Post by Noah Vanderholt on Sept 24, 2012 13:38:54 GMT -8
NOAH -- SIMOUN -- VANDERHOLT!
BASICS...
Face Claim: Oscar Pistorius
Full Name: Noah Simoun Vanderholt
Nicknames: Noah, Noo, Simoun, Sim, Van, Holt
Hair Colour: Sunbleached brown
Eye Colour: Grey (with greenish and brownish 'speckled')
Height: 5'2" without prosthetics, 6'1⁄2" with prosthetics (roughly, anyway).
Age: 24 (January 15th, 1988)
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student
Team:
Goal for HA: To prove to himself and others that he has what it takes to be a top sporter, perform at as high a level as is possible (for him and his horse(s)), all while living and enjoying life. More concrete: to make a name for himself (for his abilities/results) in show jumping or eventing - or really, any discipline.
Five Likes:
- Triumphs
- Proving his worth
- Beaches
- Africa
- Running
Five Dislikes:
- Bullies
- People coddling him or looking down on him
- Too much serious training
- Animal abuse
- People with a fatalistic outlook on life/things
HOME LIFE...
Parents: Marcus Blake Vanderholt (father, 66yo, retired and currently living on the family farm in Namibia) & Marilou Lavinia Vanderholt, née Coromell (mother, 61yo, also retired and at the family farm)
Siblings: Emmanuel Buran Vanderholt (brother, 27 yo, avid horse rider, wakeboarder, surfer and business man) & Eleanore Alize Vanderholt (sister, 19yo, also a horse rider, rock climber and dancer - also, still a student)
Other: Noah lost both his lower legs several inches above his (now non-existent) ankles as a result of a freak horse accident (while out with his father, his pony spooked, jumped over the fence, bucked him off and went AWOL for three days - while Noah ended up with some severe bruises, lacerations and broken bones... And an ugly infection after two days) when he was just eleven years old. Other than the need for prosthetics, this hasn't had much influence on his life beyond a stronger drive to prove his worth.
Riding History: Noah was five when he first sat on a horse... Or rather, a mule. Since then, he has been in love with horses, and at age seven started riding 'seriously', taking lessons to improve his, at that point, nearly non-existent skills. At age eleven he took a break of nine-ish months to 'recuperate' and get used to his new legs, but he was back in the saddle at more or less the same (dressage) level when he was twelve. At fourteen he started jumping again on an old, experienced nag that used to belong to his father, mother and brother - one of the better kind of hand-me-downs.
When he was fifteen, he jumped his first competition... Not quite successful, but as time passed he got better and better. Two years later he got another horse, an actual horse, 'extra' - this gelding his own. Though a tricky one, he did everything with the horse, including dabbling in cross country. As that turned out to be going pretty well, he took along the few eventing competitions that were not too far away as he progressed with his show jumping. At that time, he also used his hard-earned money (and a lot of pleading with his parents) to breed their Boerperd mare with a Thoroughbred stallion, intending to raise the foal as his future sports horse.
And he did - while continuing to train his current sport horse and a few youngsters for people in the neighborhood who liked the cheap alternative and competing with aforementioned gelding and one of the neighbor's horses, a consummate eventer who liked show jumping as well.
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ABOUT YOU...
Name/Alias: Asrai
Age: 20
Years RPing: Eight. NineSTAFF POSITIONSNot sure, to be honest
RL Horse Experience: Started riding thirteen years ago, got our own horses (parents and I) nine-ish years ago - a Welsh Cob mare of now 27, and, back then, a Gelderland-crossbred who, in hindsight, was too much for us - but he did teach me a great deal of horse riding xD I, in return, taught him how to jump, how to behave outside, and a few things about general behavior. We sold him eventually, bought a nice bay warmblood mare, who went lame within nine days and eventually was returned to her previous owner, before we got our current warmblood, an 8yo mare who I am teaching to jump and trail rides (recreational), as well as finally achieving something in the dressage ring. In the mean time, I've also helped breaking in a 3yo, helped train horses in Namibia for guests as a volunteer, and all in all have fallen off and sat out enough mean moves to know a thing or two xD
Example Post:There were quite a few things Noah liked to do in the morning - sleeping in, an early morning jog, or putting his horse in the pasture and just laying around a bit, enjoying the sunrise and the world waking up. This morning, none of it had been possible. Between moving to a new place, getting the lay of the land, explaining things to people who hadn't been told necessary things - yes, he had prosthetic legs because he had no lower legs. No, he didn't need much help because of that.Yes, sometimes things were a bit more difficult. No, he could manage just fine. He usually got a bit annoyed by it, but given he was starting afresh here, he'd given it some effort to remain polite and patient. Apparently, he had succeeded, because they'd let him go fairly soon to familiarize himself with buildings (and stables). He was far more interested in the equine facilities, if he were honest.
He still was debating flying in his own horse - well, that, and his horse was still pending approval, which might complicate things a bit, because while he could and would ride any horse he was offered, barring the truly dangerous ones, his own horse held a special place in his heart, which had everything to do with their shared history. He had bred the horse, gentled him, broken him in, trained him himself, and together they'd reached the sky, or what felt like it, against everyone's expectations. A smile grew on Noah's face as he easily ambled over to the barn holding the stables - if hew as correct.
The place was fancy, he'd easily admit that. Not quite his climate (yet), but the cool weather had its perks too. And well, the fancy accommodation made up for it all. If he were honest, he was oggling the place. He'd had adequate 'training facilities', but this... Hell, if he couldn't make it from a place like this, he'd have to hang up his boots and pick another job. Whistling lowly to himself, he cautiously entered the barn, not sure what to encounter and, in addition, not wanting to spook any of the horses. "Nice place," he muttered, glancing around.
