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!.
Bode Donahue had opted out of brining Cheyenne to the Primrose Race, figuring that his show horse would balk at the idea of being in a group of horses. Instead, after some talks with the Ledor-Kita's, he was finishing up saddling Lucy instead. She was there not only as an advertisement for Helping Hooves, but her saddle pad had an 'Adopt Me' stitched on the corners as well. Plus, as an off-the-track thoroughbred, Bode figured the bay mare may enjoy the thrill of a race again, even if it was just for fun.
Inspecting her once last time, checking for anything that seemed off and pulling her front legs to stretch them, Bode felt like they were set. The stablehand that he brought with him, Alax Walker, helped him up into the saddle now, and lead Lucy towards the gate as the man situated himself in the saddle. His dark brown eyes looked at the other horses and riders getting squared away - he recognized quite a few from the show ring and other stables - which meant this might actually be quite the race. Once Bode and Lucy were locked in loaded into the starting box, he moved forward.
Lucy huffed and snorted beneath him, her ears and eyes forward as she tossed her head a bit. Bode couldn't help but to smile, clearly she was ready to go. The gates opened, and they were off into the pack. Lucy moved forward with ease - clearly that daily regiment of cosequinn was helping her out. Bode steered her to the inside, but it became clear that she still wanted to be the front runner. Rather than fight her, he let her go off - at least dirt wasn't getting kicked in his face from there. As they rounded the final lap, both Bode and Lucy could feel the pack of horses starting to close in.
He urged her forward, to try and keep the lead, but already he could feel Sage Lavigne and his horse pass them. Lucy gave it her heart though as they crossed the finish line in a blur. Bode pulled back on the reins now, slowing her down from gallop to canter, forcing the mare to catch her breath and come to a trot on her own terms. He gave her a good pat now as he shifted in his saddle to try and see the scoreboard as Lucy walked on.
Dark brown eyes watched the little equestrian get to work on her stirrups - she seemed to have the concept and thought process down even when the stirrups weren't just quite right. At least, not the right side. Bode nodded though, agreeing with her thought, "You're right. There's some slack, so it should be shorten one hole. You'll be on Gidget for a while, so in time, you'll just know where your stirrups should hang without a second thought."
He nodded to her to finish up, and once she corrected her stirrups, he took her over to the mounting block and explained how to best mount Gidget. From getting up on the left side of the horse, with her left leg, and swinging over with her right. He made sure to position the pony directly in front of the mounting block, holding him there. Bode nodded, "I know you're strong enough to do it on your own, but if you need my assistance, let me know. Once you're settled, we'll get you and Gidget here out on the lunge."
Dice roll
Odd number - lesson goes poorly Even number - lesson goes well
It would seem that Bode Donahue would have a change of pace today with the type of students he had - his students were above the age of thirty and one of them, was a coworker. He didn't really mind, he loved having adult students as much as the younger ones - plus, he felt like they sassed back at him a bit less. Bode hadn't met Brayden yet though, but he had no doubt that they would get along. Finishing off his boba tea and tossing the plastic cup into the trash can, the man headed out to the outdoor arena to find that he was beaten to it.
"Ah! Hello you two! Hope you two weren't waiting on me long. Did you already warm up your bodies and your horses?"
Dice roll
Odd number - lesson goes poorly Even number - lesson goes well
A chuckle escaped Bode at the young girl's exuberance, "Well, that is the spirit." His dark brown eyes looked to Yui, but the look she politely leveled at him told him that he was officially handling this lesson on his own, and she was taking the backseat. Ah wonderful. He returned to attention to his new student now, "Well Julia, let's first get your stirrups situated for you." He pulled them for her out of the leathers, letting the iron stirrups hand slack now, "Watch me, as you will be doing the same very soon. I want you to put your middle finger up here on the saddle," he demonstrated, "And then pull the stirup to your armpit. I want the bottom of the stirrup to hit you there. That is how we will always measure your stirrups and adjust them with the buckle as so." Another demonstration.
He took a step back from Gidget now, and nodded to the pony, "Now I want you to do it. I'll watch you." He'll save the girth for later, for now, Bode knew from talking with Yui and Galaxy that they handled it prior to bringing the pony out to the arena.
Dice roll
Odd number - lesson goes poorly Even number - lesson goes well
Bode had checked the weather this morning and knew from one look that all of his classes would be in the indoor arena today. He had an morning class with a new student, whom, he understood, was young, excited, and completely knew. The man didn't mind that, it was always fun to see a child get their first taste of being in the saddle. What he was slightly worried about was Yui Ledor-Kita being present in his class today. At least the observation wasn't a surprise call in.
He had gotten to Helping Hooves early to check in with Yui, say hi to Cayenne, and check in on the lesson pony of the day: Gidget. The tiny paint mare looked up at him and then went back to ignoring him. Hopefully, she would be feeling it. Bode checked his watch, enough time to go grab himself a coffee from the breakroom before it was show time. He headed his way there, poured himself a cup of coffee and allowed himself to relax, clearing his mind of any negative energy and thoughts.
After that, once his cup was done, he washed it, headed to his locker to grab his personal lunge line, and headed to the indoor arena. Yui was already there, with Gidget who was saddled up and ready. The pony looked complacent, but he figured she knew this was just another day in the life of being a lesson horse. Beside the pair, small girl was also there, and not a parent in sight. They must be in the lobby.
"Hi Yui," Bode greeted with a smile, before looking to the small girl, "And you must be Julia. My name is Bode. I'll be helping with teaching today."
Dice roll
Odd number - lesson goes poorly Even number - lesson goes well
Bode Donahue had been shocked when he ran into an old acquaintance, Stephanie King, at the local horse. Truth be told, the man always thought they could be good friends, but with her being based in Florida and himself in Massachusetts, it had been hard to keep in contact between traveling and training. Still, Stephanie had been a great show buddy, and it had been shocking to see her compete in the advance class just last week. It had been pure coincidence that he had ran into her, but even in that short time, it felt they picked back up where they left off. Bode had managed to get her UK number, promising that he would hit her up to hang out.
Well finally, that day was here. The stars aligned, well, more like their schedules, and he was heading for a small bar to meet up and hang out with her for an hour or two. Their classes ended at the same time, and downtown Hickstead was on the way back to his loft. Bode knew he had loads to ask her about - mainly how she ended up in Hickstead of all places. It was probably a simple reason, but the fact that it had happened had still blown his mind. Hopefully he hadn't come off as needy, or worse, like he was trying to get into her pants - that really was not the case. He just seemed to have a miserable time at making friends recently, the man felt like he talked to Cayenne more than people lately, and that was quite sad.
But today would be a new leaf. Bode had gotten to the bar first it seemed, not that he minded. It was still happy hour and the bar hadn't even begun to get crowded or rowdy. Sitting down on a bar stool, he waved down the bar tender for a beer and a glass of water. Once they were placed in front of him, he took a good sip and then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught her. Putting down the glass, Bode smiled and got up, "Steph! Glad both we could finally find the time to hang."
There had been no lessons on the schedule today for Bode Donahue, which meant that he had unbridled (yes, pun intended) time with his mare, Cayenne. It had taken a month or so, but his Canadian Warmblood finally made it to her new home last week and had settled in nicely. She had always been a quiet traveler in the states, but the man wasn't sure what to expect when it meant crossing an ocean. Thankfully, the mare had handled it like a champ and it hadn't phased her in the arena either - the English weather felt almost like home. He had cooled her down, stripped her of her tack, and brushed her off.
Cayenne's amber eyes stared at him expectantly, and Bode knew that look, she was not ready to return to her stall yet nor go back out to pasture to annoy the geldings (she unfortunately proved too unruly still to be put in mares). A snort of laughter escaped the man, shaking his head faintly, "You're lucky I have my kindle in my bag." He left her in the grooming stall briefly to go and grab it, before returning to Cayenne along with her lead rope. Snapping it to the leather halter, he undid the cross ties and lead her out. Thankfully, Helping Hooves was never short of land nor grassy areas to lounge on.
The pair finally found a good spot, under the freckled shade, some where in-between the barn and the tea shop. He switched the lead rope to a lead line, allowing her four times the lengths to wander around while still be 'under control' or so. Bode inspected the grass, secretly thankful that he wore a pair of older breeches for the day, before sitting down. With Cayenne grazing peacefully near him, the man pulled out his kindle now to get some reading in when he spotted a familiar face, "Amanda!" he called out, waving, "I hear congratulations are in order for you and Waylon."
Bode Donahue should have realized something was up when the airport presented him with his rental car. It wasn't from this year. In fact, it wasn't last year's model either. It looked as if it was five years old, and when he had questioned the gps inside said rental car, the kid assured him it was up to date. What a sucker he had been. After all, this series of events lead him out to the middle of fucking no where, which quite frankly, he thought only existed in central Florida or Texas. No, it also existed in fucking Hickstead, UK as well. It also didn't help that his phone didn't have signal either.
This is what he got for saying that he would swing by Helping Hooves on his way to Hickstead proper. Bode remembered Yui saying over the phone that their barn was in rural Hickstead, snuggly inbetween the airport and downtown. Yet somehow, the man had been lead astray. Naturally, there were now fucking rain clouds and thunder cracking overhead. His jetlag threatened him, his venti americano loosing its power as these fucking non-LED lights lead the way to no where, "Holy hell. I am going to die out in the middle of no where before Cayenne even clears customs and quarantine." But then, he slowed down to a four way stop, the gps telling him to take a left, and as he did, Bode Donahue thought he might have saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
A fence line that is. With a barn in the distance. Holy shit. The car didn't betray him after all. Bode turned and stepped on the gas now, the little car moving its way through the road which soon turned to dirt. The wind was really howling now, trying to bat the tiny tin can, but it held on. He could hear big rain drops start to hit the roof as he passed by the main gates, not clocking the sign of the establishment. Bode stopped the car, killing the engine now. He couldn't believe he was home free. Pushing the door open, the man got out, nearly cracking his head on the mini coop as he stood. Brown eyes locked in on a red headed woman now, well, between her hair and that bright yellow rain jacket, she would have been hard to miss anyways.
As cute as she was, the sight of her made Bode frown, "You're not Lenore," he started now, "And you're certainly not Yui." A certain amount of dread began to creep up in him, matching the building rain storm that he was stupidly standing in. A crack of lighting woke him from his stupor, as he scurried to join the woman, invading her space underneath the awning of the building, "Sorry. I'm Bode...Bode Donahue...please tell me this is Helping Hooves Horse Sanctuary and Stables."
Hailing from the United States, Mr. Bode Donahue is a recent addition to the staff at Helping Hooves. While he is new to England, make no mistake, he is an excellent horseman. Mr. Donahue has been competing since a teenager in the New England area and has also competed in numerous horse shows in Ocala, Florida. His current class ranks are USEF level 7, jumping fences 4'3'' to 4'6'' in height and 4'6'' to 5' in spread, triple bars to 5'6'', and water to 12'. Mr. Donahue also takes great joy in flat work and hacks, valuing time in the saddle with his horse outside of the competition schedule. He hopes to make a great impact with the students at Helping Hooves Stables during his residency in Hickstead, UK.
class objectives
Mr. Donahue believes in breaking his classes into walk, walk x trot, and walk x trot x canter. In other words, they are beginner, intermediate, and advance lessons. Besides transitions in speed, classes will also include half circles, full circles, lead changes, and ground pole exercises. While Mr. Donahue has a relaxed attitude, he still expects his students to put their full attention into riding and listening to their horses within the arena. While jumping may be fun, ground work is the basis to everything in a horse and rider.
full name • Bode (BO-DEE) Chadwick Donahue (adopted name), Chen Bao-Li (birth name) nicknames • Bo age • Thirty Four birthday • April 19 occupation • Equestrian - Professional Show Jumper gender • Male sexuality • Bisexual
the appearance
face claim• Simu Liu
identifying features• Bode stands at 5 foot 11 inches with a broad frame, and one would hardly consider him lanky. While he's not one to typically flaunt his body, he has no problem with showing off at the pool or beach. He still believes in the millennial side part for his hair, and he keeps it short or a near fade along the sides while allowing it to grow fluffy up top. Six days a week, he typically will keep his black hair in it's natural unruly state due to training and helmet hair, and the seventh day, it will be perfectly gelled and styled. He also has dark brown eyes. Bode likes to keep clean shaven, but even he is guilty to lazy days. Bode also has this tattoo on his left shoulder.
the personality
likes • His Horse, Competing & Placing, Spicy Food, A Nice Leather or Jean Jacket, Lobster Rolls, Dunkin' Coffee, Pebbly Beaches, Grey Skies, Quality Time Spent Bonding with His Horse, Low Key Relationships dislikes • Barn Drama, People who think they know better than him when it comes to his horse, Feeling like He has to prove he belongs in the equestrian world and his parents world, Being edged into Fourth Place, Black Tea - That stuff tastes like shit, Dumb Marylanders who tell him the crab is the superior crustaceans, High maintenance relationships strengths • Giving Leg, Counting Strides, Charming Attitude weaknesses • Hiding Annoyance (major eye-roller, snorter), Rivalries, Sometimes acts like he has a chip on his shoulder dreams • Olympic Dreams, Proving his has a right to be in the Equestrian circuits fears • Failure, pissing off that one person who can make his life a living hell or end his dreams overall personality • Bode is the type of man that typically qualify as a broski or a chad – however, he is a good friend to have around in one’s life. He’s loyal, playful, easy-going, and supportive, if not a bit loud in trying to hype someone up. Sometimes, Bode can be a little too encouraging and can overstep his boundaries. He’s the sort of guy that you need to inform that you just want to vent to and not have him try and figure out how to solve your problem. Most of the time, Bode is even tempered most of the time (just don’t piss him off) and oozes self-confidence out of his pores, yet he is still private about his life and where he came from. He’s shy about commitment in relationships, which he chalks up to being that he doesn’t want distractions from his equestrian goals. When he is in a relationship, Bode prefers it to be low key and private, verses show-y and bragging. He’s often a risk taker when it comes to the arena, perhaps that’s why he’s a show jumper – Bode loves the speed and the thrill, much to his coach’s annoyance. Adrenaline can often make him a little hot headed as well, or just stupid people in general. While he loves what he does, he doesn’t care for equestrian snobbery or people treating him like he doesn’t know shit about how to take care of a horse (something he suspect stems from being a person of color in a white dominate sport). This belief often leads him to act like he has a chip on his shoulder, something to prove, and while it is not exactly a martyrdom complex, it can rub people the wrong way.
the history
father • Ben Donahue, 64, Retired from Stock Management mother • Madaline Donahue, 60, housewife siblings • ---- Donahue, 35, sister (biological daughter of Ben and Madeline) - super close important people • N/A hometown • Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA (raised), China (born) overall history • Bode Donahue was originally born Chen Bao-Li in a small providence in China and soon put into adoption via an International Agency. It wasn’t long before he was snatched up by the wealthy Donahue Family, looking to grow their family after birthing complications after Madaline Donahue’s first and only biological child rendered her unable to carry again. Instead of turning to surrogate, they decided to adopt internationally to help ‘the children in need’. Bode grew up in a life of luxury with his sister, living snuggly in Wellesley, Massachusetts during school year and flocking to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, or Providence, Rhode Island in the summertimes.
He grew into the sort of son that the Donahues always wanted: charming, socialite, sports driven. A carbon copy of his sister – the only difference between them the color of their skin. There wasn’t a rivalry placed between them, she looked out for him like any older sister would, although in school, Bode always felt like he was different compared to the other Old Money children. Well, he knew exactly why, and some of those kids wouldn’t let him forget it. As young as six or seven, he was getting into schoolyard fights over something stupid that was said or insinuated, his sister dragged into it because she had to defend his honor, which only made Bode more annoyed because he didn’t want help.
The Donahues were advised to work on this problematic behavior, but they saw no need, simply switching schools because their son was their blood through and through, and no blood would change that. They did, however, began looking for sports and athletic opportunities for Bode to partake in. Perhaps being on a team would help see that he belonged just as well as any of the other children. Bode didn’t take to a team sport though, he took to riding horses, just like his sister. Soon, it eclipsed his life, not enough for his parents to rank his equestrian dreams above their top notch private schooling, but enough to allow him to fall into the crowds of their friends who rode and their friend's children who rode. Finally, he found his niche outside of his family and Bode flourished much to the Donahue's delight - because he became accepted into their society as well.
Time came and went, as Bode graduated his prestigious academy, he ended up attending Yale (much to his parents annoyance, he should have gone Harvard) and studied accounting. While Bode wasn't passionate about crunching numbers, he was good at it, and knew what questions to ask when something was up. Plus, he knew for a fact that his parents weren't going to let him get away with just graduating high school and going off into the equestrian world - they wouldn't let his sister do it, and they treated him no differently. Upon graduation, Bode secured himself a job at a firm and then poured himself into riding whenever he wasn't working, and bought himself his first show horse - a new chapter from leasing.
Years came and went, and Bode was quite pleased with progress in show jumping and at the barn. He was moving up in the circuits in New England. Deciding that he wanted to learn more - he applied to a few equestrian scholarships with a chance to be a groom along with getting extra schooling for himself and his horse. Bode ended up getting accepted into a scholarship program down south in Ocala, Florida, one of the horse capitals of the United States. Bode couldn't believe it, and his family and friends threw a party for him. After putting in his two weeks at the firm, he got his horse ready to ship down to Florida to start this new chapter in his life. Unfortunately for Bode, Ocala turned out to be very different from what he thought.
He was treated...differently. At first, Bode didn't notice it - he was being worked as hard as any of his other fellow mentees in the program. However, when it came to matters of his horse, he discovered that the barn and the people running his program did not care for his input or how to take care of his horse. They say they would do want he requested, but never followed through, and ended up doing something different, claiming it was better for his horse. Bode also then began to notice, he was getting critiqued harder than his fellow riders, and when he gave his thoughts on how to better understand a horse under saddle, they merely scoffed. He finally understood what was going on, and it was a harsh reality to accept after growing up in the safety of his rich new england home - these people were treating him differently because of who he was, and they automatically assumed his ethnicity meant that he wasn't up to par compared to his fellow white counterparts, nevermind he had the same elite equestrian schooling growing up and experience.
It left a sour taste in Bode's mouth, and when someone tried to change the bit on his horse and cancel a massage schedule for his horse, he had enough. If people wanted to treat him differently, so be it, he had enough sass and stubborness to get around. But fuck with his horse's well being even though Bode knew his horse's in's and outs like the back of his hand? That was a different matter. Bode quit and packed up his horse, wrote them up, and blasted it on every social media account he had. The whole ordeal left a sour taste in his mouth - was everything outside of the safety of his new england bubble this? Was he going to have to face an uphill battle in the professional equestrian world simply because he didn't fit the look of a typical American equestrian?
These questions haunted Bode, but he knew it would take more than that to knock him. He set his sights on new equestrian grounds - outside of the American dream. He packed up his stuff, his horse once more, and left for the United Kingdom to prove himself.
the role player
alias • forever age • oldd other characters • the herd
