The days have gotten shorter and shorter--and with the release of Seasons, my sims can finally experience the frustrating cold as I do! Up in the snowy reaches of Canada, things have gotten incredibly chilly, with several feet of snow clogging the sidewalks and frost coating my windows.

It can be very frustrating at times, but winter is definitely my favorite time of year. I don't spend a lot of time outdoors, but nothing beats curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and a view of a street coated in white.

I  imagine Margo has similar feelings about it; she's never really been outdoorsy, but nothing gets between her and where she wants to go. And--naturally--she wouldn't want to be separated from her equine friends for very long.

As the snow started to get deeper, classes at the Academy were postponed until the riding trails can be cleared and the training yard is less icy. Margo still goes to the Ranch every day to do her job taking care of Dusty, Fury, Rocky and Mumba, but as she has started to form a really strong friendship with Bean, it was difficult not seeing him every week.

So, even though classes were cancelled until March, Margo still hitches a ride to Appaloosa Plains every weekend to see her Hanoverian buddy. There isn't much she can do, since practicing her riding technique isn't really an option, but the trip is worth a few nuzzles and a break from sitting around the house.

I have to say, the more I see these two together, the more I know how much this is a match made in heaven. I know I've been posting pictures of them for a while, but in a way it seems like their relationship is just beginning--in the story, and in my heart, too. They've always been cute together, but it's doing photos like these that remind me why I keep coming back to Equus--the relationship between a horse and a human is a beautiful thing, and with characters I love this much, I just can't keep them apart.

I hope everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying their winter weather, and of course--if you own it--the Seasons Expansion! I wish there were more ways for animals to interact with snow, but I guess I'll just have to take what we can get. :)

Back in November of 2012, Margo and Daisy officially became students of the Lawrence Equestrian Riding Academy, and establishment built by Christina of Equus-Sims who has kindly let me use it in my story!

In Desperate Sims, LEC's Academy hosts classes for students from Beginners to Intermediate level--currently, both Margo and Daisy are "beginners" in the story, but I've used them both in some Advanced competitions for kicks and giggles. ;)

There are also several other sims who Margo and Daisy are competing with at the Academy:

More about them after the break!

This is a bit of an older event that took place in May of last year, but I never posted the eventing pictures in a separate post.

Margo May Kane and LEC Espresso

Daisy de Wynter and Mumba

Placement
1st Place	Daisy de Wynter & Mumba
2nd Place	Margo May Kane & LEC Espresso

It was a bit of a clean sweep from the LEC Academy riders, but it cemented a very unhappy unease between Margo and Daisy. Neither of them have been able to compete in Equus competitions for close to a year--hopefully they can get back into the "reins" and start mastering the art of riding again soon! (But hopefully aren't pitted against each other too soon!)

As requested, here is the text/image tutorial of how I edit my screenshots. As a forewarning: this tutorial is NOT meant for Photoshop newbies--if you do not have at least basic knowledge of how to use Photoshop, this tutorial will not teach you!

At certain points, I may direct you to other tutorials to teach you how to do certain techniques I use in this explanation. You may ask me to elaborate on anything those tutorials say that does not make sense, but don't ask me to explain without reading/watching them first.

What I Will Be Using:

• Photoshop CS5 (Download for you scallywags!)
• Topaz Re-Mask 3 (Download for you scallywags!)
• DanLuVisi's Brush Set
• Water Splash Brush Set
• Pioneer Woman Action Set (Just for Slight Lighten)
• Kaleeko's Warm Color-Pop Action

As the event's description: "Cross Country tests the speed, strength, and endurance of the horse and the skill of its rider. The Queenstown Spring Cross Country Trials is hosted this year by none other than Shoreline Hill Stables. The trials will consist of two different classes, each judged separately. Entrants must submit three pictures of horse and rider over three different obstacles."

I decided to go with a Twinbrook setting for this event, since there doesn't seem to be a lot going on there and the flat-land swamp area seems pretty ideal for Cross Country; however, this idea turned out to be a bit problematic, since a lot of the swamp is unrouteable terrain and I couldn't place lots in any of the ideal places to put obstacles.

So, I went with a "simple" approach; the first picture is on a tiny batch of routable terrain I could find, where I used the Pose-Player add-on to orient the horse/rider (total pain in the arse--never doing that again), the second I edited one of the fishing holes to be less deep and with a jump at the end; then the last one, just a standard jump in one of the emptier, flatter areas of the swamp.

I really tried to go for easier obstacles than I have with previous jumping competitions, since I feel I might've gotten a little ahead of myself when I was making poses before. It's still not quite novice level, but closer. I can't wait until Margo actually learns to ride in Desperate Sims though, so I don't feel so guilty making her all uber.

Well, except that last jump! I actually wanted to make a larger fumble, showing her actually falling off (though in this instance she does fall off, she just hasn't yet), but I really liked how the pose turned out so I just used it anyways.

The stance/water in the second image is based off of this picture; the poses in the third/fourth are based off of this one.

PS: Don't you love how in the third picture, Bean is just like, "Lookit me, I'm gorgeous, let me pause and catch this  breeze to show off my beautiful profile," and Margo's like, "OMG OMG OMG WAT IS HAPPENINNNGGG."

Bean. You are the ultimate troll. ♥

Alright, ladies and gents! The results are in, and its time to announce the winners of this month's Individuality Show!

I want to preface this by saying--this was very, very difficult! I honestly felt like changing my mind every time I went back and looked at the entries, because there were so many that I feel deserve recognition. I ended up having to wait an hour or so between judging each entry so that I could keep a fresh perspective--so, the following results are based on those scores.

I really loved all the entries, though--you guys have some really wonderful horses! I had to be quite a harsh critic to be able to pick my favorites, so below I'm going to explain what I liked about the winning entries, what I might like to see more of in the future, so that when I hold this show again later on you guys have a better idea what I'm looking for in the entries.

Alright, so without further ado: