[OAS] Borrowing Vanilla - Oasis Invitational Working Equestrian

Adrian brushed his long silver hair back into a leather tie, his bright gray eyes studying the horse he was going to be borrowing for the day. The mare’s name was Vanilla Obscura, and she was a pretty little thing. Well, comparatively little. At 15.3hh she was smaller than he was used to. That wasn’t necessarily the horse small so much as he was used to riding bigger, stockier horses. 

Vanilla would be the first Loshenka he’d ridden, and for all he’d never met Hayti, the young barbarian certainly had good taste in horses. The fact she was willing to loan anyone these horses, even for the purposes of a friendly competition, was nothing short of remarkable. 

The sooty seafoam horse nibbled at the ties of his loose fitting blue tunic, seemingly attempting to get at the gold trimming at his neckline. “That’s not for you.” He pushed her nose away gently, admiring the primitive dun markings around her eyes and tracing down her nose. The markings also clearly showed along her legs and body. 

Vanilla seemed to object and once again tried for the ties, though this time Adrian took her reins tightly in hand and turned her head away gently but firmly, his voice more amused than angry. Almost as if he was talking to an unruly recruit who’d engaged in harmless antics. “I said no. Hopefully you’re less mischievous in the competition.” 

The nearly white corset marking along the mare’s midsection almost made it seem as if she was already wearing a saddle, but she wasn’t yet. He picked up the rest of her tack and with the ease of someone used to saddling far more rambunctious horses, he placed and cinched the saddle quickly. 

“Oh, so you’re like that?” Adrian chuckled as Vanilla calmed under the saddle. “You know it’s time to work, huh?” 

He led the mare towards the start of the loop where the working equestrian was to be held, grateful he’d be competing closer to the evening. The afternoon suns of the plains were far hotter than he was used to, but the dusk was comfortable enough. 

The course was full of spectators and the sound of the crowd drifted to where the pair stood, causing Vanilla to dance in a mixture of excitement and nerves. Used to horses trained for war, Adrian did what instinct and experience had taught him, and mounted Vanilla in a smooth motion. Weight in the saddle was often reassuring to trained mounts, and he hoped that would be the case for her as well. 

Fortunately enough, it worked and Vanilla calmed until it was time for them to take their turn at the working equestrian competition. He hadn’t ridden in one of these in a long time, so he was excited to see how he did. Though on an unfamiliar horse it could be interesting. 

The first obstacle was a small, round livestock pen, which he nudged the primitive dun marked horse into and around with little difficulty. He took nothing at speed, but the mare seemed sure footed on the ground of the plains and anxious to pick up pace. 

The mare pulled at his hold as they made for the jump, and he allowed her a little more head. She took the jump beautifully, her long, pale tail brushing the jump as they passed, dirt kicking up as she landed in the ground of the course. 

The mare picked up the pace as they made for an L-shaped passage, Adrian growing more comfortable with her pacing as they moved. She seemed to love the task at hand, her drive for a faster pace perhaps even greater than his own. 

Vanilla picked up the pace, the length of her stride increasing as she careened around through the obstacle leaving divots in the sand. Even from where his place as a rider, the primitive markings on her legs seemed to make her look as if she was going even faster. 

The mare’s enthusiasm almost made them miss the stops so he could ring the bell. The pause was so brief he hoped they’d count it as completing the obstacle. 

Vanilla swung a little wide as they came towards the polearm, the seafoam beauty misreading his signals ever so slightly. He managed to snag it only to have Vanilla Obscura turn too widely for him to catch the first ring. He managed to correct her, the mare tossing her head in annoyance as he slowed her and redirected her onto the course. 

Vanilla settled back in under Adrian’s guidance as he caught the last two rings on the polearm and deposited them all into the waiting barrel. 

The sidepass was less graceful. Adrian was used to less delicately built horses, and Vanilla had a few opinions about how he signaled her. They managed well enough, but it wasn’t the most graceful of efforts as Vanilla broke away early and kicked one of the poles a good distance from where it was supposed to be. 

The rope gate was an interesting challenge, Vanilla thinking it looked more like a snack than an obstacle. As soon as he stopped her to open it, she tried to turn her head to bite at the rope. The motion almost caused him to drop the rope and as he signaled her through the gate so he could close it, she made a more successful effort at grabbing the remaining rope. She somehow managed to pull it free and bolted for the next obstacle as if she knew she’d done something she shouldn’t have. 

Vanilla made for the small, serpentine shrubs faster than Adrian would have liked. He managed to slow her enough to get through without mishap, but it was a near thing. The mare seemed to object more to losing the rope from the prior obstacle, the thing getting caught on one of the branches as they nearly jumped the shrub. 

The last obstacle was the bridge, something Vanilla seemed interested in jumping rather than crossing properly. Adrian once again managed to keep just tight enough control to make it across and to the finish, the mare breathing hard beneath him but still seeming ready to run if given the chance. 

“No, Vanilla, that we’re not doing.” Adrian once again seemed more amused than mad as he dismounted and patted the horse’s neck affectionately. “We’ve had our turn. Time to let others.” 

He started walking back towards the stables, allowing Vanilla time to cool off and making a mental note to thank Hayti for the use of so lovely a horse when he finally saw her.