The Measurement of Change

AQHR NPC Show | March/April

Featuring:

Tyler Raymore on Risky Business

and

Taysom Kelce on NRR Clarity on Canvas

Level: 2
Class: Cross Country
Horse's Name: Risky Business and NRR Clarity on Canvas
Rider/Handler's Name: Tyler Raymore and Taysom Kelce
Bonus Prompt Included: No
NPC Features: --
Previous Rider Experience: Tyler: [1] [2] [3] Taysom: [1] [2] [3]
Previous Horse Experience: Risky: [1] [2] [3]

Placed: Second AND Reserve Grand Champs!

Results

Follows months after:  

(story summary below the wall of text, feel free to scroll on down for all your non-reading needs~)

“How ya been, big dawg?” Taysom greeted in his warm way where no one was a stranger. He hooked an arm around Ty’s shoulders, pulling him in for a half hug, ruffling his mop of hair. 

     Ty chuckled, stumbling over his own feet, his chicken legs powerless against the pull of the mighty Taysom. “Dude, I’ve been straight chillin’! Evie’s place is so awesome, man.” It was never the plan but one thing led to the next. What started as an extended vacation turned into a prolonged injury on both Risky and Ty’s part which just naturally fed right into he just kinda…never left. And neither one of them really wanted it any other way. They were both so happy to have each other. 

     “She put you on the payroll yet,” Taysom jested and laughed, patting Ty’s shoulder. 

     “You mean I could get paid!?” Ty laughed back. Obviously, he was in the sugar baby position. Evie was the breadwinner by no stretch of the imagination. Ty didn’t even belong in the same school, let alone the same class as Evie. And yet, somehow he didn’t make her feel like she was under a microscope and she didn’t make him feel like an insignificant ant under her shoe. 

     “Well, I’m glad you came out. It’s really good to see you, bud.” Taysom was genuine, enjoying the company of the young riders he watched grow up. It felt like the stable had scattered in the recent years with Zora moving branches, Chris changing stables, now Ty was distant too. They were all like family to him; sisters and brothers. “You seriously never took Risky out on cross country? I swear of all the things you’ve done with her-”

     Ty shook his head, “No, I swear! Never been on a legitimate cross country course! I mean, we’ve practiced on a couple courses but never did a competition, nah! I’m kinda excited! If you’re still willing to help us out-” 

     “Of course I am! Dude, it’s so much fun! Risky will kill it!” 

     Ty smiled warmly, stopping at his stall front, greeted by a half a second of curious grey ears to see if this was a feed visit and then they went backwards again, realizing it was not. Risky sighed and shuffled to the back wall, staring at the corner like if she didn’t make eye contact, she wasn’t there. “I hope it goes well. It’s probably the first and last we’ll do it. I guess after that injury, she hasn’t really been her prime self anymore. She’s sound, she does it but I can tell she… she doesn’t just run through everything we face anymore.” Ty shrugged, looking at his aged grey mare. She was always his mighty mare. But age was catching up to her and fast. “So I wanna check off anything I’ve always wanted to do with her while I still have time,” he smiled again. 

     Taysom patted Ty’s shoulder, looking at the mare too. The day came for every horse. When the can became can’t. When the will became won’t. Everyone knew Risky was Ty’s heart and soul. It didn’t matter she looked like a few ideas glued together to form a horse, really didn’t have the best manners or training. He loved that horse.

     “Let’s go get you suited up, bro.” 

     Taysom had his hands full way more than Ty did! Taysom had out an eager stud looking to prove himself on the course! A horse that should be called such a pretty thing like Clarity. But he was full Clarence today. With a mare on his side giving him the “i’ll end your genetics today” flat ears and flashing teeth and a whole wide open course to run on!? Clarence was unstoppable! 

     The boys were all fits of laughter trying to organize their run. It was mostly Taysom holding the lid on Clarence while Risky grunted and huffed over the little logs in her way. Then she would pin her ears and chase after Clarence to bite at him, causing a whole other game within a game. 

     Approaching a jump over a log, Ty watched as Clarence ran through Taysom’s hands trying to whoa up so they could go together but the stud had his own agenda. Taysom bit down and held on as Clarence was clear for take off! 

     Ty thought at one point in Risky’s life, she would have done the same as she had before over many jumps in the past. But he felt her pull up as she recognized the jump was a little tricky and unknown to her. Whereas she would just cannonball ahead before, he felt her catch herself, stutter, and almost stop before carefully lifting her feet, snorting at the sight of water before she plopped down into the ditch. Perhaps, it was time to be grateful the mare was coming to her senses how to better set herself up for success. While on one hand, it broke Ty’s heart to know she wasn’t her bold self anymore, on the other hand, he couldn’t stand to watch her bound up in a stall and limping around again because of an avoidable injury. 

     The measurement of change was simply the definition of time moving on for all of them. 

(879 wordcount)

TLDR SUMMARY;

--Ty and Tay still alive and well <3

--Ty has been happily living will his girlfriend and pretty much they did a silent move-in together (move in with her; its her stable after all...)

--Risky has been slowing down in her age so Ty just wants to do the fun things with her while he can <//3

--Tay more than happy to run cross country with him in tandem for his first time!

--It ends up being quite the circus act as Clarence does not want to just "behave" - yuck~

--The boys had fun nonetheless <3

Previous: Faded But Untarnished || Next: TBA

Struggled to think who I wanted to take out for this show for the longest time; I've got a lot of my characters locked up in plots - thanks, me. But also thanks to me, I whipped together this lil' reunion and it made my heart warm (and kinda sads)

Horrible reality, I actually have a horse irl that's met her time as well. Hell, my whole barn of horses, save a couple, are all in their 20's now and they feel it. So the Risky storyline is hitting raw these days. But it's not like it's a secret. She's old, she has bad conformation, she wasn't ever really ridden well. You can blame Ty for that but tell that to a young kid just out there having fun on his horse, not really knowing any better. Luckily, now he's surrounded by good people that can at least help him in her later years as the joints rust and the engine gets tired. <''3

So she needed a nice piece <3 Watercolor-esque brushes and loose detailing~ For a soft and happier time even if it has underlying tones of sadness. And the contrast of the young and bold over there with Clarence xD A comic relief and where one chapter is near its end, another chapter for a different life is only beginning.

And can we just take a minute to drool over the rock game of this thing? Can Dras claim to maybe have an idea how to do rocks???? Ponies are great BUT LOOK AT THOSE ROCKS. I'm hella proud of those rocks xD They bring me a ridiculous amount of joy~ And you better believe it, they are done one at a time. I couldn't think of a better way to do it than just suck it up and get comfy with some rocks xDDD

Cross Country is so much fun to draw for 😭

Risky/Ty/Taysom/Clarence/Zora/Chris/Art © @Drasayer

Evie © @acetoma

No specific refs for cross country goodness, pony shenanigans, or boys having a laugh~

Procreate/PhotoshopCS6