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Description
Music: The King's Arrival by Ramin Djawadi

With lined, veiny hands, rough and calloused from years of the great outdoors, Carlson fumbled with his spur strap. He tried numerous times to get the damned tiny strip of leather through the damned tiny buckle, but to no avail. He growled through his teeth.

Briefly he was undignified as he rolled back on his haunches to gain enough momentum to get up. Once standing, he resumed his composure and strode off to find someone with young, slim, able hands to do up his spur strap. He wasn't young anymore, and the only time his body would ever let him pretend that he was was on the back of a horse. His gaunt, weathered face, topped with greying brown hair, reminded him every morning that his youth was behind him, and his stiff fingers in the cold wouldn't let him forget his years. 47 may not seem so old, but Carlson possessed an advanced, dignified attire of age, though his body was still strong and lithe. His fingers just weren't made for damned tiny spur straps!

It was useless to try and look for his groom to help him - he hadn't seen hide nor hair of him all day, and if he happened to catch him now, the lad would get such a battering that he wouldn't be able to do the strap up! With a determined, purposeful stride, but overly mindful of the awful appearance of having one spur on and one off, Carlson set off on a Barn Adventure, frowny faced and grim.

He collared a groom coming round the corner with her hands full of brushes and half asked, half told her to help him. Once his spur strap was nice and tight and secure, Carlson turned on his heels and went to see his horse, wondering whether he would be lucky enough to find him gleaming and readied.

Of course he had no such luck. Acherres beamed at him from under a mop of mane, scraps of straw sticking out everywhichway. Young people these days could never be bothered to lift a finger! Carlson sighed, furrowed his brows, and clicked his fingers impatiently at another hapless groom passing by.

'You: fetch me his grooming kit - it's in my locker. Sharpish!' He barked, tossing her the key.

'Uh, sir...I'm not from-'

His look cowed her into silence and she scurried off, returning minutes later, arms piled high with almost everything that had been in his locker. 'I didn't know which one to get, so I brought them all. I hope you don't-'

He took them, scowling. 'Yes, yes, thanks very much. Now out!' Once she'd been ushered out, he turned back to his horse and started brushing his short clipped coat free of all the straw. 'And you, Ash, had better stand there good and quiet. I don't know why on Earth Red&Sky doesn't supply us with proper grooms - and if I was a betting man I'd wager that damned boy's in the bar.' His own groom had previously made himself scarce almost as soon as he'd set foot in Serenity Lake, and could be found nowhere. There would be hell to pay when they got back - if the groom returned in time to catch Carlson and Ash leaving, because Carlson certainly wasn't going to wait.

What seemed like hours later (all of which were filled with Carlson mumbling and groaning), Acherres finally gleamed. In reality, so practised was he at the simple task of running a few brushes over the beast's wide expanse of flesh, and trimming all that needed to be trimmed, and braiding the neat black tail, that the job was completed in relatively little time. Acherres sighed into his hay at the familiar tugging motion of his mane being plaited, his eyes closed in bliss.

Carlson stepped back and put his hands on his hips. There. His mount was positively gleaming, despite his clipped coat, and not a hair was out of place. Carlson would settle for nothing less - he prided himself on his turnout. Anything less than a shirt and a jacket was not even suitable for casual dress, and when 'formal' came into the question Carlson excelled. He pushed a stray patch of upraised fur on Ash's leg down with the body brush and called it done. With a final stroke of the giant's muzzle, he took himself off to get changed.

***

Dressed all up like this, collar tight at his neck and breeches shining like a white beacon, was how Carlson was second most comfortable. The first most comfortable thing was to be in the saddle. His fingers itched, he could barely wait. He fiddled with one of Ash's ears and the big beast nickered contentedly. The horse in front moved off, rider newly perched on top, and Carlson led Ash forward to mount.

He swung into the saddle, tightened the girth, and began the warm up. Riding Ash was easy - it was like riding a great rolling wave that was ever careful not to let you fall. For the first time that day, Carlson allowed himself a tight lipped smile.'

Serenity Lakes Winter Festival
Name:Acherres
Rider: Carlson Beck
Class(es): Individual Dressage

Really really enjoyed doing this one! Acherres is just too fun to draw, and I had a ball with his tack (that's an Albion Platinum dressage saddle, by the way). Carlson is also easy to draw for me, and I loved drawing all the dressage finery.

So much fun!

Art & Characters (C) me
Referenced from a collection of photos by Nico Morgan
Sand Texture
SAI and Photoshop CS3

Description
Music: The King's Arrival by Ramin Djawadi

With lined, veiny hands, rough and calloused from years of the great outdoors, Carlson fumbled with his spur strap. He tried numerous times to get the damned tiny strip of leather through the damned tiny buckle, but to no avail. He growled through his teeth.

Briefly he was undignified as he rolled back on his haunches to gain enough momentum to get up. Once standing, he resumed his composure and strode off to find someone with young, slim, able hands to do up his spur strap. He wasn't young anymore, and the only time his body would ever let him pretend that he was was on the back of a horse. His gaunt, weathered face, topped with greying brown hair, reminded him every morning that his youth was behind him, and his stiff fingers in the cold wouldn't let him forget his years. 47 may not seem so old, but Carlson possessed an advanced, dignified attire of age, though his body was still strong and lithe. His fingers just weren't made for damned tiny spur straps!

It was useless to try and look for his groom to help him - he hadn't seen hide nor hair of him all day, and if he happened to catch him now, the lad would get such a battering that he wouldn't be able to do the strap up! With a determined, purposeful stride, but overly mindful of the awful appearance of having one spur on and one off, Carlson set off on a Barn Adventure, frowny faced and grim.

He collared a groom coming round the corner with her hands full of brushes and half asked, half told her to help him. Once his spur strap was nice and tight and secure, Carlson turned on his heels and went to see his horse, wondering whether he would be lucky enough to find him gleaming and readied.

Of course he had no such luck. Acherres beamed at him from under a mop of mane, scraps of straw sticking out everywhichway. Young people these days could never be bothered to lift a finger! Carlson sighed, furrowed his brows, and clicked his fingers impatiently at another hapless groom passing by.

'You: fetch me his grooming kit - it's in my locker. Sharpish!' He barked, tossing her the key.

'Uh, sir...I'm not from-'

His look cowed her into silence and she scurried off, returning minutes later, arms piled high with almost everything that had been in his locker. 'I didn't know which one to get, so I brought them all. I hope you don't-'

He took them, scowling. 'Yes, yes, thanks very much. Now out!' Once she'd been ushered out, he turned back to his horse and started brushing his short clipped coat free of all the straw. 'And you, Ash, had better stand there good and quiet. I don't know why on Earth Red&Sky doesn't supply us with proper grooms - and if I was a betting man I'd wager that damned boy's in the bar.' His own groom had previously made himself scarce almost as soon as he'd set foot in Serenity Lake, and could be found nowhere. There would be hell to pay when they got back - if the groom returned in time to catch Carlson and Ash leaving, because Carlson certainly wasn't going to wait.

What seemed like hours later (all of which were filled with Carlson mumbling and groaning), Acherres finally gleamed. In reality, so practised was he at the simple task of running a few brushes over the beast's wide expanse of flesh, and trimming all that needed to be trimmed, and braiding the neat black tail, that the job was completed in relatively little time. Acherres sighed into his hay at the familiar tugging motion of his mane being plaited, his eyes closed in bliss.

Carlson stepped back and put his hands on his hips. There. His mount was positively gleaming, despite his clipped coat, and not a hair was out of place. Carlson would settle for nothing less - he prided himself on his turnout. Anything less than a shirt and a jacket was not even suitable for casual dress, and when 'formal' came into the question Carlson excelled. He pushed a stray patch of upraised fur on Ash's leg down with the body brush and called it done. With a final stroke of the giant's muzzle, he took himself off to get changed.

***

Dressed all up like this, collar tight at his neck and breeches shining like a white beacon, was how Carlson was second most comfortable. The first most comfortable thing was to be in the saddle. His fingers itched, he could barely wait. He fiddled with one of Ash's ears and the big beast nickered contentedly. The horse in front moved off, rider newly perched on top, and Carlson led Ash forward to mount.

He swung into the saddle, tightened the girth, and began the warm up. Riding Ash was easy - it was like riding a great rolling wave that was ever careful not to let you fall. For the first time that day, Carlson allowed himself a tight lipped smile.'

Serenity Lakes Winter Festival
Name:Acherres
Rider: Carlson Beck
Class(es): Individual Dressage

Really really enjoyed doing this one! Acherres is just too fun to draw, and I had a ball with his tack (that's an Albion Platinum dressage saddle, by the way). Carlson is also easy to draw for me, and I loved drawing all the dressage finery.

So much fun!

Art & Characters (C) me
Referenced from a collection of photos by Nico Morgan
Sand Texture
SAI and Photoshop CS3