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!.
“Well, to be honest – I started with ballet and acrobatics first. Somehow, I got into riding along the way and meshed them together. I’m still learning to ride in a dressage or jumping kind of way. You know, to keep my horse on their hooves.” She couldn’t help but laugh at her joke, but Janie was getting better at not caring if that came off as odd. Someone had to find her funny, and if it was just her – that was okay.
Darth was getting a little distracted, but Janie managed to stray him from a tasty snack. He was getting better at slower-paced trail rides with other riders. But it meant Janie had to carry a few things to give as positive reinforcement.
“I don’t think I’ve met him yet. I’ve only met Lili White since she handles most of the clinic stuff. But sure! Though, I don’t think the trick riding will be hard to miss. Just look for the ones doing handstands!” Janie guided Darth as the path began to switch back up the incline. It wasn’t too bad and it began going flat after a mile or so. She knew she was getting close as the water was becoming louder.
“I attend Hickstead, but I have few friends that go to Willow Brooke! If you need info, I may be the wrong person to ask.”
Janie was sure she looked like a deer in the headlights. Even if she couldn’t see her face, she could feel her eyelids open wide and stay there for a moment. But after a few moments, Janie let out a soft chuckle. “You got into a fight with Ronan Slade? Man Bailey, you and he must’ve had some...spit spat.” She didn’t think that Slade was a guy that would purposely cause a stir. Anytime she had seen him around, he was always cordial. “Well, at least it wasn’t Kennedy or Harlow. You’d have a death sentence there.”
“But peer pong…on a horse?” Janie inquired. “Is it like…polo but we’re throwing ping pongs at plastic cups?” She wouldn’t deny that the idea sounded interesting, but Janie was having difficulty visualizing what beer pong on a horse looked like. Please leave it to Bailey to have a wild imagination and ideas. Janie enjoyed the wildness of Bailey. Sure, the other girl was full of energy and Janie needed some time to recoup. But that didn’t mean Janie needed to be rude.
Janie was thankful when Sam said she could come in. She entered sheepishly, her hands behind her back, twisting in nerves. “Hi Sam. I know it’s an odd question….but…when you first saw Heather, what were you thinking?” she asked. Janie figured it would be better to just blurt it out, than try to drag it out. It was an awkward conversation, no matter who it was with. Her family had their jokes and all that, but they were always there for each other. When things got serious, they knew how to be serious.
“Also, how did you feel? Like…did you feel anything new or scary?” Janie wanted to ask more but decided that she needed to allow her brother to answer those questions first. Her brain was moving a mile a minute, and she had no idea how her face looked now either.
Janie fiddled with her hair as she looked over the stack of papers in front of her. Homework was nearly done, but she was having a hard time focusing. It wasn’t because the work was difficult, but her mind was elsewhere. Like most teens, Janie was having thoughts and noticing things about her body. Noticing things about other people’s bodies. She personally wasn’t too ashamed of her own, but when she looked at her teammates – and especially, Molly. Janie felt things.
She let out a huff and rested her head on her arms. Summer was coming up, and it would add to the confusion all over again. Janie had hoped she was brave enough to bring it up to her therapist, but she hadn’t yet. There were other things that she talked about in therapy. But she felt the need to talk about it with someone. Her parents, obviously – but she had siblings, too.
Feeling the sudden urge to just word vomit, Janie abandoned her homework. Her feet were light on the stairs. Everyone other than Sam was out for the night, so he was the unlucky soul that would be stuck with all her questions. Her hand gave the three knocks on his bedroom door. “It’s Janie, can we talk?”
Janie was lingering in the front yard of the Macintosh abode. Well, not lingering per se. But standing there awkwardly was the real image, mainly because it felt like forever. She didn’t know why she was nervous, as she and Molly had hung out plenty of times together. They had their late nights and all that. No sleepovers though. But still plenty of one-on-one times. Maybe it was the intimacy of baking? It was Molly’s thing but Janie was determined to learn something today.
As instructed, Janie had bought all the ingredients for Monster cookies. And the first Star Wars movies. Even though Molly never seemed to pay attention to it, Janie figured she was allowing the Sci-Fi to enter her home due to it being Janie’s birthday.
Janie was tempted to ring the doorbell again, but Mrs. Macintosh thankfully spared her that moment. “Sorry for the wait Janie. Please, come on in.”
“It’s all good, Mama M. Thanks for allowing me over!” Molly’s parents were used to Janie and Oliver being over, running amuck. But it was never without permission. They would often phone over to make sure it was okay. Once they were inside the home, the fridge and snack cabinet were fair game.
Janie stepped into the foyer and slipped off her shoes, before slipping into her designated pair of house slippers. Fluffy monstrosities that were Chewbacca-themed. “Molly should be down any minute, feel free to roam. Oh, and Happy Birthday!”
“Thanks, Mama M!” Janie walked to the kitchen and placed the bagged items on the counter. She took a seat on the island and began unpacking – waiting for Molly to make her grand appearance.
“I do trick riding, so there are times that Seven Oaks offers some more clinics than Blue Acres.” Some people saw Janie as cheating, but she didn’t care. Her money was going towards what she thought would be the best for her. So far, no one had been agitating her about it.
“Ah, thanks, I hope I come across as someone decent!” While Janie knew about the competition, she always tried to keep it friendly. Maybe it was because she didn’t get into the usual competition. So far, the only people Janie had to compete with were other trick riders, who felt far and few in between. At least, she had a horse and was making enough money to keep Darth alive.
“Have you been enjoying your lessons, though? I don’t know too many of the coaches over there.” Janie asked, adjusting her seat as the pair were headed down a slight decline.
Janie was a bit tired after her deep clean of the blow-up stall. She was thankful that the smell of horse didn’t bother her, but maybe three showers wouldn’t be a bad thing today. After scrubbing her hands well and setting up a fan to help dry the stall – Janie grabbed Darth’s empty buckets to be rinsed out and deep cleaned.
As she was putting the second bucket into the other, the door burst open and Janie found herself being pulled into the feed room. The door was slammed close and Janie turned to see who pretty much forced locked her in.
“Ah, hey Bailey.” Janie didn’t know her too well, other than that she wasn’t the favorite person of a few. “Ummm…excuse me?” she continued.
“Thanks! He was kind of an impulsive decision. Well, I had to put in a lot of work to convince my parents I was ready for a horse. And all that. Since you know, we must be responsible sometimes,” Janie laughed. She wasn’t mad about it, but like all teenagers, she had moments rolling her eyes. If anything, her parents wanted to make sure she was doing everything else she needed to do.
“I can’t promise of the crazy wildlife I hear some of my family states talk about. Lynx and other wild cats…The only thing that has scared me is when a hawk almost dove at me!” That was a wild time, literally. Thankfully, Janie wasn’t on Darth. She could only imagine what it would have been like if she had.
She gave a shake of her head. “I ride at Blue Acres! But there are times I attend some events hosted at Seven Oaks. I don’t do a lot of competitive riding. What about you? Seven Oaks, I assume?”
Janie gave the other teen a sympathetic look. “Unfortunately, yeah. The gorge is that way, so the waterfall sounds louder,” Janie said after the girl introduced herself and the horse. “Nice to meet you, Brooklyn. I’m Janie, and this is Darth.”
“It’s okay, there’s a lot of trails around these parts, and knowing your bearings can be a bit of a chore. It’s why my parents insist I have a tracker on me, and people make sure I know the maps. I just know that trail is often closed off, anyway. A lot of landslides and steep land. But I’m headed toward the waterfall myself if you want to ride with me?” Janie offered. Might as well, right together. Less chance of getting lost, and having a buddy was never a bad thing.
Janie hadn’t been on a trail ride with Darth in a long time. Maybe a bit longer than she wanted to do so, but she had been riding and training him a lot since he arrived. There were still a few things he wasn’t too keen on, but Janie knew better than to rush her horse. After finding Phoenix, Janie was excelling quite well in her trick riding. Today though, she needed a quiet ride. Well, somewhat. Darth still needed to be tuckered out.
After being dropped off with a few other BA riders, Janie made her way at a decent pace through the trail. The shade of the trees was welcoming, but the humidity was still a pain in the ass. Darth’s hooves making sounds on the roots and rocks kept Janie in this weird trance. As the sounds of the water began coming into ear reach, Janie forced herself to pay more attention.
As she was guiding Darth around a tree that had fallen, Janie caught a rider that wasn’t going in the right direction. Not knowing if her voice would carry, she did the whistle Oliver’s dad taught her. It was this loud whistle through her lips. “Hey!” she called out, making Darth stop. “You need to turn around!”
She gave him a sympathetic look and rubbed the horse’s nose. “Sorry bud, that’s all I have now.” He was extremely cute though, pulling that move. If she didn’t have to pay for his feed for the next few days, she would’ve spent all the money on treats for Darth.
A hand slipped out the phone in her pocket and snapped a pic she would be sending to Oliver and Molly. “You’re such a handsome boy,” Janie smiled, and rubbed Darth’s nose again, before moving to scritch his cheeks. Almost curious to see how she could go.
He was finally here! Janie was excited, albeit feeling a bit unprepared. Darth had come a day earlier, which was a surprise. But after jostling for permission, Janie was ready. She had gotten his space and area all gussied up but knew he would be in quarantine for a smidge before entering a full routine.
Knowing that he would be groomed first, Janie took the chance to set up her personal tack – so she wasn’t exactly breathing down anyone’s neck. So when she got the word, he was finished, she had to hold back a squeal. It had taken a lot of work to save up for her own horse.
Trying to reign in her excitement, Janie walked over and saw the handsome fellow. He looked as beautiful as the day she first landed eyes on him. Janie didn’t know how she got him as quickly as she did, as the yard had said that there were a lot of people looking at him. But some force out there made it all work.
“Hi, Darth!” Janie smiled. She thankfully had some carrots saved up, so she reached out a hand with two in it. “I’m so happy he made it here a-okay.”
Janie was not in the mood to have some people come into the home. But she would be polite. After school and the barn, she rushed home and showered so she didn’t look like that much of a disaster. She purposely took a bit longer than expected and sat in bed in her bath towel and robe until a parent called for her to quicken up the pace.
She dressed comfortably in something that was polite, but nothing too stiff. After double checking herself in the mirror, she headed downstairs to help mum with whatever food prep that was left. From what it looked like, there was a lot of food around. But it would get eaten quickly with the size of this family.
