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!.
"I think she'd like to meet anyone other than me most days," he laughed, "Gives me that classic mare stare. If she were any other breed of horse, I would've safely said she was perfect - but she ain't no Quarter Horse."
He went back to work, forking out the spoiled straw and adding new straw on top before shutting the gate. He wheeled out the barrow, adding the muck to the heap before putting his equipment away and ducking into the feed room for a handful of treats. Then he led the way over to the mare barn.
The loud accusing whinny caught his attention as Rockstar spotted him walking down the aisle, her ears pinned back as she seemed to glare.
"Afternoon you moody bitch," Shannon laughed as he reached her stall, "I brought you someone new to play with. Maybe you'll get along better with him than you do with me, hmm? Sounds about bloody right."
He slipped in, pulling her halter off the rails of the upper gate and got it up over her nose just as she tried to nip him.
"Stop it," he muttered, "Cow."
He clipped her lead on once he had the halter on and lead her out of the stall, "Rockstar, meet Maverick. Maverick, this is Acantho Rockstar - or Rockstar for short. Though the name Acantho does mean Thorny, so... Whatever works."
Right... Well, you get a date and time sorted first and tell me as soon as you know. Getting some good quality bucking bulls will take some time, but I think my contacts will humor.
Who knows, I might even be able to secure the right equipment.
I... Leo, answer me this, where are you getting bulls from that can buck? Simple country bulls don't exactly work. I'm always down - give me time, I could call in some favours...
Leo. It's not the simplest thing to throw a rodeo - I've worked them before, there's a lot to it. The movies and tv shows are only a small part of them.
Not saying it can't be done, but there's a lot of moving parts.
"I can't promise I won't teach her any bad habits." He said with something of a grin as he leaned against the door of the stall Shannon had started to clean out.
Shannon raised a brow at that, but smiled all the same, "She's got plenty already, it might just leave you wondering how much she knows. But she's not a mean horse, I can assure you that she doesn't share the same desire to kick people as Monster does, but she will put her foot down to you if she's in a mood."
"I'd love to." he said honestly. "But only if you let me pay for her food and board."
He looked up and leaned on his rake for a moment, looking Maverick over. He wasn't about to doubt the young man's willingness to pay, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go about doing that, least someone assume that Shannon had proposed the arrangement - not that mattered really.
"Fine, food and board only. I still pay for the rest - that means vet, farrier, dentist, chiro, worming, and so on. She's already had her general checks and vaccines done, and Grey has already done her feet for the next six weeks. I've got to do her worming today, but that's neither here nor there - she doesn't make too much fuss."
He continued working about the stall, forking out the soiled bedding with ease, "We can swing by her stall once I'm done here, introduce you to her. Yes?"
"Score!" He joked in return, "I promise not to abuse my position of power...much...." Teasing the idea that he would have a police officer on the books that would let him get away with murder. "I have no intention of maiming anyone.. intentionally anyway," He grinned again.
Shannon shook his head slowly and sighed, "I'm going to have to keep a special eye on you, make sure that power is never in your hands."
"I'll make sure to get a drink in for you, what's your poison?"
"A strong rye whiskey," he smiled, "Or a bourbon."
"Never any need to apologise to me, what's life without a good joke?" His grin widened at the idea of tackling a steer, "That sounds right up by alley, though there's not much to tackle here apart from drunk morons and siblings." He snorted, "Even drunk I could ride circles around you, I won't be falling off any time soon."
"Well, I hope I never need to bear witness to such skill, so I'll take your word for it," he said, chuckling.
Shannon chuckled, "A positive sign. Anyway, I recently purchased another horse - my gelding, whilst still very capable in his duties, will one day need retiring. So I looked into another sturdy horse, but I am not entirely sold that she's suitable for my needs. Walk and talk."
He made sure Monster's stall gate was shut and began walking down the isle with his barrow and fork.
"Her name is Rockstar - I didn't pick it, but it fits her like a glove. She's a good looking horse," he said as he looked over at Maverick, "But in the few rides I've had on her, she's not quite what I was told. She's more suited, I think, to going fast. She jumps high and is incredibly bold. And the atypical chestnut mare stare if ever there was a face to behold."
He shrugged as he started on a vacant stall, "She's something else. I almost want to say she's like Monster in some regards. Has fire, spirit, temper and admittedly, she's a little bit on the hard side to rein in, but she's a good sort. I'm doubting she'll settle into my training and will be more of a hazard, so I'm offering you the chance to take her out whenever you feel like it. I'm going to let her have a year or two of freedom, if you will, and I thought I'd offer you the chance to try her. No catches, nah-dah."
He leaned on the fork for a moment, "It's entirely up to you, I just figured you might like the chance to give her a whirl, let her give her all and maybe prove me right or wrong. What do you say?"
"He's being moved? That's stupid." he said as he looked at the horse in the stall.
"Yeah. Like I say - people just aren't comfortable about him. Makes me wish we could see through their eyes and understand all the more how they feel," he agreed, looking over to Monster who seemed to glower in a corner, "It's silly, I agree, to move him on a few people's whims but the boss has to do what she must to keep her clients happy."
Monster's ears were back as the treats were offered out to him. There was a look in the stud's eyes that wasn't malicious as he bumped the hand with his nose before turning away from them both, sullen and without the usual snappy fire that came with him. It made Shannon's heart ache as he gently patted the dark shoulder.
"Not like him," he murmured.
"Alive. Honestly." he said with a slight grin. "Well don't tell my doctor you saw me."
He looked over and smiled, nodded, "Yeah, I get that. I won't say squat, on my honor."
He moved out of the stall and shut the door behind him, "Speakin' of horses though, I might have an offer for you, if you're interested."
Leo grinned, and gave a half shrug, "I'm always causing trouble somewhere, in some way or another. I just can't help myself."
"So long as I'm not looking and I know nothing," Shannon laughed, "I can safely look the other way."
"I do hope that means you're on duty the next time I'm out on the town." He grinned.
"No promises," he smiled, "But I'll endeavor to make good on your request."
Leo laughed and nodded, "Yeah, alright that's a fair point." Perhaps he wouldn't like being on the back of a horse with all that swaying or bouncing about. "Maybe on the right night... I'm not sure about being hogtied..."
Leo grinned and ran a hand along Phoenix's neck again. "Maybe we avoid the tying part and just sit me on the back?"
Shannon brushed some of his hair back from his face and laughed, "I am sorry about that, it's Texan humor. I tend to forget that it's not common place out here to use calf and lamb ties for the lost ones out at pasture. My brain still runs back to the ranching days where I was flinging myself off horse back and tackling six month old steers into the dirt to tag them on the fly. If I am to bring you in on horse back, just please, try not to drink too much? It's a long fall and I don't want to fill out the accident report that you passed out and fell off the back of my horse. I don't even know what my boss would say to it."
"Did he make enough mess for you?" he said with a grin to hide the grimmace as he brought his elbow up to lean on the stall door.
Shannon looked up at the voice, his smile warm, "Mild by his standards, it's not so bad," he chuckled, "He won't be here for very long though, he's getting moved on account of the attack - some people just weren't comfortable coming by his stall to get their own horses. Shame people can't see things through the animals eyes."
He leaned on the pitch fork he was using, "And what about you - how are you? Honestly."
He couldn't help that trickle of concern he had for the young man, after all, it had been one hell of a stomping. He hadn't seen a well off horse like that inflict so much damage outside of the rodeo ring.
"I'm glad you're up and moving though," he said, smiling.
He stopped leaning and resumed working, knowing that he could and should've been doing both. He wasn't one for standing too idle for long.
Shannon was busy clearing out Monster's stall, his thoughts mildly troubled. He dealt with that wild card of a stallion a number of times, and whilst he seemed fine, Shannon knew the stud had a dark side. He'd been there when he'd effectively trampled a young man into the ground. If he hadn't have been coming back into the barn at that time, he would've hated to have seen what would've come from that. He had rushed in and managed to get the stud pulled away and shoved into a vacant stall regardless of which ever horse usually had claim of it, and then rushed to the young man's side.
It was horrific to see, but some how he'd kept his cool, ordered someone to dial the emergency services and called it in personally with his clearance - an abuse of power, given he was outside of work hours - and he would've done it again for anyone else if they had been in the same set of shoes. Ever since then, he'd been more cautious with the stallion, there had even been a brief call from some people to try and have the animal put down but there was an even greater call for that not to be the fate of the horse. Everyone knew that stallions were just that little more dangerous with all those hormones in their system, but even more so the general consensus was that it could've been any other horse.
Still, Shannon made sure to be highly aware of the horse, and since that point, he'd made a habit to check in with the youngster who'd been hospitalized. He hadn't known him before then, but once the boss of the stables had told him he was another member of staff - Maverick Breckah. Of course the last name rang some bells for him, he'd been around a few times on account of escorting Jace Breckah home when he'd been found walking in the middle of the streets at three am, and the horrific crash his colleagues had informed him of. So it was needless to say he held nothing against the family whatsoever - grief did some awful things to people.
But that didn't matter in the moment as he was cleaning. He was more so keeping an eye out for Maverick, having taken making sure he was ok - offering advice if he was asked for it, or an ear for the young man whenever he wanted it.
"Just about?" He offered, giving a shrug as he picked the reins back up again into both hands. "I promise I'm completely sober at this moment in time."
"Well, that's better than no," Shannon laughed, "At least I'm off duty for the afternoon, so there is that."
Leo nodded slightly, "Why wasn't this my ride home last time?" He asked, only half joking.
"I'm not sure how you might've appreciated it," Shannon smiled, "Being jostled around on the backside of a horse out of the city to your home? And if I'm honest, I don't think my horse would appreciate it either - maybe if he were a solid Quarter horse. But it can be arranged. It's been a little while since I've had to hogtie someone."
He was joking, mostly - Leo was a man, not a stray calf after all. He tilted his head slightly.
"Now that I think about it, I'm not sure there is a tie point on my work saddle... Might have to use this one from here out."
He would have to talk to his boss and see how legal that was. He didn't remember anything about that on his tests and if he was honest, it would've been pretty cool to do something like that. He made a mental note to make sure to look that up when he went into work the following day.
"Oh, it's you!" He exclaimed, hanging onto Phoenix to stop him from taking off in his keen-ness to overtake.
"Is this your police horse?" He joked with an easy grin.
Shannon didn't think too much of the other rider, content to let them be and do as they wished. If he was honest, he half expected for the man to ride right on by at the speed of light from the excited jigging of his horse. But instead he was recognized and was slightly surprised at how friendly the tone was, not that he was going to look a gift horse in the mouth - he knew well enough that police weren't always faces one wanted to see.
He smiled and looked over the man, studying the face for a moment, trying to place him. Oh! He knew this man. He'd escorted him home a few times where he'd had a bit too much to drink and was being a touch disruptive.
"Good afternoon Mr White," he chuckled, "Staying out of trouble I hope."
He was light hearted about it, if anything he held nothing against the man - a few disruptions were not the worst thing in the world and in so far, he'd never had an issue dealing with him.
"He is, actually," he nodded, leaning forward to pat the bay's shoulder, "This is Captain, or Cap - which ever you prefer. You'll see us from time to time in the city and the surrounds if need be. I'm just taking him on a bit of a stretch since he hasn't been out in two days."
Shannon turned to look behind himself in the saddle upon the shout. He wasn’t alarmed, if anything, mildly surprised. He was not used to sharing trail space with other riders - but that was solely because he had such wonky hours at times that seeing other people was not all that common.
“Tobi, right side,” he said, making a hand gesture that brought the black canine over to his right hand side.
Whilst he generally trusted his dog around horses, it still paid him to be at the very least a little bit mindful that other horses might not share the same ideas or training.
“You’re alright to come up side mister,” Shannon called back as he double checked his own horse.
Cap for his part merely had an ear back to listen to the blustering of the other horse and kept walking along unphased by what was going on around him. Picking more grass as they walked along, reassured by Shannon’s presence and alertness to be slightly more at ease. Carefully Shannon readjusted his seat in the western saddle he’d thrown on Cap’s back; it was an old thing, his original saddle from back home, and whilst it was old and had a slight tear in the skirt he couldn’t bear to have fixed, it was still a good saddle. He hadn’t felt like fumbling around with an English saddle, wanting to be comfy.
