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!.
Odette Lachapelle had tacked up her young Icelandic mare for a trail ride - the autumn leaves and crisp air made it all so delightful. Plus, she needed more trail mileage on Muse compared to her other two mares. When she had bought her from the sale yard, the gentleman who sold her said that Muse was spook proof and loved the outdoors, and while that seemed to be the case, Odette still felt like everything should be taken with a grain of salt. With their matching lavender outfits, the horse and rider left Seven Oaks stables for the trails now to both enjoy their morning and head towards Blue Arces to see her mother, who coached, trained, and stalled her horse there.
The young woman had finally been enjoying her life in Hickstead. She felt the freedom from being out from her mother's thumb with training, she was over all this nonsense drama with Charles Campbell, and perhaps, most importantly of all, she was over his daughter, Lydia Campbell. The heartbreak and betrayal had been brutal, and then it had been even more so (and confusing) running into Lydia again at Hickstead, only to have her ex-girlfriend disappear again without a trace nor a word. Granted, Odette thought to herself, Lydia had never been one for words. More importantly though, the young woman finally felt whole again to enjoy her life and to do as she saw fit with new friends, the barn, her horses, and her love life - what little there had been.
Scenery passed by as Muse stoutly carried her rider through the forest now, the fall leave crunching beneath her hooves, ears twirling about. The young mare was quite happy to be out of the barn and the rigious dressage training routines for something a bit more relaxed. Odette felt relaxed in the saddle as well. All was going well, until, well a fox darted out of no where. Muse yielded, pulling up in a half rear, startled. Even more so as the fox flushed out some phesants to the sky with all blur of wings and shrieking. A wing batted against Muse, and soon Odette, as she tried to calm her mare. But Muse just wiped about, before charging out. Odette pulled hard against the mare, only to realize too late that Muse had braced against the bit, making it utterly useless.
It had been a long time since Odette had been on a runaway horse. It had also been a long time since she felt these feelings of useless as it felt impossible to slow her mare down as they charged out forest now and into the meadow. The more steam that Muse seemed to pick up and ignore her ques and commands and even her voice, the more panic Odette started to feel as she argued with her strong mare. Tears stung her eyes, or perhaps that was the wind as she finally called out, hoping anyone was around, "HELP!"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
She nodded when the man said his girlfriend did not ride, nor did he have any plans on forcing her to. Odette supposed that made sense, after all, riding large animals with a mind of their own wasn't for every one and it certainly wasn't the type of activity to just force upon someone. Well, not when they were older and had their senses about them at least. The young woman must have gotten lost in her thought, her scrubbing came to a stop and Jon's next question snapped her out of her thoughts, "Hm? Oh yes, she did. If you consider teaching me coaching without letting me ever leave our arena." Odette supposed that was to each person's semantics though, for she never considered Eloise Lachapelle her coach.
A smile graced her lips when the man said her riding was impressive, "I do eventing - two out of my three horses can do all three classes. My newest one, she cannot but I might have some fun with her just to see what she can do. And, for the record, there is nothing wrong with sticking with low jumps." Odette went back to scrubbing now, finishing up her saddle and it practically looked like it shown. Green eyes looked to Jon with some intrigue, "Barn fire? What do you mean?" Sounded like there was some history there that the young woman didn't know about.
Odette nodded, understanding his horse's limitations to what she knew and was taught. Horses could only be pushed so much sometimes, but they were always learning as well. Perhaps his western horse knew more than her horses on how to not be afraid of things, whereas her horses were able to clear jumps and bend to a certain degree. That was the beauty of this hobby and sport, every rider and every horse could find their own level of happiness - even if it was just grooming, "Ah - I have never been to America, but I have heard of Chicago." It was a major city after all, "Which clothing shop? The one over in Willow Bridge or a more local one?"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Green eyes watched as her godmother sat down now, graceful as ever on her elegant furniture. While it had been a wild idea in the moment to call up Renee Hahn and come and see her, now that Odette was here, the young woman knew that it had been the right choice. Yes, she had Jules, but at the same time, Odette felt like she had needed more. Her reserve began to waver a little bit as a plate of warm cookies was offered to her. Already, the gesture made her eyes threaten to water. She would not cry and ruin her make up. She would not cry.
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before releasing, trying to steady herself. Odette didn't want to be a cliche, tumbling her feelings out at the first kind gesture. But it was hard, so hard. And unlike with Jules, the young woman didn't feel half as guilty venting to her god mother even if she hadn't seen her for some time, "It's been awful," she managed now, voice already warbling as she opened her eyes now, "My ex-girlfriend ghosted me here, only after doing it in France. My mother dragged me out here, only to ignore me and up and leave to return to France...and I just...and I just--" oh god, it was going to happen. And just like that, Odette balled and it was ugly.
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Girlfriend? What a shame. Odette supposed that the male rider was far too old for her anyways. Mentally shrugging it off, she merely smiled, "My my, you are quite the busy man then. Does she ride?" Perhaps not, since Jonathan was only now just bringing her up. Surely, if this girlfriend had rode, it would have popped up earlier. Besides, it's not as if it was a crime to date outside of the equestrian circles, even at a novice level. Perhaps it was even nice.
The question prompted the young woman to shrug, before she went back to scrubbing her saddle. She was half way done already, conversation really did make the time fly, "I don't see an issue." Odette stated now, becoming rather interested in a spot, "Maybe because show season is still a few weeks off, but for all of the rivalry that I supposedly hear about, everything seems quite tame to me." The young woman was quite certain that she was more likely to pick a fight with someone at Seven Oaks than bother herself with Blue Arces other than visiting her mother. Green eyes glanced up at him, "I'm settling for top tier circuits for now. Maybe the Olympics eventually." She said with a smile.
She watched as Jonathan began to pull off his boots now, swapping for non barn shoes and cleaning off the bottoms of riding boots. It was funny, for all of her proper raising, Odette had never been schooled in that cleaning method, "Ah. Does she not like to jump?" There was nothing wrong with that after all. Every horse was different, and every horse had their own preferred job, "We moved here in January. My mom ran a small stables in our home town in France. I guess she decided she wanted a change of scenery though, because she sold it off and moved the both of us and our horses here."
Odette paused in her scrubbing once more, cocking her head, "Hockey?" Well, that was quite the different sport. No wonder he didn't like to jump, "You had quite the career change then if you're just here riding horses now and dating girls." She teased.
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Odette could feel her eyebrows arch when the other woman made comment about a barn fire, "What? That was before my time, I suppose. I came here in January." Surely, if there had been a fire recently, her mother would have mentioned it - or the news. As far as the young woman was concerned, everything had been rather quite in this sleepy town. Although, one could argue that Odette had been caught up in her own mellow dramas that others likely flitted right past her. She shrugged a little, "Ah well, if you have memories of a fire, even at another barn, I suppose I can't blame you for being suspicious." Although, she would have thought it wasn't considered off hours yet. Once again though, perhaps she was living in her own world.
"We did. The Sale Yard told me that is her only discipline, but I am sure I could take her over a cross jump for fun. Give her a different sort of mental activity," Odette confirmed, "And I can't decide. Sometimes, I find it nice when my horses are mellow, but I feel bad when I know its just the heat preventing them from being themselves." Granted, the young woman often expected perfection from her horses, even though it was an impossible ask. Still, she'd be lying if she said she preferred Summer and Winter over that of Spring and Fall for riding. She nodded her head, agreeing with Madison's statement, "She does not - I had two incidents now with the owner's dogs and children. She just gets very startled and very nervous about them."
Green eyes watched as Muse stretched her neck out a little more when Maddie offered a scratch to her soft muscle, something that the mare enjoyed. It brought a small smile to her face before she returned her attention, "I don't know. River is the only one I typically catch and he's...well, always a grouch. The others I have a harder time tracking down." Not that she often needed help, given she had been raised in a barn and taking care of horses since she was little thanks to her upbringing, but sometimes it was just hard to sit back and let others care for her horses, "Excellent. We will be quick. I'm sure Muse will be happy to return to her stall sooner rather than later." With that, she followed after Maddie now, "Is feed the last remaining task you have?"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
It had been a while since Odette Lachapelle had called her Godmother, quite frankly, the young woman couldn't remember when had been the last time. Had she still been living in France? Surely not - Renee Hahn must have been one of the reasons why Eloise Lachapelle had picked Hickstead, United Kingdom of all places to resettle, and yet she couldn't be entirely sure. None of that mattered though, not now. All what the young woman needed was someone to talk to. She had a lot on her plate emotionally, and her mother was no help and appeared to have her own secrets she was keeping, so Odette found herself in a taxi cab on her way to Willow Bridge City.
Her large green eyes stared out the window, as tiny Hickstead morphed into the city across the bridge, and the cab brought her closer to her destination. She must have zoned out because before she knew it, they were pulling up to the given address. Odette paid the cab and thanked him, before gathering her things and stepped out. Bitter air greeted her once more, but it would be a matter of mere minutes before it would be snuffed out again by the warmth of a home, and perhaps, someone's love. She rang the door bell, and soon was greeted by a doorman who disappeared once she gave her name, before coming back and beckoned her to follow him.
It was not long until she was in the colorful living room, where there stood Renee Eliza Hahn, just finishing the final touches to a plate of cookies and a hot kettle of tea. A wide smile broke across her lips now as her Godmother enveloped her in a tight hug, "Marraine! Comme tu m'as manqué."(Godmother! How I missed you) Odette murmured in their home language before breaking apart and allowing herself to seat, "Thank you for having me," she said earnestly now, sitting down politely, "And it was no trouble at all coming here. A simple cab ride." Such small talk, "You have no idea how much your invitation means to me, Renee."
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Odette watched the beautiful woman let out another sigh of relief, or perhaps, she was merely releasing what might have been nervous energy that had popped up from being startled. Her response though left Odette with arching a perfectly kept eyebrow though, "Someone creepy? I feel as if there is a story to that." Truth be told, the young woman did not know much about Seven Oak's history, other than some of the stable hands always appeared to be on edge like something horrible was going to happen, well, other than River Bloom, he was just grumpy. And Jules didn't offer her much on the history of the stables, more so just the latest gossip of its inhabitants.
Still, that smile of Madison's made her want to swoon, but she managed to keep it together as the older woman prompted a question, "Oh! Muse and I had a lovely ride, although I admit, I hope this august heat wave leaves very soon. I do not believe Muse is fond of the heat." Thankfully, given that it was England, Odette had no doubt it would be cold in a matter of days, not weeks, "She seemed to be lacking her usual spring in her step." And perhaps, that might have been why it had been a nice ride. Muse was a nice little mare, and Odette was pleased with her, but the icelandic horse always appeared a little too eager to please, which almost made controlling her somewhat hard she discovered.
Laughter bubbled up from her now as she gave the mare a solid pat at Madison's compliment, "If you had been a small child or animal, we might be having a different conversation and scene." The young woman unfortunately had learned that the hard way, another good thing about riding in the evening - those critters - both animal and human, usually were asleep by then. Muse herself must have recognized Maddie now, for she took a step forward and was trying to arch her neck and head out to greet her, "I guess someone is happy to run into her favorite stable hand though," Odette said with a smile, "As am I! I should probably get her untacked, but if you would like company for the rest of your evening here, I am most happy to oblige."
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
It was curious to hear the man infer that he had a job - mainly because Odette was used to her mother's status as a international equestrian, along with her money, made the idea of both having a job and being an equestrian awfully foreign to her. She knew better though than to sneer, as there were many armature show riders who were actually quite good and there was proof that a horse with no pedigree could still outclass and outride a horse with one, "Ah! You must be quite busy then between your job and horse then," Odette mused with a smile, pausing in her aggressive scrubbing with her saddle.
Perhaps it wasn't surprising that the young woman's small (and bold, in her opinion) subtle dig at her mother caught the older man's attention, "Ah no. My mother teaches over at Blue Arces. I decided to ride and board here to put some space between us." Not that she did not love her mother, Eloise Lachapelle was a wonderful mother considering all the other mothers in the world who were not as kind, but Odette never liked how her mother seemed to hold her back - simply because Eloise did not enjoy being in the spotlight did not mean that her daughter was not allowed to try. And that topic was always one of contention when growing up, which made the move all the more easier. Green eyes blinked at Jonathan for a moment on his death sentence comment before it dawned on her that he was making a joke, so she laughed, "No! I want to reach for the stars."
It was curious to hear his discipline though - Hunter Jumper. She didn't hear it too often, but also knew it was not one to cluck at, "There is nothing wrong with being a Hunter. I think it takes a lot of finesse to perfect. It might set you up to outjump us all if you do ever make the switch." After all, she was certain that in Hunter classes, it wasn't just the horse that got graded but the rider themselves - which meant perfection all around. Perhaps Odette should dabble in some training for that as well, if just for fun. While her two big mares likely wouldn't appreciate it, there was a chance that Muse might even if she were classically trained as a dressage horse. Green eyes watched him as he neatly put away his stuff now, and she went back to scrubbing to give him some privacy.
Thankfully, Jonathan did not appear to seem put off by all of her questions then, although the young woman hoped it did not mean that she came off as an awfully lonely person. When he asked her why she moved though, Odette stopped scrubbing and leaned back. Her eyes gazed off, thinking, "My mother got into, how do you say...a pissing match? With someone important in our little town, so she thought it best to leave. It happened all so fast, I'm not even sure if I've entirely processed it." Her gaze looked back over at Jonathan now, tempted to ask the same thing since he clearly was not from Hickstead either, but decided to take a different prying question, "Oh? New sport? Does this mean you were a different sort of athelete before?"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Odette and her young horse, Muse, pulled to a stop in the arena. With dusk setting across the lands of Hickstead, the young woman felt like she had sufficiently given the Icelandic mare a solid dressage workout and decided it was best to call it a day. She had been rather pleased with Muse's progress since purchasing her from the Yard - a solid investment that perhaps now, her mother was willing to believe. Oh, who was Odette kidding. The pair would have to place in a show or two before Eloise Lachapelle would forgive her daughter of such an impulse purchase. Patting the mare, Odette freed her feet from the stirrups before gracefully dismounting from the saddle.
Gently, she pushed Muse's head away from her as the mare tried to inspect her right away - ground manners were still a major work in progress, but Odette was thinking she was beginning to get somewhere. She made a mental note to shut off the arena lights before she headed on her way out, uncertain of who may be working tonight at the barn. Pulling the reins over Muse's head, she held them firmly before walking back to the Seven Oaks main barn now. They walked quietly, side by side, and upon entering the barn, it looked quite deserted, "On dirait que c'est juste toi et moi, fille." (Looks like it's just you and me, girl) Odette didn't mind, sometimes it was just nice to brush a horse down in the stillness of the barn.
As they made their way towards one of the cross tie stalls though to begin untacking, it became clear that they were not alone. Muse's hoofsteps summoned forth someone in a panic out of the feed room. Even Odette nearly jumped out of her skin, and Muse started for a second, looking to jump out of her skin as well, before their eyes fell on the person. Maddie Stevenson. Already, Odette could feel her face flush as her green eyes stared at the brunette. While the older woman only batted for man, it was hard for Odette to not be utterly smitten with her and she constantly found herself flustered around her, and it always annoyed the young woman too, given she thought herself far too sophisticated to have school girl crushes, "Maddie! You startled us too," her voice was a little shrill, still recovering from being startled, "Although please forgive me for startling you."
The question prompted afterwards caught her by surprise, something told Odette that she forgot to mention something to someone at Seven Oaks, "I was working with Muse late in the outdoor arena. I suppose I lost track of time...is it just you on shift tonight?"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
She eyed him curiously as he informed her of his lesson schedule. While the young woman knew it likely meant nothing, Odette could not help but to take a mental note of his riding time simply in case they got along and she could watch in the future. The young woman had never quite paid attention to people's lessons in France, well other than Lydia's she supposed, but now here in Hickstead, she was trying to absorb as much as she can about each horse and rider she met. After all, there was always the a chance that she may be riding against them, "Ah, okay! Well, it's fortuitous that you had the schedule change so that we may meet."
Odette did her best to give the man his room when he was shuffling around her and her things to make his way to his locker. Her green eyes caught sight of his name on the locker now: Jonathan; as he carefully put away his saddle and tack. She could not help but to smile at the small sigh that escaped him as soon as the saddle was placed safely away in the locker, "It's okay. You're meeting me, and that's what's important. Not my mother." A little bold of her to say, yes, but Odette was finally ready to step out from her mother's shadow and be her own person and make a name for herself. Every professional equestrian started somewhere after all, "Ah yes, I hope to do eventing. Always keeps everything new and engaging since of the three disciplines. What do you ride?"
The young woman flashed her signature coy smile at him now, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jonathan." As he fooled around with his tack, she went back to scrubbing her tack only now Odette remained keenly aware of her surroundings and the man in her vicinity. She paused when he asked his question though, figuring it would be rude to work while in conversation. Glancing back over at him, she continued, "I have only been here three months, so not very long. It's been an adjustment." Given everything they left behind in France, sometimes Odette still felt sad over it it, but she tried to not dwell on it even this new chapter in her life, "You say you are new to riding? What got you into it if I may ask?"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
show name • Aurores Boréales owned by • ODETTE AURÉLLE LACHAPELLE barn • Seven Oaks Stables age • Nine breed • Selle Français height • 15.2 hands discipline • Eventing gender • Mare likes • Personal time with Odette, Her 'sisters' - particularly Belle, Home Made Carrot Molasses Cookies, Being Lazy, Snowfall dislikes • Sharing Treats, Sharing Attention, Sharing just about Anything, Being annoyed, When Treats break and fall to the floor, Soggy Arenas, Throwing Shoes strengths • Endurance, Lovable weaknesses • Hangry Attitude, Sour Moods fears • Fast Blurs (chickens, dogs, cats, anything unexpected) overall personality • Star is a finicky mare, she loves humans yet hates being kept waiting on them. She tends to have a hot and cold attitude to just about everything depending on their mood of the day. This doesn't mean that she's not a good horse though, just particular, and Odette's time with Star has made them particularly in sync with each other to the point that Star knows to flatten her ears when a certain ex girlfriend is around. Star isn't the greatest when it comes to sharing Odette with her sisters, or allowing new horses into Odette's herd, but eventually she caves in such as when Belle arrived and, several years later, Muse's arrival. Star particularly enjoys being lazy, hanging out in pastures like they are hammocks. She's not one to take to schooling, but come competition day, she is truly a champion.
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
show name • La Beauté et le Rythme owned by • ODETTE AURÉLLE LACHAPELLE barn • Seven Oaks Stables age • Seven breed • Dutch Warmblood height • 16 hands discipline • Show Jumping gender • Mare likes • Big Jumps, Ice Pops, Spring & Fall, Rolling in Mud and Dirt, Running Around the Pastures dislikes • Extreme Heat or Cold, Being Clean, Baby Jumps, Going Slow, When her 'Big Sister' is Picking on Her strengths • Jumping, Picking up her feet and legs weaknesses • Extreme Temperature Flux, Delicious Treats fears • Sitting in a Stall all Day and Night overall personality • Belle is a mare who loves to go go go and not be told to stop, which might have been one of the reasons why she ended up in Odette's care. She has a lot of untapped potential that require an experienced yet gentle hand as Belle can be hyper sensitive to even the smallest of emotions. Still, she is a good mare with a heart of gold, and loves to romp around with the other mares in the pasture and particularly Odette's other mare Star. She gets grumpy with the weather changes, missing France's climate compared to England, but she will still begrudgingly get the job done when asked.
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
barn name • Muse owned by • ODETTE AURÉLLE LACHAPELLE barn • Seven Oaks Stables age • Seven breed • Icelandic Horse height • 13 hands discipline • Dressage gender • Mare likes • sprinting, attention, the outdoors, fresh grass, rain, being in the shadows dislikes • being ignored, standing around for too long, not being able to go outside, small children and animals, extreme heat strengths • cold-tolerant, hard to spook, picture-perfect gaits weaknesses • the heat, too energetic, stubborn fears • automatic water dispensers, fire overall personality • Muse is a mare who knows what she wants and she will not back down until she gets it, be it attention, approval or an extra treat. This attitude often annoys potential riders, since she acts like she knows best. But something many of those riders miss is that she sometimes does know best. And when lines are drawn and rider and horse cooperate, Muse will become the horse of one's dreams - sweet, friendly, and hard-working.
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Perhaps one of the joys about being an Equestrian and solely focusing her time and attention to attuning her riding meant that usually nobody was around at the stables when she was. Odette could avoid all the chaotic children and, in her opinion, high strung adults. So it came much to her surprise when a voice cut through her humming: "Excuse me, I just need to put my tack away." The young woman glanced up, startled, to find herself staring at an older man. He was still attractive, so not too old, and therefore Odette didn't mind her time being interrupted. After all, she had put so much time and effort into her hair and make up today that it would have been a dull day indeed had only her mother witnessed it given Amelia went back to France to deal with some extended family drama.
"Oh, forgive me," she said now, unable to hide her thick accent, "I wasn't expecting anyone in here until the afternoon. I suppose I sort of took it over." Perhaps that was an understatement, but at least Odette hadn't made the place filthy, just more of her own. The young woman pushed herself to her feet now, cutting the music off and gracefully side stepping to allow the man access to the locker he wanted to enter. Green eyes stole a glance at the few tack lockers she had been blocking, the sole male name being 'Jonathan Toews' listed under a 'Sunny'. Could this perhaps be her mystery man? Her gaze moved back to him now as he moved forward and asked a friendly question.
Odette simply beamed, "I'm new. My mother and I recently moved from France. My name is Odette. Odette Lachapelle. My mother is Eloise Lachapelle. Perhaps you have heard of her? One of the best known eventers in France." Perhaps she should reign it back, nobody likes a bragger, "I am hoping to break into the competitive scene here. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Odette couldn't believe that spring was just around the corner. Sure, the weather was trying to fight it with staying at a crisp 5°C and had a forecast of rain this afternoon, but that wouldn't dampen her spirit. Spring time meant show season will be upon them soon. The young woman knew because she checked the schedule almost daily, and kept on nosing around the front office to see if Jules had any insights over who just might make Seven Oak's represented team and those who would just be showing themselves without the backing of the stables. While they were deemed good friends, Jules apparently still had loyalty to Lilliana White in keeping those details sealed, which Odette supposed she could not blame him. It simply illustrated that the young man would be an equally loyal companion to her should she need it.
The young woman had been putting in hard work at Seven Oaks when it came to riding her three horses: Belle, Muse, and Star. While she specialized in show jumping, bringing on Muse meant that Odette had to start dabbling in dressage given that was what the Sale Yard and Muse's paperwork shown that the icelandic pony had been trained for. That in itself presented a new but fun challenge for Odette, and truth be told, it served as the perfect distraction to everything else going on in her life. She was still angry at Lydia, who still insisted on being her callous and emotionless self (and in denial, if you ask Odette, but clearly nobody ever wanted to ask her!), rather than face her about their past. Amelia, who probably was secretly siding with Lydia out of sibling loyalty, walked around her like she was on a tight rope. And then there was her mother, the great Eloise Lachapelle herself, who was being awfully squirrelly. Nothing was right in the young woman's life.
But, perhaps none of that mattered. Odette was here for new beginnings, she was kicking her past away and getting out from her mother's shadow. The young woman had ambitions in the equestrian world, something that she could not pursue in France under her mother's watchful eye, but now Hickstead, England had unlocked that potential the moment that she decided to board at Seven Oaks over Blue Ares - away from her mother, and nothing was going to stop Odette from achieving her dreams and goals. Except, maybe her thoughts, which sometimes brewed angrily whenever she thought about these exact people too much. So a distraction was needed, and Odette knew just the thing. Cleaning her tack. Sure, tack cleaning wasn't the most exciting thing, but it required method and patience, and the harsh winter of England and steady use of her tack during it mean that her tack needed some serious TLC.
So the young woman set up shop in the tack room. She quietly set up some music on her phone, and pulled out all three of her saddles. Odette made sure to set them up perfectly near her, so that even if someone where to walk in on her, the tack room would still look pristinely perfect, just like how the young woman envisioned herself with her carefully curated hair, make up, and solid barn outfit. Taking out her dedicated rags now to cleaning, she dabbed them against the leather cleaner and set herself to work, humming along to her music. Odette didn't know how long time had passed, she had been so wrapped up in her work that the young woman didn't realize that she had a visitor, or the fact, that she was blocking the way.
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved
thanks aofie!
TWENTY FOUR . PROFESSIONAL RIDER . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
