the silver diva [open]

[[ X E R i A ]]

Jake yawned, stretching one arm up behind his head while the other remained with his hand on Xeria's shoulder. It was way too early, for both of them. Xeria followed with her own yawn, raising her pretty Standardbred head with open maw. Jake had just gotten her from her turn out and clipped her into the cross-ties so he could groom her black coat and silver mane and tail.

After giving her neck a quick scratch, Jake slipped into the tack room and piled everything - his saddle, bridle and brush bag - into his arms and quickly walking back to her, dumping everything on the ground. She pinned her ears and moved sideways, giving a glare with her silvery eyes. She preferred refined movement, things to be done on her time. And she hated her stuff being on the ground.

"Sorry, girl, no where else to put it," he told her, rummaging a brush from his back and running it over her coat. She snorted and shook her head, but looked away from him. Jake had had her since she was a tiny foal since her mother had died shortly after giving birth to her. He'd raised her and knew everything there was to know about her.

As he moved to her feet, he propped her hoof up on his knee, scrubbing at her cornet with the brush to get the caked mud off. He couldn't for the life of him understand why she let herself get so dirty if she insisted on being so clean all the time. But as he leaned over, working at the mud, she lowered her maw to the back of his head and sighed into his black hair. As snotty and demanding as she was, she still saw him as her father-mother of sorts. Besides, the tall, lean mare liked to jump just as much as he did!

[MADDIE is a HIPPEH]

The young riding instructor bounded into the barn, as if it wasn't as early in the morning as it really was. She was a morning person, plus working as a instructor, she was often at the barn early and didn't leave till late, teaching a lesson every few hours.

Well, today she didn't have to teach a lesson till 9 am, which gave her an hour and a half to ride herself. Her grey paint gelding, Walrus hadn't been ridden in awhile. She was thinking about putting him into the lesson program when he wasn't as fresh. He was such a good boy, but he needed to always been ridden or he'd get a bit full of himself.

She walked into the barn, walking toward the stall. A excited whinny come from within as the gelding poke his head out over the stable door. "Hey baby boy!" She said, grinning, scratching at his forehead. She then snapped a lead rope to his halter, leading him out to the cross ties. Her eyes then fell on the male, who was obviously going for a ride himself.

Maybe they'd have a riding buddy this morning. She headed toward the tack room, passing the mare and boy as she did so, giving the enough space not to spook the mare or anything. "Morning." She said, cheerfully as she walked over, saddle pad, bridle, girth and saddle all piled into her arms. As she walked out again, she grinned. "Hope you don't mind having some company."

She then wondered back to Walrus, who stared at the strange mare and human with curious eyes. She patted his neck, moving to clean out his hooves. There was barely any dirt within them, seeing he didn't go out to pasture the night before. He was gaining a bit too much weight on the grass. With that, she slung the tye dye saddle pad and the black English saddle on the gelding's back.

He snorted and tensed up slightly as the girth was tightened. She stopped for a moment, letting the gelding exhale as she finally got it to the hole she wanted. She then looked over, curious on how the stranger was doing. "So, how are you this morning?" The blonde asked, smiling sheepishly.