Day 170: Riding

Welcome to AKK Horse Ranch! Im here today because a friend seriously overpaid me in exchange for a little work :) (Not sure if I should mention any names...)

I also needed a white outfit for a very good reason. I borrowed the Celtic Spring Festival Dress and added a cloak.



You see, the present was a unicorn. Since we are both magical creatures, mermaids and unicorns have a special bond :)

The first thing I did was take Zippy's bridle off (Zippy is his name). We cant have a self-respecting unicorn running around with a bridle!

(Thankfully, you have Mod permissions to the unicorns/horses/steeds. See what happens when you give a mermaid Mod permission?)



Zippy was so excited, he was jumping for joy :)

And its a good sign that Zippy lets me ride him. It means my virtue is intact, even after the Particle Bikini I wore to the Miss Second Life Sexy Wear event ;P



Of course, any self-respecting mermaid in a prim dress rides side-saddle! And dont worry, I dont need a bridle or a saddle. Zippy's quite attached to me... literally :)

You can, of course, find other steeds with traditional saddles, even for 2 people on the same steed.



Zippy takes me for a tour of the sim along a riding trail. The horseshoes on the ground are trail markers.



The trail winds through some pretty areas, with canyons, clearings, picnic areas, and cliffs...



And near the ranchhouse, theres even a Steeplechase Course.

Whats a Steeplechase Course, you ask? Well, I didnt know either...



Until Zippy jumped through the air over these hedges!

Aaarrrrhhh!

You are not limited to riding at the AKK Horse Ranch. There are a number of sims where you can routinely find horses, including Avilion Grove and Tombstone. Have I ever been to Tombstone? Sure feels like Ive been there...



There is a ranch house where equestrians and other riders can gather to socialize.

The AKK Horse Ranch sells a variety of steeds, from many different types of horses to unicorns to carriages. They even have a Gorean kaiila...whatever that is...

The steeds can trot and gallop with leg movements and sounds. They can stand on hind legs, and even stir up a dust cloud when they come to a stop. But they are not cheap, with most selling for $L2000.

Each steed supports one type of riding style: straddle or side-saddle. There is now even support for 2 people on the same steed.

You can even try out an actual demo horse for free. So check out the animations, and talk with other riders.



You see, a steed (even Zippy) is actually an avatar attachment. Like a belt or a skirt or prim hair. Yep! The horses and other steeds at the AKK Horse Ranch attach to the Pelvis attachment point.

Thats right. The Pelvis is the attachment point for most prim skirts! So if I attached Zippy, my skirt goes away. And I cant just move my skirt to the Stomach attachment point, because Im wearing a belt there. *Sigh*

So I made a special version of the Celtic outfit that combines the belt and skirt. This makes fitting more difficult (because you cannot position the belt and skirt separately). But at least I have a skirt when Im riding.

When you are riding, you are actually walking and running. The horse attachment performs leg and sound animations. You can jump, fly, and even teleport while "riding" your steed.

If you are an equestrian at heart, or a Gorean First Sword dying to own a kaiila :P, come check out AKK Horse Ranch. Click on Search, select the Places tab, and enter "akk" as the keyword. The SLURL is Aeos (31,51,25).



Oh come on, Blue darling, dont be jealous! Zippy and I have a different kind of relationship. Hes more the attached-type. Youre more the um... cuddling sort...