Schooling Fences

This is a training picture for *Jullelin's Show to the Extreme competition! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I imagined it with more dynamic lighting due to the windows, but that's okay. It was fun!

The story is more a detailed insight to Nuggets personality, especially under saddle. Have fun reading the wall of text! Lol



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*Jullelin's show jumping competition, Show to the Extreme was coming upon AJ quicker than she had ever expected possible. She needed to get Nugget out and start schooling him consistently over the heights that would be demanded at the competition. AJ found herself second guessing her decision to enter the stallion in this intense course for the studs first round in a show, but she had already registered and after the day she had just had, there was no doubt in her mind that Nugget would do just fine.

Earlier in the week AJ had contacted on of her good friends who had a stable a few miles down the rode and had asked if she would be able to haul Nugget down and use some of her jumps, as well as the fact that her arena was heated so AJ would be able to push Nugget harder than she would be able to in her small, frigid arena. She had told herself that this would be a test of sorts, if Nugget couldn't manage what she threw at him today, she would withdraw him from the show.

Snow showers had started early in the morning and loading the stallion thankfully was quick and eventless. She was on the rode by 9:00 am - right on schedule. Arriving at her friends, the two women greeted each other warmly and chit-chatted for a moment before AJ unloaded Nugget who had begun to prance in the metal hauler making it shake. When AJ led the irritable stallion into the barn, he kicked out violently at a curious horse that had mistakenly reached his head out of his stall to greet the new comer. Squealing, the offended horse lunged back into his stall with his ears pinned while Nugget danced, his attack far from his mind now. AJ sighed softly and assured her friend who looked on questionably, that Nugget was safe as long as you knew how to handle him and took some extra precautions. The other woman raised an eyebrow incredulously, but nodded and let AJ get down to tacking up the stallion.

It was around 10:45 when AJ and the stallion were actually in the warm arena and mounted. AJ glanced over the gorgeous arena, an entire perimeter wall made of huge windows that let in natural light. She longed to one day have a facility like her friends, but at the moment, it was simply financially out of reach. By a lot.

Nugget chomped at his bit eager to get started, ears pinned to his skull, but standing respectfully. Reaching down, AJ stroked his strong neck and the stallion flickered an ear back towards her for a fraction of a second before returning it to is perpetually pinned state. Gather up her reins, AJ pushed the stud into a walk to warm him up and after three or four laps, a relaxed, long-trot. It was often surprising to people to watch the stallion work, knowing his disposition on the ground. In comparison, he was a pleasant horse to ride, very willing to go forward and eager to do a job - but his expression was always of pure loathing. His mouth was always working, teeth clicking as he played with the metal piece that laid across his tongue and his ears hidden in his mane, laid against his skull. His eyes always seemed to be glaring at his rider on his back, and every so often he would shake his head slightly, but his body would remain relaxed and loose.

Striking off at the canter for the first time that day, Nugget took too strides then launched upwards and twisted his body in a huge buck. AJ could hear her friend who had been watching silently from the side gasp a the sudden display, but AJ had known that it was coming and sat the buck like a pro. It was Nugget's routine. She had attempted to reprimand him when she was first training him that that was unacceptable, but that often ended up in a fight between the half-ton animal and the 120lb woman. Nugget nearly always won. AJ observed that after that one initial buck, he was done for the rest of the ride, and so she just learned to accept the display of irritation, dominance, or whatever it was and save her battles with the horse for ones that she had a chance of winning.

After a good 45 minutes of flat work, the stallion was loose and his muscles warm and AJ circled him at one end of the arena and drew her eyes to a small, 2'6'' fence that her friend had graciously set up earlier. Directing the horse at the fence, AJ waited to feel him find the the obstacle. It was quiet amazing the transformation when he had a jump in his sights. About 40' from the fence, AJ felt it, his head raised slightly, ears pricking forward for a rare moment. She felt his front end raise up, haunches tucking deep underneath himself as he collected himself naturally to an extent that would make a dressage rider drool with envy. She felt him blow out in a snort and then in a moment of pure elation to the stallion, he lifted himself from the ground, soaring in the air. AJ simply stayed with him, a soft hold on the reins, but other wise just a passenger on his back. It was like that every fence, that dramatic change from his cranky self, to a horse that simply love life and his job. But, as soon as the two touched down on the other side of the fence, his ears were back pinned to his neck and his tail swishing violently.

With the help of her friend acting as jump crew. Nugget and AJ schooled for a solid 1 hour and a half, the fences slowing rising to their expected height for the show. Nugget navigated them with such grace and ease, that AJ asked her friend if she would please sent up a triple combination with the last fence an ascending oxer that was set at 5'6'' - a full inch higher than any of the fences that they would be required to tackle at the show. While the fences were being set, AJ allowed Nugget to reach down with a loose rein and to simply long trot around the arena. He had a light layer of sweat over his chest and flanks and his breathing to heavy but Nugget still had a tremendous amount of energy and AJ watched him watch her friend setting up the last fence and she could only wonder if he was as excited about facing off with their highest height to date as she was - or if he even understood.

After another moment, the fences were ready and AJ drew up her reins and asked Nugget for an upbeat canter. He complied willingly and she took him a lap around the arena before cutting the far corner so they were now in line with the triple combination. Nugget spotted the three huge fences, only two strides apart for the first pair and a lone third stride given as a gift for the last, considerably higher fence. He poked his nose in the air, and thrust into a strong canter and for the first time, AJ had to engage her running martingale to bring him back to the tempo that he had to be at to successfully finish the line. He flew over the first fence with ease and after a moment on the ground, they were flying once more over the second jump. They met the ground and AJ sat back, bringing the stallions balance back onto his hind quarters and then gave him his head and push him forward. Three powerful strides and with tremendous thrust, they cleared the last obstacle that was in comparison the same size as AJ herself.

AJ let out a huge breath of air as they touched down and was almost unseated with Nugget unexpectedly threw a few, small crow-hops, as if in celebration of his tremendous feat. AJ let out a laugh as she settled the stud down and his demeanor immediately returned to his usual irritation. It was that moment that she knew that Nugget was ready for this show, and that he was going to be a once in a life-time stallion.

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Registered Name: MM Only A Fools Gold
Age at time of picture: 7
Breed: Westphalian
Height: 16hh




















Art & Characters © *Jag6201
Artistic References: Unreferenced
Tools Used: Wacom Tablet, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6; 5-6 hours