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!.
Izzy was finally finished her final exams, wanting nothing more than a nice quiet trail ride with Queenie. She was looking forward to a quiet, drama free summer - focusing her time on working at Helping Hooves when they needed her.
She arrived at the barn, wanting Queenie to be outside as long as possible to enjoy the warm sunny day. The brunette walked into the barn, picking up the chocolate palamino's leather halter and lead rope set from her stall door and headed outside to the mare paddock. Queenie stood out like a sore thumb in the mix of multicolored horses - being the only chocolate brown colored one. She whistled to the mare, who lifted her head and trotted over to the gate. Izzy pulled a mint out of her pocket and gave it to the mare before sliding the halter over her face and doing up the clip - leading her towards the barn now.
About twenty minutes later, the mare was tacked up in Western gear and ready to hit the trails. She put her phone in her pocket and tucked her hair back under her ear, putting an AirPod into her ear before she picked her playlist. Queenie huffed as Izzy double checked the girth and mounted up - putting her left foot in her stirrup before getting herself in the saddle and sliding the right foot in the stirrup. Izzy nudged the mare forward, walking on as soon as her rider asked. It was nice to feel the warm air after being stuck inside a stuffy classroom.
A voice called out to her and she immediately recognized it. "Bailey...always a pleasure to see you and Barb. What brings you to the trail today?" She knew Bailey from the local competitions - there was always something up the young woman's sleeve. "What have you two been up to lately anyway? I feel like I haven't seen you all winter."
Izzy tried her best not to associate with anyone who caused drama at Blue Acres. She didn’t really spend enough time at the barn to be the cause of it anyway as she worked at Helping Hooves. “Well, maybe you and I will get along more than you think.” While the University was in session, she rode at random hours depending on when her classes were. During the summer, however, she kept a more consistent riding schedule.
She reached down and scratched the mare on the wither by her saddle - the mare was coming along nicely. She was lucky to find the mare for sale as it was hard for her to find a horse who could do both. “Thank you. Did you get accepted into University? It’s really not that bad. Just exam time takes up a lot of free time.” Izzy tended to lock herself in her room when it was midterms or finals - her parents knew not to bother her unless it was time for food. “Yeah. You’d think they’d understand that we are adults though right? How are your parents?” Izzy did love her parents but they had their moments. She was in this awkward state of being an adult but also not ready financially to live on her own.
“I mean, I do use Pintrest for interior design for ideas and such but that’s not really scrolling the socials.” She had Facebook to keep in touch with friends who she made in school or through riding who had moved away from Hickstead. Other than that, she wasn’t really someone who wanted to scroll through social media during her free time. “You should, I do enjoy being able to o both. Gives me more competition classes to enter.” She also enjoyed the variety in both - it also allowed her to ride under different coaches who had different opinions on riding. “Oh? What made you choose South America?” It sounded like an adventure with a long story behind it, but Izzy was curious. She changed direction with Queenie as the subject changed to Molly. “Like seriously, she has far too much energy.” Sometimes Izzy wished she had the same level during her presentations, but she seemed to be doing well with her usual personality.
Izzy nodded, travel was something she wanted to do more of. There was talk with her mother about traveling to Brazil, but a date wasn’t actually said out loud. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. It doesn’t get too cold there, does it?” Germany wasn’t somewhere she had heard was cold, but it all depended on the region. The brunette checked the time on her smart watch, seeing her ride was coming to a close. “That’s not boring. Honestly, the party scene is so overrated. I mean, it’s both. I usually just go and hang out with friends there. Haven’t been on a date in ages!”
Izzy watched as Dahlia sketched away on a separate piece of paper. She tilted her head as she watched the backyard of her prompt come to life - the house was too modern for her own taste, but the whole point was working for clients who had different tastes in terms of interior design.
"So, you'd go for more of a rounded idea then? Is that because the house itself has harsh lines? Just making sure I understand." She would have to write a presentation about her choices in design and why she made them. "Let's do a lower curved border. I just thought it would break up the space a bit more." It was the problem with having a backyard that was practically all grass. "Maybe some Violas for by the garage in the shade? A pop of color is always nice, right?" If she could find the right color, it would go nicely with the outdoor furniture she was thinking of.
She flattened her design, thinking about where she could put the gazebo - though she wouldn't be too mad if there wasn't room for it. "The hill makes things a bit more difficult. There should be a nice path from the house to the garage. Maybe some cute stepping stones?"
Izzy felt her shoulder shrug - it had also been a new concept for her. “Yeah, it was something the professor was getting us to do. Something about designing the perfect outdoor space to go with the decor inside.” It had made sense to her, but the concept was completely new for the entire class. Granted, their final project was to design a whole home for a pretend client. “That would be fun, though I think Dahlia Baker would be someone we should talk to first. She’s the one that is teaching our classes for the next bit.” Or at least the most important one for the semester - it was the one that would add another piece to her portfolio.
“Yuck, I think I’ll pass on the exotic fish. I don’t need to taste seawater anymore than I have to.” Izzy didn’t mind salmon or white fish - she would pass on any others though. Like most people, she enjoyed the foods that she knew, only trying something new when she felt comfortable enough to do so. “There seems to be political bureaucracies everywhere. It must be sad watching your home country change so quickly. And not for the better.” It was one of the reasons she decided not to study history - learning about wars and men taking over countries was too depressing for her.
Izzy chuckled - it was quite hilarious picturing the older woman running around the garden screaming at rabbits. “I also don’t think that works. You are giving them the perfect home. Warm soil to burrow in and food from the garden to eat.” The rabbits also didn’t understand Spanish either, but she didn’t want to mention that flaw in Ora’s plan. “Maybe if we had a trap but keep them in a box and release them into a forest somewhere?” It made her sound like a child again, but her animal-loving heart continued on into adulthood. No animal deserves to suffer a painful death. “I don’t mind helping if he needs it. You just don’t want to break a nail?” She asked, continuing to work with the dough as she glanced over to see what she was supposed to do next.
“Oh nice, did she teach you how to cook then?” Izzy herself wasn’t the best cook, but knew how to make a meal if her parents were out for the night. There were usually enough leftovers for her to make herself a mixed plate of different things. “She’d appreciate that. I did get her some mints, but there’s nothing like a fresh carrot or apple.” The chocolate palomino mare wasn’t picky with her treats - though she had to put up with horse cookies or mints until it was time to harvest carrots and apples. Izzy walked over with her dough ball and put it on the baking sheet as well, watching it slowly fill up. “Ah, it started already. Usually March is the start of it. I think I’ll do show jumping come the summer. We’ll just stick to the handy pony class until we have a few more lessons under our belts.”
Izzy tended to get along with pretty much anyone at the barn, though Kennedy and a few others rubbed her the wrong way. “I tend not to speak rudely of anyone around here, but Kennedy is…entitled.” She knew she was putting it nicely, but gossip spread quickly around any barn. “Well, I do admit you don’t want to see me angry. Though you seem pretty nice so far, don’t worry about it.” She shrugged her shoulders before continuing to work her mare at the canter.
She changed direction at the canter and did a large circle the other way before riding down the quarter line. “Oh, I’m sure everyone has some history with her. It’s just who she is. I swear she lives off of the hatred.” The other woman swore that she owned the place, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. “Trust me, I know. Unfortunately, final exams are coming up soon for me. I should be done in April though.” Which meant working more at Helping Hooves, competing with Queenie and being at the barn. She did a bit more canter work before bringing her to a walk and letting her have a loose rein. “I do love my parents but like let me breathe!” Izzy joked patting her horse on the shoulder. She knew deep down why her parents were protective of her, due to what happened with her biological mother.
The rider tilted her head, wracking her brain if she knew his sister. “Maybe? Sorry, I don’t really scroll social media.” While she did love her technology, the teen tended to use her laptop and phone to look up design ideas instead. “Really? I guess it makes sense. I’ve ridden both all my life so I’ve always seen Western riders.” It gave herself and the mare different things to practice during their hacks. “Have you tried Western before?” She herself felt it was the same workout but riding Western made her feel freer. Izzy turned the mare to avoid Waffel and Archie before nodding. “Yep, I really don’t know how she does it. Do you think because she works at the Bakery that she gets an IV of coffee?” She had run into Molly there a few times, wanting a coffee break before she drove home and studied.
“Oh goodness, that must be the best time of year! Which market is your favorite to go to?” Germany was well known around the World for their markets and from the pictures she saw from Emma made her feel envious and want to go. “I’m honestly the wrong person to ask. I spend all my free time here or working at Helping Hooves. I do enjoy going to the art gallery though. What about you?”
Izzy didn't want to assume what different projects Dahlia had done. There was much more to gardening than she ever would know. Her mother was the one who was in charge of their garden at home. "I should have assumed but I didn't want to. I am going to think that there are different gardeners. There are some people that just do floral arrangements right?" This project made her realize she needed to start paying attention the floral aspect of the design magazines she had in her room.
She smiled and sat down on the nearest empty chair. "Thanks, so the home is supposed to be modern according to the prompt. I was thinking a concrete retaining wall against the garage. What would some modern looking plants be?" Izzy rolled out her plans showing her exterior design so far - which really only had the retaining wall and the garage showing. "So I was thinking maybe some cacti in pots? Something with a bit of dimension to go with the edgy theme." Though Cacti wouldn't really survive in Hickstead, though the homeowner could move them inside for the Winter months.
"Yes, for my major class. We are having a design presentation next month. Someone is coming in and talking about garden design." It was all part of their final project. Their class was supposed to design an entire home for their portfolio - including a garden. "I really don't mind it, though designing a garden is not something I've done before." Gardening was something subjective, all depending on what the client wanted. Some wanted just a veggie garden and others wanted a full on English garden. It would just be a matter of tying the design aspects outside as well.
Brazil wasn't somewhere she had been yet, though it was somewhere she wanted to go. "Oh, I defiantly thought somewhere exotic like that would eat rabbit. I take it there isn't anything being done about the rainforests either?" During the school year, she wasn't one to pay attention to the news around the world. She was far too focused on her school work and working at Helping Hooves. The brunette nodded, she was often thankful for working on a farm - it allowed her to have different experiences too. "It's worth a shot anyway. I know that animals have a hard time finding food now. It's still too cold." As the weather was warming up, it would be easier for animals to find their food somewhere else - rather than the gardens. "Or they will know of farmers in the area. They deal with pests more than we do." They had more produce for the animals to eat too, which seemed to attract more of them.
She began rolling out the dough ball she chose, using her hands to flatten it as much as possible. "Oh, that does sound good. Especially because it's still chilly. Is it your recipe?" Izzy was trying to get more into cooking now with school winding down. "I would have bundled up if I did have to ride in the rain." She was so used to the English weather by now, her rain jacket was often kept in her locker at the barn. "I did! Though I need to bring more carrots out to her, I ran out yesterday so she had a cookie instead." They were also much easier to keep in her locker - cookies didn't tend to go moldy. "I'm sure Stephanie would have taken a carrot, she is a vegetarian." She didn't know how her coach stayed full, though she never saw the woman faint. "I'm still very happy with her. She has ridden in Hunters as a teenager, so she's still got the knowledge." As long as she stayed on her good side, the lessons were amazing. "I may do a show jumping classes come show season too."
Izzy scoffed after Archie described the person he had a run in with. "Yep. That's Kennedy. She thinks just because her horse was on the Italian Olympic team that she is someone special." The stallion on the other hand was impressive. "Let's just say I'm glad I'm not Stephanie and have to coach her." Though she did have a laugh when watching the two lesson - Steph didn't take any of her attitude.
The woman then nudged Queenie into the canter using her inside leg behind the girth. Queenie leapt into the canter and motored along the long end of the arena. "It's much easier to take a year off now than between school years. Gives you time to ride and compete as well." Though she wasn't quite sure how polo competitions worked - it was a discipline she wasn't really familiar with. Once they made it to a short side, Izzy did a trot transition and then asked for the canter again before they turned the corner. "Yep. I feel like everyone feels that way." She didn't know too many people who truly enjoyed their name.
"They do, but sometimes it's a bit too much caring." She did have to remember that some people had parents who didn't care and left them when they were young. That caused more trauma than it was worth. "That sounds fancy, anything I would have heard of?" She should have guessed by the fact he played polo that his family was rich, but stereotypes weren't something she believed in. Izzy nodded, riders around Hickstead tended to stick with traditional English riding. "Ah, thankfully there are enough trailers around here for you to borrow. Yeah, we are. Though Western is just starting to be popular around here so we just compete in jumping for now." There were only so many handy pony classes they could do, but they did enough of both to keep them busy.
She now worked Queenie in a canter circle, moving her wall to wall. "You'll meet her eventually. She is really helpful, clearly she knows what she is doing running a place like this." Izzy didn't have too many encounters with the owners, though she tended to see their foster children around more. "Molly? Oh gosh, how much energy did she have?" Izzy liked Molly well enough, but on the days she wanted to have a nice quiet hack, Molly tended to chat up a storm while they were both getting their horses ready. "I get that. I've only known living here but maybe things will change later on." She gently shrugged her shoulders while riding. "What makes you miss Germany the most?"
Izzy didn't know what she was getting into when her professor stated that they had a presentation on designing gardens. It wasn't something that interested her at first, though the presentation itself changed her mind. The concept of designing houses compared to gardens was really no different.
She seemed to be one of the few who were truly invested. A few of her fellow students were practically half asleep by the time Dahlia was done. They are going to pay for it next week when we have our test on this.. she thought, the loud voice of their professor boomed across the classroom and the sleeping students were rudely awakened. Izzy pulled rearranged her paper pile so that her piece of graph paper was on top. Their final project required them to design a home for a pretend client they were assigned, meaning a garden was included. It was the last thing she had to do before she would hand in her portfolio at the end of term.
The brunette would need all the help she could get. It seemed as if Dahlia was the local expert on what grew locally. "Yeah, that's me. Have you designed gardens for non-commercial environments? Like someone's home garden for example?" She learned not to assume, some people were more interested in designing gardens that were for businesses or meant to be seen and enjoyed by the public. "For our final project, we are supposed to design an entire home, including a garden. I think I need all the help I can get."
"Right, no pressure." Izzy laughed sarcastically. Her parents never put any pressure on her, though she always put unnecessary pressure on herself. Doing well in her classes meant getting a job at an interior design firm after graduation. "Thankfully, this year it's a project and not a traditional exam." It was hard to write an exam on design, when a student could easily sketch their project themselves and present it to the class.
As she entered the kitchen, she stopped at the sink, washing her hands to help with dinner. "Do they not eat rabbit in Brazil? I do appreciate it. Rabbit isn't something I'd consider eating." They were far too adorable for her to eat. The way they hopped around near her lecture hall was enough to make it happen. After drying off her hands, she was ready to help. "A humane trap? Maybe ask the neighbors if they have a lead on where to find one?" She was an animal-friend, even if some of them were deemed pests by the general public. "You know they love carrots. A chicken wire fence around the plants then? They do that at work and it seems to help." There was often a lot of wildlife around Helping Hooves and the pests had to be kept at bay.
"I'll grab the baking sheet and line it." She walked over to the oven and pulled out the baking sheet from the bottom tray, setting it on an empty counter. "I swear I drove everyone crazy counting down to the break. How many weeks left?" She rummaged around in the cupboard and found the baking paper, cutting a sheet to fit the pan. "It smells wonderful. Remind me what that is again?" There were too many Spanish recipes to keep in her head to remember what was what. She placed the paper on the sheet and headed towards the pantry. Noticing the fact that Ora was now ready to roll out dough, she rolled up her sleeves and stood beside her, choosing a dough ball to roll out.
"I feel like the rain never ends around here. I rode Queenie this morning before work. Had a lesson with Stephanie finally. I feel like that woman is always on her feet but show season is coming up." There wasn't a true hunter instructor at Blue Acres yet, but as Stephanie competed in it when she was younger - so it made sense.
Izzy couldn't fathom to think who Archie had come in contact with that would make him angry. "Who was it? If I had to bet, I'd say Kennedy. She makes people mad for a living, I swear." Spoiled and brat were two words to describe her. Thankfully, the other woman's horse made up for it. The dark bay stallion was a saint on the ground.
She now rode Queenie down the wall, keeping off the track down the quarter line. "Nice, I haven't made it there yet. Is there some sort of exam you can take to get yourself in the right grade?" It sounded dumb keeping someone back a year, though the school systems around the world were different. She went into the sitting trot at the other end of the arena, practicing sitting still. "So, Archie is just a nickname then? Glad you understand. I try and avoid my full name as much as possible, but there's always that one person that insists on using it." Made Izzy roll her eyes, though that was impolite in public - so she kept it for at home in front of her parents.
Riding a figure eight on her end of the arena, she dropped her stirrups. "Parents? Eh, they are alright. You know how you feel as a teenager, sometimes they are too clingy." Always wanting to know how class or work went - thankfully her public school days were over, so no more phone calls home if something went wrong. "And you? Strict parents or are they alright?" Izzy rode out of the figure eight and practiced a square turn across the arena. "I think you're the only polo player at BA. Where do you have your matches around here?" It was hard for her to tell as lunging a horse could mean any discipline. "Both English and Western actually. Western pleasure and Hunters, which is basically jumping." The mare was happy doing both - neither of them preferring one over the other.
"I think the stable hands will be better about telling you who to avoid, though most people are nice. Did they not give you a tour when you moved in?" Naomi had given her a personal tour when she moved in, though her riding career started at BA, so she knew the barn like the back of her hand now. "It's what I've wanted to do for awhile now, so I'm solid in my decision. Yeah, I think I'll be living here for awhile. And you?" Though the thought of her incarcerated father made her think otherwise.
The chocolate palamino gracefully moved around the arena, finishing their serpentine before the teen maneuvered her way around the lunging horse. "I do appreciate it. Not everyone would be so kind." She gave a smile and continued riding. Most people at Blue Acres were nice, but there were some people who would just barge in the arena without even knocking. "German? Did you learn it in school or something?" Speaking a second language is something she could do as well, though right now was not the time to be showing off to a stranger.
She moved the mare down the wall and went into the two point position, pressing down in her heels to practice her balance. "Are you still in secondary then?" The other person did look a bit younger than her, so she wasn't surprised. She worked Queenie in a wall to wall circle at her end of the arena, making sure the mare lowered her head and moved forward off of her leg. "Isidora, though only my parents call me that if I'm in some sort of trouble." Or her professors during their lectures if she raised her hand to answer a question. It all depended on the situation.
"What do you do with your three? They seem to be a bit small to be show jumpers." Queenie didn't exactly fit the bill either, but once she was braided and in the ring - she fit right in. "Oh, that's probably why I haven't seen you around here. I've been riding here since I started riding so it's been awhile." She enjoyed being one of the original riders of the barn, though everyone knew her name by now. "Yeah but someone has to help people design their homes right?" It was something that kept her mind busy and her creative side going. "I figured it was something in the creative arts direction with an actual job in sight."
The teen wrapped her arms around her mother after noticing the rabbit had run off into the neighbor's yard. It was definitely something she would have laughed at, if it wasn't someone she knew. It was embarrassing enough of a situation.
She let go of the hug when her mother did and nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately. Beginning of April is jut around the corner." It seemed like the school year had flown by, though she was looking forward to having her summer - granted she would be working, riding and competing for the most part. "So, if you had caught it...would we be eating it with dinner?" A rabbit was a pest, yes but they were harmless for the most part. "Did it go after the precious carrot patch?" She attempted at a joke, not sure it would get across the right way.
"Oh that sounds good. Nothing like some good bread and cheese with dinner." She glanced up to the grey sky that had been forming since the morning. Izzy was sure it was going to rain. "I'd love to help you. What step are you on? And how was your day? Students behave themselves?" She asked as she headed towards the door and opened it. As she entered the house, she took off her shoes and headed towards the kitchen.
She hadn't recognized her new found company, though he looked a little younger than her. "No problem, not like there are six other people in here." There was nothing more she wanted before a busy day of classes than to have a quiet ride with her chocolate palomino mare. "Wait, that wasn't English was it?" She wasn't good at guessing languages, though it didn't sound like English to her. "That works for me." She shrugged her shoulders and focused on riding again, wrapping her legs around and keeping her calves gently pressed against the sides of the mare.
"Ah, that's why I haven't seen you around before. I'm also here riding before class, though I'm in University." She kept on her side of the arena and changed directions at the walk, keeping her position in the saddle. She raised her eyebrow at the interesting names for the polo ponies, confirming that it wasn't English he had spoken earlier. "Cute names for the ponies. I'm Izzy and this here is Queenie. I only have her as I don't really have time for more than one right now." She really wanted a second horse, though between working part time and classes, she really didn't think it would be a good idea. "Nice to meet you both, have you been at Blue Acres long?"
She practiced shallow loops on her side of the arena, allowing the mare to go into more of a frame now. "I do, though I take interior design, not many people are in my classes though. I have seen her around I'm sure. Do you have other siblings?"
