downpour

He got First Place, an Excellent Rating, a Perfect Score, and Individual Grand Champion!

Without Rain

my attempts at an atmosphere continue with this bitch and honestly i love it so much more than the sunset, i think the only other time ive drawn rain in a show entry was for mooles first show with jakobi

~

"So when are you going to enter him in a rated show?"

The man shrugged. "Whenever he's ready. He comes from giants, there's no question that he'll succeed. Dressage horses have no timeline."

The two men were standing at the edge of the barn, looking out at the storm. Though it was impossible to deny King's aptitude for dressage it had always been something of a sore point for Keke to admit that he had lost Home of deMoole's most talented son. Lacking the attitude most deMoole stallions had, King had grown into a sensible young horse and was one of the few that could be considered a joy to work with. 

Misha had claimed him young, realizing the horses passion and beginning his training at 3 years old. The dressage trainer had never been known to rush horses and had trained him past second level before entering him in a schooling show to test the waters. King was a consistent performer, keeping the same easygoing attitude no matter the situation but Misha had chosen to keep him in schooling shows, almost as if he was waiting for the young horse's attitude to eventually decompensate.

He'd never dealt with fiery horses like their line was known to be, having been raised with Dons and later with Lipizzaners Misha's forte was with placid warmbloods rather than hot-headed sport horses. King being 50% Hanoverian did little to calm him down, as with the rest of his family you could always tell where the Thoroughbred blood crept in and it took some getting used to in a dressage horse. While the stallion had the energy and attitude to be a jumper his large size made it difficult for him to succeed in the way that smaller horses would so no attempts were ever made, the owners collectively choosing to focus solely on his gaits.

Keke waited out a clap of thunder, looking the horse up and down. King was largely unbothered by the weather, having lived almost all of his life completely outdoors, but there was a big difference between competing in the storm and existing in it. "Have you ever ridden him in the rain?" He asked as the rumbling faded away. Misha shook his head, looking down at his show clothes then over at the horse.

"Never needed to. This wasn't forecasted, I wish we would've at least thought to bring a saddle cover. I hate the thought of it getting ruined because we came unprepared." Though it was an informal show they had still brought and used King's formal tack set instead of the worn schooling set but no one had anticipated the rain to close in on them so quickly, engulfing the stables in a matter of minutes. 

The jumper shook his head, flicking water out of his hair. "I doubt it'll be ruined, you're only going to be out in it for a few minutes. Just get out there, do your thing, and come back inside. You want a leg up?"

Pausing as the previous competitor left the arena, Misha stepped into his waiting hands, swinging his leg over the horses back. "Yeah I might as well get out there now, wish us luck."

~

Horse's Name: 1 Love 4 deMoole
Age: 6 years old
Handler: Mikhail Dmitrov
Stables: Vechnyy
Country: USA
Class: Dressage
Starting Number: n/a
Show Journal: SVI Schooling Show

~~~
Misha, King, and art: Jyynxx
Ref used: fav.me/dasi8k0