Equestria United Paris International Equine Challange - Show Jumping
In Paris, a calm atmosphere prevailed. The Irish show jumping team was working at full speed to get all preparations done in time for the competition. It was the first major tournament of the year for Team Ireland, and for some of the horses it was their very first one ever, while for others it was already routine.
Sage, Johnny, Joshy, Lauren, and Freyr sat in front of their horses’ stalls, each holding a nice warm cup of coffee, going over all the procedures once more. “Darling, I don’t think you should drink any more coffee, you’re already so hyper.” Freyr said with a grin, looking at her girlfriend Lauren, who was fidgeting on one of the plastic chairs. “Oh, nonsense. It’s fine.” Lauren replied, taking another sip from her cup. Freyr just shook her head and let it be, turning her attention to the visibly nervous Sage, whose leg was bouncing up and down. John sat beside her and gently put an arm around her in an attempt to calm her. “Everything okay, Sage?” Freyr asked. Sage sighed softly and gave a faint smile. “I’m just a bit nervous about today. It’s the first competition with Modey, and the course has some really tricky jumps…”
“Don’t worry too much, okay? He’s an amazing horse, and you’re a total professional, this can only go well! You’ve got this.” Freyr reassured her, and for the moment Sage’s nerves seemed to ease a little. “Thanks, I guess you’re right.”
The group sat there for a little while longer, each of them enjoying the brief moment of calm before they had to get ready. Joshy was the first from the group to start. While he rushed from one side to the other, Thundy stood calmly in his stall, munching contentedly on his muesli. Occasionally, he lifted his head to see what Joshy was doing, but it didn’t unsettle him. After about 15 minutes, Joshy stepped into the stall with a halter in hand. “Alright, my handsome boy. Let’s get you shining.” he said. In response, he got only a short snort. They both savored one last quiet moment before their round, and Thundy received a proper big cuddle. Joshy and he had been a well-coordinated team for several years now. Then it was time. “Let’s go, Thundy.” Joshy said as he swung himself onto his horse and headed toward the arena. They stopped at the entrance, waiting eagerly for the announcement. When it came, they set off and delivered a wonderful round.
Today marked the first time, Sage and Modern Warfare competed together. They’ve only been a team for a few months and are now venturing into their first tournament. "That jump first... that could be tricky..." Sage murmured while already sitting on Modey, going over the course one last time in her mind. "It’ll be fine, Sage. Don’t worry. You’ve prepared Modey for this," John replied, rising from his crouch. He checked the leg protection and bell boots one last time before they started. Sage sighed softly and handed John her phone. "I know, and still I’m a bit worried. It’s the first time with him..." Gently, John placed a hand on Sage’s leg and looked at her encouragingly. "Chin up, I believe in you. Your goal isn’t to win this thing, it’s to gain experience. Don’t stress yourself, okay?" The two stayed quiet for a moment, simply looking into each other’s eyes. A few minutes passed before Joane came around the corner. "Hey you two. I don’t want to ruin this incredibly cute moment, okay, actually I do, but you’ve got to go, Sage. Joshy just started and you need to warm up." They both seemed a little startled when Joane’s voice suddenly rang out. Sage sighed briefly, but already took the reins in hand and gave Modey a quick stroke. "Well then, big guy. Let’s go."
There are only a few minutes left before Sage has to enter the arena, but her tension is high. John stays with her until the very end, continuing to try to calm her down. "Hey, everything will be fine." he soothed her, looking up at her with concern. Sage’s gaze was fixed rigidly on the arena, and her hands tightened around the reins. "Sage?" John raised an eyebrow questioningly and gently placed a hand on her arm. "Darling, please try to calm down, okay? You’ve got this, it’s not like this is your first time in a tournament." A sigh escaped Sage. "I know... I really need to pull myself together..." She took two deep breaths in and out, gathering her courage. "You’re right, I can do this." she said, looking down at John with a determined expression. "That’s my girl." John smiled, gazing at her lovingly. Shortly after, the announcement for Joshy came. "It’s time." Sage murmured, glancing once more at John. Without thinking much, she leaned down toward him and reached for his head. The two shared one last kiss before Sage took hold of the reins and got ready. "I’m so proud of you." John said to her before Joshy came out of the Arena. “Hey Sage, you’ve got this!” he called out to her, and as they passed each other, he gave her a quick high five to boost her confidence one more time.
“Okay, so, she was standing next to me at registration and looked a bit lost, so I just went up to her. You have to meet her! She’s really nice.” Lauren said enthusiastically while Freyr was tightening the girth. “Sure, why not. But if you keep talking to this many people, I’m going to lose track at some point.” Freyr laughed in response, shaking her head slightly. It had become a habit for Lauren to make new friends at competitions, and she did the same here. She found it easy to approach new people and genuinely enjoyed it, much to Freyr’s “displeasure” since she had to remember all the new faces, even though she’d probably already forgotten half of them. She didn’t mean it in a bad way, but she preferred focusing on just a few people. “Oh come on, it’s not that many.” Lauren replied as Freyr grabbed Banana Split’s reins to lead her out of the stall. They paused briefly in front of it. “Can you hold her for a second?” Freyr asked her girlfriend, who nodded and took the reins. “I just need to grab my helmet and my gloves.” While Freyr did that, Lauren turned to Banana Split and gently patted her head. “Hey, sweet girl. You’re going to rock it today, I just know it. Take good care of her, okay?” The mare leaned her head into Lauren’s hand and softly closed her eyes.
From a distance, the announcement from the arena could already be heard. The voice went over the schedule once more, and Freyr was already called as second to go. “Where is she? You really need to get moving,” Lauren said. As if on cue, Freyr came running around the corner with Johnny right behind her. “I’m here! Let’s go.”
This marked the official start of the 2026 showing season for team Ireland! All of them had a lot of fun and the group grew closer together. Cheers to a successful showing season!