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!.
The problem with owning a business and specifically a horse business, sleeping in was never an option. Which is why John Ryan found himself down at the Ryan Stables on an early Saturday morning - doing his best to not disturb his wife - with his thermos in hand, ready to get to work. Naturally, he ignored the office work for the time being and went out to greet the horses in their stalls - the quiet morning filled with soft whickers of greeting, some of the more feisty horses let out a shrill whinny - demanding their breakfast. So he took to scooping out and prioritizing buckets, making his way down each stall to bequeath breakfast. While they ate, he drove to the troughs to break the top layer of ice and turned on the water heaters once more, getting them ready to serve the horses.
The large fields were closed off, allowing the grass to recover from a spring, summer, and fall of horses happily eating away. Between sips of coffee, he stuffed hay flakes into the sheltered hay keeps for the horses to munch on throughout the day. Anything to make up for the lack of grass and the fact that some of them were going to be worked later today. Right when he was finished was right when he had managed to run out of coffee. Sighing, John hopped back onto the gator and drove back to the barn now. The horses had probably sat still enough after eating, meaning it would soon be time to take them out to the pasture and let them loose. Unfortunately, that meant that he would also have to start looking over paperwork and bills. At least it meant that he could make himself another pot of coffee.
As he approached with the barn, he also saw a familiar SVU parked next to his. Well, it looks like he might have failed in his plan for not disturbing his wife from her slumber. Parking the gator and grabbing his thermos, John headed in the barn to see none other than his beautiful wife herself - Marie I. Ryan - standing in the aisles with one of the horses. He knew that head of cascading brunette hair from anywhere, even a million miles away, "Wife!" he called out, heading over to her now - unable to hide the grin from his face from simply laying his eyes on her, "Sorry if I woke you. I tried so hard to let you sleep in," he leaned in to offer her a kiss now before the horse stole her attention away, "Although, believe me, I am not complaining to see you here."
Marie was in the middle of a weird dream, the fact that she knew it was a dream told her that she was also kind of awake, but not awake enough to bring herself out of the dream as she ran from whatever was pursuing her. She awoke with a start as her dream-self fell to the ground, and she sat up with a gasp as she caught her breath, frowning slightly when she saw she was alone. That half asleep/half awake thing must have been more the former if she hadn't noticed John had left.
After a shower and a quick breakfast, Marie filled two travel mugs with fresh coffee and headed out the door. It was still early, but there were new horses that she wanted to check up on, and broodmares that need attention. Plus, the house was too quiet and she needed to be surrounded with noise.
Parking next to John's vehicle, she headed into the barn with a smile, not too surprised to discover it lacked her husband, though her attention was caught by a chestnut face with a wide blaze. "Hello, lovely." She whispered as she set the travel mugs on the ground and ran her hands down the gelding's face before she gathered his halter, slipped it on and led him from the box, stepping back to stand at the end of the lead to take a good look at the horse's conformation. "Wife!" A grin lit up her face at the sound of her husband's voice. "Husband!" She replied as she stepped up to the horse's head again. "Sorry if I woke you. I tried so hard to let you sleep in," She wrinkled her nose as she accepted the kiss, laughing as the horse turned his muzzle toward John for a kiss too. "Although, believe me, I am not complaining to see you here." She grinned again and nodded toward the mugs. "You didn't wake me, a strange dream did that, and being here, with you, seemed more entertaining than going back to sleep. I brought coffee."
He didn't think his grin could grow any bigger, but it did the second Marie replied with one word: Husband. The smile on her face, the way she said it, god, he was a lucky man. He didn't get how he had been able to get her to say yes to marrying him those many years ago, but John wasn't complaining on that notion. The teasing wrinkle of her nose didn't escape him as he went in for the kiss, however it wouldn't get in the way of his smooch. John would have let the kiss linger if it hadn't been for some whiskers soon tickling his cheek and as he pulled back, blue eyes caught sight of an invading horse muzzle, "Excuse you, Ace!" He mock exclaimed to the horse, before he gently grabbed the horse's halter to keep him still to earn his Ryan Grade Kiss also, "Now, please leave me to Marie." Never a dull moment with horses.
His attention was quick to return to the woman besides him, listening to her talk, "You didn't wake me, a strange dream did that, and being here, with you, seemed more entertaining than going back to sleep. I brought coffee." He couldn't help but to arch an eye brow. Strange dream? John figured he wouldn't worry about any sleep issues just yet, it's not like it was uncommon to have weird dreams - he just hoped they wouldn't become the norm and take away from the quality of sleep, "Strange dreams huh? We're they strange because I wasn't in them?" he asked her jokingly. Good thing the kids weren't around or surely there would be some loud, audible groaning, "And thank you for the coffee. How did you know I ran out?" He happily accepted the new travel mug, considering he left his other one in the gator the second he saw Marie.
"Everyone's fed, and the water heaters outside are up and running again. Figured I'd take let them out to pasture before looking over bills. Do you mind helping me with all of the above?" He took a sip of the coffee before adding on, "I don't know what you have on your plate today, but I also was hoping for a good ole couples ride later today."
"Excuse you, Ace!" Marie didn't even bother to try and hide her giggle as Ace pushed in for a kiss too, and she loved John all the more because he responded to the horse's request. "Now, please leave me to Marie." She raised her brows in amusement as she wiggled the rope and had the gelding step back and to the side so that she was now piggy-in-the-middle between her husband and the horse, laughing as the gelding placed his chin on her shoulder, sighing as he watched.
"Strange dreams huh? We're they strange because I wasn't in them?" She laughed and shrugged. "I think I was being chased, I woke up as dream me tripped and landed with a thud." She shrugged again. "I wasn't scared, just startled awake." Nightmares had never been a problem for her, even before big events, she managed to compartmentalise everything and sleep well. "And thank you for the coffee. How did you know I ran out?" She snorted with laughter, quickly putting a hand on the gelding's nose as his head shot up from the sound. "It's not so much that I knew you had run out." She said with a grin. "It's that I knew you wouldn't have brought a spare."
"Everyone's fed, and the water heaters outside are up and running again. Figured I'd take let them out to pasture before looking over bills. Do you mind helping me with all of the above?" She nodded with a soft smile, not at all surprised that he was already on top of everything. "I don't know what you have on your plate today, but I also was hoping for a good ole couples ride later today." She pursed her lips as she thought through everything she needed to do. "I have a couple of maiden mares that I need to check up on, as one has a dam who was notorious for slipping foals, and I'm hoping the mare doesn't follow suit." All the fun and games of running a breeding barn. "I have a couple of mares that are in need of a good ride, if you don't mind riding one of my girls." While people had differing ideas about riding pregnant mares, she liked to keep them in work for as long as they could comfortably wear tack, just without the strenuous workout of a competition horse.
John watched as his wife worked her charm with the interrupting Ace, who respectfully backed up as soon as Marie jiggled the lead rope. Although the retreat didn't last for long, the horse at least realized that perhaps his humans wanted some uninterrupted smooches and appeared content with resting his chin on Marie's shoulder. Ace's displeasure was heard though via a huffy sigh that simply caused John to roll his blue eyes, "I swear, it never ceases to amaze me how dramatic horses can be. And people say they have no personalities and are nothing but fancy lawn ornaments." Next time he heard that line, he was going to stick them in a stall with Ace here and see what they think on that front.
As Marie laughed, the man could not help but to smile. It was a sound that he would never get sick of hearing. Light hearted and full of life, it was one of the few clues he had when they first met that maybe they could get over the hump of being groom rivals. It wasn't long before Marie started her tale, "I think I was being chased, I woke up as dream me tripped and landed with a thud. I wasn't scared, just startled awake." John could not help but to arch an eyebrow at his wife, mild concern flickering across his features, "You're not hurt, are you?" She didn't look it, but winter gear made it hard to find bruises in such situations. He knew Marie was tough and a thund out of bed would hardly phase her, but as her husband, it was in his nature to worry and be protective - even if the thing doing the damage had simply been a roll off of a bed.
"It's not so much that I knew you had run out," she said with a grin. "It's that I knew you wouldn't have brought a spare." Now it was his turn to let loose of snort of laughter. He put a hand on his chest, feigning insult, "Marie, you wound me. And yet, you're right." He took a sip on the coffee, delight coming to his face now as he let her mull over the his many requests. John knew not to interupt her as she pursed her lips in thought, "I have a couple of maiden mares that I need to check up on, as one has a dam who was notorious for slipping foals, and I'm hoping the mare doesn't follow suit. I have a couple of mares that are in need of a good ride, if you don't mind riding one of my girls." He nodded, looks like they both had their share of astronomical work. All in a day's work. Typical, "Nah, I don't mind at all. Walking pace is perfect, gives me more time to admire you," he joked now, "How about we split up, you see to your mares and I'll take care of the ruffians outside of the breeding barn and we meet up prompty in an hour? I'll ride whoever you need me to."
"I swear, it never ceases to amaze me how dramatic horses can be. And people say they have no personalities and are nothing but fancy lawn ornaments." Marie pursed her lips and nodded. "Or machines. They have no personalities or emotions, so they can be treated like any other piece of work machinery." They'd had to deal with way too many of that kind while on the circuit, and it was why she was pleased not to have gone to the Olympics, as she didn't want to have to see that kind of poor horsemanship on an international level.
"You're not hurt, are you?" She grinned as she leaned up to kiss him. "You are so cute when you're all worried about me." She teased. "My dream-self tripped and fell, I woke up with a jump. In an empty bed." She pouted, though it was very rare for them to get up at the same time, as they made sure not to wake the other if they were sleeping. "Nah, I don't mind at all. Walking pace is perfect, gives me more time to admire you," he joked now, "How about we split up, you see to your mares and I'll take care of the ruffians outside of the breeding barn and we meet up prompty in an hour? I'll ride whoever you need me to." She rolled her eyes and huffed. "They're pregnant, not missing a limb! They can trot and canter too, you just can't watch my backside as I outjump you." She gave him another kiss. "I'll see you, in an hour." She flashed him a grin as she put Ace's rope in his hand, she'd seen as much of the horse as she needed to, and knew she liked him. She put an extra wiggle in her hips as she headed off down to her barn so that she could make sure nothing out of the ordinary had happened over night and decide which of the moody mares she was going to unleash on her husband.
John noticed how his wife's lips pursed and he knew what was coming next, "Or machines. They have no personalities or emotions, so they can be treated like any other piece of work machinery." Even though the context was a rife one, he couldn't help but to smile - never one afraid to speak her mind, "Well, good thing that we Ryans are here to prove them otherwise." A snort escaped the horse with them, as if signaling his agreement, "See? Even Ace here thinks Team Ryan is the best, not that he's biased or anything."
He lowered his head to meet her kiss, light and sweet and he could not help but to reach up and cup his hand around her jaw - even if it was for the briefest of seconds before Marie broke contact. A sigh escaped John, wishing barn kisses weren't so short lived now but he had to remind himself that they weren't exactly teenage grooms anymore, "You are so cute when you're all worried about me." She teased. "My dream-self tripped and fell, I woke up with a jump. In an empty bed. The man lifted up a hand, running it through his hair, feeling a little bashful, "Oh! Well, you said tripped and I guess my mind went straight to worry instead of listening to logic and the rest of it," something that he did have a bad habit of doing, "But I promise I will make up the empty bed to you tomorrow. Snuggles until you kick me out yourself," John vowed. And then a moment later, he couldn't help but to add on with a low growl, "And maybe some other fun stuff."
As soon as the words about walking the mares escaped his lips, the man knew he had fucked up. It became even more clear when Marie rolled her hazel eyes, "They're pregnant, not missing a limb! They can trot and canter too, you just can't watch my backside as I outjump you." He could not help but to throw up his hands in the air dramatically and complained teasingly, "Woman! They are your passion project. How am I suppose to know?" At least she forgave him with a kiss, agreeing to their date in one hour, and walked off. John watched her walk away, his blue eyes lingering on her and dropping down to some selective assests when she did her little jiggle. A heavy but loving sigh escaped him, "Ace. I am a lucky man." That was followed up by a muzzle bopping him, reminding him that it was field time now, "Yeah yeah, okay. Let's go."
The hour went by surprisingly fast with taking all of the horses out. With the winter air, he didn't trust them all to not try and take him out in their glee. So each set he took out, he forced them to turn around and face him, their rears to the field, while he pulled off their halters to let them free. Some, like Rocket, were amenable to this plan, lazily leaving as the halter was pulled off. Others, like Jett and Ace, were obnoxious about it, and proceeded to help John by ripping their heads from the halter as soon as they felt it being removed before charging off. As annoying as it was, he couldn't blame them, he'd want to be out here too after being cooped up. Glancing at his watch, he realize it was just about that time, and he started his walk to the Brood Mare Barn.
It took him a few stall checks before he found her, and announced his present, "I have arrived! And for once, perfectly on time, so I think I deserve a reward."
"Well, good thing that we Ryans are here to prove them otherwise. See? Even Ace here thinks Team Ryan is the best, not that he's biased or anything." Marie grinned and gave a mock roll of her eyes. "Comments from the peanut gallery don't count."
She gave a pout, mocking him slightly, at the sound of a sigh as she broke the kiss as quickly as she had started it. They weren't teenagers anymore, and it didn't do well for barn gossip if they were caught kissing in the middle of the aisle. "Oh! Well, you said tripped and I guess my mind went straight to worry instead of listening to logic and the rest of it," She shrugged, it wasn't her fault he was male and couldn't keep his mind on all the conversation. "But I promise I will make up the empty bed to you tomorrow. Snuggles until you kick me out yourself," Her brows rose in question with a coquettish grin. "And maybe some other fun stuff." She laughed. "Promises, promises, Romeo."
"Woman! They are your passion project. How am I suppose to know?" She laughed again as she gave him an air-kiss. "That's okay, sweety." She said as she patted him on the chest. "You look after all the boys up here, and I'll do all the real work."
Checking on the mares, Marie let herself into one of the stalls and slipped the halter over the mare's nose and led her out of the messy stall. "It's okay, love." She cooed as she rubbed the mare's nose, leading her toward a clean stall and had her phone out, calling the vet to see if someone could come out and inspect the mare, as her foal had slipped during the night, and she wanted to make sure that Kenzie was safe before she was turned out.
After leaving the mare with one of her helpers, she completed her checks and got the two mares she had chosen ready. "I have arrived! And for once, perfectly on time, so I think I deserve a reward." She gave her husband a bright smile. "You do!" She said with a giggle. "Because you made here on time, I'll let you ride Winnie." She offered him the reins of the tall grey mare. "And I'll ride Wander." She kissed the bay's black muzzle, laughing as the moody mare flattened her ears and swished her tail, raising her head out of reach, nostrils flared as she looked down on all of them. "I'll let you pick where we are going to ride too." She clipped her helmet below her chin and pulled the stirrups down, throwing one over the saddle so that she could tighten the girth again, leaving the stirrup where it was for now, as she would check the girth again when they got to the mounting block. "Do you want me to hold her while you mount?" She didn't think the mare would walk off while being mounted, but you never knew with hormonal mares, so the offer was there.
It looked like he had arrived just in time, since Marie had produced two tacked up mares ready to be mounted. Both of whom he recognized immediately. The grey, Winnie, and the dark bay, Wander. If he could have his pick, he already knew who he wanted, "Because you made here on time, I'll let you ride Winnie," she offered him the reins of the tall grey mare. "And I'll ride Wander." Laughter escaped him as he took the reins from her, "You know me so well. I was hoping for her." Not that John had any issues with the other mare, but hacks were suppose to be fun for him, if he wanted to deal with Wander's antics, he'd take her into the arena for thirty minutes prior unlike Marie, who could ride her out of the stall like it wasn't even an issue, "Admittingly, I was hoping for a kiss though. But I guess I can share you with Wander." Espeacially when she was giving the three of them the haughty look like she was doing now.
At the invitation to pick where they were going, John thought it over while he adjusted the stirrups now and dealt with the girth. The grey mare just compliantly stood there, hardly making a fuss and only tossing her head once at the first movement of the tightening. Once that was done, the man put on his helmet now, fashioning it before glancing over at his wife, "How about we do the woods and come back through the open area by the pastures? Enough time to let them stretch their legs and go through some motions besides just walking?" Ultimately, they were Marie's mares though so he would follow her lead. She was the specialist when it came to the pregnancies', he just relied on the vets.
He followed her out to the mounting block, and at her offer, he just shook his head, "Nah. I got it, thank you for hte offer though," he said with a smile before looking at the grey mare, "Winnie, you won't betray me, will you?" Dark brown eyes just stared back at him innocently, "That's what I thought," he said with a joke now. They headed over, and he was quick to mount up. While Winnie didn't shy away from the block, she did decide it was okay to start walking as he launched off the block. Sitting back in the saddle, John asked the grey mare to stop and hold before he stuck his feet into the stirrups, "You know, I was hoping for a romantic jaunt, but I am beginning to get suspicious that these girls might give us a run." He commented now with a laugh.
"Admittingly, I was hoping for a kiss though. But I guess I can share you with Wander." Marie gave a wicked grin. "Kiss?" She replied, and laughed as Winnie's top lip curled up as she leaned toward John.
She pictured the path that he had mentioned and she nodded with a smile. "Sounds wonderful! I'm sure the girls will enjoy a bit of a blast if they were given the choice." After all, the mare's spent enough time chasing each other around the pastures, until they were too big to be wanting to to anything more than just stand around and waddle slowly when they had to.
"Nah. I got it, thank you for hte offer though," She arched a brow, her lips threatening to break into a grin. "Winnie, you won't betray me, will you?" She gave a peal of laughter when Winne had had enough of standing still, even if it had only been a couple of minutes, and started to walk off. "Well, we know that horse whispering isn't one of your secret talents." She teased.
Once she was pleased that he seemed to have his mare under control, she led wander to the mounting block, stepped up and mounted the mare, smirking when the bay remained parked until her rider had her feet in the stirrups and Marie asked her to walk forward. "She's lulling me into a false sense of security." She assured her husband as she moved her left leg forward and tightened the girth.
John had been pleased to get one more kiss out of his wife, a past time that never grew old, and he needed it too given that there was no kissing allowed once they were mounted up. His mare appeared to have no patience for him anyways, love life or otherwise, with her need to walk already. Thankfully, there was little to no fight in her when it came to asking her to halt again. Marie was laughing at their antics, and he certainly couldn't be surprised, "Well, we know that horse whispering isn't one of your secret talents." A chortle of a laugh escaped him before he managed to pull of a mocked hurt look, "Maire, my wife. You wound me," he commented now, throwing up his one hand to his chest for a moment like she had struck him in the heart, "Although, I do have to agree, horse whispering is certainly more your talent than mine. At least with these moody mares."
A perfectly timed snort escaped Winnie, followed by a groan as the full seat of her rider's weight seemed to sink into her as they waited for the other pair. Now John rolled his eyes at that one, "I think she's implying I'm the heavy one." Blue eyes looked to his wife and her mare now, unlike Winnie, Wander appeared to stand perfectly still while Marie mounted up. He couldn't help but to shoot her a look, which Marie clearly sensed before coming over to stand near now, "She's lulling me into a false sense of security." Laughter escaped him, "Perhaps she is, although she better not pull any funny business. The Ryan Clan is done with emergency hospitals for the next century as far as I am concerned." Technically, it had been a long time since their last emergency visit, but still, John felt like it needed to be announced.
With their girths tighten and stirrups taken care of, John looked towards the beaten trail path of the woods, "Well, shall we tally ho?" he asked jokingly now, "Ladies first of course. Granted, I'm not sure how this works since Winnie is also a lady." Another snort escaped his mare now, "Geez, Winnie certainly is not feeling my award winning personality today, is she?"
"Maire, my wife. You wound me," Marie gave him a sympathetic pout and then a you'll live shrug. "Although, I do have to agree, horse whispering is certainly more your talent than mine. At least with these moody mares." She huffed and gave him a talk to the hand gesture. "Puh-leeze! No whispering happens in my barn. We gossip over a cup of... molasses." Well, she was hardly going to give the mares coffee!
Her brows shot up at Winnie's antics and she pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh. "I think she's implying I'm the heavy one." The laugh escaped and she shook her head in amusement. "It's probably all those sweet snacks you seem to think you need in between meals." She offered with a shrug, though they all burned enough calories with the work they did that the extra snacks were burned off as quickly as they were eaten.
Marie squeezed her mare forward onto the trail they were going to be taking. "Geez, Winnie certainly is not feeling my award winning personality today, is she?" She laughed, letting her mare walk close enough to the other so that her knee bumped her husband's. "Don't take it to heart, she's like that all the time. Just adds to the gossip that will happen later." She could actually picture the mares in the pastures, standing around and grousing about the humans they'd had to deal with. "And don't worry about Wander, the worst she'll probably do is sneeze and trip over her own feet." Her mount tended to have issues with multi-tasking, and even walking and sneezing at the same time was often too much for her. The ones who were likely to spook at their own shadow, she had left in the barn.
He laughed as his wife as she gave him 'the hand'. John knew very well that some sass was going to start coming in his direction, "Puh-leeze! No whispering happens in my barn. We gossip over a cup of... molasses." Well, that was quite the comeback on her part, "Molasses, huh? No wonder the mares adore you," he joked with a grin, "Although I am a little suspicious on what you all can possibly find to gossip at el stables de Ryan."
The mare finally settled down, and John set the pace at a brisk, active walk to keep her moving. Despite this being a light hack, the man knew that he still had to make sure that Winne knew she was working. She found her groove with him, right as he made a comment about his own weight. Marie, ever the failing a good poker face it seemed, was quick to laugh, "It's probably all those sweet snacks you seem to think you need in between meals." John was quick to make a face and shoot her a look, "Yeah yeah, I can't help it if those peanut butter chocolate chip cookies just speak to me. Plus, they're left out in the open. They're practically begging to be eaten." His rant was soon followed by a dramatic sigh, "I assume you at least still find me attractive despite my cookie addiction?"
It was a fair enough question, even though he very well knew the answer. As the trail began looming ahead, blue eyes make a quick scan of what was ahead of them. Out of the corner of his eye though, John caught hte movement of his wife and her horse lining up besides them now, a gentle bump of her knee to remind him of her presence. As if he could ever forget it. Her description of Wander caused a snort of laughter to escape him, "We should try and get a picture of that. Wander would probably become the next famous horse on the internet for a...what's that word? Derpy?" He was positive that's what it was, "I think I've heard the kids use that word before."
Blue eyes looked out on their land now and the woods boarding it now. He was finding himself tempted to challenge her to a race and give the mares even more a chance to stretch out their legs. Although he was always uncertain when it came to the broodmares, since they fell out of his specialty. And then it got John thinking, how crazy their lives had been and how everything finally seemed to wined down after all of these years. It made the man feel a little wistful as he glanced back at his wife now, "You know, I don't think I've could have ever done this or accomplish anything here without you in my life, Marie."
"Molasses, huh? No wonder the mares adore you," Her brows rose, as though there was any question of the mare adoring her! "Although I am a little suspicious on what you all can possibly find to gossip at el stables de Ryan." She grinned. "There's loads to gossip about! The powerful hindquarters of all the studs walking around this place." She hummed appreciatively.
She let the slightly sluggish mare find her feet as they followed the other pair down the path, Marie couldn't help but laugh as her husband tried to talk his way around all the cookies he snacked on, rolling her eyes every now and then. "I assume you at least still find me attractive despite my cookie addiction?" She purse her lips as she pretended to think about the question, and then made a so-so motion with her hand before blowing him a kiss. "I find your cookie addiction quite attractive." She said with a smile. "At least I know what to do when I feel I've done something I shouldn't have."
She leaned forward, cupping her hands over her mare's ears. "Don't you listen to his silly words, love." She told the mare, sticking her tongue out at her husband. "He has no idea what he's talking about. You're going to be famous on the internet when your babies start winning shows and everyone wants your babies." Well, they were her dreams for all her mares.
She sat deep as she felt Wander perk up. "You know, I don't think I've could have ever done this or accomplish anything here without you in my life, Marie." She rolled her eyes playfully, though she loved him all the more for his words. "Are you going to sit there, all sentimental, or are you going to let your mare get her heartrate up?" She gave him a wicked grin as she took up her mare's reins. "Race you to the gate!" She closed her legs around Wander's barrel and let the mare shoot forward, even if she knew that Winnie would easily pass them if the mare felt like it.
Laughter escaped him over the thought of the mares gossiping about the powerful hind quarters. Now it was all what he was ever going to think about when he saw them milling in the pasture and purposefully ignoring the stallions and geldings. John knew that if his own main steed could talk though, Jett would most certainly appreciate it.
Winnie seemed to be making her way down the path with such ease at this rate, John almost had forgotten that she was pregnant if it weren't for the girth of her sides between his legs. And while he was still uncertain if he wanted to put his full trust in her to lead the way, the man still could not help but but to allow his blue eyes steal a glance at Marie, who merely rolled her eyes over his sweets addiction. Still, it looked like his wife couldn't resist blowing him a kiss, which he caught after letting one hand go from the reins, "Oh? I feel like that's bribery," he said with a laugh now, "Suddenly, I feel like I need to think back on all the times cookies or any other baked sweets appeared in the kitchen and if there's correlation to something you wanted or needed."
At the idea of the mare being derpy, John watched as his wife slid forward to cup the mare's ears and reassure her that she was most certainly not derpy. His blue eyes lingered on the curves of her body, and simply reminded himself that he should make fun of her horses more often, "Okay okay. She'll be internet famous for both." That at least felt like it covered both of their desires - or at least, John's teasing.
When he professed his utterly, what he thought, utterly sweet words to his wife, John had missed the small movement of Marie's body shifting in the seat of the saddle. The roll of her eyes should have signaled that he should be ready, but the man had gotten so used to such a delivery that he didn't think anything of it until it was too late: "Are you going to sit there, all sentimental, or are you going to let your mare get her heartrate up?" Then came the wicked grin. "Race you to the gate!" And then, just like that, they were gone and John's blue eyes had nothing but to admire but both the backsides of the woman he loved and her pregnant horse.
"Well shit, Winne. Why didn't you warn me?" John asked the mare, and she simply snorted. He gathered the reins up smoothly, and squeezed to give her the encouragement she needed to move forward. The slip into the canter was seamless, and John had forgotten how smooth her canter was as they raced after the other pair now, hoping to not be left completely in the dust. They soon were upon Marie and Wander, although they stayed a hair behind as he called out, "That was sneaky of you! What does the winner get?" The gate would be approaching them soon, and he had to decide if he wanted to be a gentleman or not, granted, John supposed Marie would be angry at him if he didn't give it his all.
