hard to love

kat langston

[katlangston]

is that katherine langston? i’ve seen them often around cedar ridge, which may be because they are a farrier @ self-employed. they're fourty-five, have been in town for twenty-two years and i’ve known them to be confident but also blunt. for some reason, bloodline by alex warren reminds me of them, as well as the heat of the kiln.

Being the oldest of two was probably a blessing for Kat, caring for and loving her younger sister planted a small nurturing streak in her that curbs Katherine's mostly harsh personality. Fiercely independent, it was no surprise when she left home at the age of eighteen as soon as she finished high school, Kat having held various odd jobs since she was thirteen. Traditional schooling wasn't for her, Kat going to work on a farm as a ranch hand.

During this time she picked up a number of skills, working every aspect of the property. When the ranch tried to keep from paying outside traders, ranch hands found themselves doing all sorts of jobs, and Kat discovered she had quite the knack for hoof care. When the ranch eventually changed hands, Kat found herself butting heads with the new management, quitting and taking an apprenticeship with a farrier, learning the finer points of the trade.

Shortly after, she moved to Bear Creek, and has been living in town ever since. There's plenty of work to be had, between commercial enterprises and people's personal horses. She has a way of dealing with difficult horses that makes people look past her sometimes abrasive attitude.

[hndsights]

"Take  your  time."  With  a  tip  of  his  head  Jesse  handed  off  an  ice  cold  bottle  of  water  to  the  farrier.  He  stretched  his  back  needlessly,  though  he  could  feel  the  phantom  exhaustion  of  hunching  over  for  long  periods  of  time.  Kat's  job  wasn't  easy  but  he  was  grateful  for  her,  especially  when  she  had  the  patience  to  work  on  his  mustangs.  Today,  it  was  just  a  couple  of  his  working  horses.

Only  the  mustangs  he'd  break  and  train  would  ever  be  shoed,  the  wild  ones  that  lived  in  preservation  on  his  ranch  would  forever  go  untouched.  "He  keeps  throwing  the  shoe  on  the  back  left..."  It  was  why  she'd  been  called  out  again.  "I  think  he's  got  some  pain  and  soreness  there..."  Taking  a  drink  of  his  own  water,  he  nodded  his  head  to  the  hoof  in  question.  "You  see  anything  when  cleaning  and  filing?"

[katlangston]

Kat nodded when he told her to take her time. Kat didn't rush, not unless an older horse was having trouble balancing on stiff joints. Hoof care wasn't something you wanted to rush - it didn't take much to get it wrong.

"Thanks." She took the bottle, cracking it open and taking a few gulps before setting it aside to get back to work. She glanced to the leg in question, running a hand down it again. "Nothing in the leg itself. He's got a bruise from stepping on something without the shoe, but that's an after-effect. I'd be getting someone out to look at his hips." An equine body worker or similar would be able to figure out if something was out of alignment.

[menalore]

She stood back, watching as the other woman exerted all of her strength into each hit all the while covered in small droplets of sweat from the physical labor. Filomena could never. The mere thought of it was enough to make her face strain with distaste. It didn’t look bad on the other woman though. Even from the distance Mena could see the muscles that lined her arms, not to mention the ease with which Kat handled herself. “  I’m sure he’s got nowhere better to go.  ” she said from where she stood, letting a small smile adorn the delicate features of her face. Pushing off the wall, she dared to move closer yet leaving enough of a gap to where the beast wouldn’t trample her if it were frightened. “  How come you can stab all those nails into his feet?  ”

[katlangston]

Kat let out a little chuckle when the other said the horse had nowhere better to be. "He'd probably prefer to be eating grass." She mused, shrugging. But he was being patient, and Kat appreciated that. While she was good at working with the less tolerant horses, it was far to hot to be dealing with that today. Her hand brushed over his flank, beginning on the next foot. A brow raised slightly when the woman referred to it as 'stabbing', which she didn't bother debating. "Because that part isn't alive. It's like the end of your fingernail, you can't feel when you cut your nails. Horses have about half an inch of that on the outside. That's what the nails go through." She had no problem answering genuine questions.

[aevumfm]

he'd thought about waving on his way past the yard on the outward section of his walk, but seeing her engrossed and hard at work, opted not to. matthew didn't make the same sensible decision on his way past again on the return, but kat was surely used to his penchant for pestering those he cared about by now. "oh, great stuff," he squinted in the high sun, free hand cupped over his eyes as he watched from his deliberately chosen vantage point. a safe, respectable distance from the animal. the worker, too, he supposed. "i brought water... and granola bars, because i got hungry." he paused, lifting the bag of goodies. "and haribo peaches. you're welcome to any of it, if you want." a sharp intake of breath. "anyway. been busy, i take it?"

[katlangston]

Honestly, Kat wasn't a great multi-tasker, and it wasn't unusual for her to be to concentrating on her job so intensely that she missed people coming and going around her. So Matthew had gone unnoticed the first time he'd passed the yard. Though Kat wasn't bothered by his sudden presence, especially since he offered her water, which Kat would be utterly stupid to decline. Though she did notice that he seemed to hover a small distance away. "You just take all that on your wander?" The farrier mused, raising an eyebrow at him. The candy didn't interest her in that moment. A shrug at the question. "No more than usual."

[dandelionfm]

A SMALL SENSE OF WRONGNESS hits Cris as she rounds a corner. She'd been called to the Stables to help out with another animal, one she was actually trained to help, and taken a wrong turn somewhere. "Well, this certainly isn't a dog in labor." A quick, awkward laugh follows her statement. "Sorry to bother you but you wouldn't happen be to know where I can find a pregnant dog by any chance would you?"

[katlangston]

It took a moment for Kat to recognise the other woman, helped by the fact she was asking about a pregnant dog. "Cristina. Vet." They'd crossed paths once or twice over the years, though perhaps a farrier didn't register as high in the other woman's recollection. Not that she cared. Hands were brushed off on the protective chaps, before Kat shook her head. "No dogs that I've seen. Certainly none in labor. Sorry."

[sundaysaddle]

always a stickler for regular, timely maintenance, it wasn't unusual for savannah to enlist kat's help when it came time to change the herd's shoes. more often than not, after a week of hearing her father promise he'd get around to it, she'd tire of his excuses and call one of the few people she truly trusted to get the job done right. "i appreciate you coming out on such short notice, could've sworn i saw her favoring one leg this morning." smiling warmly as kat straightened from her work, sav offered her the glass of lemonade she was holding. surely too sweet as it was made by an unsupervised willa but good nonetheless given the heat. "i'll save the beers for after you're done." the perfect reward. "busy as ever these days, i bet."

[katlangston]

Kat's days were usually filled, but when someone said it was urgent, Kat made time, adding the appointment to the end of her afternoon, even if it meant working into the sunset. Right now she'd be grateful for the sun to go down, but that was still a ways off. Taking the glass, there was no hesitation in taking a long drink, Kat setting it down on top of the tie-up post. "Well, there's no heat in the foot." Heat being a typical indicator of something suspicious going on. "Better safe than sorry." She didn't mind fitting in the appointment. "The heat doesn't stop the work coming in." Horses still needed their maintenance whatever the weather. "What about you?" Kat asked, glancing at Savannah as she moved around the mare to get started on the other leg.

[katlangston]

who: open where: anywhere horse-related

There was no denying Kat's job required a level of physical stamina that few could contend with. Bent under horses, one of their legs balanced between her own, hammering the steel shoes into the perfect shape for each individual hoof... It was exhausting, hot work, and in the heat of summer, Kat was grateful for the shade they were utilising. Putting the horse's hoof back down, the woman straightened, back of her hand swiping across her brow. "Halfway done." Spoken to both the horse and the human nearby.

[linusbenjamin]

Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols Silo —2023, Created by Graham Yost