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Description
previously

The circumstances surrounding Hergest Ridge's injury were never fully identified; the version of the story that everybody involved came to believe in and ultimately accept was that the step down the ramp had only aggravated an already fatigued tendon to the point of lameness. But no matter what caused it - Mike wasn't sound, and met his untimely retirement with the same poise that he had faced every challenge in his long life with.

Jim, though, was devastated.

He spent a good portion of the week lamenting his existence like a tortured Shakespearian hero, claiming the universe "hated him", and "wanted to see him suffer" - until he was reminded that Mike wasn't the only horse he had been shortlisted with. Indeed: he had the fortune of owning a second horse that performed on nearly the same level. It was unbelievable, but on his Road to Tokyo, he had indeed completely and utterly forgotten about Caddy.

And that, even though Caddy well matched his chestnut counterpart in ability and scope, and in direct comparison might even be the more athletic of the two. Yes, he might've been known to be a little unreliable, but even that had lessened. Jim had such a habit of instilling confidence into his rides - he never considered anything might go wrong, so his horses did neither, and in ages Caddy hadn't seen the slightest reason to refuse a jump. Yes, he wasn't as impressive as the imposing horse-of-the-century Hergest Ridge, the Gentle Giant who made anything look easy, and not as flashy as other athletes of his time - but your guess is as good as mine as to why nobody thought Caddy could be a candidate for a Championship ride.

But at this point, he was obviously the only option left. Jim scratched from the Rome Nations Cup and was instead directed towards the CSIO in Sopot, Poland, and would then get his Nations Cup appearance in Rotterdam two weeks later. He still had the chance to prove himself, and show the world that he was a good rider no matter the horse.

Sopot turned out to be their first benchmark with two gorgeous and fast clear rounds in the Grand Prix that were promptly rewarded with a spot on the podium.

June 18th, 2021

JAMES ALAN CROSBY (USA) and CAEDMON'S HYMN (12yo) @ CSIO 5* SOPOT HORSE SHOW 2021

Longines Grand Prix (160cm)

3rd place
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

bear with us, ribbons are coming! I'm just spending some time with my family, taking a breather from the project, and catching up with my Jim plans ive had this sketch lying around for ages, but thanks to Fibo's inspiring (and way too short) visit, I'm finally managing to finish things.

Art, characters (c) by me
Pose reference | Background referenced from the images on the CSIO Sopot facebook page
Pencil on DIN A5, coloured with Clip Studio Paint

Description
previously

The circumstances surrounding Hergest Ridge's injury were never fully identified; the version of the story that everybody involved came to believe in and ultimately accept was that the step down the ramp had only aggravated an already fatigued tendon to the point of lameness. But no matter what caused it - Mike wasn't sound, and met his untimely retirement with the same poise that he had faced every challenge in his long life with.

Jim, though, was devastated.

He spent a good portion of the week lamenting his existence like a tortured Shakespearian hero, claiming the universe "hated him", and "wanted to see him suffer" - until he was reminded that Mike wasn't the only horse he had been shortlisted with. Indeed: he had the fortune of owning a second horse that performed on nearly the same level. It was unbelievable, but on his Road to Tokyo, he had indeed completely and utterly forgotten about Caddy.

And that, even though Caddy well matched his chestnut counterpart in ability and scope, and in direct comparison might even be the more athletic of the two. Yes, he might've been known to be a little unreliable, but even that had lessened. Jim had such a habit of instilling confidence into his rides - he never considered anything might go wrong, so his horses did neither, and in ages Caddy hadn't seen the slightest reason to refuse a jump. Yes, he wasn't as impressive as the imposing horse-of-the-century Hergest Ridge, the Gentle Giant who made anything look easy, and not as flashy as other athletes of his time - but your guess is as good as mine as to why nobody thought Caddy could be a candidate for a Championship ride.

But at this point, he was obviously the only option left. Jim scratched from the Rome Nations Cup and was instead directed towards the CSIO in Sopot, Poland, and would then get his Nations Cup appearance in Rotterdam two weeks later. He still had the chance to prove himself, and show the world that he was a good rider no matter the horse.

Sopot turned out to be their first benchmark with two gorgeous and fast clear rounds in the Grand Prix that were promptly rewarded with a spot on the podium.

June 18th, 2021

JAMES ALAN CROSBY (USA) and CAEDMON'S HYMN (12yo) @ CSIO 5* SOPOT HORSE SHOW 2021

Longines Grand Prix (160cm)

3rd place
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

bear with us, ribbons are coming! I'm just spending some time with my family, taking a breather from the project, and catching up with my Jim plans ive had this sketch lying around for ages, but thanks to Fibo's inspiring (and way too short) visit, I'm finally managing to finish things.

Art, characters (c) by me
Pose reference | Background referenced from the images on the CSIO Sopot facebook page
Pencil on DIN A5, coloured with Clip Studio Paint