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Snow Baby

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:iconlakewoodfarmplz:

I've had a bit of a nutty week at work, and have been working almost non stop on the Teepee Trials, so I thought I could give myself a short break to return to Lakewood.

Because I miss it.

We haven't seen much of it since...gah -summer time? There might have been one or two images over autumn, but not much. So now we're in December, and Lakewood always gets snow before I do, so I figured it was about time for some to head their way. Which fitted in nicely when I found a mini show for the snow season :D




Show: Equibreak's December Challenge Mini Event
Host: :iconequibreak:
Stable: Lakewood Farm
Horse: Fior Uisce
Rider:  Rebecca Holland
Class:  December Challenge: Horse's first Snow
Setting: Fields behind Becca's Parent's house.




The tinny rendition of 'Silver Bells' exploding out of her phone was what woke Becca at barely six am on a Sunday morning. Groaning into her pillow, she fumbled for it on her nightstand and yanked it back beneath the warm blankets.

"What?" she demanded into the speaker, when she'd received the call without checking the ID. Whoever was calling her on her weekend off at her Parents' house, at this time in the morning, had better be dying, dead or worse.

"Its me."

Chess' voice was a breathless whisper into her ear. There was a kind of restrained glee to it, and as Becca listened for her to say more, she realised she could hear the sound of a horse snorting in the background.

"Chess...are you in the barn?"

"Yes." She was still whispering. There was a fumbling sound, and then Becca heard the crackle of their radio, and Christmas music began pouring through the barn at a low hum, flowing into Becca's phone and filling the cave of blankets she'd made over her head. Closing her eyes, she could almost see Lakewood's barn with it's warm, orange glow and sweet smell of meadow hay.

"What are you doing in the barn? Its early. Really early."

"Are you still in bed?"

"Where else would I be?" Becca asked, quirking an eyebrow at her pillow as though Chess could see her. "Its *early*."

"It *snowed*," Chess whispered back, placing the same weight into the second word as Becca had to hers.

It got Becca moving, though.

She scrambled from the blankets, tossing them away and racing for her window. Being back in her childhood room - even if it had been redecorated somewhat - always made her feel like a preteen again when it came to getting up. She yanked on the cord and the sash shot to the ceiling with a 'Shhhhiiiiick' sound.

Her parent's house was a little country place; two stories and a gabled roof with dormer windows, a little front porch and sitting in an L Shape, where an old barn had long ago been converted to a farmhouse kitchen and double garage. The cobblestone yard at the front funnelled into a curving drive, which led past a couple of paddocks before joining the road, with a set of ornate wooden gates sitting on the boundary. Becca had grown up in the house, and it was the scene of many sleepovers involving Chess when they were in school. They had been nearly nineteen before Austin had been allowed to join in, when her parents finally realised he really was just a friend.

But overnight, the world outside the window had changed. The stone birdbath, shallow pond, cobblestone yard and trough with its old fashioned manual water pump were all buried under a blanket of snow. It glittered under the early sun, untouched and blinding. The sky was far too light; full of snow that promised to fall before the day was done.

Becca was beaming so hard at the picture that she took a moment to realise Chess was still talking.

For a long time, they had endeavoured to ride out first thing in the morning when the first snow fell. Usually Chess - who had a strange knack for waking up early when it had snowed - woke her, and they would be gone and back all before the morning feeds. But with Becca away, her best friend had resorted to a phone call. And Chess didn't like to talk loudly in their first snow hacks - she often felt it was better experienced in the quiet.

"...not that far, so I figured it would have reached you too- Becca?"

"I'm here," Becca hurried to answer, finding herself whispering too. "Yes, it reached me. Its everywhere. Give me twenty minutes."

"Done." Chess hung up.

Becca threw her phone back to her bed - no longer mourning for the blankets - and turned to haul her clothes from her bag. She tugged on some thick jodpurs, two sweaters and a hacking jacket over that. She pulled a beanie over her hair so that it flared out around it, stuffed her gloves in her pocket, found two pairs of socks, and then pocketed her phone as she raced down through the house.

Everything was quiet. Her parents were still asleep, and the stairs didn't creak, so she was quickly in the hall. She tiptoed over the flagstone that ruled most of their downstairs flooring and into the Kitchen. The counters were scrubbed clean, the kettle empty and her dad's carpet slipers on the floor by the dishwasher. Ace was curled up in a cushioned wicker basket by the aga cooker. She was twisted in blankets, her paws slack around a mauled old teddy bear as she slumbered.

Ace loved the kitchen, and she loved the aga most, so she rarely slept by Becca's bed when they were here.

Becca left her to sleep, pulling on her boots by the glass door, using only the light of the sun, reflecting off the snow. She scrawled a note to her parents, though they would likely guess where she was, and filled the kettle before letting herself out.

The snow crunched delightfully underfoot with her first step.

A blackbird hopped two steps across the snow filled birdbath before taking off into the trees.

Becca took in a deep breath, letting the sharp, open smell of clean snow rush into her lungs, and then took off at a run, around the garage to the barn set up behind it.

She forced open the door against the snow drift that had piled outside it, and slipped inside. It was a small, cosy space. The walls were lined with haybales, the floor littered with crushed stalks and made from warm earth. Beams spanned across the roof, holding up bridle pegs, haynets and rugs. Two feedbins stood against the left hand wall and right ahead was a single little loose box, sectioned off in the barn by driftwood half height walls. Uisce was looking over the door at her, wrapped up to her ears in a thick, quilted rug. Her eyes were bright, her nostrils flared, and Becca wouldn't be surprised if she could smell the snow.

She would have seen it before, of course, but Becca had never known her then, so she was looking forward to it. She slid her halter over her head and led her into the open area of the barn. She was warm under the rug, but didn't protest as it was removed and folded over her door. She had been clipped nearly a month before, and the hair was slowly growing back, but the blanket cut could still be seen. Becca tacked her up quietly and quickly.

"Okay, Girl," she whispered to the mare, when she was done. "Lets go have some fun and we'll be back in time for breakfast."

Uisce didn't seem too concerned about breakfast. Her ears were pricked strongly towards the crack of the open door, her head high and tail already rising.

Becca gently clicked her tongue, and the mare shook herself as she stepped in with her. Becca forced the door farther out, and led them out into the blinding world.

Uisce snorted loudly, freezing on the threshold. She was gazing out at the fields and her breath came in sharp puffs that coalesced like little clouds.

"Ingo," Becca murmured, reverting to her strange nickname. "Come on."

The mare held on for a moment longer, and then she seemed to decide it wasn't scary at all. She danced out of the doorway, her neck arching in so that she could watch in wonder at the flurries of snow kicked up by her own hooves. Coming to a stop, she glanced behind her - taking in the messy furrows she had created - and then walked carefully forwards a few steps. She stopped to look again, seeing the more precise holes she had left this time.

She snorted again and trotted an elegant circle around Becca, who held her reins loosely as she laughed at her. "Okay, cool it. Come on, we have to get to the mounting block."

She started walking, and Uisce seemed content to follow for a few steps, but a moment later, Becca felt the reins tug in her hands. Looking back herself, she could see the mare's forelegs splayed out in a foal-like way as she stretched her neck down, tongue curled out, and licked at the snow.

Her head shot up; shock at the cold, but the next moment, whatever brain freeze she had experienced seemed to be agreeable, because she resumed the position and reached out her tongue again, her eyes bright with babyish glee.

Becca's phone rang again and she fished it out as she watched her horse walk in lines, her tongue grazing over the snow.

"Ready?" Chess asked.

"Nearly. I'm out and she's out, but she's too busy eating snow for me to get on."

Chess laughed quietly. "Get me a picture."

Becca smiled fondly at the Warmblood as she finally lifted her head and eyed Becca, as though to say 'well, aren't we going?'

"That's a given," she said finally. "Here we go."

She plugged a set of headphones into the phone, until she could hear Aphie's delicate snorts in her ears all the way from Lakewood's hacking trails, and slid the phone into her pocket. Uisce stood quietly for her to put the reins over her head and quickly mount up.

"I'm good to go," she said. Uisce was warm and humming with energy beneath her.

She heard Chess giving Aphie a pat down the phone line as they started off.

Smiling, Becca nudged Uisce forward, and the mare snorted once more into the air before striding away from the little house and towards the trees.





And now its late, so I have to stop here. Hope you guys enjoyed seeing Uisce again; I had fun drawing her, that's for sure :)

So much still to do, though :faint:

Artwise, this was meant to be a sketch, for a sketchy show, but as freaking usual, I got carried away. And maybe the background is a bit simple, but I really wanted it to be barely there. Snow also causes these lovely under lights/reflections on things, and its beautiful, but I don't think I pulled that off too well here. I tried, anyway :) As for the pose, it literally sprang to mind when I saw the show journal, but I had a little trouble drawing it, and so I think there are definitely flaws, but even with them, I really like the outcome. And I admit, half of the reason I did this was purely to draw one of my horses with a clip :D

Time - a couple of hours - 2/3 - by the time I finished tweaking.
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ReQuay's avatar
She is so so pretty in the snow!  I adore this wintery image.  The pose, the colors, and that cute as heck tongue licking the snow.  I just wish I could teleport myself to this wonderfully festive scene.