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!.
"School horses are great, as you get a lot of experience from riding different horses." Molly could not help but to beam at the other woman's words. It felt mighty good to hear that, especially from an experienced rider like her, "Thank you! I like to think the school horses make me well rounded." While it was not often that she got grief from riding the school horses, the occasional rich cliental of Blue Arces - mainly in the teenage department, would sneer at her for riding such 'dumpy' and 'unpedigreed' horses such as Luna and Major. The teenager tended to let it roll off of her in the heat the moment, she knew that both Luna and Major were just as good as that 20,000£ sports horse that the others toted around when they wanted to be, it still hurt in the after thought. It also felt like a slight reminder that the Equestrian Sport was kind to those who had money to spend and those who did not had to really fight their way through the system. Thankfully though, Molly often just took riding and sporting events for fun and pleasure, verses the need to really compete and earn money and everything. She knew horses would always be part of her life, but they didn't hold a place in her future other than hopefully owning one.
As Cara blew out her breath at Molly's next statement and replied with a simple 'it's what I'm good at', she wasn't certain if she had hit a sore subject. The teenager made note of that and decided to simply stick to the present with Cara in any future conversations instead of lingering on her past, unless she chose to bring it up. There was something there, and Molly's curious nature wanted to pull at it, but she was also respectful of people's privacy, especially adults, which Cara certainly was. If people wanted to share, that was their job, and not the other way around. Dark eyes caught the other woman's brow start to furrow at their conversation before speaking,"You go to Willow Brooke Academy." She felt a little bewildered by this statement, as she continued on with her jabbering. Molly wasn't sure on how to read that, given no context. There was no emotion behind Cara's words, it was literally just a statement. Carefully, the teenager surged forward and nodded, "Yup! I am attending there on scholarship. Are you an alumni to there?" She had never seen Cara at any of the hosted alumni events that she sometimes volunteered at, however Cara did not exactly strike as the social type, granted, she seemed to have a bunch of patience about her if she dealt with both children and ponies on a daily basis.
Molly was thrilled at getting permission out of Cara to pet her pony, "Be warned that she licks. The family I bought her from said that she took lesson from the family's Labs." Now it was her turn to raise her eye brows at that statement before laughter took over, "Really? That's pretty funny. She seems quite quirky then." She could see how a behavior would be annoying though and probably best not to encourage even though it simply sounded adorable. Molly held out her hand now to allow the mare to sniff it for permission to pet before moving her hand gently to her face to stroke, "So, is she to be your pony? Or are you training her up to be gifted to someone smaller." She remembered Cara saying that she was teaching the mare to be bombproof to any unexpected sounds and behavior, but she wasn't sure if it was simply so Swallow could be a lesson horse or if she were to intended to be a gift to someone much smaller and younger.
After Cara lead her pony through the gate, Molly gently closed it behind them. Doing it as softly as possible as to not cause any stress to the pony. After all, the teenager had already caused the pony to spook once, no need to add another spook to the list. Plus, she couldn't have Cara thinking that the only think Molly knew how to do was upset ponies. After that, she followed after the young woman, quickly catching up to her now and walking side by side. "I'm sure with the right horse, you can go in any direction you want to," Cara commented now to her response on her existential crisis. It was something that she honestly had never given much consideration, but she also wondered if she also if the young woman thought she owned her own sporting horse. It was not an unheard of question, lots of people in Hickstead owned horses. Molly just happened to be one of the people who didn't, "I don't think I'm ready to move on yet from my favorite school horses," she said with a grin, "I'm sure they'll get me wherever I am destined to go though."
Luna was truely her one and only, but since she didn't own her, the teenager had been known to cheat on Luna with Major, another horse that Molly adored. While they were horses and they didn't care, the teenager couldn't help but to assign personality and thoughts to both horses and therefore came to the conclusion that they both endeared her, they both loved her, and therefore would be jealous of each other. As Molly had asked Cara on how she got into riding, the young woman furrowed her brow. It would appear that she was very good at asking either the wrong questions or the type of questions that caused Cara to really mull over her answers. In fact, the answer she got out of her, she could not tell if she was serious or joking, and the delivery was so nonchalant, she almost didn't know how to respond: "Because I looked good on a pony and had a natural seat. Horses are more something I am good at, rather than something I chose for myself." Indeed, she had to mull over that one for a bit.
As they entered the barn, Molly finally answered, but carefully, "Well, I am sure now they are something that you do choose for yourself, or else, you wouldn't be putting the time and effort into them." That sounded both positive and cheery. So it had to be a safe answer. As Cara took to the cross ties and working on untacking, Cara turned the questions to her. How did she, Molly, get into horses. Laughter could not help but to escape Molly as she took to leaning up against one of the stalls, "Ah, it was an accident. For one semester, my school signed some sort of contract with the University to do riding as an elective. So I signed up because it was different. Turns out I loved it. My school also thought it was too expensive and a liability after that, so they canceled the program. Obviously, I couldn't ride at the university, so I found Blue Arces and have been here since." And it has certainly been a godsend, "I really love it though. I feel so free when I am riding, like exploring the great unknown or something. Nobody's going to hold me back." Okay Molly, now youre just sounding romantic. Her dark gaze looked to the pony now, "Is she okay to pet?"
For a moment, Molly became quite certain that the young woman had neither gotten her joke or compliment. Maybe next time, she should make them explicitly separate rather than ball them all into one. However, the young woman's face seemed to crack into the briefest of smiles before offering a quick thank you before returning to her stone face expression. For now, Molly decided she would take it as she followed up with a grin, "You are most welcome." At this rate, the teenager was becoming certain that she would get a name out of the dark haired rider. Unless she told her to shove it, at this rate, it was hard to tell where this conversation was going. It was hard to tell with the stoic ones, because they could either slide into friendly territory like Janie or they could turn out to be total jerks like Rihanna.
It would seem, it would be the former though, "I am...Cara." Short and sweet, maybe that was because the pony appeared to be annoyed with standing still. Molly would take it, uncertain if the dramatic pause had been intentional or not, "Pleasure to meet you!" And she could have not timed her words more horribly as Cara dismounted only to end up on the floor of the arena. It happened so fast that Molly felt mortified. Surely her foot must have caught or her legs were jelly from all of that work rather than the teenager's big fat mouth. Before she could even ask her if she was okay though, the rider was right back up, managing a 'I'm fine.' She wasn't sure if that had been aimed at her or the pony, since she started talking to the pony. Molly couldn't judge her for that, she too, had full blown conversations with the school horses, mainly Luna, but she had been known to humor Major when all of the beginner students weren't hanging off of him.
As Cara and her pony came walking over now, Molly began to open the gate slowly for pair in order for them to exit the arena. As they approached, the teenager nearly beamed to hear Cara ask her a question: "What kind of riding do you do?" There was no hesitation, no uncertainty in the young woman's voice. So, it would appear that maybe she found the topic that would make her a little more talkative, "Oh, I am having an existential crisis on what discipline right now," Molly replied, figuring she should explain a bit further, "I just aged out of pony jumping. So I am sort of dabbling at the moment. I just started taking lessons with Ms. King." Who, doesn't like to be called Ms. King but she wasn't around to correct her, "How did you get into riding?"
Dark eyes watched as the rider and pony continued to work through their various moves. Molly wasn't sure if there was much rhyme or reason to which move came next. If everything was not so fluid, the teenager was almost willing to bet that the rider was just winging it as she saw fit. The pony itself seemed to be paying extra attention to her now, judging by the look of the half cocked ears. While she wouldn't voice her opinion out loud, maybe it had been a good thing that she had been distruptive as she had been, mainly because it may have been another great opportunity to work the pony through a distraction, as loud and, possibly, obnoxious voices could be, either at the stables or in an arena.
Once again, the rider decided to grace Molly again. Only this time, instead of just passing her by, it looked as if she and the pony were coming over to stand still and talk for a bit. Something that Molly felt very much excited about. After all, it was always fun to meet a new face, especially at Blue Arces, and not somebody who hung out with Rihanna. Also, this way, she could get a better look at them, close up and personal, to memorize the next time she may see them in the stalls or out in the arena. And then, everything came out, sorta quick and sorta awkward: "No we aren't a trick riding team. I'm...I teach children the... the basics of riding, and for this I-I need ponies that are completely... bombproof." Well, guess she was politely put in her place, "Oh wow, well that's very cool! And I feel like ponies definlently need that, after all, they're usually the ones who want world domination." She said jokingly.
Maybe it fell flat as the girl finished her cool down. Deciding to try and be helpful after interrupting them, the teenager walked over to the gate and unlatched it, holding it close until they were going to approach it. After all, even on the ground, stuff can happen, "I'm Molly by the way," she beamed, "Molly Mac'Intosh. I take lessons here so I am sure this won't be the last time we run into each other."
As soon as the pony shielded beneath the girl, Molly couldn't help but to cringe. After all, the only thing that looked like that kept that rider from being dumped was the power of her thighs, which honestly, was an impressive feat. Despite the pony antics that she might have caused, Molly was pleased that she was not just shoo'd away. It was a hard sometimes to get a read on people and who might allow an audience and who might not. Some people just wanted to show off, others wanted no distractions, and some, like this rider, appeared to be indifferent and were just capable of ignoring the fact that there was an audience.
For a moment or two, the pony's attention seemed distracted. Probably because Molly was still hovering over by the fence line. After seeing the other young woman rip loose a freaking arrow, it was kinda hard to just carry on like nothing else exciting might not happen. Once the pony decided to give its owner attention again, they appeared to be back at it, minus the bow. Which apparently had been dropped but not for long when they appeared to practice yet another trick of grabbing it from the ground. Molly's dark eyes widen, impressed that the saddle didn't slip nor did the rider tumble right off. In fact, she was able to sit back up right and was now rewarding her pony for not murdering her, probably a feat in itself, "So, are you two like a trick team or something?" Since she wasn't shoo'd away, Molly figured that meant that she could still be annoying and ask questions.
Finally, it felt like a grueling day was coming to an end. The stables hand been insanely busy today with riders and lessons. On top of that, hay and feed delivery had been today as well. The teenager was happy that she had grown up on a farm before moving to hickstead for school. All of those lessons in heavy lifting barrels of fruit had really paid off for her job here. It had only been recently that Molly had graduated to a stable hand at Blue Arce stable, managing to convince Naomi that she was committed to working here and to earn some part time money. After all, school always came first when it came to commitment, Molly Mac'Intosh knew she owed that much to her parents for being able to scrap enough money in order to get her into a prestigious college prep school that her scholarship did not over. Still, she hoped to figure out a vigorous schedule to balance school, horses, work, and blogging, not to mention fun.
Phase One was complete though, Phase Two would be working up the nerve to ask Naomi for a change to half lease one of the school horses, Luna. She was certain that the Blue Arce owner would agree to it, she would just have to put together a really well rehearsed and thought out proposal. That could be saved for another day though. It was time to close up the barn for the evening. All of the horses were tucked away, everyone was fed and...wait a second. Dark eyes noticed an empty stall. Running over, Molly peered inside. Yup, unmistakenly empty. The name plate read Swallow, a name she did not recognize yet which meant it was one of the boarding horses. While the empty stall looked like it was the work of a human, Molly figured she better make sure that this Swallow wasn't an escape artist on the look. Not to mention, with it being October, maybe it was good to make sure that a Ghost Pony hadn't decided to start haunting the stables.
So Molly began her quest, looking around the barn and turning up empty handed before heading outside. The paddocks remained empty, since everyone was still eating their dinner and no lone horses to be found. It was too dark for any late trail rides. Then it hit her, the arenas. She should check, just to make sure. If the horse was with its owner, then Molly would retreat back to the barn. After all, the horses would probably be done eating and ready for turnout by the time she finished this quest. And the horses deserved all the pasture time they could get before November hit and nighttime would be relegated to stall rest for the winter. Heading to the arena, it did not take the teenager long to spot a lone rider and horse along with...a target? This certainly intrigued her as she walked up to the fence line just in time to see the rider work on some archery practice from horse back, "That was so cool!" she called out, forgetting that maybe she wasn't suppose to be there spying. Heat flared to her face realizing that she may have just overstepped her bounds, "Sorry, I can go if you want!"
Tag:CARA-JEAN KITCHI | Words: idk | Notes: first post, woot woot!
show name • Bad Moon Rising stable name • Luna; Lunatic when in trouble age • Fifteen breed • Appendix (Quarter x TB cross) height • 15 hands discipline • School Horse - Eventing (dressage, show jump, x-country) gender • Mare
the appearance
identifying features• Luna is a lean and muscular horse, stnading at 15 hands. She appears to have inherited more quarter horse from her dam than she did thoroughbred from her sire thanks to her build, which makes her look a little on the heavier side. Luna is a flea bitten grey, with the reddish bite marks. In addition, she has a bay splotch running from her muzzle to her left eye. Her mane and tail are a dirty white.
the personality
likes • Lessons, Being doted on, Crunchy Treats, Being turned out, Stall Visitors, Going Fast, Tight Turns dislikes • Tight Girths, The Equine Dentist, Slowing Down, Collected Gaits, Other School horses or ponies getting too close to her in the arena, People getting in her mouth strengths • basic flat work, jumping, directional changes weaknesses • dressage, mare moods, requires lots of figure eights to rein in her brain fears • plastic items such as bags and tarps, leaves than land on her without warning during the fall time overall personality • Luna is a mixed bag of crafty and stupidity. She's light on the reins and quick to react to directions, and is usually a favorite when it comes to jumping due to her speed and eagerness. However, she is easily spooked by the outside elements that can make her run out on her rider or throw a fit, such as the time she and her rider were waiting their turn in the lesson to practice jumping when a dead leaf unexpectant landed on her hindquarters, and she threw a fit. Luna is also known to throw fits when people are a little too heavy on the hands. However, many of figure 8's can usually set her straight and put her brain back to working. Luna's antics tend to make her an intermediate level horse for Blue Arce students. Despite this, when not under saddle, she loves to be doted on and is often used for pony camp for grooming activities.
the history
owner • Blue Arce Stables; to be half-leased by Molly Mac'Intosh father • Blood Moon (Diablo) mother • Hellraiser (Helly) siblings • No direct overall history • Luna was born at a nice little stables in England. She was the off spring of a retired sporting thoroughbred and an imported quarter horse. The breeder was aiming to create a nice riding horse for her daughter to both train and ride. Luna had a leisurely life growing up and took to her training nicely and did not often have very difficult days. She soon began showing as a green prospect with the daughter and did fairly well. As the daughter grew though, she outgrew Luna competitively and decided it was time to depart with her. In addition, the rigerous show life seemed to sour Luna.
Given Luna's attitude, the daughter did not want to sell her to just anyone and wanted to make sure that Luna would be given a good second life. After a bit of time, the breeder suggested to her daughter that she look into lesson stables to see if they would be in for a school horse. Soon, Luna would end up at Blue Arce Stables as part of their schooling program. She fit the bill for flat work and jumping lessons, and could still participate in shows if needed. The daughter assured Blue Arce management that a less rigorous show horse lifestyle would even out Luna's personality. It proven to be right, as Luna took well to being a school horse and the occasional show horse and has remained at the stables since.
She has been the favorite of many over the years, but Molly Mac'Intosh reallly took to Luna and her spunky attitude. Molly often felt like she saw herself in Luna. While Luna will always be happy to greet and ride with anyone, she does tend to have a very special greeting whenever Molly comes to visit her. Molly hopes to work out a half lease with Blue Arce management and secretly hopes to eventually buy Luna.
the role player
alias • Forever; Ever age • 32 other characters • Ronan, Molly. Luna will be npc'd. She can be npc'd by other BA riders if needed.
full name • Molly Elodie Mac'Intosh nicknames • Molls, Little Apple (Family nickname), Munchkin age • Sixteen birthday • February 29th, when not a leap year, February 28th occupation • High School Student, Blue Arce stable hand gender • female sexuality • Undecided
the appearance
face claim• Lana Candor
identifying features• Molly is a rather short girl, clocking at just 5 feet 2 inches, with a curvy figure. Due to this, sometimes people call her Munchkin which greatly angers her. She usually goes for a natural look with light make up and tends to keep her jet black hair either pulled back via pony tail or loose with some sort of hair accessory. Molly has been very lucky in life and has managed to avoid any scars or lasting marks on her body. When she's at the barn, she's usually wears an array of colorful riding tights, t-shirts, and jackets and/or hoodies depending on the season. Outside of the barn or adventuring, Molly usually sports athleisure wear or prep wear.
the personality
likes • Horses, Cartoons, Fan Shipping, Blogging, Mysteries, Research, Computer Lab, Independent studies, History, Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Baking and Food Science, Excelling dislikes • Not Being Prepared, Surprise Quizzes, Forced Lab Partner-Ups, Friendship Fights, Posh Mean Girls, Pies, Practical Jokes, Lying to Authority Figures, Plot Holes in movies/tv/books, Shipping Wars strengths • Studious, Brave, Outgoing, Friendly, Rambunctious, Inquisitive, weaknesses • Impulsive, Talkative, Hot Headed, Baked Goods, Competitive, Insecure dreams • Buying Luna fears • Losing Luna, Not getting into a prestigious European College overall personality • If someone where to hear giggling at the Blue Arce Stables, it would most likely belong to Molly Mac'Intosh. Her parents would likely tell you a joke that she is a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice then baked into an Apple Pie because who doesn't love an apple pun with a last name like Mac'Intosh? Molly likes to take on life headfirst with her extrovert personality, even though it could also get her into trouble, especially at the likes of Blue Arce Stables or Willow Brooke Academy - her posh boarding school. Nevertheless, she is usually voted Most Outgoing and Most Likely To Succeeded After Graduation for the countless yearbooks since 6th grade. Molly tends to spend most of her time at the stables, working in exchange for a bit of money and leasing one of its school horses, Luna, blogging either at the stables or around town, making a mess in the kitchenettes, or studying in odd places. Sometimes, Molly could feel a little insecure, whether its about being on scholarship at her boarding school or that she is leasing one of the school horses. If someone where to pick on her for it, it would certainly sour her mood and lead her to lash out or demand some sort of duel.
the history
father • Franklin Mac'Intosh, 56, Pear, Cherry, and Sheep Farmer mother • Isla Mac'Intosh, 47, Independent Bakery Owner siblings • N/A important people • BFFs with HARPER JANE O'HARA hometown • Vietnam [born], Scotland [Childhood] overall history • Molly is originally from Vietnam, born to an unknown mother, who left her at an orphanage with the hope that one day she would be adopted. As fate would have it, that would be the case as Molly was adopted early on by Franklin and Ilsa Mac'Intosh. Their church had put them in with an International Adoption Agency that had led them to Molly. Seeing what a bundle of joy she was, they instantly fell in love. Once the adoption became official, the Mac'Intosh's bequeathed Molly her Scottish name and relocated her their native home.
The Mac'Intoshs raised Molly on their farm in Inverness, where they grow various fruits as well as raise sheep for show, wool, and meat. As she grew older, she would help her father either with farm tasks or on special occasions, get to help her mother in the bakery. Molly's love for animals and baked goods grew over the years as she got to participate in local clubs and shows against other children of her age group. At the same time, Molly was also excelling in her schooling, often surpassing her classmates and growing bored with the pace of learning. She was always in need of a challenge. This lead her to getting creative and starting her own blog. It originally revolved around a day at the farm, but as she grew, the blog took onto whatever identity Molly felt like that day, whether it was the farm, or a mystery of Scotland, or one of her newer passions such as horses or baking.
Molly's parents could see how smart and creative Molly was, and feared that Inverness may not be able to contain Molly and her personality nor unfortunately, her studies. Given that they wanted the best for her, they began to look into various boarding schools that would be challenging for Molly, offer college prep, and most importantly, scholarship. The idea of moving away from her small little farm did not frighten Molly at all, she saw to it as a new adventure. After applying and testing to three schools, Willow Brooke Academy in Hickstead, England ended up giving her the best scholarship and they also had a schooling agreement with Blue Arce for a riding program, something that Molly was most interested in even though she knew horses would not be her absolute future.
So at thirteen, Molly left for Willow Brooke Acamedy and has been there since, except for holidays though, she always went home to her parents. As she grew, Molly fell in love with one of the school horses, Luna, and decided to present a plan in order to lease her from Naomi. In addition to her time at Willow Brooke and Blue Arce, Molly gained the rag tag friendships of Janey O'Hara and Oliver, whom she is almost never seen without now when not at school. Molly continues to grow as a person in Hickstead, as well as her blog, which has taken to solving mysteries and legends such as Ghost Ponies and Maiden's Stones.
the role player
alias • Forever age • Thirty Two other characters • Ronan Slade
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