Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
Moxxie turned again for the fifth time since she'd been tied to the post to see whatever was going on around her. The slightest noise, the whinnying of other horses, even the twittering of a bird was enough to make her turn her head and look at whatever caught her attention, much to the annoyance of the man trying to groom her. But either way, the mare was not one to stand still for too long. She was always moving, always curious and very oblivious to the fact she was bumping into the man as she turned to try and observe the various things around her.
It was part of the reason why she was being sold - she was just a little too much for her former owners, as much as they loved her. But her owners had faith that someone would that could give the young mare all the love, attention and training she needed to get the best out of her. If the groom were to have had a say in it, the sooner Moxxie had some true training under her belt she might've been a decent horse, but right now she was testing his patience.
The only thing that seemed to make her pause for more than ten seconds was that ticklish spot she had on her chest which made her upper lip wiggle too and fro. But that trick could only last so long before he had to move to on to the rest of her and she was back to moving around. But some how he managed to get her groomed, her coat shiny despite the dirt showing along her legs - he couldn't trust her not to possibly kick him if he touched her legs this time, too curious today. So he lead her back to her pen, leaving the halter on with a short catch piece attached. Even in small quarters she could prove to be a bit of a cow to catch, so for everyone's sanity, they left it on. For her own part, the second she was free to move, she tried to follow the man out of her pen, but he knew her a little too well, and had the gate shut before she could barge out. Covering the latch, he went over to the next horse that needed some attention.
Phoenix didn't intend on buying a new horse - that was why she'd brought the trailer with her, because she didn't expect to be taking someone home. She knew herself, knew how easily she would be tempted by a pretty face or a sob story, and though she had the space, time and funds for another horse she was relatively new to Hickstead and looking to settle in, to see what the town had to offer before she splashed her cash. She took a sip of her cold peach tea as she wandered down the isles. Phe had sat in the stands briefly to observe the horses being displayed in hand, but she'd found herself being tempted to get herself a paddle to join in the bids and so she'd decided to leave before she could put offers out on about three of them.
Walking down the main isle of the pens was just as bad, seeing the horses up close and personal. She hesitated by a young colt, standing keen at the front of his pen, a little scraggly and with a stubborn set of his head, but he looked like he had potential. She had reluctantly walked on, and had just decided she should take herself home when she saw the mare. Absolutely gorgeous damn it. It wasn't just the unusual colouring, but also the stamp of her - curious bright eyes, ears pricked as she took in everything around her. She certainly seemed like a good sort.
Before she could stop herself she had wandered over to the pen. "Hey there, aren't you a beauty," She was careful with the offering of her hand for the mare to investigate, aware that she could be a nipper. Her eyes glanced to the information plaque; a youngster. Oh that was even more tempting. Phoenix looked her over with a critical eye, though she knew there was only so much she could see from afar. "Hmmm, I wonder..." She murmured mostly too herself as she stepped closer to lean over the rails a little, wanting to look her over better.
"Hey there, aren't you a beauty," She was careful with the offering of her hand.
Moxxie turned her head at the sound of the voice and nickered curiously, approaching the fence with little hesitation, sniffing at the hand that was offered to her. Bumping her nose against the hand and wiggling her lip a little, she stood still for all of a minute or so before she turned her head and moved off to another edge of the pen to call out to a horse quite a ways over from her. She stood like that for a moment, focused in on whatever was across the way.
"Hmmm, I wonder..." She murmured.
Her attention was recaptured, ears flicking back to the woman and perked up again, going back over, poking her head over the gate again and reached out to the woman for a moment to see if she could get a treat from her. She liked those. Flicking her tail to brush the flies off her legs, she was on the move again, investigating her water dish and the all but finished hay net slung over the rails. Tossing her head and pawing at the ground, she wanted to get out and go but she doubted she was getting out any time soon because the people didn't like catching her - it was all a great game!
Phoenix grinned at the curious call of the horse, it was a sweet sound and the mare seemed genuinely interested in her, brave enough to approach without reservations. She liked that about her immediately, it was a good trait for a horse to have and it indicated that she hadn't been mistreated either. She grinned as the mare wiggled her lip but unfortunately didn't have anything for her, "sorry lovely, no treats." She felt bad that she didn't now, but you could never be too careful with feeding strangers horses treats.
She let the mare move off, but ensured that she was aware when Phoenix entered the pen. The last thing she wanted to do was spook her. As Phoenix entered, she seemed to grab the horses' attention and she grinned, but she wasn't entertaining enough and the mare moved again. Phoenix watched her move, glad to see she moved freely, though it was tough to see in such a small area. She stepped forward to pat the horses' neck, just a warning to let her know Phoenix was there as she proceeded to run a hand over each limb, taking care to walk around her front to check both sides instead of behind her. "You're gorgeous...and you're just going to have to come home with me," Phe laughed, and she gave her one last pat before she glanced around to see where the seller might have gotten to.
Moxxie was mostly patient as the human looked over her and ran her hands down her legs. She kept an eye on the woman, an ear always turned towards her. She gently bumped her nose against the woman's shoulder, not too hard, but enough to try earn some further attention before lipping at her hair. She didn't grab and pull, just finding it to amuse her for a few moments before she walked off to the water trough to get a drink.
"You're gorgeous...and you're just going to have to come home with me," Phe laughed.
The sales man was down a few pens doing some final dealings with a bay shire that had gathered a decent amount of interest in the yard, handing over some papers and directed the buyer down to the office to finalize everything. Stepping out, he began to make his way over, noticing the woman in Moxxie's pen.
"Ah, she's a fine one isn't she?" he said, offering a smile to Phe, "A little bit of mischief, but she's a good one."
She came back out of the pen once she'd inspected her, not wanting to bother the mare too much. She leant against the top rail and observed her for a few more quiet moments, pleased to see how bright and alert she was about her surroundings, but curious as opposed to scared. Phe heard the sound of footsteps and turned slightly to see a guy heading down the isle toward her. From the look of him he must have been something to do with Moxxie - either her owner, or the sales rep, she wasn't 100% sure, but as long as they had information on how she could either buy or make a bid on the horse, she didn't mind who she was dealing with.
"Ah, she's a fine one isn't she?" Pheonix returned the smile and gave a nod, "That she is," She agreed, not wanting to gush too much and encourage the price to rise - tread carefully, she could be naive at times but she wasn't flat out idiotic. "A little bit of mischief, but she's a good one." Pheonix gave a little laugh and nodded, "There's nothing wrong with a little twinkle in the eye," She preferred a horse with character, even if it meant she hit the dirt a few times along with it. "So, how much is she? Don't leave me hanging, I'm interested."
"That she is," She agreed, not wanting to gush too much and encourage the price to rise - tread carefully, she could be naive at times but she wasn't flat out idiotic.
Pheonix gave a little laugh and nodded, "There's nothing wrong with a little twinkle in the eye," She preferred a horse with character, even if it meant she hit the dirt a few times along with it. "So, how much is she? Don't leave me hanging, I'm interested."
Moxxie looked over to the humans, curious as to why they were hanging around so much. It wasn't that she wanted them to go, if anything she wanted to be with people. The other horses weren't too bad, but they weren't for her persay. She moved over, sticking her head through the gate rungs and began trying to undo the latch.
The salesman let out a breath and pulled out his work phone, pulling up the young mare's details, "Owners have said she's probably only worth four to five-hundred pounds, given they only ever had her trained for a few weeks to walk and lead. We've marked her at the five hundred, but its negotiable to a point."
He looked up and spotted the young mare attempting the latch and gently pushed her nose away, "She does come with some quirks the owners wanted shared. She can and does escape stalls, she has no space sense - she'll be on you all the time, and while they did sent her for correction, she seems to forget it time to time. Can be a touch hard to catch, but a bribe seems to get her fine. All in all, she's a good young lass looking for someone to teach her more, and with the right hands, she'll go far I'm sure of it."
Phe continued to watch the horse, looking for any signs that she might be a less desirable buy than first appearances, but if anything her curious nature made her more of an interest to Phe than put her off. It meant she was intelligent - trying to work things out. She glanced back to the guy as he consulted his screen. "Owners have said she's probably only worth four to five-hundred pounds, given they only ever had her trained for a few weeks to walk and lead. We've marked her at the five hundred, but its negotiable to a point." A slight surprise and Phe wasn't quite able to tamp down on the rise of her eyebrows. It was a sellers market right now, with prices jacked right up, and even for a mare that hadn't done very much she was young, pretty and seemed to have decent manners - a good nature and some promise went very far these days.
"I see..." She mused as she turned back to the horse, watching the way the guy handled her. "She does come with some quirks the owners wanted shared. She can and does escape stalls, she has no space sense - she'll be on you all the time, and while they did sent her for correction, she seems to forget it time to time. Can be a touch hard to catch, but a bribe seems to get her fine. All in all, she's a good young lass looking for someone to teach her more, and with the right hands, she'll go far I'm sure of it." Phe listened to the guy's words and nodded, all the more interested in the horse. It sounded like she might do well for Phe's other interest - liberty and trick riding. A smart mare like this without too much intervention so far would make it easy to mold her.
"Those aren't a problem for me - I'm good with quirks," She smiled; it was true. She was more adept at tricks than the liberty side but she had a network of experts to help her if it was something she couldn't quite get to the bottom of. "I'd like to work on that price then, given the quirks you just listed and all, and make an offer that can't be refused." She laughed - tilting her head slightly with a spark in her eyes. "So out of the 4-500, I'm thinking toward to 400 mark?" She was worth more but Phe was looking to save any cash she could - a fair enough reason.
Moxxie didn't know what was going on, but there were people and people were fun. She liked people. Tilting her head over the rails, she poked at the sales man gently before trying to play with the latch.
"Those aren't a problem for me - I'm good with quirks."
The sales man gently pushed Moxxie's muzzle away from the latch, having long since learnt what the mare was capable.
"I'd like to work on that price then, given the quirks you just listed and all, and make an offer that can't be refused." She laughed - tilting her head slightly with a spark in her eyes. "So out of the 4-500, I'm thinking toward to 400 mark?"
The man let out a slight whistle and looked at Moxxie the same time as she was reaching towards his hat. He could only chuckle.
"How about we come to middle, 450? She's got potential despite those quirks. I would've taken her myself, but she's too small for me and my kids aren't horse mad, but she'd be a valuable asset."
Her eyes drifted to the young mare again, watching her play with the latch on her gate. Clearly she was not a stupid mare, not that Phoenix considered any horse stupid, but she did feel that their intelligence varied somewhat, just as it did with people. She'd known a fair few of the animals that had been a little goofy and silly, but equally some that were way too smart for their own good, figuring out very quickly that they did or didn't have to do something if they felt like it. She watched the guy push the mare's nose aside, seeing how she responded to it - no bad behaviour that she could see which was nice. It was always good to see how the horse responded to being told, it gave an indication on whether they'd been poorly treated or not, or if they had a little bit of an attitude.
She gave the guy a cheeky grin as his whistle. She didn't want to take the piss or ruin the sale, but she also wasn't one to pay over price or be taken for a ride. She reached over to give the mare a scratch behind her ear. Yes, she'd fit right in to her little herd. "How about we come to middle, 450? She's got potential despite those quirks. I would've taken her myself, but she's too small for me and my kids aren't horse mad, but she'd be a valuable asset." It was a fair request. She mulled it over for a minute, thinking over the cost and potential worth of the mare, looking her over once more before she grinned and stuck out her hand. "Fair deal, I'll take her."