A Broken Sky

Final Edit: Before show announced closed. Added a bit of a shine to Uisce's coat, where it's darker/still wet.

Edit: Splashes in the water have been 'fixed' - well, I tried at least. I like them better like this, but I definitely still need practice

Well...this was a lot of fun, but my god - why do I put myself through this when I know I can't paint water or clouds XD I'm sorry for the really bad splashes...

I've been working on this since before Uisce was even official and its so good to finally have it finished and be able to share it. I keep thinking there's something I've missed, and annoying as it is, my arm literally aches, so I'm posting it, and if anything looks off, let me know. I have 3 days to fix bits before the show closes

---

Placed First

Show: Norwegian Warmblood Spring-Into-Summer Training Show
Host:
Stable: Lakewood Farm
Horse: Lakewood's Fior Uisce
Rider: Becca Holland
Class: Bareback/Beach Race
Setting: Crescent Cove/Beach

Training


As a note: I've put it in the story to explain further, but the show simply said 'appropriate clothing'. In my eyes, if you're planning to go through the water, you don't wear shoes, because they get heavy, cold and take forever to dry. And I'm pretty sure that having too many layers does the same thing - weighs you down and keeps you cold. So I hope this counts as suitable (especially since I had fun trying to shade and colour wet clothes ).

Reminder: the name is pronounced 'Ooshka'

---

“It’s freezing. She’s going to freeze,” Austin protested, flailing an aggravated arm in Becca’s direction.

“No she’s not,” Chess said calmly.

Becca rolled her eyes, but she was thankful Chess was there to field the concerns, since Uisce had not been keen on using brakes since she’d mounted up.

“What do you mean, ‘she’s not’?” Austin asked, deflating, though he still looked worried. “It looks like a storm’s on the horizon; has all day, she’s not wearing much and they're planning to-“

“I know,” Chess interrupted. “But she’s going to get completely soaked. At least her bare skin will be able to breathe and dry. If she’s bundled up in clothes, they’ll get wet and stay wet and cold – not to mention they’ll weigh her and Uisce down. Trust me.”

Austin hesitated, though he appeared to be considering the theory. He shot a look over at Becca, who cantered a circle so she could nod reassuringly.

“Okay, fine,” he said.

A warning bell rang across the beach.

Chess jumped as though she’d been prodded hard in the back. “Go!” She said to Austin. “Start the engine, get out the blankets, hot water bottle and towels. Becca!”

Becca turned for her friends, just as Austin raced off, throwing a ‘good luck’ over his shoulder that caught the wind and was carried out to sea.

Chess took Becca’s sweater and swept the light fleece off of Uisce’s quarters and tucked it in her arms. The warmblood mare’s tail caught the breeze and lifted, streaming out to the coast. Her nostrils were wide beneath the band of the grackle bridle, her eyes bright with glee and her ears solidly pricked forwards. Becca shivered.

She was sitting surely on the mare’s warm back, just behind the withers where her seat bones moulded around Uisce’s spine. Her heels were tucked close into her belly and held down, giving her some strength against the mare’s eagerness. She gripped the braided reins surely and gently but her skin was covered in gooseflesh, the muscles beneath leaping to stay warm. She was only in a pair of shorts and a racerback top, but Chess was right – too much clothing and she would be worse for it.

“Line up,” Chess said. “We’ll meet you at the end. For god’s sake, if it’s too cold, steer her to the shallows; she’ll be able to gallop and you won’t be submerged, you’ll just get the spray.”

“I know,” Becca said, patiently. “See you in a bit.”

She steered away the dithering mare and coaxed her back to a stand at the flag by the crescent coast that marked the start line.

There was one other horse stood next to her; a striking pale mare who was eyeing the water warily. Uisce snorted, already shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Becca quietly braced her reins, just in case.

“You know the rules and the dangers?” The race marshal checked with them both.

Becca nodded.

He moved to the side and raised his starting pistol.

“Three, two…” BANG.

The pale horse immediately steered out to the right, galloping surely for the firm sand that arched around the cove.

Uisce’s front feet lifted from the ground in excitement, and Becca had to grab a handful of mane to be sure she stayed on. The mare touched down and took off.

Her stride stretched out and Becca felt her back working beneath her as her legs reached for new ground. The wind was hard and Becca hunkered low behind Uisce’s neck. It may have died down from earlier in the day, but out here, the shape of the cove seemed to pull it all in from the horizon.

They made a beeline for the sea.

Uisce fairly leapt into it, clearing the first breaking wave with ease like it was a water jump. They plunged through the churning water, almost up to Becca’s shoulders. It was so cold it stung like needles, and Becca gasped for breath. Uisce had a fine coat, but other than blowing out hard through her nose, she appeared unconcerned, She heaved herself up and forward.

The water fell back to Becca’s lap, and it continued to surge and break against Uisce’s withers as the mare – now apparently enjoying herself- started a determined canter, fighting through the current.

Becca was soaked through, but Chess’ theory so far worked; her skin was prickling with cold where her shirt clung to her, but her arms were beaten dry by the wind, and with each stride they made forwards, the sea seemed less icy cold and more just a bit chilly.

Becca opened her right rein wide and pressed her leg against Uisce’s left side, feeling water swirl around her skin. The mare moved over and the water fell back, down her side until the waves could just pass beneath her belly.

Her toes just skimming the sea, Becca felt the chill again, without the water to insulate, but Uisce could move faster here. The mare’s stride lengthened again, splashes arcing high around them as she set herself into a gallop.

Becca could not even see the other horse. Maybe they’d already finished.

But right there, ahead, was the finish line. They’d made it through the bay.

Steering back to the left a little, so the finish was straight ahead, they fell back into the water. The beat of the waves was almost pleasant, now, and only a little numbing. The reins in Becca's hands were slick, and she kept grip only because of the ridges of the plaits. Her fingers were very pale; her veins standing out blue on her wrists.

Whinnying loudly, Uisce gave another great leap over a wave and cantered up onto the beach between the rushing foam of the surf; washing in with the tide like one of the water horses for which she was named.

They raced through the flags and Becca managed to coax the mare back down. They were raining water everywhere and white sand sparkled over Uisce’s hooves like glitter.

“Here!”

Becca looked up.

Her friends were all gathered at the pickup just outside the fenced off finishing run. A small beach tent had been pitched in the sand, bent under the wind.

Becca made for them and leapt down from Uisce’s back. Chess and Alec hurried away with her, already wielding towels and blankets.

Austin threw a huge blanket over Becca’s shoulders and Twitch handed her two huge hot water bottles, before ushering her into the tent and zipping it closed.

Inside were more towels and a pile of clean, warm clothes.

Hurriedly stripping out of the soaking race garments, Becca towelled herself as fast as she could, pressing her feet into the hot water bottle and feeling sensation return. She pulled on the thick jogging bottoms, t-shirt and huge woollen sweater then shoved her feet – heavily socked – into her boots. She snatched up a long scarf to fold over her hair and around her neck, clutched the water bottles and left the tent.

The wind still raged outside, but now she was dry, it no longer had the bite from before.

Austin and Twitch looked up from their seats in the sand. A short way off, Uisce was being walked by Alec, huddled up in a fleece with towels over her neck. She still strode along with springs in her fetlocks and her neck arched high.

Becca couldn't help smiling at her.

“Well?” Twitch asked.

Becca handed her the hot water bottles. “She was great. Didn't even falter for a moment."

Twitch laughed. "I meant you."

"Warm and dry," Becca assured. "Thanks, guys.”

Alec led Uisce over and handed her the white rope. Her halter had replaced her bridle.

“Go on,” Chess said, appearing around the pickup brushing her hands off. “Go find out your results.”

Feeling giddy, Becca hugged Uisce’s head. The mare blew out warmly against her stomach; she appeared to enjoy this kind of affection. Becca let her go and they both turned and hurried up the beach to find out how they placed.

---

For those interested: I decided to put her in a grackle because it will help keep her mouth closed (not because she crosses her jaw). Especially given that she's going through water and an incoming tide, the last thing you want is her to get excited and open her mouth to evade the bit, leaving you with no steering or control. So the noseband just stops her evading direction that way. A flash would work the same, but a grackle crosses over higher on the face, leaving more room for deep breathing up the nasal passage.

And 'bracing the reins' as Becca does in the story (and you can sorta not really see in the picture) is when you cross the reins and grip both the length of rein to the bit, and the excess rein from the other side of the horse's neck in the same hand. It's also called a cross (in racing, where you see it most). You can see it here at about 1:15 - [link]

Anyway.

As mentioned, I started work on this days and days ago. I used more tutorials and reference images on this than on the last several things in my gallery combined XD. Uisce took a little while to get right, as did Becca, but most of the work went into that background. I did it in about 4-5 hours in one go this morning. It is all handpainted except for the use of a very faint texture on the ocean farther out. Bits of it annoy me, and probably always will - I just can't draw the ocean - but I'm actually pretty happy with it and I can at least be kinda pleased with the sky, because I make a habit of avoiding precise lighting and overcast skies just because I think they're so awkward. Hopefully it doesn't look like a complete botch job .

I'm so glad I finished this in time to enter her into the show. Just a case of crossing fingers now.

Time - probably around 8 hours total? Background in one sitting, but the rest in several here and there.
References: [link] [link]
Texture: [link]
Tutorials: [link] [link]
Art, characters and story copyright to *Tattered-Dreams
NWB breed copyright to *TackRack
Do not take, copy, edit, redistribute or manipulate.