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 12 jumps in the ring, beginning with a small 95cm as the first fence. Number 5 is a one-strided double, the first fence of which is an oxer, the second is an upright. The remaining jumps vary from 95cm-1m5, with number 2, 8 and 10 oxers. They all contain fillers of some kind.
Angél's breath trembled a little as she got Sandman ready for his first competition... Well, he was ready, as she'd braided him up before they loaded them up, but she was putting the finishing touches on the buckskin and tacked him up. She was still nervous about riding him, but after a few lessons on him she felt more confident in their abilities as a team.
Mounting up, she still felt like she was overhorsed, but she'd seen the size of the horse's Cara rode, and the young woman was four inches shorter than her, so she decided that she just needed to get over her silly fear of riding big horses, and she rode the gelding over to the warm up arena and began to work him through his paces and popped him over a couple of practice fences.
She rode into the ring as their name was called and she blew out a breath, doing her best to banish her nerves as she circled the gelding, asking for a canter and as they bell sounded, she turned him to the first of the jumps, a smile turning up the corner of her mouth as she suddenly had the feeling that they could do this, and the fact that the Selle Français seemed to preen with all the attention on him seemed to help.
As they cleared the last fence and rode through the flags, Angél blinked as she tried to remember the course, sure that the gelding had just done the whole thing without any help from her. She grinned from ear to ear as she leaned forward and hugged him as they walked out of the arena so the next person could enter.
It had been a hot minute since Lily had taken Rebel to a competition, the older mare was going well at him, and Lily had felt it was time to get her back out again. She had always been a wonderful showjumper - generally very neat and quick to respond to Lily's lightest commands - but they were rusty. She felt it in the warm up, the way the mare was a little on her toes, the way she had a little look at the warm up fences. Lily only had herself to blame for it, she should have gotten her out again sooner, but she'd gotten distracted by life and hadn't been to a show for months - maybe even years.
They entered the ring feeling somewhat unprepared, but Lily decided to treat it like a training session and just pop round. She wasn't aiming to win, but a nice steady, collected round would be the dream. The first couple of fences were a little messy, their striding was off, and Lily had to pull and give as Rebel rushed the fences in her excitement to get going. She heard two poles go before they'd hit number four, and Lily battled a little to settle the grey. She finally listened, and the remainder of the round was more polite. Lily gave her time to see each fence, taking the longer routes and not cutting any corners so she could focus on settling her in a nice rhythm and finish the rest of the course without anymore poles.
<3 LUCAS JACOB COLE | THREE DAUGHTERS (ROSE, FELICITY, CLAIRE) | ONE SON (SLADE) THREE HORSES (SAFFRON, REBEL, ADONIS)
Maeve should be used to this by now, she'd campaigned Inca when the mare had started showing, so campaigning a new horse shouldn't have her as nervous as she was, but it didn't stop the butterflies that had taken camp in her stomach as she got the flaxen chestnut Sporthorse ready for the jumping arena. "You can do this." She wasn't sure if she was talking to the horse or herself.
In the warm-up arena, she worked the pretty youngster through her paces and rode her over the practice fences when they were clear for her to use, making sure not to push the mare too much before they were called, and letting her get used to the crowds and other horses.
When their number was called, she trotted the mare into the arena and then asked for a canter as she circled the mare and knowing that she had the course order in her mind, she'd walked it a couple of times earlier, she rode the mare through the flags and toward the first jump. She kept the mare at a steady pace as they moved from jump to jump, pleased with how the mare moved and how she didn't hesitate when asked the bigger questions. "Good girl." She whispered as they flew over the second half of the double.
She leaned forward and hugged the mare as they rode through the finishing flags and slowed to a trot as they exited the arena, thrilled that the mare had gone clear in her first competition. "You were awesome!" She told the mare.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Kayleigh felt nervous - she hadn't competed with Boss in awhile. The tack store kept her busy during the show season, which left her to decide not to compete. She wanted to allow her employees to compete if they wanted to - that's what a good boss would do in her eye.
She had her headphones in, brushing Boss as she memorized the course that had been set up for the 1 Meter class. The woman finished up getting Boss ready, deciding against braiding the bay gelding's mane and tail. She put front and back boots on Boss's legs, getting herself ready in her show clothes - finishing off zipping her tall boots up before grabbing the snaffle bridle and walking back over to Boss, who was patiently waiting in the cross ties.
Kayleigh slid the bit into his mouth and adjusted the bridle - making sure the straps were done up before walking the bay over to the mounting block. She tightened the girth before rolling down the stirrups and getting on, Boss waiting until her weight was in the saddle before waling forward. The woman steered her horse towards the warmup ring and began warming up as they waited for Stephanie.
After around twenty minutes of warming up and a few warm up fences, they were ready to go. The horse and rider combination before them exited as the pair entered quickly afterwards. Once the bell sounded, Kayleigh and Boss began cantering towards the first jump, which was a vertical. After it was cleared, Kayleigh felt the nerves wash off of her - focusing on the rest of the course. As they approached the double, she could feel Boss back off - quickly adding leg as a bit of confidence for the oxer. The rest of the course went smoothly, all 12 jumps staying up and they managed to complete it under the time allowed.
The blonde smiled brightly and gave Boss a loose rein once they were back to the walk, patting the gelding on his neck as the exited. "Good boy, Boss!" She kept the smile as she quietly wished Cara good luck as they passed the next pair to go. Kayleigh walked Boss around the show grounds to cool out, quite happy with how their round went.
Cara rode Fae quietly around the warm up arena waiting for their turn in the arena. She had taken the mare over the practice jumps a couple of times, but she didn't like oer jumping a horse before they went into the arena.
Riding through the gate, she rode the horse forward, letting her check out a few of the scarier jumps before the bell sounded and she asked for a canter and they rode through the flags. She sat tall as they headed toward the first fence, getting the small horse into a steady rhythm and she rose out of the saddle as they flew over the jump, opening her left rein as they landed to that the mare was already turning toward the next fence, which the mare also cleared, even if she made the pole rattle int it's cups as she clipped the back rail.
Approaching the double, Cara did her best to prepare the mare for the fact that she was going to have to jump one fence and then get ready to jump again, though Fae seemed surprised with the second fence and slammed on the breaks. "Easy." She soothed as she circled the mare away from the jumps and came at them again, smiling as the mare jumped both this time, though took down a rail on the second fence.
Cara did her best to get the mare's rhythm back, but Fae's head was up in the air and she was doing everything she could to evade her rider's direction, and the young woman knew that she couldn't continue the course with the mare in this mood, and circling the horse away from the jumps, she saluted the judges, showing her retirement, and rode the mare from the arena.
She rubbed Fae's neck, knowing that this wasn't the round she had been hoping for, but the horse was still young. Before taking the mare back to the truck, she took her over one of the practice fences, just so they could finish on a good note and gave the mare's neck a rub before they returned to Naomi's truck.