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!.
Daphne was used to her father getting called away to work. Horses tended to lose shoes at the most inconvenient of times. The young girl was happy when she heard that Miss Walsh was going to look after her until her father was done work.
Ever since her Dad had surprised her with an apron, she became curious about sewing and how things were made. It didn't take her long to figure out that Miss Walsh also enjoyed sewing - it was something that brought them closer together. She excitedly got into the car, chatting away about sewing as the car moved towards the craft store.
She happily walked into the store, making sure to stay close as they crossed the parking lot. "Look around first please. I've never been in here before. Do you have an idea of what we are going to sew today?" The bright colored fabrics were already distracting the young girl. She didn't realize that there were so many options. "Did you see the apron my Dad got for me? Do you know how to make one of those?" She happily wore it whenever she was at Seven Oaks helping out with the farrier work.
Daphne stayed off to the side, just in case Blanche decided to do something silly. The girl didn't really know the horse well and knew better than to goof around close to the horses. "Does Miss Blanche behave herself? I feel like she's been here awhile now." She was now at an age where she could start memorizing the names of the different horses at Seven Oaks. It was clear the young girl had her favorites though.
"Wait, really? Does that mean we can go to the tack store and buy me some riding clothes?" She was happily surprised that her father agreed. The Summer would be here before she knew it - she made a note to herself to start counting down the days until that happened. "Can we set up a meeting with the White family to see who I should take lessons from?" During her time at the barn with her Dad, she often saw people sign themselves up for lessons and soon it would be her turn.
The young girl could hear the hoofbeats approaching, stepping aside to make sure Blanche and the stable hand had more than enough room. "Will she be cranky today? Or can I maybe give her a pet when she is done?" Daphne often wondered if the horses with attitude just needed some extra attention - though she wasn't a horse expert yet.
"Does she need a whole new set or just a trim?" Daphne was always curious - she knew horses needed to be shod every six weeks but it depended on what their owners preferred. The young girl watched as Blanche was backed up into the cross tie and properly had the crossties attached to either side of her halter. "I'm ready for whatever you need first." She glanced over to the tool bag which was beside her, hoping she could remember what the different tools were called.
The mare seemed to stand still, though there were slight swishes in her tail. Daphne was curious to see how the appointment would go - if it was Sparkie she would have asked if she could do more. "Would I be able to take lessons soon?" She didn't know what her dad would say, though she knew she was old enough.
Daphne gave a disgruntled look. Math was her least favorite subject - but she had to think of a way to say it politely. "It's terrible. Math makes my head hurt." She would much rather curl up in the library and read a book somewhere. Daphne found herself in a classful of students who seemed to enjoy crunching numbers on a calculator. Her Math teacher wasn't exactly her favorite either - other students would call her old school in her ways of teaching.
"A traveling teacher? Can you explain what that means?" She thought she had an idea about what it could mean, but it was always better to get it from the expert. Daphne flipped open her notebook and picked up her pencil - ready to go for something she hoped wasn't torture. Being at the daycare made her feel more comfortable - something about school made everyone feel tense and upset.
The young girl wasn't expecting a math question this quickly into the tutoring session. "I mean 100% of a number is pretty easy. We just started so 25 percent. The answer to your question is... 75?" She tried picturing a pizza and dividing it in fourths.
Daphne had what felt like a long day at school. It was mainly due to the fact that she had her least favorite subjects, mainly Math class. She always tried her best to ask questions and understand, but it never seemed to stick with her.
As the school bell finally rang, she let out a sigh. Glad that the day was finally done, she packed up her backpack and headed out the door. The school bus was already waiting for her and the other students at the front door - she climbed inside once she arrived. Once the students were picked up, she leaned her head against the cold window - allowing the movement of the bus to lull her into a soft sleep. The school bus came to a stop, lurching her awake at the stop for the daycare. She grabbed her bag and headed outside, smiling once she saw Courtney greet the students who got off with her.
She was ready for the tutoring session her dad had set up for her - though the other kids distracted her. Daphne was convinced to go color with the other students. She dropped her bag with everyone else's and ran into the room - grabbing a book off of the pile and flipped through, looking for a free page. It wasn't long before Courtney came to get her and she followed behind him. She smiled at the older woman, waving at her once Courtney introduced her. After following the adults into the homework room, she sat down at one of the tables. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Murphy."
Daphne wondered if she was new to town or just someone she hadn't met before. "We just started learning about percentages. Like if you buy something from a store and it's on sale, that kind of math." She pulled out her math text book, notebook and a pencil before putting it on her desk. "Are you a teacher at one of the bigger schools?"
The young girl grinned as she glanced down at the apron. She felt very grown up - always helping her dad when she could. It wasn't something she was used to from her old family. "Thank you." She ran her hand down the front of the apron, sticking a hand in her pocket to see how deep it was. "I do love the pocket. I feel like girls clothes never have enough." Daphne felt that way when she went shopping for clothes - there was always something for her to carry around.
"I'll have to write them a thank you card. I thought maybe they had taught you how to sew." She was starting to learn that not everyone was perfect at everything. Daphne couldn't sew either, but she was learning what she was good at. Daphne nodded at the question and walked over to the bag of tools - pulling out the plier shaped tool and brought it over. "This is it, right? Who are we working on first today?" She was always curious - maybe there was a new horse that had moved into the barn, or someone had thrown a shoe out in the pasture.
Daphne grinned, she always enjoyed working with her dad. The young girl would live at the barn if she could - though she wouldn't know what pony she would bunk up with. Miss Rory always said Joy would be the best roommate. "Thank you! I love it." The grin was still on her face as she glanced at the small apron. She found it adorable with the cartoon flowers on it.
"Yes please, just the back ties." She turned herself around to let her dad help her. Her arms weren't quite long enough to do it herself. "Did you make it yourself or did someone else sew it together?" She knew he could be quite handy, though she had heard sewing could be quite difficult. "Was it Miss Aofie? She is quite crafty."
Daphne took a look around trying to remember what her dad usually started with. "The tool that takes the old shoes off goes first, right?"
The young red head was glad school was over for the day. Chase had picked her up and taken her home - letting her change out of her school uniform into something a bit more comfortable. She was promised that if she ate her snack, she could go and play in the playground before dinnertime. Being outside and playing around was her favorite activity - even if she was playing on her own.
After her apple slices and cheese were eaten, she made sure to help clean up the area she was eating at and ran to the front door in excitement. She could hear her dad laugh at her as she put her shoes and coat. The red head opened the door, knowing the park was across the street - though she knew better than to run alone. The young girl tapped her foot impatiently - she had too much energy to burn yet.
The two of them crossed the street together - Daphne seeing that there were a few children there already. Chase chose a bench nearby, close enough to supervise his daughter. Meanwhile, Daphne ran off towards the swings, jumping on a free one before she began using her legs to get the swing higher.
Sparkie was content receiving attention from the young human, despite it not being Chloe. The gelding was used to getting pets from strangers passing by, acting almost like a lesson pony rather than the typical bratty show pony.
"If she comes to the barn while we are still here, can we ask?" Daphne's eyes lit up at the thought. She had been wanting to learn how to ride for a long time now - or that's what it felt like to her.
Daphne smiled, having a feeling that her father knew about her sneaking snacks for the ponies. After seeing other people give their horses treats, it was the best thing since sliced bread to her! "Thank you." She carefully pulled out one slice of apple, holding her hand out flat. Sparkie gently took the apple slice and began munching on it.
"Okay, bye bye Sparkie." She knew it was time to go help her dad with work. Daphne walked along the barn aisle, making sure her dad was close by - just in case. "A gift? Uh, it's not my birthday?" Was she missing a holiday or any other special occasion? Surely not.
When they stopped at the work station, she turned to face the neatly wrapped box. Daphne walked over to it and began carefully tearing the wrapping paper away. The red head gathered the paper and opened the box. "Oh! It's an apron? Thank you, Dad."
“He should have a contest about naming them.” It would be fun to get the boarders involved in naming the new ponies. She hadn’t had the chance to name anything yet, but Daphne always had names in mind. Usually, they came from the books she was reading.
Daphne nodded. She wanted to have her first riding lesson desperately. “Do you know when we will see Mrs. Kendra next?” Daphne knew that between their three horses and a pony - the Hawkes family was out at the barn practically every day. She knew Chloe learned how to ride on Sparkie - and she wanted to be next.
The girl smiled as the mouse gray pony moved over towards her. She gently reached her hand out and gave Sparkie some pets on the head. “Can I give him an apple slice before I help you?” Daphne had them in the pocket of her vest and wanted to give them to her favorite pony.
“Okay! Who do you have first today?” She was hoping it was a calmer horse so she could help her dad more, but she knew she couldn’t pick and choose who was on the list.
Daphne nodded, it was a good compromise. She knew her dad had to work - and it always came first. “Do you know their names?” The child was always asking questions about the new equine arrivals at the barn.
Her eyes sparkled when her dad suggested her asking if Mrs. Kendra would let her ride Sparkie. Chloe was someone she quickly grew close with as the other child often spent time at the barn as well. “Would she say yes? Could I have a lesson with him?” Sparkie seemed like a fun pony to ride. His mouse gray coat was something unique to many, which made him easy to spot at the barn.
“Do you think he’s too focused on his food?” Daphne always wondered how adults were good at getting their horses to come to them. She figured it was something she was going to learn. “I can try…” Daphne said softly. She took a deep breath and clucked louder this time - trying her best to copy what her dad did. The pony lifted his head from the grain bucket and took a few steps towards the stall door.
Daphne happily clapped her hands together. She was clearly excited about helping her dad - and actually able to help. Usually, the young girl was told to stand off to the side while her dad worked away. “Okay! I’m always happy to help.” Daphne couldn’t wait until she was actually old enough to do more around the barn.
The red head shook her head. She knew better than to overwhelm the ponies on their first day. “Can we just have a peek at them?” Daphne asked with a slight pout on her face. She was impatient like any other child and wanted nothing more than to be able to see their cute and fuzzy faces.
A smile came back to the young girl’s face as soon as the Icelandic pony was mentioned. “Yes! Sparkie is soooo adorable!” She didn’t want to admit that he was her favourite pony at the barn. If someone were to truly ask her she wouldn’t be able to choose between them all. The girl kept up with her dad, happily walking along to the stall. “I want to ride Sparkie one day…” She felt herself being lifted by her dad and let out a giggle.
“I can try! Chloe says he is a good listener.” Daphne had seen a few horse movies so there were a few tricks to try. The girl tried her best to make a soft clucking noise, hoping the grey pony would at least lift his head from his grain bucket.
Daphne held her dad’s hand and followed him inside the barn. Her eyes almost sparkled when they entered the barn. She tried to glance at each horse as they walked past, knowing better than to go wandering off. ‘That sounds fun! How can I help you today?” The young girl was always glad to help where she could before she had to head back to the classroom in a few weeks.
“A new Shetland? Do you know anything about it?” Her curiosity piqued, always curious to see what the new pony looked like. She held the bag of apple slices in her hand, hoping that it was enough to feed a few horses or ponies.
The young girl nodded excitedly. “Can we go see Sparkie?” she asked. The mouse grey pony belonged to another girl who she often chatted with if they were both there. “I’d like to give him some apple slices if that’s okay.” Daphne tried her best to read and research as much as she could on ponies - hoping that one day she could start taking riding lessons.
Daphne always loved going to the barn with her new dad. They were animals she didn't have much experience with but she learned quickly about how to be safe around them. As she felt the car move forward, she glanced out the window - seeing that the horses had been turned out for the day. She couldn't help but smile at them. It seemed as if there was a horse bug that was going around biting every young child in the area - and she wasn't far behind.
The car seemed to come to a stop at their usual parking spot - which was reserved for them. She was buzzing with excitement and kept twiddling her thumbs to keep it hidden. "So? What are we going to do first?" Daphne was sure he had a horse or two to work on but she was always happy to help where she could. Even if it was just handing him the tools he needed when he needed it. The barn was somewhere she felt safe - even though it still felt odd.
"Can we go say hi to some ponies today?" She had put a few apple slices in a plastic baggie to see if she could convince one of the ponies to eat her fruit from breakfast for her.