success is the only option [open]

[jessica owens]

Jess led Cario towards the outdoor ring, she seemed her usual sluggish self- avoiding the idea of work at all costs. The mare was almost the exact opposite of Jess, except for the fact they were both as stubborn as a donkey. In fact if it wasn’t for her registration papers Jess would declare her a mule that could jump. Honestly, this mare was the worst. Yet she brought so much talent to the table, though she was underestimated more than she was bragged about. Jess hadn’t had her out much, but even when she’d taken her to RCRA to school everyone had tilted there head at her as she raised the jumps, all wondering the same thing- that little mare is going to jump those big fences? It was something Jess was starting to get used to, but it was fairly annoying. Yes, Cario was 15.3h. Yes, she was a complete bitch. Yes, she was capable of jumping 4’9” without a problem, in fact Jess truly believed Cario could be her future Grand Prix horse- that is she ever toned down her attitude. No doubt about it, this mare could jump. It was getting her warmed up that was truly the hard part- and to not buck after every single fence.

Jess went to work shoving standards, walking lines and planning angles as she adjusted the course until it fit her standards. Some of the boarders, she wasn’t exactly sure who yet, always came out and messed with the course. Jess was sure they were doing it to adjust it for their own horses, but it annoyed the hell out of her that anytime she went to ride she had to rewalk all the lines and move the fences back to their correct angles- which were much harder than the ones boarders had moved them to. Jess liked to jumped 4’9” fences on the opposite angle they were set up at, but others weren’t as excited about the large amount of risks that came with the courses that were constantly set up at Wynfield. Jess sighed as she shoved the last standard into place, already tired after having schooled all of Wynfield’s hunter horses this morning. Currently she was assigned a ton of work after their main exercise rider had been fired for well, not doing her job. Wynfield had standards, and Jess new all to well how hard it was to follow them.

Jess looked at the height of the fences, they were only about a 1M in height, and decided not to worry about putting them up just to school Cario. She really didn’t feel like adjusting the entire course only to lower them for the next horse she rode. It was annoying, and extremely time consuming. Sure, the rings were all lighted, but she really did like to be in bed before midnight. Jess looked at her phone to double check the time, it was almost noon. Jess wasn’t sure whether to smile that she was on time or kill herself before she put herself through at least six more hours of torture. She was extremely over worked and it was starting to catch up to her, she was starting to wonder if maybe she did belong in an office, pursuing a career that wasn’t to do with horses. Jess laughed at herself, who was she kidding. A desk? Her career plan, outside the horse industry, was to work for the OPP’s behavioural analysis unit- you know, like criminal minds only Canadian and not staged? Yeah. Jess wasn’t exactly the sit still and do mindless things, no she was constantly thinking and moving. And currently the combination of the two was killing her.

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[alexandergibson]

Jessica Owens wasn't the only person walking into the ring with her horse this afternoon. Alexander Gibson also led his newly assigned equine Columbo V into the Jumper ring, for they had to get in some much needed practice together. Alex held the reins in his left hand gently and walked along amiably, with the handsome Hanoverian following after him willingly. V, that was what Alexander liked to call the gelding, wasn't that picky with him, thankfully. Most of the time, the commands that Alex gave, Columbo would bring to fruition without complaint, (though there were always those moments when carrots came in handy). Alex hadn't been here in Canada for a very long duration, and since arriving, this was a his first horse. From the moment that he was assigned the bay beast as his own, they were instant buddies. The eleven year old horse was quite the character, and Alex was already fond of him. And he probably always would be. Nothing and no one could change his mind about that. Alex was very loyal to those that he bonded closely to, and this bay gelding was at the top of his list, forever and always.

When Alex and his horse wandered into the ring, he stopped near the entrance when he saw the girl and her horse. So, perhaps great minds did think alike. Evidently she wanted to get some work done with her horse as well. Alex raised a brow and lead Columbo further into the ring to watch, but out of the way of Jessica and her horse. Just from the placement that she was setting things up at, it could be inferred that her skill level was quite high. And she had no excuse if she was a poor rider, her mother owned the place. When Columbo shook his mane lightly, Alex raised up a large hand and stroked the gelding's velvet nose a couple of times. The pair didn't mean to interrupt the session beginning shortly, but Alex would leave if prompted to do so. It wasn't that detrimental that he and Columbo trained in Jumping right now, for their dominant event was Hunting. But if allowed, it shouldn't hurt to watch a master at work with her craft, if permitted. Jessica Owens had the right to close the ring specifically for her and her horse, but that was her choice. She seemed slightly stressed, from the looks of her, and maybe this was just her way of releasing that stress. The man shrugged his shoulders, he would just have to wait and see.

Eventually Alexander wanted to go and apply for a job as the main exercise rider and/or green horse breaker here at Wynfield. The only thing that was holding him back though was the fact the he had only recently come here, and he guessed that they wanted to test his abilities a little more. Alex was fine with that for now, it might be nice to get acquainted with his horse to the best of his abilities before starting in with another one. Speaking of his horse, Columbo V nudged Alex's hand gently, demanding his attention and breaking the man's thoughts. "Alright there boy, I feel ya," the man responded softly to the urges to be petted, "You want me to pay attention to you all the time. I'm your biggest fan, don't worry. You're stuck with me." A short smile formed on Alex's features as he rubbed the equine's nose and shoulder. The sleek feel of the muscle beneath the man's hand amazed him and made him happier than he already was. That was the reason that he had packed up and traveled to Wynfield, just to be with horses who made him happy. Horses, especially Columbo V, had a special place in his heart.

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[jessica owens]

Jessica slid her foot into the stirrup and mounted the small mare, feeling her already want to walk away underneath her. Jess rolled her eyes, the mare was an absolute hypocrite. She pulled back on the reins and made the mare stand as she readjusted her stirrups on her saddle, well technically it was her mother’s saddle that Jess had taken over since it was the only one that fit this mare. She wasn’t quite concerned though, especially since there was no way on earth her mother needed this four thousand dollar saddle to walk-trot in, with the odd canter lap or cross rail. Her mother was not hugely into the actual riding aspect of horses, very interested in watching and helping. She also enjoyed spending extravagantly when it came to Jess, who even after her parents had ‘cut her off’ when it came to riding she’d still bought her six hundred dollar helmets, new breeches and anything else Jess really needed. Jess would flat out admit, Heather had always spoiled her- but she’d also worked her ass off for it. When she got a new helmet it was usually after a nasty fall, a new pair of breeches meant she needed something else to show in after getting dumped in the mud. Sure, she got the odd random thing, but for the most part they had a purpose. Jess’ mom never settled for low quality either, she was the kind of person that wore seventy-five dollar rain boots in the city- where mud was literally non-existent. Her mom loved to look nice though, but never in that pushy, designer way. Heather was just a very pretty woman, and she dressed that way as well. Jess had always admired her, and she still secretly raided her closet when she needed something to wear- a benefit of having a mom that was also a size five.

Jessica smiled as she noticed a guy in the ring with her, recognizing the horse immediately and then slowly putting things together. She never did the application process, but she always reviewed them just to ensure that she knew who she was dealing with. She hated the awkward moment when people knew you, or worse asked you questions about there horse, and you had no idea what they are talking about. It was annoying, embarrassing and extremely stressful when you are the owners daughter. It is just not considered ‘okay’ to have to ask ‘who are you again?’. Jess smiled at the guy before she pushed Cario into a trot and said “He’s a bit of a goofball that horse, but you have to love him for it.”. Jess watched him for a second before returning to her zone, a mental state that didn’t involve physical exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke, sore muscles, cramps or anything along those lines- it just involved getting the job done, and getting it done at a high level. She pushed Cario into the trot and shook her head as the mare backed into her leg, a normal tendency for the mare. Jess smacked her with the dressage whip, and rolled her eyes again when the mare grunted and kicked out with her hind end. This rude action got her another smack, which forced the mare to tuck her tail between her legs and carry on, understanding that she wasn’t winning this battle. It was far from over though, Jess was well aware Cario would try this every time she asked for something.

Jess could feel sweat running down her face as she kicked the mare forward constantly, and every time the mare offered no response to Jess’ action she cracked the whip, the mare bucked, and the whip was cracked again. The routine continued over and over again and Jess couldn’t help but thinking ‘I just want to canter already!’ She sighed, this mare did things on her own schedule. She was black and white when it came to flat and over fences, it was literally like Jess switched horses the minute she pointed Cario towards a fence. Finally Jess gave up on cranking the mares head into a frame, to pushing her into the bridle with her legs. She gave up on perfection at the trot and pushed the mare into a canter knowing that sometimes you couldn’t dwell on small details, not with mares like Cario. Dwelling just caused a fight, it caused an even bigger problem. Jess shoved her heels down as she cracked the mare again when she refused to go into the canter, again when she bucked. The mare travelled forward now, she went into her usual rolling canter with a massive stride. The mare covered ground effortlessly, she did everything with such talent- if only she got rid of her stupid attitude.

ooc: Sorry it's not ym best work, I think I'm suffering from heat stroke after the horse show today :/ got to love show season! lol

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[alexandergibson]

<sup>Alexander was minding his own business, still patting his insistent horse, when he heard the voice of Jessica behind him. Oh yeah, Alexander knew what the woman said was true. He was definitely a witness to Columbo's goofballness, on many accounts. And Alexander couldn't help but love him for it. The man didn't like horses that had little to no personality. Horses like that were just bland and only empty shells of what they could potentially be. The ones that Alex liked were much different in comparison. They had to have some spunk, some drive to do something, something that they cared a lot about and showed it. It was evident that Columbo V had all of those endearing traits. He had plenty of spunk to go around, the drive to be a good eventing horse, and it was also obvious that he cared about Alexander himself. Alex smiled and nodded at Jessica's words. "Yeah, he's a good one, and he keeps me busy all the time." Columbo instantly decided at that moment to try and nibble Alex's fingers in demonstration. The bay gelding slowly tried to inch his muzzle towards the man's fingers, and a playful glint showed in his almond eyes. V's open mouth had nearly reached Alex's hand when Alex flung backwards onto the ground with a yelp. Columbo wasn't really going to bite him hard, only nip his fingers to keep his attention. And man was once more fully focused on the eleven year old creature. "You little trickster!" Alexander griped mockingly at him. "I can't just tell people how good and fun you are, this has to be show-AND-tell doesn't it?" Columbo blinked at Alex and merely twisted his head away from the man in feigned innocence. Sometimes, Alex wondered if V could understand his words, for his expressions were so vivid and always so humorous.

Alexander Gibson stood up from the ground smirked. He brushed off any residual residue that had clung to his clothing from falling backwards, but was otherwise completely unscathed. He laid a hand on Columbo V, and continued to stroke the large animal's fur slowly, but this time out of range of his teeth. Seeing as the training had begun though, Alex watched as Jessica and Cairo worked around the ring carefully and he was glad in some respects that they were allowed to stay and watch, and not so much in others. The whip constantly had to crack on the mare's hide, for she wanted to do what she wanted to do. Jessica wasn't going to let her though. In many more ways than one, Alex was appreciative for the gelding who stood beside him. Most of the time he didn't need a whip, and carrots were sufficient to get V moving. Plus, Alexander was kind of against the whips in the first place. He would rather spend many hours in a ring and get exhausted day in and day out than use those things. A couple of times, Alex flinched when the tool made contact with the mare's flesh. He knew that the dressage whip wasn't designed to hurt the animals, just to keep them in line, but he had seen some cases of animal cruelty in his life, and he didn't approve of them himself. Eventually, Alex watched as the woman and her horse began to work together more cohesively. He could see now why they were paired up. Both Jessica and Cairo Z were determined females, and once they got over any initial battles, they made a pretty good team. Alexander nodded to himself and took note of this.

Perhaps now that Jessica Owens had got her horse under control, Alexander and Columbo V could join them. "Mind if we join you?" the man called out loudly, just in case he couldn't be heard over the thunder of horse's hooves. He didn't want to disrupt their practice session, as stated before, but Alex didn't want to waste time just standing around and watching, especially when Columbo had so much energy and enthusiasm. Alex picked up his black helmet that he had dropped on the ground with the fall, and strapped it around his chin. He threw the reigns around his horses head, and eventually was able to clamber on top of the 16.3 hand horse's back. Now, understand that Alexander Gibson is six foot two himself and was wary about getting astride the gelding sometimes. He didn't know for sure if V was going to try and pull another one of his pranks today. Luckily, he didn't, for the moment at least, and Alex knew that he wasn't the only one ready to ride.</sup>

[jessica owens]

“Go right ahead! Sorry, If I had of known you were waiting for me to say something I would have mentioned it earlier!” said Jess, an honest smile as she cantered past the pair. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person stood in the middle of the ring watching her, waiting for her ‘ok’ to ride. He was a grown man wasn’t he? And then it hit her, like a brick in the face. She wasn’t just another rider at Wynfield anymore, she was the head trainer. She was somebody to impress, people would tip toe around her in fear that if they crossed her they would get kicked out. She was an authority figure now, she had even more responsibilities. This job just kept getting worse and worse, especially because it meant what she did was judged by everyone that saw her. It meant that when his eyes had widened every time she cracked the whip it meant he judged her, thought she was incapable of doing it any other way. It meant that people would judge her and hate her, simply because things didn’t go her way. And the worst part? She’d notice, because that is what she was trained to do. She noticed every single little movement people made, it told her something about them. And sometimes not knowing is the better option.

Jess smacked the mare again as she backed into her leg, and with a surprise the mare didn’t buck after. She smiled slightly, she was getting somewhere- but then she remembered she was being watched, judged. He probably thought she was cruel, one of those animal cruelty sensitive people. He probably thought she was weak, that she couldn’t handle it. Most importantly he probably thought he was better, and that killed her. She opened her mouth to say something, but she clamped it shut- she was an idiot. Yes, he could think that but she didn’t know. You can never base you actions on things you assume. Jess bit her lip and pressed her calves into the mares side again, annoyed that she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t pull him aside and explain to him that she’d dealt with this mare, she knew how she worked- that she didn’t always beat the pulp out of her horses, even if she sarcastically said she was going to before every ride on Cario. The mare was a struggle, she was stubborn- and she couldn’t give a crap about any natural horsemanship or partnership methods. Jess had seen many clinicians with this horse and they all said the same thing- physical problem? Saddle fit? They asked questions, Jess gave them every answer. This mare was a hundred and ten percent when it came to condition, but she got an F when it came to her attitude. Jess knew this mare, this mare was her. She challenged everything she was told, argued it even when she didn’t have a valid point. She was a hard head, she was determined and she refused to back down. This mare was Jess only in horse form, but she couldn’t tell people that. She couldn’t admit that she had flaws, that this mare challenged her in every way possible. No she couldn’t admit that, because she couldn’t weaken herself and be vulnerable. This mare needed somebody to show her perfection and demand it, but you can’t just explain that to people. Even with all her education Jess still couldn’t explain that to people, it was something only she understood. And revealing her insight would mean revealing her past, and she preferred not to. Nobody needed to know that she hadn’t always been an Owens.

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[alexandergibson]

<sup>Alexander nodded and called out again,"Alright. Thanks." For a moment before getting started, the man just looked around the ring, just wondering how he got here, into Wynfield. He had had so many accomplishments, and so many failures too, that he couldn't help but think that he was blessed to be here. A short smile made its way onto his features, but disappeared soon after as his thoughts returned to his horse. Alex gently clucked his tongue and urged Columbo V into a short trot, just to get the horse primed and ready for the day's work. His muscles needed warming up before he was ready to do any sort of jumping. Alex made sure that his horses were alert and aware of the tasks at hand. Alexander wasn't going to hurt his horse because of his stupidity or ignorance. This season was underway and the man wanted his horse to be strong and healthy. Plus, he would feel so bad if the gelding was injured in any way. Columbo was his favorite horse, and the devotion and love that they gave each other was critical, and not only for the sake of events. In other business, Alexander Gibson was in no way afraid of the woman that was riding in the ring with him. He wasn't going to bow and scrape to get on her good side whatsoever. When he'd asked to join her session, he just wanted to make sure that it wasn't a private session between her and her horse, and his request was all in good manners, not to suck up. His parents had brought him up that way, and they taught him to be a respectable man. Alex just wasn't going shove his way in the door, and take over someone's set up, regardless of who they were or if they were the owner's daughter of Wynfield or not. He tried to be courteous to everyone around him, even if they didn't always approve of him doing so. As for judging Jessica, it was sort of a natural reaction. People did it all the time, whether it was a conscious action or not. They say that first impressions are extremely important, and in most respects, that is true. Creating stereotypes was a whole different beast, but judging someone else is human nature. Alex was forming his own opinion of Jessica Owens, but he would have to meet her in person, outside of the ring, to truly make sense of her character. He wasn't necessarily thinking that the woman was bad for using a whip, he had seen so many other people use them too. But people wouldn't catch Alexander Gibson with one in his hand.

As time went by, Alex slowly moved V into a quicker pace. The two developed a smooth, long cadence as they traveled around the ring. That was the good thing about having an eleven year old equine, he knew what he was doing and how to teach Alex things he hadn't known before. Now, this wasn't the first time that the man had been on the back of a horse or he wouldn't have made it into Wynfield, and he knew the dynamics and elements of his craft. But he also wasn't raised on the back of a horse like a lot of the people here. Columbo V and Alexander taught each other things, and discovered each others styles. "Alright V, let's see what you've got for me today," Alex said to the bay beast. He held the reigns tighter in his hands, and clucked again to the stallion. Columbo V twitched his rounded ears and followed suit to the things that his owner commanded. The horse's mane and tail flowed in the slight breeze that accompanied riding, and with each breath, he have a small snort. The tenseness from standing in a barn all day and night began to dissipate from the horse's muscles and it felt good. Columbo was finally satisfied in being able to be ridden, and getting his rider's attention. Yes, Columbo liked to be in the limelight, but that was his personality. Alex had to be focused on the jumps and each of his horse's movements in order to make things go smoothly. This was the harder of the two events that the pair did together, and these training workouts had to be flawless if they ever wanted to go anywhere in the Jumping events. Alexander strived to be the best in everything he did. Eventhough, they made mistakes, and everything didn't come out right, Alex and Columbo had to try to be the best that they could be.</sup>