hair glinting with the reflection. My eyes wide and worried as Empress' at the moment, I forced myself to look away, though he'd already been lost in the crowd again. It was harder to focus on the course when I knew he was watching me. We took what was really a drawn-out oxer quickly, my calves pressing against Empress' sides, urging her on. She veered to the right, an attempt to run out of the jump, but some quick tightening of the reins and movement of my legs urged her over and worked to our advantage as he raced toward the next fence. The end was near, and thoughts of Junior, if not out of my mind already, were at least wordless again. They played out like colors, emotions of feeling, only their shades and feelings saving them from unity.

The next fence was easily jumped, Empress showed off to the crowd, her angel's wings coming into play again. She kept up the act by not even trying o buck, and coming to a smooth landing on the right lead. She did this again and again, her head held high, and I joined in on her confidence, my chin a little high for a show jumper's stance. The twenty-sixth jump of the course (I'd been keeping count) was a little challenging, but Empress crossed her forelegs midstride to make the angled turn smooth. Emmy got excited as we reached the end, crossing two other jumps at a rushed gallop, but faring well despite the speed. The Oldenburg, not to be so easily finished, tossed her head feistily. As if she weren't drenched in sweat from the concentration and effort, nostrils flared, foaming at the mouth. As I slowed her to a collected canter and left the course, I searched the crowd for Junior again, but he might as well have been an apparition. Some guardian angel that had come to wish me luck at the tryouts. Then again, he might have made some less supernatural departure and just decided to leave once I'd seen him. The crowd cheered their approval, some raucous yells burst from some young Jocks in the back of the crowd, followed by a few fist pumps and jumping around. I even spotted Skylar quietly joining in on the applause, smiling softly. I hoped she was proud of me. As we exited the course and made our way out to the green, open field, I heard Cassie Hills name announced. If I hurried with everything but Emmy's cooldown, which I couldn't just skip over, I might be able to see the end of my competition's run. Not that she would be able to beat us anyway, huh, Emmy? I giggled happily. Now that the tryouts were over and there was nothing I could do to go back and change what was done, I felt strangely giddy. A soft rain settled over the rolling hills of F&A and I stared at the treeline in the distance, wondering if the droplets were coating their leaves miles and miles away. Even if Junior hadn't been here, if I'd been seeing things, even if I didn't make the team, and I'd been crazy to try, I knew things would be okay. I'd made a hell of a run at it with Empress, and things were looking up. The morning was just beginning, and by nightfall, with luck, I might just be a 2008-2009 Equestrian Team rider.

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[katie landry]

` let's not pretend like you're alone tonight
I K N O W H E ' S T H E R E A N D Y O U ' R E

PROBABLY HANGING OUT AND MAKING EYES

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katie felt slightly nervous as she sighed quietly. the only sound that could be heard was the clicking of her boots against the cement floors of the stable. horses' heads poked out of their stalls, but her eyes were only focused on one horse in particular. the head of her horse, phantom was gorgeous. the horse had his blanket on over his coat, keeping his coat safe from any dirt that he might have tried to roll in. his magnificent, dark bay head arched over the stall door, his brown eyes following her movements as she made her way towards him. she smiled, stroking his nose gently as she approached the horse, kissing him softly on his nose. "This is it, babe. We've got to beat the competition," she whispered, reaching up to scratch his ears. the beat snorted carefully into her chest and she couldn't help but chuckle. this was what they had been training for. katie had always dreamed of joining the riding team.

she could feel her heart pounding as she slid open the stall door and clipped his lead rope to the halter around his face. she led him silently to the cross ties where she had his saddle and bridle and grooming box waiting for him. she let his lead hang on the floor. she was glad he was trained to not move when she released his lead. katie was quiet, grooming him silently. the silence felt nice. she didn't know what else she would've said, anyways. "We can do this buddy. We'll soar over those jumps like we usually do, yeah?' she stopped and reached into a bag sitting on the box's lid. she pulled out his favorite treats, apples and carrots. as she fed them to the horse, she couldn't keep her mind off of the course. she wanted more than anything to make the team. she sighed and kept grooming him. after almost eleven minutes, she placed the saddle pad onto his back, checking that no hair had been caught in the wrong direction. katie was quick to grab his saddle and heave it onto his back.

she adjusted the saddle before tightening the girth so that it wouldn't fall off. she moved to his head and phantom immediately dipped his head to accept the bit from her hands. she smiled sweetly as she slipped the bridle over his head, fastening it in place. she let the reins hang over his neck as she took a brush and ran it through his forelock. she was gentle as she pulled the brush gently through and brushed off his face, removing any excess dirt and flattening his hair. she kissed him once more before looking him in the eye, both hands holding onto the reins as she faced him, the air was palpable between them. "Okay, dear. We have to concentrate and do this for mom," she whispered quietly. She stroked his neck, running her hand over his smoothed out coat. she tucked her grooming kit back onto a shelf with his name on it before gathering up the reins and leading him down the barn aisle, the noise of his hooves and her boots echoing off the walls.

as they passed his stall, she slid the door shut, hanging up his halter and lead onto the hook outside of his door. she checked to make sure she had everything before heading out to the arena. she spotted skylar and carter and she felt her heart beat begin to quicken and race. it seemed that others had gone before her as she shifted the weight from leg to leg while standing there. she scoped out the jumps from what she could see for right now. she led phantom closer to the starting point and halted him. she let down his stirrups and brought the reins up over his head. she settled her helmet onto her head, buckling it beneath her chin. "Good luck sweetie, just trust me and we'll make it," she whispered before stepping one foot into the stirrup and pulling herself into the saddle. as she adjusted her stirrups and the girth, she patted his neck, positioning her jumping bat in her right hand.

it was finally time to begin. katie felt excited, yet nervous as she clucked her tongue and kicked her heels into his sides, starting him up. off they went, heading towards the first jump. katie judged how far and how high they would have to jump to make it over the flower box. as they got closer, she held the reins a bit tighter and phantom took it as his cue to take over from that point. the warmblood was galloping head-on towards the flower box and katie could feel herself rising out of the saddle, flying over the jump. easy enough, she thought. as they headed towards the rock walls. only a few moments passed and they were already over the walls and flying towards the mushrooms. the pounding of his hooves echoed in katie's ears as he leaped over the mushrooms as though they were ants.

she silently cheered on her mount as they kept going, she kept contact with him, but he knew how to jump. the only thing was which direction to go and to trust katie not to lead him over jumps that would hurt him. she worried slightly, biting her lip as she stared at the dray close by. she could feel phantom tense up slightly, but he managed to keep going with the urging of her clicking. the pair soared over the jump as though nothing happened and katie was proud of him. she sighed quietly as she thought about her next options. she could go the long way, but it would add time. however, she knew phantom was capable of taking the short, complicated route. she urged the warmblood on, watching as he raised his head, eyeing the jumps as she guided him in the correct direction. she worried slightly about how he would handle the jumps. it was harder and she wondered if she should have just gone the long way, but as the ducks flew past and they leaped the brush, katie let out a breath of relief.

she praised him quietly as they kept moving, the horse tossing his head as he gracefully galloped. so far so good, she thought. at this rate, they could have a pretty good ride and she hoped that skylar would take her on the team. as they approached the tables with the flowers, katie could feel phantom slow down slightly. she tried to urge him, but she was slightly late. shit. baby, no! she thought as he took off earlier than she had planned. however, luck was on their side and the huge dutch warmblood stallion cleared the obstacle. she patted him on the neck and kept going. at this point, she was thankful for her 17 hh stallion. as they approached the rails, katie was aware of the ditch after the jump. she couldn't let him slow down too much or rush into it. she collected the reins and kept contact, letting him know she was still here. as they cleared the rails, she made sure he was listening as she guided him through the ditch and then came the panic. she couldn't clear the left squirrel tail as planned because phantom had been at an angle where he would've taken a fall. instead, she reined him in at the last minute and urged him over the right tail.

they barely made it over and katie felt a flood of relief wash over her. thank god. she worried about what skylar would think about her after this jump. she shrugged it off and worried about the jumps, not the captain at this point. as she approached the trakehner, katie urged him over the obstacle, but kept him in control as they approached the water jumps. the water jumps proved to be the easiest for phantom and she was proud of him. as she kept going, the stallion tossed his head a few times, proudly. not yet, babe. she thought. jumps thirteen through twenty really showed off her stallion's ability over these jumps. she was proud of him so far. though they had never tried out before, phantom and katie had practiced and trained so hard and he was proving that he was a very hard-working stallion. he had never made katie happier at this point. as she guided him towards the huge sycamore, she feared for the jumps after. the step-ups were phantom's weak points, but she couldn't cut corners at this point as the step-ups came closer and closer.

katie felt herself rise out of the saddle as she bit her lip. come on, come on. she couldn't focus properly, but phantom carried his rider up over the jumps and made it to the garden cottage at the top. as he pushed up off the ground and made his way over, she felt a smile play on her features. she was so thankful at the moment. katie was proud of his progress so far and she was hoping it would stay this way as they neared the end of the course. the double diamonds proved to be a challenge for the pair as she felt her mount stumble slightly over the first part of the jump. she trusted him though as he regained his footing quickly and the two were finished with jump number twenty-two. she clucked again and pushed him into a gallop as they leaped over the keeper's brush. it was a nice break from the other challenging obstacles. phantom was eager to face the next jump. the stallion had made the tobacco stripping bench seem so easy as he easily maneuvered it.

the next two jumps were a bit of a challenge, but phantom was sure-footed as he carried katie over the jumps, barely stopping and assessing the scene. the stallion was definitely keeping katie safe and showing how much they had worked on these jumps. jump twenty-six blew by the pair and as they approached jump twenty-seven, katie could feel her horse speed up and he pushed off the ground too soon, but he made it over with ease over both brush jumps. the burning bush made katie nervous as she angled her stallion properly, urging him on. only two more jumps until the end. as she pushed him more, the stallion gained speed and leaped effortlessly into the air, sailing over jump twenty-nine. yes! only one left! she thought to herself. as they neared the last jump, katie felt phantom loosen up under her and take off quickly, tackling the jump head-on.

the stallion soared over the jump and she galloped towards the finish. she could hear a rumble of applause, and katie beamed, pulling phantom to a canter and circling him. his beautiful head was arched nicely as he showed over, giving a small kick and snorting, shaking his mane out. as she rode by the audience, she could see paxton sitting there and she grinned, blushing slightly. as she trotted away, leaving the course, she led phantom back to the barn, the beautiful stallion sweating beside her. she patted him and fed him the rest of the apple slices from the bag she had put back in the fridge for him after the ride. as she cooled him down, she couldn't believe how well he had done, despite the few mistakes he made. "Thank you boy. You were amazing." Hopefully, katie would be on the equestrian team.

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heree . OUTFIT
complete . STATUS
equestrian team auditionees . TAG
1986 words . NOTES
mayday parade, miserable at best . LYRICS
the amazing RACHELHERE . CREDIT

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[Riley Cruz]

Riley patted Golden Medallion’s neck. She brushed his mane to one side before taking up the reins. She was up and she ran through the course in her head as best she could. Her mother waved to her from the sidelines and gave her a wide smile. Riley took a deep breath before she set off. Golden Medallion took an extended trot for the first part of the course. She came up to the first fence, a flower box. Golden Medallion approached the fence; he was off by one stride and faltered over the jump. She grasped his mane before he landed. He picked up the right lead for the canter reluctantly. She urged him forward as the second fence approached. It seemed to come up faster than she expected. But she slowed Golden Medallion as the rock walls approached. She chose the wall to the right and Golden Medallion cleared it. Fence 3 came into view when she rounded a bend in the course. Golden Medallion lifted his head high. He lengthened his stride but Riley pulled him back in time to make four strides before the jump. He cleared the 3’11” fence and landed softly. Riley got Golden Medallion to clear fences 4 and 5 with as little strain as possible. Riley was a bundle of nerves and she could feel Golden Medallion losing confidence as her nervousness transferred to him. At the sight of the duck marsh, Riley took a bit of a wide approach to give her horse enough time to look at the jumps. He was relatively good when it came to water. But odd looking jumps like the ducks made him hesitate when combined with water. At the base of the jump she gave him a reassuring tap with her legs.

Fences 7 and 8 were okay jumps. Riley focused more on getting Golden Medallion over the hidden ditch on the eighth fence. Golden Medallion needed tons of leg to reassure him that he could clear the jump. So far they seemed to be making good time, and they hadn’t yet had a refusal, all though there were some hesitations, but they were hardly noticeable from the ground. Fence 9 was a basic ditch. Golden Medallion didn’t pay too much attention to how he was jumping it though. Riley had to make sure he was on a good stride and that he was paced well for the jump. Riley saw fence 10. The water was just beyond it from what she could see. But before she could get a good bearing on how to approach the jump, Golden Medallion raced towards it at a fast paced canter. He leapt over the jump with quite a force. The moment he touched down, Riley immediately pulled him down to a slow canter. She ground her teeth. It would be a challenge to get to the water at a good angle now. But she had given him a wide angle, possibly too wide, but if she had cut it close he may have refused. He saw the jump and began to listen to his rider once again. She gave him another quick tap of her calf muscles. The water splashed the rider and horse and it gave Riley a new, fresh feeling. She smiled as the bounded through the water.

Fence 12 was an oxer, a jump Golden Medallion was rather good at. The team was getting their confidence back and Riley was beaming. But, she could feel the stallion getting a bit too confident. His strides were bouncier and had a lot of back leg in them. She allowed him to continue this behavior just as long as he listened to her. Fence 3 was a bit tricky. Riley paced Golden Medallion, giving him an extra push when he needed it, over section A, then slowed at B and jumped C. The fourteenth fence was odd. Riley hadn’t seen it at first as it sort of blended in with the surrounding trees and the sand beneath it. She turned Golden Medallion sharply and they took off.

The rest of the ride went rather smoothly. Golden Medallion had a few hesitations between fences 16 and 18, but overall he carried himself well. Riley approached fence 27 with a sigh of relief she could see the finish line beyond the last three jumps. She jumped the higher part of the fence and Golden Medallion cleared it, his girth and barrel being the only things to lightly brush the shrubbery. Seeing the finish line himself Golden Medallion rushed fence 28, but Riley was able to recover control and lead him smoothly over fence 29 and 30. The last four fences were a good way to end the course. Riley sighed as she approached the finish line. Golden Medallion snorted loudly and bowed his head. The stallion slowed to a trot, then descended to a walk. Riley stopped a bit beyond the finish line and saw her mother had managed to get to the finish line just as she herself had. Riley high-fived her mother and tried to shake the nerves that were slowly coming up again. I hope I make the team. That would be the greatest thing that ever happened to me this year! The put on a smile and waited for the final rider to go. Riley was on edge waiting for the results of the race.

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FOUR DAYS LEFT.

[` carter alyssa westwood]

Bella's has been started, I'm taking a break at 1017 words and will be finished and posted tomorrow.

[` isabella leila upshaw]

isabella ,

all i want is everything ;;

I was so tired, the daylight shining on my head looked dark. I knew I shouldn't have stayed up until eleven, especially if the purpose was to study the course, but I'd already been so out of it, I hadn't remembered that I would be allowed to walk the course the next morning. I found it hard to admit even to myself that I hadn't ridden Impulse in a year, not counting last week when I finally got my ass off the couch and the tears out of my eyes and decided to practice. We weren't too shabby, considering how long a break we'd taken, but I owed much of our success to the hard work of my hired exercise worker that had so diligently worked Immy everyday, running her over jumps every few. The Dutch Warmblood mare wasn't in the worse for it either. Her bay coat shone with health, gleaming in the light now shining from behind the clouds. I was in the saddle now, and Ashley Westwood, Cassie Hills, Katie Landry, and Riley Cruz had all finished their rounds in perfect stride, never making any big mistakes. I would hate to be the first of the day, especially since I was the last rider. If I was the first to mess up, there would be no one to make me look better. The pressure was on.

My name was called, I gave with the reins, lowered my heels in the irons and we headed toward the course. I kept my eyes on the horizon, trying not to pay too much attention to the jumps laid out in front of me. I would only work up the nerves churning in my aching stomach. I wanted this so badly. It would be the perfect distraction from all the things I'd been going through lately, all the memories that replayed in my head everytime she thought of Gerard's name. Along with that new boy, Darren, that I'd met in the dorm the other day, I might just be able to forget my late ex-boyfriend in my waking hours. There was nothing that could save me from the nightmares. For a moment, a split-second before I sent Impulse into the arena, I inhaled and let the boy's face flood my mind with the fresh air. Impulse's muscles tensed, but the second was passing slowly, time at a standstill. The boy's skin was darker than my own, pockmarked in places on his face, scars on his arms. He had the loveliest eyes, ones that I could not describe the color, nor the emotions that passed through with liquidified ease. His lips were full, ones that I would like to kiss again.

Impulse's first step brought me to a start like the shot of a gun at the starting line. It was dead silent across the field, but my mind was screaming out for an escape to this pressure that had suddenly been put upon my shoulders. Impulse cleared the first few jumps with ease, time seeming to stop for me over and over as we soared over them, allowing the cameras to take their pictures. Flash, flash. Zoom, zoom. Time started again. We cleared jump after jump, vision just a remembered blur. Flowerboxes, rockwalls, mushrooms, The Dray. The seconds flew by, though I took the easy route. Impulse had the athleticism and speed to power through the stretches between obstacles and I could afford not to see the daring turns I'd watched Ashley Westwood make. She rode with poise, but also with recklessness, I'd noted. I tried not to be like her.

For some strange reason, the boy's face continued to invade my mind with each jump, as if the sudden stop of time was letting down a wall. I tried to block it out, but it did no good. Suspension brought him back again. Then Impulse's hooves clattered back to the ground, he was gone, and I was left missing him. At the ninth jump, I almost lost focus to look back over my shoulder to check if I'd really just jumped a set of enlarged, wooden ducks. I must be going insane. This must be some strange doing of Gerard's absence in this world and how much it affected me, even now, a twelvemonth later. Yet now, as I awoke from another daze I realized that I must not be the crazy one, because I was jumping a ditch before I would be asked to jump a couple of squirrels, lunching on a pile of large acorns. The course hadn't been all that hard yet, and Immy was making it look easy. I found it incredible that she took the jumps on her own, as if on automaton, taking only the signals that came to my like inhaling and exhaling. I rode to live, it was simple and easy. However, fate seemed out to get me because the Trakehner, which looked a little scary, shook my confidence and we barely made it over, Immy making a sloppy landing, getting off on the wrong lead. And then the water. It was a small jump. I wouldn't have been intimidated, had I not panicked. In this short second, I realized I hadn't practiced any jumps with water, Immy would have to call back the experience from her mind. The mare's strides were coming all too fast, and I tried to sit deep in the saddle to slow her down, but she just galloped on blindly.

We hit the jump like a brick wall. Immy dug her hooves into the ground, a strong refusal, bucking and heading toward the water before shying away and rearing. My feet were knocked loose from the irons as she returned to earth and I was holding on only by the msucles of my legs and my hands hooked in her mane. However, Impulse seemed to be steading herself, quivering, taking a large snort as she stared at the water. Embarassment flooded me, my cheeks turning red, attempting to pull myself back onto the mare's back and try again, but I couldn't find the strength. The reins had fallen from my grasp, and I reached daringly out for them with my right hand, stretching around the mare's neck, my left hand gripping the mare's black mane tighter. Everyone in the crowd watching seemed to hold their breath. I didn't blame them, this would hopefully be their one look at drama the whole day. This realization hitting and washing over me like a wave, sank my heart below. I couldn't believe how embarassed, how badly I felt for screwing up. Fuck it. Fuck it all, I didn't deserve to be here. Why hadn't I taken myself with Gerard the morning of his suicide.

No. I rebelled against these thoughts and a rush of angry adrenaline forced the strength back into my legs. Pushing with all their might, my thighs drew my whole body back up into the saddle and a collective sigh was exhaled from the crowd. I drew myself up, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and at the nod of an official, took Immy back away from the jump, trying to collect her. The mare's muscles, thankfully, had loosened, and she seemed ready to go again, determination and confidence back in her step. I hoped I knew my horse well enough to see how this would play out, ran her through a small fifteen-meter circle and we cantered toward the water again. This time, the strides were taken properly, I kept my head about me, and Immy jumped. I closed my eyes, afraid to see if we would make it. The water droplets cascading over me as Immy dove through the small pond were the greatest source of relief I'd felt in a long, long time. I took a deep breath and continued on with the course, grinning ear to ear at my triumph. The crowd let out a collective breath, loud enough for me to hear in the now silent arena. All eyes were on us once again, and Immy could feel the pressure.

We topped the hill, Immy taking steady, sure breaths. She wasn't even tired. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember a boy named Paxton coming up to ask if he could have the exercise rider and Impulse come along with him and his horse Ambi for an endurance run. Maybe that was where Immy had attained this new-found stamina and heart. The oxer was pretty, entwined with fir branches and flowers, little flags marking the sides. We popped over it without a problem, the maximum height and spread of the course proving to be no issue for us. The next obstacle in the course, a jump oddly placed below ground was the next question the course raised. The first small little jump seemed to force the mare to suck in her sides, it was so narrow. But so was the space between the bench and the step down, I realized, allowing Impulse only one stride before she literally did what the name asked her to, letting her front legs fall out beneath her and tucking in the hind. Another small, squished stride and we were up again, back on smooth ground. The hoofprints in the sunken road had intimidated me, the reminder of all the other great riders that were vying for a position on the team. I had to do this because I knew I could. Even with the terrible fall I'd almost taken. A very large stack of wood under some of the only trees on the course was easily cleared, Immy gaining confidence with every stride. More trees we passed through, and I took sharp turns to make up for the time lost in taking it slow. Immy seemed to be up to the challenge, her legs a flurry of hooves and the long canon bones of a jumper. Turning her toward the lake, a slightly larger reminder of the pond that had brought me so much embarassment earlier in the course, we made a quick run for two sycamore logs piled one on top of the other, followed by another jump similar to this. Oh, no. I freaked. Not the water again.

We were approaching what seemed to be an atoll made of brush and sticks. Judging by what Impulse had done earlier when encountered by water, I could only dread the fight she was about to put up. Yet again, Impulse seemed to blindly rush toward her fears before suddenly remembering why she'd been afraid of them. This time, however, the Dutch Warmblood didn't refuse. She plunged into the water and cleared the jump, winning a loud cheer from my lips, the first time I'd been visibly ecstatic in what seemed like years. We passed five other jumps easily, all a blur in the happiness of making it through the water without a hitch. Our next problem was a decieving log, large and thick in diameter. A drop behind it was the problem, but Immy took it well, though she seemed to be surprised. I urged her on up the steps toward a little cottage that we cleared, and I wondered if Hansel and Gretel might be inside baking at this moment. The little house was small enough to remind me of gingerbread counterparts I'd made at my grandmother's years before, happier times long before Berlington, Laudeville, or even California had ever crossed my mind. Shaking away the memories that followed on my tail, I lengthened Immy's strides for the double diamonds, the two long stretches between the fences coming easily for the bay's legs. Brush followed, an easy jump for Impulse. I could almost laugh at this attempt to bring us down again, and even I could say my confidence was rising as we went on. Especially after defeating the water and the haunting memory of our former refusal. Before I knew it, the course was over. I could finally breathe again, and so could the crowd. Impulse had finished out the round quite nicely if I could say so myself, the only flaw - and it was a big one - the near-fall at the water. However, it could have been worse. That attempt at cheering myself up hadn't worked.

The boy's face, that of Christian Braxton's, now had full rein to enter my mind again, as I slowed Immy to a walk and led her out of the arena to cool down. This cheered me up more than anything. The dimples in his face as he smiled at me, almost as if in congratulations. Though I didn't know why he was counting his eggs before they'd hatched. Skylar and Carter had not yet made a decision, and there was a big chance that they wouldn't be able to overlook my mistake. At a level this high, I knew it hadn't been acceptable, no matter how much I managed to downplay it in my head. They had seen it in it's entirety, through a microscope's glare, and I knew given the opportunity I'd handed out, they would savor every piece they picked me into. Sighing, I swung out of the saddle, leading my mare the rest of the way to the makeshift stalls. I would encounter Skylar later. All that mattered now is that I'd done my best. I'd let the rest speak for itself. The team could wait.

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Word Count 2233. (:
All content c) Copyright Awry at Forever and Always.[/size][/LIST][/COLOR][/blockquote]

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everyone is done! cassie pmed me her post. so i'll get to critiquing and choosing. there will be 3 chosen. thank you (:

[` carter alyssa westwood]

mkay, so you all know who made the team. (carter, ashley, bella, cassie, katie) however, since ashley has left us, there is another open spot on the team that will be filled this winter with the rest. =3 inactivity for over twenty days on the site without a notice beforehand will result in expulsion from the team.

xoxo, awry[/font][/blockquote]