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!.
haha no, unfortunately for you. but it was a possibility. I'm looking for stuff at the start of the fall since we'll need to build that stuff up before finishing. we don't have much longer until we start looking at PhD programs...
Sabrina wasn’t about to show this kid the private kitchen of her home, but there was a small kitchenette that had some snacks. Thankfully, a fridge that held some left over food from an event, so there was some salad and even sandwiches.
She opened the fridge when she got there and grabbed herself a bottle of lemonade. “Have at it. Everything is fair game, unless it’s labeled. We don’t approve of meal thieves around here.” Sabrina twisted the cap off her bottle and took a swing before looking at Justin again. “I’m surprised you’re still alive with how terrible of a snoop you are.”
She lifted her eyebrows at the statement made to her. Sabrina, like most teen girls – knew that feeling all too well. But she wasn’t about to disclose that information. Only a few people knew about Sabrina’s infatuation with Jamie. And she had thankfully surrounded herself with the right people that didn’t leak anything out. Even though her sister, Piper, adored drama – she wasn’t the person to start it.
Sabrina tested the water temperature, and once it felt right – began giving Bingo a start wash. “My lesson was tough, but it was good. Bingo here, thankfully, is used to my antics. Lucifer has been sick – so I couldn’t ride him today like I usually would.” The gelding seemed to like the attention, and the compliment – nudging her shoulder as she brought the hose up his neck. “Trying to get more comfortable a bit higher before the new show season.”
“What about you? Did you have a trail ride or a lesson?” she asked, soaking Bingo’s mane.
Sabrina gave the young girl a soft smile. “Welcome to our barn!” she said, leading them past the threshold. “We have a good selection of horses here, ranging from personal to therapy, as well as rescue horses. We will also start offering coaching here, as well – so a few more horses will be available.” The teen was quite surprised that her parents had suggested bringing coaching, but with the rise in the Special Olympics, a lot more were interested. And what better place than Helping Hooves?
She stopped in front of Hilda. The mare, sensing Sabrina – huffed and walked over. “This is Hilda, one of our therapy horses. She’s a bit larger than most – but is a complete sweetheart.” Knowing her cue, Hilda lowered her head over the gate. Sabrina scooted over a stool, allowing Julia to stand up closer.
“Ah, I mainly jump – but I cross-train a lot when I can! Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Sabrina inquired.
She didn’t know if it was the laser eyes to the side of her head or the sneers – but Sabrina was quick to accept his offer. “Alright, Jamie. But our wager still stands.” She had a feeling that he may have forgotten or just not comprehended. Either way, someone was getting a kiss – and that made her knees buckle at the thought. She was quite brazen for someone who feared rejection.
Sabrina, feeling oddly brave today, hooked her arm around his and began walking toward the barn – after the instructor told them to head there. Once everyone was together, Kim appeared again. The older man smiled. “Alrighty folks. A few things to know before we get started. I have already separated a few sheep, so you aren’t tasked with catching them individually. But I would like to demonstrate how to approach and brace a sheep. Then, with either me or your instructor watching, we will have you all get some practice in.” A few yes sirs were let out before Kim went through the sequence.
She watched, forgetting their arms were still linked. Sabrina was often a sponge during a demonstration, often zoning out. Thankfully, it had never landed her getting hurt. But she was curious to see how hard these sheep would be to handle. They weren’t the largest animals, but they were easily startled and were sure-footed.
“Jamie, Sabrina – I’m happy to see you both here!” Kim’s voice broke Sabrina out of her thoughts, making her realize her arm was still in Jamie’s. She quickly dropped it.
“Ah, hello – Mr. Kim!” Sabrina greeted. The older man tilted his head but seemed to look at Jamie.
“Jamie, would you like to go first – practicing your hold?”
“Oh. Sure. We all sit on this trailer that’s dragged by a tractor. There are a few hay bales on it. Some places have it where we ride facing in, but because this is a haunted one – we face out. We didn’t make it super long, but the ride will be a few good minutes,” Sabrina smiled. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
It didn’t take long for the signal to start, so the tractor lurched forward – tires catching onto the gravel. The smell of diesel kissed the air as they all began moving forward. While Sabrina knew what the possible scares were, she had no idea what Piper’s theater friends or the volunteer's order of popping up would be. Which made it fun for her and sister as well.
The mist of the fog machine went off – and the trailer was shrouded in fake fog, only illuminating some of the horses that were painted in animal-safe glow-in-the-dark paint. Their whinnies in the pasture rang through, as they pranced about. Only for the sound of hoofbeats in the distance to get closer and closer. A black Friesian broke the fog, its rider dressed in all black and missing their head.
Sabrina lifted an eyebrow and looked at Brooklyn, clocking the weird change of tone and presentation. “You know you’re lying, right?” There was a bit of a teasing tone in her voice, but Sabrina was entertained now. Even though they weren’t that different in age – there was something about Brooklyn’s desire for the theatrics of it all – was entertaining, to say the least.
“You get rejected? Possible boy trouble?” Sabrina asked, running the comb over Lucifer’s neck. Maybe the questions were too prying, but there was something about teens of both genders having some drama over their desired people. Who knows, it could’ve been something completely different. But Sabrina was banking on Brooklyn to ramble on to fill in the details.
Sabrina clocked the look that Bonnie gave her and Jamie. It was cute, seeing the jealousy across her face. But she ignored the lasers that were surely burning into her neck. “Is that so? What is your wager then? A kiss?” Obviously, that was a joke, right? Yeah, exactly.
But the conversation wasn’t allowed to go past what was offered. Their teacher called everyone’s attention, and a tall – burly man was standing next to them. A thick head of hair, already sweaty biceps. “Damn, Jamie – didn’t know you had such a hot boss.” Sabrina wasn’t going to deny that Kim was a very attractive man. Gay or not, most people could appreciate a good-looking person. She also already knew what he looked like, but liked the teasing tone.
“Welcome to Clover Lane Farm!” Kim smiled. “I’m very happy to host a clinical here since I know a good chunk of you will be handling farm animals. Sheep are their own finicky creatures, but you’ll be learning how to hold them properly – as you give shots and wellness exams.”
“Please split up into teams of two,” the teacher instructed.
While Sabrina wasn’t exactly happy having to give a tour on Sunday, the man was important enough to her parents that they needed her to do it. She didn’t know why she had to be the one to do it. Piper was also fully capable. But nevertheless, Sabrina agreed. Since her parents were quite nervous about this man coming and seeing the property. The teen finally understood why when she did some digging into it. Moses Baker and his sister, Dahlia, both were well-known figures in the community. Both in business and community outreach. A person they for sure needed on their side.
Sabrina made sure she was dressed in a way that was nice, but still in a casual manner. Didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard. As she was preparing to re-wrap some rope, she heard a voice call out to her. Sabrina turned and saw the man she was warned about. Not in a bad way, of course. But his presence was known for sure. Dressed in a sleek casual suit. Not something to really be seeing a horse barn in, but Sabrina couldn’t fault him.
“Yes, that’s me,” she smiled, holding out a hand. Moses returned the handshake, making Sabrina want to practice hers. “Thank you for coming out to Helping Hooves.”
“No, thank you, for allotting some time for us. This is Julia, my daughter. We wanted to learn more about what you offer here.”
“Of course! Where would you like to start the tour, Julia?” Sabrina asked, looking at the young girl – who definitely had a twinkle in her eye.
“And? That doesn’t give you permission to trespass on personal property,” she frowned. “There are plenty of signs and plenty of other horses that are outside to talk to.” Sabrina wasn’t a total heartless person though. Her family did run a program that aimed at helping people. She just hated it when people couldn’t be arsed to pay attention to their surroundings. There was a reason they had so many cameras on the property now.
“If you’re hungry then, c’mon.” She started walking towards the private exit. “I’m Sabrina. Newish, you could say. The property and land itself are old, but we did implement a lot of new things.” Sabrina let her next few words linger in her mouth before saying them. “Let me guess, you’re a homeless teen if you’re roaming in areas that you're not allowed?” Justin wasn't the first one to do it. It was happening more and more recently. As long as they weren't hurting anyone, the family didn't mind helping them out. They were a non-profit after all.
Post surgery care wasn’t what Sabrina was thinking she would be doing today, but she knew it would be something that she would be doing at some point. There were a few times that her professors had gone over a broken bone and whatnot. But a Cane Corso that had a c-section wasn’t something that she’d be a part of this early.
Sabrina wasn’t allowed during surgery, but the University and the local vet office agreed that Sabrina and future students partake in the post. Until they hit a certain year in school, that was. After scrubbing up, Sabrina was guided by one of the techs into the post-care room where Dr. Katsaros would be giving her instructions.
The young woman could see the puppies were in a resting area, as the mother was still in the process of waking up. Despite being around horses for so long, Sabrina had never seen a dog so big. “She’s a big momma.” Alright, that maybe wasn't the best thing to say - but it was true, right?
How in the hell was Sabrina stuck riding the Haunted Hayride with Ronan Slade? Not that there wasn’t anything wrong with Ronan, and even if the twins switched seats – it would be noticeable and not fair. Even though they were the hosts of the shindig, they wanted it to be fair. Plus, the hayride was only for a few minutes. Sabrina could handle not staring at Jamie’s face. It’s not like Piper was in Jamie's group either. It was Emma and Jaana that Sabrina was a bit jealous of.
Sabrina’s group was third and they were stuck waiting. While the second group was screaming and giggling – she looked at her guests. “Is this someone’s first hayride?” Sabrina inquired. More so in case someone needed an explanation or something. No one wrote they needed accommodations for anything, but things did happen.
It was the time of year that the Ledor-Kita household changed from a basic look to the Haunted Mansion Disney ride. Green lights, cheesecloth, large fake spiders, and a plethora of décor. Even the horses got cute little decorations. Especially, the ones that would be out in the pastures like the personal horses of the family. Animal-safe, glow-in-the-dark paint was put on a few of the horses, to add some extra spook.
Halloween music played in the background as the twins got ready in their rooms. While the idea of dressing up as the twins from The Shining, they didn’t want to make things too awkward. Since both Ronan and Jameson will be attending. Piper wasn’t nervous about Ronan, but Sabrina was deathly nervous about Jameson.
She hadn’t expected Jameson to agree to come. So, at the last minute, Piper was able to create an attractive, but still practical version of Velma, from Sabrina’s favorite show. Piper was dressed...kind of normal, as it was Halloween all the time for her. Except, Piper chose all red for her own version of Lydia Deetz. Their parents were dressed as Elvira and Morticia, all decked out in gorgeous black dresses.
The twins made their way to the barn which was all decked out as if it was possible to have more Halloween around them. Glow in the dark chicken wire ghosts and figures lit the path for their guests, to the main hall of the barn. Hanging fake candles hung from the rafters, with black wreaths, and plastic pumpkins lining the tables filled with food and beverage. Soon, their guests victimes would be arriving.