Catch a Ride

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Follows weeks after: Break Every Bone

     It had been a hot minute since Dave and Tristan were reunited on a course. Usually on opposing ends but today they shared a common field. In a bizarre turn of events, they were both working for RidgeRunner now. Once rivals, now...teammates? Though, Dave would argue the Northern Branch was the superior show jumping barn. Aside from the thrill of a drag hunt, it seemed they were all out to get some exposure on their mounts in one fashion or another. Tristan had his up and coming eventer, America. Dave was finally getting Gualemar out of the yard, back to his old stomping grounds, in fact. And Jarin, well, Jarin was about to begin his journey with a jumper to call his own.
     "Do you think she'll like me?" Jarin asked, rubbing the palms of his hands on his chest. They were a tad sweaty from his nerves about this new horse. Not that he feared it would go wrong, he was just excited as he was about any opportunity to meet another horse! After the fallout with Chris at the Midsummer event, Jarin didn't feel it was right to keep riding Hakuna if it upset Chris. Dave tried to reassure him that wasn't the case but with Chris's silence on the subject entirely, how was anyone to know? That meant Jarin needed a new mount to continue his show jumping career. With Tristan being busy settling in, Dave adamantly stuck his foot in the searching process. Honestly, he feared the boy buying some spotted three-legged donkey without even considering lineage, experience, and career results. He had seen Jarin's other "horses". It was time he got a real one.
     Dave's stride faltered only a little at the silly question that tumbled out of Jarin's mouth. It was hard to believe the boy was in his early twenties. He spoke with the same intelligence as his four year old toddler most days. "I hardly think that will be the deciding factor today, Mr. Jackson." It was more of a matter if the horse could survive a force like Jarin Jackson.
     Jarin saw the mare lift her head out of the stall. Dave had arranged for her to be dropped off ahead of time so she was settled and ready for when they got there. He grinned, mentally patting himself on the back as Jarin cooed and jogged after her to inspect the mare. A gorgeous shade of chestnut, just as a good horse should be! (It was no secret what Dave preferred…) She was sturdy boned, a fit looking mare, stout but still looked feminine. From her previous records in show and training, she had adequate skills for Jarin to work with. Not as polished as Hakuna, but Jarin couldn't afford the likes of horses like Hakuna. This would be a good project for him to understand his own style of riding a little better, rather than relying on the horse so much. It was time the boy had some tangible skills under him rather than hoping for luck.
     Jarin greeted the mare with an outstretched hand, eyes scanning over every part of her. Jarin didn't have the same developed eye to pick out talented horses and desirable conformation like the others. He saw a beautiful horse before him no matter what! Like a little kid that was overjoyed to have a potbellied, stub legged hairy pony in their backyard, she was special no matter what! She could be his! He bit his lip, holding in a squeal and giggle as she bumped his hand curiously. The mare didn't know what to think of the boy just yet. She kept a cautious eye and ear on him. There was a lot of energy coming from him and she didn't know if that was a good thing…
     Jarin leaned over backwards, his smile smeared all over his face, "What's her name!?"
     Dave blinked, expression bland as porridge. He presents him with an exquisite model of a horse and all he wants to know is a made up title slapped on her by humans… "Will that honestly impact your relation with her…"
     Jarin shook his head, "Not at all! But she has to have a name! What else am I supposed to call her?"
     ..........
     "Violet." Just answer the boy's silly questions and they could move on.
     "Violet!" Jarin was in love. He said it wouldn't impact his relationship with her but he was infatuated with her already! Violets were such pretty little flowers. Somewhat of a soft spot for Jarin, growing up and helping his moms in the garden as a kid. Something Dave wouldn't have known but stumbled right into fate!

     Dave had his trademarked hard stare, shifting in his saddle. He thought it would be quite fitting to bring his stud back to where he had hailed while trying out this mare. As his riding slowed down more and more, he had started looking into Hunter classes when he came across the sale of a fine Selle Francais, Gaulemar. He fit Dave's image of a horse to the letter. And they had been getting along quite nicely back at home. He admired the natural consistency of "Guppy". (He let the nickname slide with his toddler since it was better than him trying to say Gummy).
     He scanned the field for familiar faces and those that he had heard of in the media. He saw the bright horse Tristan had brought along that he'd never be able to convince Dave that it was a chestnut. He looked back at Jarin on Violet to make sure he wasn't already doing something daft. Letting him being his simple-minded hound was a regret already.
     Jarin patted Violet's neck, leaning over, talking to his eager hound, "Now, Griff, you gotta stay close to me, okay? No getting lost! Okay?"
     Griff yipped and hopped around Violet's legs like he wanted to join Jarin in the saddle. Jarin giggled and waved a hand at him, giving the reins a pull to settle Violet down. She really wasn't a fan of the hairball yapping between her legs. She snorted and thumped her braided tail back and forth in protest. While she didn't get the sense that her rider was a complete newbie, she wasn't convinced of his resolution or confidence.
     Jarin glanced up, seeing the golden coat of Tristan's horse. He smiled proudly, presenting his horse with all his pride before him, "Tristan, look! Her name is Violet! Isn't she pretty!?"
     Tristan eyed the mare, looking her over… he could tell from a mile away that she was the kind of horse that Dave had picked up for Jarin, rather than being anything that Jarin would choose. “She looks competent enough… how much was she?” He asked, glancing to Dave curiously, wondering where Jarin had got the money to afford a slightly less shitfest of a horse…
     “She’s definitely competativetable-”
     Dave talked over Jarin like talking over a child in the room, “At least two digits more than what he had spent on those other horses of his combined. She has the training and experience. Room to grow in potential if the boy keeps his head on his shoulders…” Both metaphorically and quite literally.
     “Mm…” Tristan continued over Jarin, he wasn’t exactly an authority on the matter. “She’s a nice looking horse, bombproof no doubt if you’ve picked her up, but how bombproof is she?” He gave Jarin a very meaningful look before he glanced back to Dave. “After all, I’d rather she didn’t get spooked because of...unexpected antics…”
     "She probably wouldn't survive a bomb-" Jarin tried to be a part of the conversation.
     Dave smiled politely, disregarding the noises coming out of Jarin's mouth, "Are you implying I sought a daft horse for the boy? You know the saying; opposites attract." He chuckled quietly to himself. The horse was the least of his concerns, honestly.

Or, he had hoped.

     She had far too much energy for Dave's personal liking. But he did give her the benefit of the doubt, eyeing the boy on her back. Lord only knew what kind of buzz Jarin had being on a new horse and surrounded by dogs and horses. If they had frolicked through a field of flowers, he may have burst into confetti. Jarin was having a blast! He was out and about with two cool riders and on his very own jumper! Or, soon to be his! He still had to work to pay for her. And he still had to prove they were going to be okay together. But still!
     Over the first hedge, he could tell she was far different than Hakuna! She wasn't as strung out. Her strides were more compact and tight. He felt like he could convince her to canter on the spot (though he dared not try). Her jumps had more snap to them than Hakuna; whereas he had more fluid and smooth jumps. Violet felt like she could jump forty fences in a row, no problem, and never change her pace, maybe even speed up! Wow! Even if his hands were getting sore from holding her back, she was so cool!
     Though Dave didn't necessarily relax because nothing catastrophic had happened yet; he simply tried not to think about it. If one thought about Jarin self destructing, then he did. If one tried to ignore it, he still set of his nukes. All Dave could do was look ahead, take his jumps, enjoy the scenery, and wait for if and when it all went horribly wrong. Silly boy-
     "Griff! You can't jump off that! Wa-wait!!"
     Dave's eyes rolled to the side like they were four-ton boulders. Did he even want to look? This was the deciding moment if she'd be able to handle that child. "Good God-" muttered Dave as Guppy flicked an ear at the shenanigans beside him.
     Tristan heard that legendary sound the very millisecond it started to escape Jarin’s mouth. Chaos-mode had activated and who knew who the casualties would be. He was terrified to look and yet his eyes couldn’t help but drag across as America leapt over the fence like a seasoned professional… “Oh shit…”
     Griff had wanted to join in on the fence jumping with his human! He saw a taller wooden fence and had jumped up onto it and leaped at Jarin, several feet into the air! He could ride right with him now! He soared for him, hair and tongue flapping in the wind!
     Jarin decided in a heartbeat that he had to catch Griff! He'd get hurt if he landed from such a height! He dropped the reins and spun in his saddle as Violet zipped past over the wall. He stretched his arms out as far as he could, snagging Griff out of the air by his scruff and pulling him in close.
     Violet hit the ground, head in the sky, eyes wide and bolted! She didn't enjoy the dog before, she certainly didn't want it on her back!! She gave a hard buck, tipping her head down for another! Jarin yelped, holding onto Griff in his lap and snatching the reins just as she ducked! He was yanked forward onto Violet's withers, only just staying on top of her. He hooked his heels around the base of her neck and pulled her head around as best he could while clinging desperately to Griff.
     Round and round they went, another baby buck there, an excited bark here, incoherent gibberish squawked over it all. The dust settled and lo and behold...Jarin was still sat somewhat on top of her. Dislodged from the saddle, sat on her withers, slightly leaned to one side, dog still under one arm…
     Jarin slowly lowered Griff to one side and let him drop to the ground. He quickly hurried his butt back into the saddle, pulling Violet back as she snorted loudly at Griff. The simple hound took a couple wary steps back, tongue still lolling out of his toothy grin. He hadn't minded the ride one bit!
     Jarin set his helmet back on straight and looked around for Dave and Tristan. If they expected a disheveled, bewildered or scared look, they'd have assumed the polar opposite. He smiled, cheeks red from exertion, huffing a little from the adrenaline, and shot them a thumbs up, "We're cool!"
     OMG, the moment the words left his mouth, his heart tickled his ribs. Cool! That was the first time Jarin ever felt cool!
     “You are never bringing that dog out with you again, Jarin… he’s by no means well-trained enough to come with you.” Tristan stated, regathering the breath that had escaped him in his moment of alarm.
     “Aw, he just wanted to ride my new horse too!” Jarin smiled proudly.
     Dave had halted Guppy immediately as they landed, watching the rodeo clown make his rounds. He was having flashbacks of scraping the boy out of the mud from the last hunt. Why was it that he did decently during training back at the stables, yet turns into a buffoon anywhere else?
     The last thing Dave had expected to come out of his mouth was a chuckle. He covered it up with the back of his hand to be polite about it. Perhaps, he had finally snapped and gone mad. All of the stresses of being a failing father, having an unsteady career, and now this degenerate of a human still somehow walking the face of the Earth. “Yes, of course. He wanted a ride. A dog! Riding a horse! Madness!” Dave broke into a laugh, covering his eyes so he didn’t weep.
     Jarin’s smile stayed as long as it could before he started to get a little concerned about Dave. Was it a joke he didn’t understand? He looked to Tristan, mouthing his concerns, “I don’t get it…?”
     Tristan looked at Jarin like he was a complete idiot, opening his mouth to no doubt dish out some more insults when he heard a chuckle come from Dave… not a sound he’d expected he stared at Dave like he had grown a second head. Before slowly, as Dave’s mental state deteriorated, a slight smirk came across Tristan’s face, which then also broke into chuckle “Ah yes, how silly of me, he just wanted a ride.” He snorted, with quite a bit less decorum than Dave had as he creased up over the saddle as well, shaking his head. Fuck sake Jarin.
     Jarin stared blankly at the both of them laughing. He didn’t get it. What was going on? Why were they laughing? Was it something he said? Jarin’s cheeks turned a shade red, completely baffled and maybe a little concerned. He really wasn’t sure if he and Griff were in trouble or not. He wasn’t sure about anything. Another second later and he, too, couldn't help but giggle even if he didn't know what the joke was. For just a moment Jarin wasn't a complete hopeless nincompoop, Tristan wasn't heartbroken, and Dave wasn't a failed father. If only laughter could cure everything...


(2513 word count)
thought I'd cut it down to a reasonable length
but I cba and the story matters to me

tldr; Jarin got a new pony that didn't kill him right away. Dave goes a bit insane but in a good(?) way? Nobody dies. 

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VIIIIIIOLET
GUUUPPPPERRSSSSSS
And Murica!
Three pons that have been waiting so patiently for their time to shine!~ Jarin was supposed to be on Violet months ago but pft, since I didn't do HCL this year, plans got shifted around xD I finally got around to her! She's going to be Jarin's new boingo pony! I don't know how well they will survive each other but eh, he didn't die Day 1. So the future is looking...good? xD
What will happen to poor Hakuna? Welp, that's yet to be determined :'') Mah poor lad. 

So I wanted to do something a little more chill than just throw them in a strict show or something. Start off relaxed and fun at a hunt <3 And I tried to kind of feed that into the vibe of this piece. Just relaxed morning in the gorgeous scenery about. Really played around on the digi side of this tradigi xD Experimenting and finding new thingies to do with these since I don't think they're going away any time soon since I can get so much more done being able to do these at work! But lordy, did I learn that three pony/rider pairs pushes my paper boundaries xD Mind you, I work on 5.5in x 8.5in (13.9cm x 21.6 cm) paper!
Naked Sketch:

Some of these faces got stupid tiny. Like...i don't ever want to do a tiny face like this again xD
Just for reference HOW TINY: 
 TOO TINY FOR ME.

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Jarin/Violet/Dave/Guppy/Chris/Hakuna/Art © Drasayer
Tristan/America © Saoradh 
No specific refs used other than reference images provided by hunt host.


Pencil/Photoshop CS6