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!.
There are 14 jumps in the ring, beginning with a small 1m5 upright as the first fence. Number 4 is a water tray. Number 6 is a one-strided double, the first fence of which is an oxer, the second is an upright. Number 9 is a triple, with the first and second part uprights, and the third part an oxer. The remaining jumps vary from 1m5-1m10, with number 2, 8 and 10 oxers. They all contain fillers of some kind.
Stephanie was happy to see how many fellow Blue Acres riders joined her at the show. Usually, she would just coach but she had the itch to compete. It was a hard decision for her to choose which horse, but Tai was her chosen mount for the day.
She had spent the morning getting the bay gelding ready. He had his usual attitude of wanting attention and any sort of treats from people passing by the show barns. After grooming and tacking up, she got herself ready - buttoning her black show coat up before placing her helmet on her head. She felt like she was ready, taking a deep breath to try to get rid of any nerves. The nerves were always there, despite Stephanie doing many competitions before this. She slid the snaffle bit into the horse's mouth, doing up the straps before leading him towards the warm up ring. The brunette checked the girth and rolled down her stirrups before using the mounting block to get on.
Tai was excited, meaning Stephanie would have to put him through his paces. She made the gelding work, doing various things like downward transitions, loops and serpentines at the walk, trot and canter. As if she knew, Naomi came into the arena - watching Stephanie and Tai do some warm up jumps to prepare them for the course ahead. Steph reached down and patted Tai on the shoulder - it seemed that the gelding had finally settled down enough.
They quickly realized that the two of them were the first ones in the class - which was both good and bad. Stephanie steered the bay into the show ring - picking up the trot and then the canter. She had her eyes on the first fence which was an upright fence with some flowers underneath. Tai seemed to have locked his eyes on it as well, flicking his dark ears forward as they approached. The bay soared over the jump with ease, landing softly on the other side before continuing on towards the single oxer. She used her legs and squeezed during the take-off, causing the gelding to contain his energy - going up and over the jump, leaving both rails up. As the course continued, Stephanie felt Tai was going to explode with energy - though the jumps kept staying up as they went along. She settled him down for the water tray and the first jump of the double, knowing those were the two things that excited him the most. The rest of the course went smoothly, only really having a bit of a hiccup at the last fence of the triple, but Tai saved her butt. They had finished the thirteen jumps before going up and over the final fence, Stephanie letting out a sigh as they landed on the other side. All the fences had stayed up and the gelding decided to do one happy buck as if he was happy with himself. Stephanie stayed on, bringing the bay back to the trot and walk after the circle was done, patting him on the neck as they walked out of the ring. "Good boy, Tai. That was fun!" She said, wishing Mik good luck as she passed him on the way out - walking the gelding back to the warmup ring to cool out and chat with Naomi about how the round went.
With dressage out of the way for Glory, this was a walk in the park, or so Mik hoped, and after walking the course, he took his Warmblood into the warm up area and worked him over a coupe of jumps, just to make sure that Glory was prepared for the next class.
He knew that some people liked to watch the people in the class before them, learn from their mistakes and all that, but Mik liked to keep his attention as far away from the ring as possible, until it was time to go in, and he gently worked his horse through his paces until he heard the gate steward call for him.
Riding the horse into the jumping arena, he gave Glory a good look around as they made their opening circle and rode through the starting round. He watched the first fence as they approached it, taking as much care jumping this one as he would the last, as it was often the first fence that made or broke the round. With that fence behind them, he turned his attention to the next.
Mik made sure to keep his legs on as they approached the water jump, knowing that Glory would love nothing more than having a little paddle in the middle of a competition - it had happened before - and he caressed the gelding's neck as they flew over it, picking up speed as they landed.
The rest of the course passed in a blur of striped poles and flowers, even if he knew he was very lucky that Glory hadn't dropped a rail on the double as he'd tried to fit in an extra stride and hd jumped flat, and before he knew it, they were riding through the flags and out the gate. "Good lad." He praised the horse as they left the arena with a bright smile, even if breathing was an optional extra as his lung protested the extra work, and he rode over to where Fire was waiting so he could swap horses.
It had been a while since they're entered a show, and Logan felt rusty - not really what you wanted when you were meant to be one of the showjumping instructors at the yard; the only one, actually. It was his fault for having let things slide, but when shit had hit the fan, he couldn't exactly just ignore the other things in balance for a show. Bandit could be a little tricky at the best of times, but when he wasn't in the right frame of mind he was downright disruptive. The warm up was testy, with Bandit unfocused and too busy having a buck and a squeal every time someone went past, and then refusing to go forward into the fences on a good stride.
He ran out of time to do much more with the horse than manage to get him to take a couple of nicer warm up fences, already aware that this round was likely to be difficult. Logan had always been a quiet and considerate rider, which worked for Bandit, but he did need a firmer seat with the horse than he usually gave and sometimes he didn't feel he rode well enough. The first fence was sticky, and though Logan felt they managed to get a good forward rhythm started, it didn't translate. The first fence went down, and Logan ignored it, riding on as if nothing had happened. It wasn't about the poles, it was about having a nice flowing round. The next few fences went a little smoother and Bandit picked up and cleared them neatly, but when Logan turned away from the entrance and asked him to move on, the horse backed off, shortening up and clipping the next fence, and then scrambling the following. A little tap with his crop as a reminder to get on and focus properly, Logan managed to gather them both up for the rest of the round - hearing the last pole of the class fall with a soft thump as Bandit dropped his back legs a little quick.
At least there hadn't been any refusals, and Logan gave the horse a quick pat all the same. Bandit snorted and was only too happy to leave. Shaking his head but doing so fondly, Logan let the horse cool off on a long rein. "Ah well mate, shook off the dust at least."
Mik did his best not to breathe too deeply as he warmed Fire up over the practice fences, pleased with how the gelding was doing going over the jump, even if it was shorter than what they would be facing in the ring.
When their number was called, he clicked the gelding forward and they cantered into the arena, the bay's ears pricked forward as there was a bounce in his stride when he saw the jumps. "Settle." He breathed as they rode through the start flags and headed toward the first fence, which the horse jumped cleanly, with probably a little more energy than required, and Mik got him to focus again as they went to the next fence.
At the water jump, Fire took off a stride too early, and no matter how much weight Mik tried to get out of the saddle, the horse's back legs connected with the poles and he winced as he could hear them tumble as the horse landed and the cantered on.
He kept the gelding moving forward as they cleared the next fence and then the double, Fire jumping them all textbook style with his normal flash as well as the following two. Approaching the triple, Fire was moving too fast and even with a few half halts before the fence, and short of bringing the gelding down to a trot, Mik knew they needed to do something fast, However, Fire wanted to do this his was and refused to listen, which lead to the horse jumping late and flattening the jump. While spooked, he managed to clear the middle fence, but just didn't have the power to clear the oxer, almost landing in the middle.
Bringing the horse to a trot and then a walk, Mik raised his hand to the peak of his helmet, telling the judges they were retiring, before he left the arena. He could feel from the way that Fire was walking, favouring his back leg, that they were done for the day.
He couldn't lie, Charade had been a bit of a pig recently to school. She'd always been opinionated, and that had only doubled since her foal, but she was a talented mare and clever - hence the attitude. He'd decided getting her back out competing would hopefully improve her mood; too long couped up in the school and not enough time on the trails, doing her own thing. She didn't always behave at events either but they did seem to perk her up, and considering he'd needed a good year to get her back up to top level fitness, she was more than ready to get back out there.
They entered the ring with a sassy buck, and Dallas knew better than to reprimand her for it or send her on. Riding Charade was always a fine line, pushing too much hit the stubborn button, not enough and she'd take the piss just to prove a point. He sat softly and sent her on a little, teasing her forward and towards the first. She put a little less effort in than she needed and the pole wobbled. Another buck on landing and Dallas clicked to her. "Your own fault there petal." he warned, but it got her to concentrate, and the rest of the round went a lot smoother, landing clear after the last.
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