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!.
[attr="class","tile-background"]Ty wiped the sweat off of his forehead. The Summer heat was starting to get to him and it wasn't even the afternoon yet. He had just turned Capitan out with the other geldings - watching him roll in the dirt as he locked the paddock gate behind him. The man shook his head, of course it had to happen right after he had given the grey a bath. He headed back to the barn, wondering who he was grooming for during his shift. Harlow had the day off from the barn so he knew it wasn't her - they had plans to go out on a date later that day anyway. Once he entered the barn, he checked the whiteboard. His eyebrow rose when he saw that he was grooming for Riley. It seemed that she had a lesson on one of her horses with John and then hacking out the other two. Riley was someone Ty hadn't worked for long, but the woman seemed nice enough. Ty checked who the horse was and in which paddock they were located. He picked up a halter and lead rope before heading out to one of the back fields. It wasn't long before the two were back in the barn and the fly sheet was off of the horse. He hung it up on the blanket hook and led the horse into one of the cross-ties.
The horse swished it's tail as Ty left to go get the grooming kit assigned to the horse. He began brushing it with a rubber curry comb before he heard footsteps approach. "Good morning Riley. It seems I'm your groom for the day. How are you this morning?"
Riley stifled a yawn as she ran a hand through her morning bed head that she'd just about managed to rag a brush through before racing out of the door, entirely too excited to contemplate even wasting time on grabbing breakfast when she could eat later. The horse she had fallen in love with in Germany had finally arrived to the family barn the previous evening – which wasn’t ideal but seven oaks didn’t have the room for him to stable alongside Nova. She’d just have to split her time between the two barns for the time being until she figured out a better solution. She had moved Nova to SOS a few months before the pair took off on the show circuit, wanting to distance herself from her parents after a falling out. Now things had settled maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to move back to the family barn permanently. .especially since a certain groom had acquired a job there.
She flirted with the speed limits of the road as she made the short drive to the barn, eager to get there to check Kenzo had a good first night and to possibly intercept her parents as she hadn’t told them about her new conquest yet. Her parents had already left for home when he’d turned up and it wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have right before crawling into bed. Riley parked the car and jumped out before walking quickly to the barn. She had a few hours before daddy dearest was turning up for her lesson on one of the barn horses – Nova was still having a well-deserved break but her father still wanted to see what her years away had taught her.
Riley headed inside to get Kenzo’s halter. A stable hadn’t been ready as his arrival was unexpectedly pushed forward so she’d had no choice but to turn him out into one of the smaller paddocks for the night – hoping he wouldn’t do something stupid. As she walked passed the cross ties, the sight of her horse made her pause, giving her time to recognise the groom who turned his head in her direction. She’d met him a number of times during the few weeks she had been back at the barn – mostly to bug Porter at work and to occasionally help exercise some of the horses. ”Hey Ty, I see you’ve met Kenzo.” She greeted. "Good morning Riley. It seems I'm your groom for the day. How are you this morning?" She walked towards the pair with a smile. ”Tired as usual, how’s your morning going? Sweet I’m riding Bonzai today. .I think he may have been in the field next door.” She said, recalling a glimpse of a similar bay in the scarce lighting in the adjacent paddock. Now that she thought about it, the two horses did look surprisingly alike.
self-belief and hard work will always earn you success
"Yeah, I mean we met last night when he came in. I didn't realize he was yours until just now." The groom laughed, starting to curry the horse - from what Ty could tell he was well behaved in the cross-ties. He was always careful around a new horse, just in case they decided to pull a fast one on him. "How long did it take you to convince your parents you needed a new horse?" He joked, there was plenty of room at Ryan Sport for more horses - it didn't take him long to get John to agree to let him move his three horses in when he got the job offer.
He picked up the curry comb and began grooming, listening to Riley as she spoke. "Long night with the boyfriend or something?" The bay let out a snort, causing Ty to briefly laugh before getting back to work. He moved his hand with the rubber curry comb down the back of the horse, watching the loose fur fall to the floor. "I'll get Bonzai ready once you get on. I wasn't sure who you wanted to lesson with." The schedule said that he was responsible for Riley's horses - and that she would probably want to ride the new arrival first.
"My morning? It's alright, glad I could ride Captian at least before my shift started. Hoping to ride another one during lunch and then save one for afterwards. If I had to admit, I'm also tired." Harlow had dragged him out for a shopping spree for some sort of event coming up and it turned into a movie and dinner afterwards too - he didn't get much sleep either.
"Yeah, I mean we met last night when he came in. I didn't realize he was yours until just now." She smiled. ”Oh you were still here? I didn’t see you, probably too busy fussing over him.” She had been keen to get the horse settled in after the long drive. "How long did it take you to convince your parents you needed a new horse?" She let out a laugh and shook her head. ”Well they actually don’t know about him yet” She grinned. She was hoping her parents would be okay with it. She’d convinced herself they would be anyway. "Long night with the boyfriend or something?" She snorted and shook her head. ”No I was here getting Kenzo settled. .besides I don’t have a boyfriend.” She half smirked. She had thought her fling with Porter was over until he decided to follow her home to England.
"I'll get Bonzai ready once you get on. I wasn't sure who you wanted to lesson with." She moved over to the bay’s head and stroked his soft muzzle. ”I’m not riding Kenzo today, I’m going to let him settle in properly for a few days first.” She said, assuming his stable was now ready for him. "My morning? It's alright, glad I could ride Captian at least before my shift started. Hoping to ride another one during lunch and then save one for afterwards. If I had to admit, I'm also tired." She grabbed a comb from the grooming kit and got to work on the horse’s mane. ”Busy day” She noted with a grin. ”I can take over here if you want to take a power nap.” She offered.
self-belief and hard work will always earn you success
Ty nodded. "Yeah, I had a lesson after work with Beachy and had to ride my other two. I swear I should just live here at this point." It was always late if he had to ride all three, though John was flexible in terms of when he could take his lessons. No one ever knew what was going to happen on a given day. "What barn did he come from again? Anyone I know of?" Ty did his best to know at least all the local barns - his parents did enough business with them for him to know most if not all of the owners.
He raised his eyebrow, this wasn't the first time he had heard about a secret horse. "I'll keep him a secret, I promise. Though promise me you'll tell them soon? They'll unfortunately notice eventually." John and Marie kept tabs on everything, which was the right thing to do - though a new horse in the barn would raise suspicion. "Oh? I thought you did. Anyone of interest though?" He tried not to get too personal with his clients, but most people knew about him dating Harlow - someone would have to be oblivious not to know.
"I understand that, maybe a few flat rides too at first? You know what you are doing though." He ran a hand down the back of his neck, feeling awkward at the moment. Riley had been riding as long as him, if not longer. Ty watched as the woman picked up the brush, she was doing his job for him. "You know John, always keeps me busy. No, no. Please let me at least help." He reached down towards the grooming kit and picked up the curry comb, starting on the opposite side of the neck. "I only am grooming for you and one other person, but she shouldn't be here until the afternoon."
"Yeah, I had a lesson after work with Beachy and had to ride my other two. I swear I should just live here at this point." She snorted and shook her head. "Don't let my dad hear you say that, he'd probably jump at the chance for a live in groom. .I used to try and stay out here when I was a kid but I'd somehow always end up in my own bed once I'd fallen asleep." She'd been very attached to her first pony as a child, never wanting to leave his side and whenever she would try to have a sleepover with him, one of her parents would wait until she fell asleep and sweep her back to the house. "What barn did he come from again? Anyone I know of?" She smiled as she continued to comb through the stallions mane. "He's from Beerbaum stables in Germany. I fell in love with him while I was training there" The horse hadn't been the only thing that caught her eye there, Porter had been her assigned groom for the few months she'd been there.
"I'll keep him a secret, I promise. Though promise me you'll tell them soon? They'll unfortunately notice eventually." She let out a laugh. "I promise I'm telling them later today. I just didn't have time last night." She'd had plenty of time to tell them since she'd been home but she'd want Kenzo to be here when she did. "Oh? I thought you did. Anyone of interest though?" She smiled, giving Ty a knowing look whilst tapping her nose. "Potentially." She said, not giving anything away. Things with Porter back in Germany had been casual fun, now he was in town, she wasn't sure what would happen. "I understand that, maybe a few flat rides too at first? You know what you are doing though." She nodded. "Yeah, I'll probably come up with a training plan with my dad once he's settled." She confirmed. "I only am grooming for you and one other person, but she shouldn't be here until the afternoon." She smiled "Oh really? Alright then." She didn't want to take his work from him.
