Snapper Inspection

A cold, salty breeze swished across the beach as the tall mare stood on the rocky shore, short tail swishing and mane blowing in the wind whenever it was caught. Her rider looking down at the water below them, the pair were watching the sun rise and the tide settle down to its easy course. Her blue eyes flicked over the horizon, pink settling at the edge and twirling with the blue as night passed its way by. The tall Teddy Cob’s black saddle was shining in the new morning light, her white fur fluffed up from the chilling wind.

Her white feathers were fluffy and catching in the wind as she was nudged into a trot, Keto Raequir holding his hat in one hand and his reins in the other. Today would be a busy day for the pair of them - the Orca’s Eyes had docked for the week, to give their crew some well-deserved time off, but that didn’t mean that nothing was going to be eventful. In fact, it was finally time for Snapper, the beautiful fourteen-hand Teddy mare, to be inspected at last.

Standing at fourteen hands high and decorated with a special genetic only visible in Teddy Cobs, this mare had always been an absolute show-stopper. Interested in mischief and fun but always attentive to her handler’s presence, Snapper was just perfect. Keto was a hugely strong believer that a pony isn’t any fun when they don’t have personality - hell, both her and Dreadnought proved he had a soft spot for the sassy ones - and he had indulged himself enough to enjoy maybe a little foal from one of them. Kaida had volunteered to look after Snapper while she was pregnant, as obviously no matter how cool of a ship you have, a pregnant mare has no right to be put through that kind of thing. He’d even contacted one of his friends who had recently booked their stallion in for his inspection to see if they could possibly breed them together.

For her inspection, it was crucial that Snapper look the part. And so, they were headed to Saltwater Estates to meet up with Kaida himself, who had in turn volunteered to spruce up the pony for her fancy outing. She would be given a warm bubble bath, topped with some surprisingly nice-smelling shampoo to make her mane as soft as it can possibly be, and then her mane would be braided in long plaits down her neck, forelock left fluffy in front, feathers brushed out around her neat beige hooves. Whilst Kaida was doing this, Keto had been set to work on polishing up a leather halter that he was being leant - but, little did he know, it was one that Kaida had actually bought specifically for him.

It was made of fresh black leather with shining silver details and a silver plaque on the side with Snapper’s name engraved neatly in capital letters. It was matching with a black and silver belt with a big buckle and various straps that to anyone else would feel overly excessive, but for Keto? Perfect.

Whilst Keto was scrubbing at the brand new leather until it shone brighter than it did when it was up in the shop, all neat and clean except for the washing-up gloves that were getting covered in leather balm, Kaida was just about covered in bubbles and soaked through to the bone from the fluffy mare consistently shaking off all of the water that threatened to drip off of her fur. He knew better than to ask Keto to come and help, especially since he had originally been the one demanding that the captain sit over in the corner so he doesn’t get any of his clothes wet. He does wish he hadn’t.

When it was time for the mare to be loaded onto the trailer, having been blow-dryed (Kaida insisted that it would make her fluffier) and braided up, she was… well, difficult, to say the least. Having always been used to seeing the entire view around her, a horsebox was never comfortable - Snapper loved to feel on top of the world, like she could conquer it all if she had any thumbs. When she was put into a box where she was only just tall enough to see out of the window at the back if she craned her neck, Snapped was uncomfortable - as any horse being loaded onto a strange box would be. This cob was just a bit more vocal about it, and she avoided the ramp up to the box like the plague until a friend was on there with her. Today, it was Solix’s turn to be the comfort blanket, the scruffy little gelding having been brought out from the field as a last resort. Solix and Snapper were surprisingly close, their paddocks next to each other; giving them ample time to lay in the sun with each other’s company. Once he was up in there first, Snapper was a lot less wary of the vehicle and clambered on with a few more treats to persuade her. Luckily, once she was onboard, she travelled very quietly and just ate her hay.

By the time they got there, Snapper was raring to go - she wasn’t a pony that enjoyed standing still for long; there was always an adventure to be had, of course. They unravelled the tail bandage that had protected her poofy tail from rubbing if she shifted about, and the travel boots to protect her legs in case she tripped. Keto and Kaida went to sign her in and get their time to show, leaving the two splash-white cobs to stand and share a big haynet by the side of the box. Solix was a strong believer that whatever Snapper’s haynet had was better than his.

In her show, Snapper was a star - strutting her stuff in the arena and standing with style, her thick-set body posed neatly as she stood square with her head held high and proud. How could she ever do anything less than the best? She couldn’t, of course, she was made for an audience. The judge was a big fan of her deep brown coat, and how soft her fur was, matching with her fluffy feathers that engulfed her hooves entirely.