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!.
Stephanie was devastated when she heard the news of Bradley and Tiffany's father passing. She knew that the cancer wasn't curable, but she also wasn't one to give up hope. She had attended the funeral, taking the day off from coaching and riding to be there for a family, who more and more felt like her own.
It was hard cheering Brad up and she had tried everything, but grief was something that was lingering in the family. She had finally convinced him to go on a date again. The brunette had suggested a movie - something different for the two of them. The woman finished up at the barn, changing her clothes before leaving - feeling odd leaving her horses this early, though Felicity had agreed to check on her three before she herself left for the night.
She drove off towards the movie theater, having a movie in mind for them, though she would leave the choice up to Brad - it was to distract him after all. Steph parked her car and entered the building, seeing that Brad wasn't there yet. She checked her watch and realized she was early, knowing her boyfriend wouldn't be too far behind her. The woman saw the door open, smiling when she saw the familiar face.
"Hi handsome, it's always nice to see you after a long day." She approached him, giving him a soft hug before letting go. The woman thought about asking how he was, but it seemed like everyone who knew the Matthew family asked him that and she didn't want to annoy him. "The movie is your choice, there seems to be a bunch of different genres." She didn't care what he chose - just getting him out of the house was a win enough for her.
Stephanie sat in her car, sniffling back tears. She couldn't cry in front of her friend. It was just about a stupid boy anyway - she was realizing why her relationships weren't working out. She pulled out a tissue, dabbing her under eye area gently as she bottled her emotions up again. This was meant to be an enjoyable outing - a distraction if you will.
She checked her facial expression, practicing her usual smile a few times before heading out of the car, locking it behind her as she headed towards the Summer Fair. It didn't take her long to find Tiffany, who already had a beer in her hand. The woman gave her friend a small smile, usually be laughing at the sight. "Hey you. Getting drunk without me are we?" She tried mustering up her usual tone of voice, but it was clear that Tiffany could tell something was up.
"Please don't beat him up. I've just come to a realization, that's all. Have you had that feeling of having a crush on someone you know but you know a relationship won't ever happen?" She knew it wasn't worth hiding, though the fact it was her friend's brother made it more awkward.
"You may want to finish that Beer before you drop it in shock or something." She chuckled, glad she was smiling for the first time all day. Her students even commented at her mood, though she was able to brush them off. "Let's go get some food though too. I haven't really felt like eating all day." The woman gave her friend a half hug, wanting to avoid getting beer on her outfit.
Stephanie smiled as Molly joined them, glad that she was teaching a group lesson rather than an individual one - though she enjoyed teaching everybody. She watched as both riders got on, knowing they most likely didn't need help, but there was always an exception.
She stepped away as the two got on, walking over to the center of the arena. "Once you both are back by the gate, lets have a loose rein walk. Making sure that they are marching forward so that you can feel them walk through their whole body. When you get back to the top, let's change direction. Do you both know how to do a half turn reverse?" The teacher learned more and more about flat work from Aurora and that meant she was getting more and more ideas on how to warm her students up better before jumping.
"Also, what have you two been working on between lessons? Do remember you are free to bring poles out on days you don't lesson to work on things with." She told all her students this - it helped with almost simulating the horses jumping without the dangers of jumping a course without an instructor nearby.
Stephanie was surprised to run into Bode at the most recent horse show. She definitely thought the man would have stayed in the USA, but Stephanie thought that about herself too - until her boss did what he did.
She found herself getting ready for happy hour with Bode, having shuffled her riding days with her three horses so that she had time to hang out with a friend. Stephanie had been getting better at spending time with humans, rather than being at the barn with her three horses. The woman did the last check of her horses before heading to her car, having gotten ready at the barn after she finished riding Violet. Cassandra had volunteered herself to groom the chestnut mare, so that Steph wouldn't be late.
The woman was quickly on her way after Cassie had almost shoved her out of the barn, causing the brunette to roll her eyes. Once she arrived in town, she headed down High Street, finding parking behind the bar. She parked and locked up her car before heading inside. After seeing Bode, she smiled and waved at him as she approached.
"Hey Bode, it's nice to see someone from back home. How have you been? What barn are you stuck riding at?" Stephanie asked, sitting down across the table from him. The brunette hung her purse on the back of the chair before picking up the menu and reading her options.
Stephanie had finished riding Violet, giving the chestnut mare a thorough flat workout. Aurora had been giving them things to work on to help with their jumping and it was working. She cooled out the mare before hopping off of her back, handing her off to Cassie who had offered to groom for her for the day. The brunette handed the other woman her helmet and gloves as well - placing a hat on her head before she began getting the jumps ready.
The course she had set up was simple, having a few lines as well as a combination. As soon as she was finished, she rubbed her hands to get the sand off of her hands. The woman heard the gate open and turned her head to see her three students arrive at the same time. "Hello ladies, don't forget to check your girths before you get on. It won't be that difficult of a lesson as it's one of the first times riding outside. Let's get on and start walking around." She stood at the end of the ring, close to the gate in case the three of them needed some help.
Stephanie King has experience riding, coaching and training young horses. Before she moved to Blue Acres, she worked for professional show jumper and Olympian Kent Farrington. Her accomplishments ranging from competing on the USEF U25 circuit and national championships, riding various 1.60 horses and winning at various classes at Spruce Meadows.
class objectives
Stephanie enjoys watching her students shine and have fun. Her true understanding of a variety of horse and rider combinations helps her give everyone a variety. She bases her courses on which horse and rider combo she has in her classes - the course for the day reflecting that as well.
Stephanie was slightly surprised when her friend admitted he wasn't waiting on anyone. She was fully prepared to be rejected by him, though she nodded and took the seat at the bar next to him. "Why am I surprised? Oh do you think I'm that scary to keep the creepy ladies away? I hope I don't look that terrible." She joked, using her hand closest to him to flip her hair so that it settled on her back. Stephanie wasn't one to be cocky about how she looked, but recently she was becoming happier with how she looked.
"Are you offering to buy me food and a drink? Only if I can buy yours then." She picked up the menu, which the bartender set in front of her as soon as she joined him. The woman flipped to the vegetarian page, happy that they seemed to have more options this time. "What did you end up ordering? I'm debating between the Moroccan tofu bowl or the BBQ tofu sandwich with sweet potato fries." She was trying to be better about what she ate and when she ate. Setting herself timers on when to stop for lunch during her days at the barn. The bartender approached her again, asking her for her drink order. She ordered a water and a glass of white wine. When the bartender left to fill her order, she turned to her friend. "You look exhausted. Work busting your butt again?" Stephanie really wanted to ask about his love life, but it seemed too soon of a topic.
The woman could hear shuffling coming from where Gideon was standing. She knew he must be doing something with the jumps, so she continued working the dark bay mare. After gathering up the reins she changed direction across the diagonal of the arena. “Oh goodness, I had no idea. Honestly, no pressure. I just like to have someone on the ground when I jump.” There were some riders who jumped on their own, but Steph was always keen to learn from other show jumpers. When she was younger, she attended all the local clinics she could. “I was a new teacher here once too, just trust your coaching gut. We’ve all got it.” Steph didn’t know him well enough, but if Naomi hired him - he must be truly good at what he did. She was one of her good friends and she knew how picky the owner of Blue Acres could be.
“Isn’t Ireland just as cold? I apologize if I’m wrong, I’ve only been there twice for competitions.” Her previous Boss tended to ship his horses around the world, which meant she and the rest of his staff came along. She remembered Ireland was just as rainy and cold as England. “I moved from Florida almost six years ago now. It’s been a whirlwind but, I do enjoy it here. The students are good too.” Like anywhere though, there were grumpy and cranky people to deal with, but Stephanie tended to focus on the positive. She nodded and loosened her grip from the reins, letting them slide through her fingers until she had a loose rein once again. The brunette used her calves to nudge the mare into the trot. May let out a snort and picked up the trot, glad to be going faster than a boring walk. “That’s always a fun adventure. Did he know how to jump before you got him?”
Stephanie needed a night to herself. Show season was coming to a close after a successful yet busy summer. Her dating life was now non existent, having her boyfriend break up with her due to their busy schedules. She had a serious discussion with Aurora and Cassie at the barn one day afterwards which helped at first but she still felt crappy about it.
As it was Jazz night at the Lounge, Stephanie wanted to treat herself to a dinner out and a drink. She had a good day at work, coaching lessons and having time to ride her three horses in between. Thoughts of Bradley came flooding in, wondering how his love life was going. Recently, she had started thinking about him in a different light - but Steph knew she still had to get over the breakup. She walked into the Lounge, the heels of her boots clicked along the tile flooring - her brown eyes glancing around to see if she knew anyone. Eyes landed on Bradley, a soft smile gracing her face as she approached him.
"Hey, mind if I join you tonight? It's been a long day as usual and I'd like the company." She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder as she stood behind him. The jazz music lightly in the background as she waited for his answer. "Are you waiting for someone though? I don't want to step on any toes if you have a date or something."
Stephanie unrolled her stirrups on either side after tightening the girth. She quickly wiped her boots against the mounting block and brought her left foot into the left stirrup, swinging her right leg up and over the dark colored mare. She picked up her reins and nudged the mare - asking for a walk.
"Have you had a chance to teach anyone else yet or am I the first one?" She smiled, remembering when she first arrived at Blue Acres. Stephanie was thankful that she knew Naomi from back in the day. The woman focused on riding now - sinking down into her heels as she allowed the mare to warm up underneath her. "Well I hope it grows on you here. I finally feel like this is home though." She was secretly glad that she wasn't the newbie any longer at Blue Acres. It was nice finally feeling settled in. "Yes, a lot of students are starting to take more lessons from me. With competitions just around the corner, it's time to get my three horses in the right mindset." She didn't want to admit that she had troubles wanting to jump - though with the help of other instructors she got her mojo back.
"Let's give you the full teaching experience. Go ahead and lead us through a warmup. This is May by the way, figured I didn't want to give myself a too difficult time." She shrugged her shoulders, using her reins to steer the mare off of the wall, working on keeping the mare straight even when they weren't on the wall. "You own Dragon correct? Have you had him long?"
Stephanie's show jumping crisis seemed to have left - thanks to other instructors giving her lessons away from jumping. It was time for her to get her horses back into it though. She recently asked Gideon if he could give her a lesson, finally feeling ready.
She found herself grooming May, the more trustworthy of her three horses. "Alright May, we are actually going to jump today." She sighed, resting her head against the dark bay mare's shoulder. The woman knew her love for show jumping would spark again eventually and today was going to be the day. The brunette finished brushing the mare, picking out all four hooves with a hoof pick. She swept her cross tie with the broom and shovel - throwing it gently in the nearest muck bucket. The show jumping tack followed shortly after, Stephanie deciding on a plain black saddle pad and matching overreach boots.
Stephanie walked over to her locker in the tack room, putting her hair in a ponytail and placing her black helmet on her head, doing up the chinstrap before sliding her feet into a pair of tall boots. She zipped them up, picked up her figure eight bridle and headed back to the main barn area. Quickly switching the halter for the bridle, she slid the metal bit into the mare's mouth and adjusted the straps - making sure it was on correctly before leading the mare towards the indoor arena.
She lifted her gloved hand, knocking gently at the arena door before opening it. The woman opened the door and led the mare inside, heading over to the mounting block. "Morning, Gideon. Thank you for fitting me in for a lesson this morning." She started tightening the girth as she spoke. "How have you been? Getting your students ready for another season of competing?"
Stephanie arrived at the fundraiser, even though she coached at the barn that had recently burned down she didn't quite know where she could put her talents to good use, so she decided to attend the fundraiser and spend some money to help rebuild the barn her three horses would be living in.
After getting out of her car, she headed towards the first tent wanting to browse first before she decided on what to purchase. Steph was pretty devastated by the news of the barn burning down, as it was basically where she spent all of her time since moving to England from the States. The barn belonged to one of her best friends growing up and Naomi had given her a job once she had confided in her what her old boss had been caught doing, which was a lifesaver for her. She walked past the pony rides, smiling at the fact that the lesson horses were getting used and it was a great way to promote the lesson horse program.
Steph walked up to one of the food tents, deciding that food would be a great place to start. She patiently waited in line, waiting to see if anyone recognized her.
Stephanie loves a good party and is considered a princess to those not close to her. She truly is a hard worker and hasn't really had a chance to make friends yet. This is due to her traveling with her horses but now that she is settled down in Hickstead, she is ready to make a few friends!!
enemies
I'm sure she has a few due to her competitive nature when it comes to riding competitions. She takes the whole barn rivalry thing seriously now that she is aware of it, as Naomi is one of her good friends and runs Blue Acres.
HEY THERE! my name is Gabi and i'm 23 years old. i'm a wiminz and i've been roleplaying for many years. i was referred here by myself... but enough about me, here's my character. =]
[/font]:[/b] Stephanie Rebecca King
nicknames: Miss King, Stephanie or Steph.
age: 28. (July 1)
religion: None.
sexuality: Straight.
marital status: Single.
occupation: BA Jumping Coach.
playby: Reed Kessler.
hometown: Orlando, FL, USA.
parents: Tanya King and Kevin King.
siblings: A brother; Kyle and a sister; Noelle.
brief history: Being from Florida, Stephanie should have grown up loving the ocean and all the different water sports. Instead, she was thrown on the back of a pony before she could walk or talk. She loved horses from a young age and eventually became the youngest rider on team USA. After she finished High School, she moved down to Wellington to go work for Kent Ferrington. She groomed his horses, rode them and learned as much as she could from him. During a competition in Canada, Kent got injured so Stephanie stepped up to the plate and rode his horse (Usecko) in competition. Kent saw how good of a rider she was and allowed her to help ride his top competition horses. Stephanie bought her three horses at Spruce Meadows and even competed with the eldest one in the 1.50 meter competitions. Since she was always on the road, she never really had any time for her family. Her parents and siblings weren't very happy about this, but were understanding of why she was gone making a name for herself. A few weeks ago, she took all three of her horses and moved to England believing it was time to make a name for herself, rather than always be associated with the coach she rode with. She has applied for a coaching position at Blue Acres in hopes of getting the job, as well as students. [/font][/ul]
[/font]:[/b] beaches, white wine, warm bubble baths, paddle boarding, horses and being active.
dislikes: fire (even campfires), her horse(s) being injured and Country Music.
strengths: explaining instructions, riding young horses, riding difficult horses.
weaknesses: chocolate. (seriously if any of her students want to bribe her for being late, chocolate is the thing to bring..)
secrets: She is a vegetarian. (She doesn't like the whole 'killing animals for food' thing)
fears: having to go back to live with her parents, having to move again and fires.
habits: good at remembering names of horses and riders, has a bath after every day at the barn to relax and taking over the top care of her horses.
overall personality: For people that don't know her she can be seen as a Princess. She loves going out to parties and dressing up. Some people say she is spoiled, but really she has never used a groom in her life. Steph is determined and has a competitive nature. She is of average intelligence but knows that she can learn something new in life every day, so no one ever stops learning...[/ul]
