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!.
Thanks to that fateful day with Leo White, Ronan had felt rather confident going out on the trails now. He knew his way around most of them, especially since they all were interconnected even though it didn't look it at face value. It had been too cold for the Mountain trails, so he settled for riding down to the beach. It would be new for Max, something that he hadn't done before so it might be a nice challenge. Although Max didn't tend to shy away from anything other than a large sound. Either way, it got them away from the stables, the ring, and better yet, the drama of the real world. Ronan had been having quite the month now, between meeting Piper and having a rough interaction with Kenzie. Sometimes when he thought back on that lunch, he felt a little guilty for losing it on her but man, the girl had been aggravating. School in general felt aggravating, tossed into classes that didn't matter to his major. Ronan knew the importance of foundation classes, but they felt awfully annoying on a college level. Hadn't high school been enough?
A snort escaped Max, bringing him back to the present as they walked through the grassy plain towards the beach. He was actually quite certain that he could hear the rolling waves up ahead, "Sorry, Max. I should be paying attention, should I?" As if understanding, the brumby shook his head. As always, he was ready to go. Rolling his grey eyes, the young male then said, "I'll let you loose on the sand." But despite his words, he asked the brumby for a trot now and Max happily obliged. Ronan tucked his bum just a little, allowing his body to relax as he sat the smooth trot. It wasn't too long before they hit the sand now, and Ronan asked for more. The brumby picked up into a canter and then a gallop as he carried himself and his rider over the sand now. There was a moment of adjustment, the footing new to both of them, but before long, they were galloping like they were professionals.
Crisp air and wind hit his face, no doubt flushing Ronan's face to a shade of red, but he didn't care. Out here, he was free. Free of everything and it was just him and Max, a boy and his horse. As the beach started to come to an end, Ronan slowed the horse down to a trot and then a walk. Leaning forward, he patted his chestnut brumby, "Good boy, Max. Did you enjoy that?" The forward ears of his mount seemed to suggest that, and laughter escaped him. They came to a still now, allowing Max to catch his breath, and for Ronan to peer out at the water. Blue grey eyes took in everything, the stillness of the beach so peaceful and quiet. Although, that quiet didn't seem to last long. It wasn't long before the crashing waves also had the rhythm of accompanying hoofbeats. Glancing over, Ronan saw another horse and rider approaching now, "Looks like we're not alone." He didn't recognize them, but figured they belonged to Seven Oaks, so he did wave as Max looked at them curiously now as well.
Grayson sat easy through the canter, his head low as he let the horse move on just like he'd been taught. He didn't have to know what was ahead immediately, and it wasn't like he was rounding up cattle at the moment. So he let the reins rest around the horn, loose as Red kept up the effortless lope across the ground.
He sat up a little more, stretching his back out before fixing his father's hat on top of his head and let himself relax again into the saddle. Though he felt a shift in Red, he frowned at the gelding slowed up just a touch at the sight of a rider and horse. Odd. He never usually encounter other people, or at the least when he did, they were quick to to leave or avoid him. But maybe it would be different now that he was on Red, and not Jed - that mule knew how to drive people away real quick.
So he brought Red down to a walk with a change in his seat, to which the gelding snorted and continued on with a low head. He could trust Red not to cause a scene, he had no reason to pick up the reins.
Ronan couldn't help but to quirk an eyebrow when the horse and rider got a little bit closer now, "Well, look at that," he muttered to Max now. A snort escaped the brumby, like he knew what his human was commenting on. Western riders felt like unicorns out in Hickstead, they supposedly existed but he had yet to meet one. Supposedly there were a few of them around, but the young male had yet to meet another western rider. Everyone he had met so far, both at Seven Oaks and at Uni, had been English riders. It would seem that the rider and horse caught sight of them as well, since their canter broke down to a slow walk. With anyone he seemed to meet in Hickstead, there was a 50/50 bet on whether or not on whether that person would be friendly, but Ronan would kick himself if he didn't try some small talk - if nothing else, for the opportunity to have a hack buddy.
Giving the brumby his head, he nudged Max forward to go meet the pair and left behind the sinking sand and ocean water. Ronan pulled the brumby to a stop when they were in talking distance, uncertain if the rider would just walk on by him or not, "Hey," he greeted, "I have to say, it's not every day I see a fellow western rider out here." Even Max was sizing up the fellow horse now who seemed to have a few inches and muscles on him. It looked like a quarter horse - good and study, always a favorite work horse back home. Well, here goes nothing, "I'm Ronan, this is Max. Do you two ride at Seven Oaks?"
Sitting a little straighter, Grayson regarded the other rider warily for a moment - as if making sure he wasn't about do something stupid like a rogue bull liked to do. Perhaps that was bad - evaluating people like cattle - but what other measure did he have?
"Hey," he greeted, "I have to say, it's not every day I see a fellow western rider out here. I'm Ronan, this is Max. Do you two ride at Seven Oaks?"
At that, he tilted his head, "Indeed, a rare chance like Hen's teeth."
His tone was dry, but he nodded all the same, "Name is Alek, and the very original Red. We do."
Short, sweet, simple and to the point - as per his preferences.
"So, you new to the area? Can't say I've seen you around, not that it counts much - I sometimes go a couple weeks without attending the stables so."
He shrugged and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
For a moment, it seemed like the only passing sound that would happen between them would be the crashing of the ocean waves, the flying birds, and the breeze rattling whatever beach grass there was. Blue grey eyes had caught how the other rider had sat just a little bit straighter, a wary look in those brown eyes as he stared at Ronan and Max. It was a look that Ronan himself knew all too well, one that he carried with him in Australia all the time unless he had been at home on the ranch. Hickstead had changed that just a little, or perhaps not Hickstead, but the few outgoing friends that he had made so far. But just because the young man was just a little more social now didn't mean that begrudged the other rider for being quiet.
However, beneath him, the brumby stirred, and perhaps one of them was annoyed at the idea of standing still and doing nothing. Perhaps Max sensed something that his human couldn't see, or perhaps, and more likely, Max knew this other horse did the same things he used to do, and therefore saw a rival. The other ride spoke now, cutting through the still wilderness, "Indeed, a rare chance like Hen's teeth." Ronan arched an eyebrow, that was a saying he hadn't heard in a while, but either way, he now had two names to two faces: Alek and Red. And they do indeed ride western, "Well, I figure we might be the whole population of western riders, at least, on this part of the island."
The notion of not visiting the barn for several weeks seemed impossible notion to Ronan, but everyone was different. Plus people left him alone, who knew if people left Alek alone, "I transplanted this past October with Max from Scone. Bit different here but my dad thought I needed a change of scenery, so I'm living with my grandfather now." A snort escaped Max, and Ronan just shook his head, "As for the barn, I'm there most of the time, but I also have class so I wouldn't be surprised if we miss each other." He lightly touched the reins to the right side of the brumby's neck, asking him to swing left and to start walking, gesturing to Alek that they could continue their conversation and he wasn't bowing out, "What brought you here? Unless that's personal, you don't have to share."
"Well, I figure we might be the whole population of western riders, at least, on this part of the island."
There was a long moment where Alek wasn't even sure he'd respond, but something got him to - "Probably."
"I transplanted this past October with Max from Scone. Bit different here but my dad thought I needed a change of scenery, so I'm living with my grandfather now."
He saw the gesture, tilted his head and for the briefest moment the thought to just turn and leave the other boy behind, but there was just something weird that craved some sort of familarity. Hearing he was also from Australia also eased some of the tension out of him as he spurred Red to follow along, mindlessly listening to the other prattle on.
"As for the barn, I'm there most of the time, but I also have class so I wouldn't be surprised if we miss each other."
"What brought you here? Unless that's personal, you don't have to share."
Alek stared at Red's neck, not totally comfortable with making eye contact as he considered what his response would be. More silence? Maybe a grunt?
"I'm usually caught in study..." he said, his voice thick - why was he even telling this stranger that? "I just don't have as much time as I'd like."
He readjusted his hat, readjusted his hand, "Scone, huh? Horse capital. I'm from the red-country, Northern Territory, middle of nowhere... Raised on a station. Got moved here not by choice, dad died."
He shrugged and then frowned - why was he spilling his guts like this? He needed to clamp down on the information. Needed to find a way not to just give his sob story.
It would seem that the other western rider was a man of few words with his small talk of one worded answers. But Ronan didn't mind that, he too could be that way. It wasn't often that he talked so freely, but there was an unspoken comfort to finding another western rider, let alone another Australian western rider. He didn't want to assume, but the young man wouldn't be surprised if he and Alek grew up doing the same things, just in different parts of the country. As Ronan turned Max to start walking down the beach, he caught the hesitation in the other. He didn't mind, if Alek didn't want to join and wanted to leave, he wouldn't hold it against him. Gods knew how many times Ronan had been guilty of that himself.
They plodded along, and it was a mere matter of seconds before they had company besides them, and Ronan just kept on talking - not paying too much mind to Alek and Red, unlike Max, who kept on eyeing them when he could and get away with it. When Ronan ran out of words though, his own blue grey eyes were glancing at Alek now. Right when he figured that maybe he should just carry on, talking for the both of them, did the other young man speak, "I'm usually caught in study..." he said, his voice thick, "I just don't have as much time as I'd like." He smiled slightly, glancing back ahead, "Ah, I get that. Say no more. Maybe summer vacation starts, it will free up your schedule."
It felt like they were starting to get into a groove of conversation when the other young man made a wry comment about Scone, "HA!" Ronan said, grinning, "Yeah, gotta have it posted on every fucking sign like we'd forget. I was in the outskirts of town." Then, there was a moment's silence more before Alek continued on about where he grew up followed by why he ended up in Hickstead, a very abbreviated version. Ronan felt guilty a little bit for overstepping. Not like he knew though. He had to give thought on how to move ahead with this conversation though, given that Alek did not strike him as a person who wanted his pity, "Raised on a station? I don't hear that every day, bet it was interesting...Sorry about your dad. I won't tell a soul. That's your business." He left it at that, the sorta guy thing to do when he wasn't sure how to unpack feelings to a stranger's words. And given he wasn't really sure how much Alek wanted to talk about himself, Ronan figured he best explain his own situation.
"My parents," well it was only his dad, but Ronan wasn't going to go that route with Alek, "Booted me out here to live with my grandpa cause I beat the crap out of three of my classmates who messed with Max. I'll be honest, I'm shocked the university took me." Now he felt like he was oversharing, like he had to make up for accidently making Alek overshare, "Not too bad here though. I do miss chicken salt though...seasoning here is not the same."
