Running: Until 1st July 2013
EventType: Ghymkhana Race
Class/Classes: Games
Restrictions: None


The light of spring is slowly spreading over Darklight Valley, much to the relief of many of its inhabitants, who, quite honestly, had gotten seriously tired of the snow. Hopefully it should not provide any trouble for anyone aiming to make their way to the stable, unless they're trying to come in over the mountains.

To celebrate the proper arrival of the new year DIS decided to hold a little contest – hoping to encourage the arrival of summer.

And what better way to do so than by combining some good old fun with some competitive spirit. And even better, to do it with lots of old friends, new friends and, possibly, old enemies and new as well




The Ghymkhana Race:

Not exactly a ghymkhana. Not exactly a race.

Following set directions, participants will set out from the courtyard of the stables and follow a route 'clearly marked so no one should get lost, we hope' through the areas around the stable as well as some more outlaying territories.

Heading out at first light of day, you're expected to have returned by nightfall, where several whole roasted deer will be waiting for the riders and some nice oats and feeds for the horses (owners of meat eating mounts are expected to keep them 'away' from the main course – but carcasses can be provided if the stable is given some advance warning of what to expect).

There'll be several 'stations' along this route. At each 'station' to progress further the competing partners must perform certain actions to clear the obstacle. There is also the option of trying three times and failing, in which case the pair will be allowed to continue (this, as you might expect, is the slow option as each time you will need to return to the back of the queue is, designed to allow everyone the chance and making sure that no one is permanently stuck at any given station).

To ensure that the obstacles are cleared and that there is no foul play, each station will be monitored by a functionary, who will have the final say in if the competing pair have passed or failed their attempts.

As, at each station, the pair arriving first will be allowed to perform first, and so on and so forth, a good set of speed between stations is encouraged






The stations are as follows:

Station 1: Horse agility . Yes. You read it right. A small course made up of agility 'obstacles'. Without touching your horse, guide them from the ground through the course consisting of an agility seesaw plank, polebending, a ramp where you need to stand still for five seconds and jump through a large hoop.
Functionary: Kristen [link] and her sister Terran [link] from Red Wood Stables ~BBandAll are the ones who will be looking after this station which is the one station on the actual stable grounds (since we figured that after running around a bit, a lot of horses might be a wee bit to excited to do this at a later stage)


Station 2: Showjumping. A small showjumping course consisting of low to medium sized fences. A straight two bar. An X. A wall and an Oxer.
Functionary: Donovan Degraw from MapleBrooks Stable *MapleBrookeStable will be attending this station. Hopefully he won't need to be dashing around the course picking up knocked down poles


Station 3:  The Enemy's Heads. Grab one of the two 'weapons' provided – either a sabre or a thick wooden stick and attempt to knock down all five coconuts from their poles in the right order (they've been numbered and they're 'not' in a straight line).
Functionary:


Station 4: Half Empty/Half full .  Fill your goblet with the crystal clear water of the stream and try to keep at least half of it in there by the time you reach your goal and use it to water one of the rose bushes…or drink it if you're thirsty.
Functionary:


Station 5: Changing Paces . Able to get your horse to change pace at the drop of a hat? Here is the station for you. Listen for your que in the music and perform the moves that go with them. The pattern never repeats twice. Trot, extrended trot, canter, free rein and collected walk.
Functionary:


Station 6: Trick or Treat . Make your horse perform a trick. Choose your own trick to perform.
Functionary:


Station 7: Double Trouble .  Two horses; eight legs. Two riders: three legs. Tie the left and right leg of both riders together and, along with your horses, try to get from the top of the knoll (small hill) down to the stream below, without falling over. Can be performed on the ground or on horseback depending on how confident and/or crazy you're feeling. You'll need to be two for this one – so finding a partner to collaborate will be essential.
Functionary:


Station 8: Mr Bendy .  There's five cones on the ground. On top of these five cones you've got five tennisballs. Two are blue and three are yellow. Pick up the balls and drop the yellow ones in a basket at one end of the 'court' and the blue ones in a basket at the other end of the 'court'.
Functionary:


Station 9: Arrows of Fire . Not literal ones of course but we're willing to bet that if eyes could shoot arrows, that's what'd be coming your way. We've convinced one of our 'neighbours' to help out and they've been placed on a small platform over a natural pool of water. Use your five balls to try and hit the target above his head and dunk him in the water (much to his displeasure, we're sure). You'll have to be constantly moving for this one. If you stop and stand still, you'll need to go to the back of the que and try again later. The balls can all be found in a wicker basket a bit further away and you can only pick up one at a time. (yes, height of the basket means that, if you know what you're doing, you can pick on up without having to dismount).
Functionary: Lucifer or Lu as he's more commonly known. The grumpy satyre from Ethereal Meadows [link] ~Malicious-Felis


Station 10:  Make up your own idea  As long as it fits, I'm happy for you to try it out (of you're not sure, asking first is a good idea). Individual or collaborations, either works
Functionary:


                 



How to enter:

Simply send a note with the link to your entry picture.
You can preregister if you'd like, but you're more than welcome to just drop by

DEADLINE: 1 July



Rules:

Mount:
Any equine or equine-like creature can enter. (There will be limiters in place so that magic will not be able to be used, nor will the participants be able to fly. Exceptions are for emergencies.


Rider:
Any rider welcome, though due to the power and competitiveness of some of the participants as well as the nature of the wild valley itself, this is not recommended as an event for children. They can, of course, participate if their parents allow it.


Deviation:
Depicting full body (depending on the location of course, but no allout headshots) and the presence of the rider. Background is needed (we all think they're tricky, but it's good practice) – however, it can be simple or even abstract as long as it conveys enough to place in the scenery.
It is not necessary to draw the functionary at the station, but it'd be nice to see


Artist's Comments:
Need to contain a story. This can be short, but do please try for something longer than a mere paragraph.
Need to contain:

Stable:
Name of Rider:
Name of Mount:
Species/breed of either:
Station depicted:


No premade backgrounds please. Same thing goes for photos.

Credits your sources properly if you're using them. The avatar of the deviant and a direct link or thumb of the reference in question if on DA. Please do not use source-material that is copywrighted and not stock. If they are not credited properly you will run the risk of being disqualified.



                 



Help needed:


As Seranthiem has still not returned to DIS after the 'incident' with the Raven and none knows where he currently abides and Mae, the owner, is currently Lost and probably Haunted somewhere in distant woods, the entire stable is currently being looked after by a very overworked Jake.

The show had already been planned, all the invites sent out, and several registrations already taken during winter, before DIS's owner 'disappeared' along with her horse, and Jake has had no chance of getting out any notice of cancelling it, he's currently hoping that anyone who comes to enter the show, will be willing to offer him a helping hand along the way.

While he probably would like to have some help around the stables, above else, anyone who'd like to volunteer as a 'functionary' would be most appreciated. (this doesn't actually involve any work on the part of the deviant aside from letting me know who's like to have one/several of their characters act as functionaries and/or helpers).






Prices:

FULL LIST TO COME

But will include at least:


A headshot by *Maeix2
 A speedpaint full body loose style *Maeix2
 A basic full body coloured lines *Maeix2
A custom godendoci horse #Godendoci-Registry *MapleBrookeStable
A custom muroceds horse #Muroceds *MapleBrookeStable


Donations welcome



Judging:

There'll be three winners, as there will be three categories which they'll be able to win (though you can only win one category with a single entry). Don't worry about picking a category to enter, all entries will be judged in all three categories.
If there is a large amount of entries, there might be added additional categories as well.


 Most effort  -  this will be compared to the rest of your gallery so the only one you'll be competing against is yourself.

 Most creative/fun   -  this is slightly more subjective but there to encourage other than the ordinary straight up jump shot and the like.

 Artist's Favourite   -   this one's pretty self explanatory really. Surprise me with what you can do







FAQ

What's the deadline.
1st of July – that's three months and a bit from now.

Do I need to preregister?
Not at all

Can I bring…..?
Sure. We accept any equine, equine derivatives, nightmares, ghosts, naturals, you name it. Same goes for riders

Do I have to do a story? I don't like writing.
It doesn't have to be long, but try to have at least a few paragraphs. I like seeing written stories to go along with the paintings, so indulge the judge

Can I use a premade background?
Sorry, but no. You don't need a complicated background, but try for something at least. They do get easier the more you do.

Can I use someone else's lineart?
Only if the submission is a collaboration between two participants (say, one does the lines the other the colouring or variations thereupon).

I can't remember where my reference came from?
This is one I'm going to be strict about. I see far too much badly credited use of stock and it's one of my pet peeves. Remember, you're part of a very horsey community. If you've seen that photo, especially if the pose is unusual, there's a very good chance that others will have as well. Please credit any stock properly.






Entrants:



1

2

3

4

5














Idea
Sketch done
Painting
Background or main painted depending on starting point
Finished
Posted





Dragon Academy - working title - literary


Island of Illusion, book 3 of 'Seven of Stars' (literary)


Coverart for High Fyelds