WHO: Mary Crawley and OTA (multiples welcome) WHAT: Mary got a horse! WHEN: Thursday morning WARNINGS: TBD, probably none STATUS: Open,Complete
Of all the gifts that the gods had given her, Mary was shocked to find a horse with saddle and tack waiting for her one morning. The mare was pure white and absolutely beautiful. Mary was instantly smitten. She kept the horse with the other farm animals and took care of her every day, even cleaning out her stall without a complaint. It gave her another thing to do to keep her occupied on the island.
The pity was that Mary was fairly pregnant at that point. She had another month to go, but was already quite big for a woman of her usual size. It was somewhat unfair to receive the horse when she could not ride her. Mary was determined to get at least one ride in though before she had the baby and would then be out of commission for at least another month.
That morning, she groomed the horse and fitted her with her saddle. She had been watching the animal for days, spending time with her in order to learn her temperament. From what Mary could tell, she was very gentle and didn't seem to be the type to buck. She liked to eat vegetables out of Mary's hand and nuzzle her nose against her neck. It was enough that Mary felt comfortable to give riding her a try, despite her pregnancy. She led the horse out of the barn and set about trying to mount her.
It was somewhat of a challenge with all of her extra weight. Mary put a foot in the stirrup and carefully pulled herself up and over the horse. Riding astride gave her much more control than riding sidesaddle, so she had on a pair of loose pants rather than the dresses or skirts she normally wore. It was wonderful being atop a horse again and Mary felt right at home. She and the creature seemed to understand each other and she did not feel afraid that she would be tossed off. Mary set off at a slow walking pace, heading down towards the beach.