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!.
Emma’s feigned an offended expression about the Cara comment before he explained. She listened to the why before nodding her head. She made a mental note. If Cara was one of the people she might like to talk to about getting a horse, she would do what she needed to do in order to talk to her. Emma wasn’t very patient as far as conversations go, but she was determined when she wanted something and would do what she needed to. The mention of a cattle ranch got Emma excited, though. She beamed and gave a small squeal. “That sounds amazing - I hope they keep doing that. What an amazing place that must be. My grandmother was always good with troubled horses. Her passions shines as a trainer. You should hear her story, my goodness…” Emma explained, thinking about her fabulously feisty grandma back home. “But, her story is for another time, I can't wait to hear yours.”
Emma grinned at his praise of her talents, giving a small chuckle. She liked his talents, though and gave him an approving nod. “Those are good talents to have, sir.” Emma paused a moment and then stood back, gesturing dramatically to herself. “IF you are so observant, what would you say you have observed about me?” Emma asked him, pretending to have a serious interview-style tone of voice.
Emma clapped her hands excitedly at the mention of meeting the horses. “Mik, seriously… do I want to meet the horses… hmmm…. do horses drink water? Duh, of course I want to meet them! I tend to connect with geldings a lot, though some of my favorite barrel racing horses have been mares. They’re so fiery. Most - though not all - of the mares in my life have been just like women - moody and dramatic, making them fierce competitors.” Emma shrugged her shoulders and laughed. Yes, she was a woman herself but the assessment still stood.
Emma nodded her head about his girlfriend. “So, you both work the nightclub - I have yet to go there since the move. Actually, I haven’t been to a nightclub at all, to be honest. I’m only 18 so back home my nights were usually spent at the rodeos or doing homework, blah blah blah… So, what is your girlfriend’s name? Wait, does she ride? Oh my gosh, Mik, will she be here today? Will I get to meet her?” Emma asked excitedly.
Emma listened to Mik’s information about the horses and ranches. She put on her best thinking face. “Welllllll, I can’t wait to meet this Cara, then, and maybe just maybe I’ll just have to get a horse from both places? I didn’t realize just how many big ranches there were here in the area. Gets me a pretty excited, though. I feel like a kid on christmas.” Emma clapped her hands excitedly. “That makes sense about the vet. I look forward to meeting Demeter.” Emma gave Mik a sneaky, knowing smile. “Mik, one thing you’ll learn about me is a LOVE - no i freaking LIVE - for people’s stories. It’s, like, the bread and butter of who they are and I will sit and listen to anything anyone wants to share with me. Give me your deepest, darkest secrets, or just tell me you love tacos… doesn’t matter.” Emma loved people and people had stories. It’s one of the many reasons one of her favorite places was the retirement community back home. The stories that generation would share were always a kick and she loved it.
“Sounds like you have had great horses.” Emma smiled encouragingly. “Dash was my high school rodeo horse, but my first horse was this severely broke red roan. Every horse has its talent, just like people. My best talent? Definitely my ability to talk and bounce for hours on end. Seriously, please, Mik, shut me up already.” Emma laughed and shrugged her shoulders. Oh well, it is who she is, and she wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed by it.
“No gag orders? Okay, then, I pinky promise with all my heart to be a good little student.” Emma stuck out her pinky - her inner child blossoming out. She stopped abruptly at the word girlfriend. “Oh, shush, now, just bring her with you. If she’s half as fun as you, I’m sure I’ll love her. She might not love me, but it’s okay. I tend to grow on people - like a leech. Although, leeches aren’t exactly cute… so maybe not a leech…” Emma paused a moment to think about her words but ended up shaking it off and grinned at Mik. “Maybe it could be fun? I mean, yes, three can be a crowd, but there were also three musketeers, so… I say take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” Emma giggled and twirled around as she did her best Frizzle impression, smiling kindly at her new friend.
Emma nodded at his response on buying horses. “Okay, so if sale barns here are anything like they are back home, I can guess how to work them pretty well. But, um, who is Ryan? Because unless it’s Gosling, Reynolds, or Seacrest, I have no idea who you’re talking about.” Emma gave an innocent faux pouty face as she raised her eyebrows. “Ooooo, the vet! What’s the vet like here? We had several different people we would use back home. We had one that was mobile for regular visits or when we couldn’t trailer a horse well but we also had a couple of equine vets we would travel to for certain injuries or problems. Does Blue Acres have just one vet or does everyone use their own…? Sounds like you know this vet pretty well.” Emma heard his comment about her memories and she tilted her head sympathetically. “Yeah, I guess I’m pretty lucky. What have your horses been like?”
Emma giggled and looped her arm in Mik’s cheerily. “I highly doubt I will have anything bad to say about your teaching skills mister, but you could always have me sign a gag order. Ya know… just to be safe.” Emma winked and chuckled at her own joke. “To be honest, I haven’t been much of anywhere except here since I moved. We did some vacation traveling growing up but mostly around the states - never here. Oh my gosh, Mik!” Emma abruptly stopped as she came up with a thought. “You could be like my own little European tourist sherpa.” Emma giggled and smiled triumphantly.
Emma heard his chores comment and immediately chuckled. “Woah woah woah, mister, I’d say maybe, buuuttt I definitely had my fair share. We lived in the same town as them. It was actually rare that I wasn’t there every day. It’s not some big facility. Gram made us all take care of our horses personally. We didn’t have ranch hands - it was a family business, so everyone pulled their weight. But, you know, your dad having a ranch must have been really cool, yeah?” Emma’s favorite place wasn’t home. She adored her family, but she felt the most herself down the road at Gram and Pop’s ranch. From Gram’s home-cooking and Pop’s lessons in farm machines, to watching her brothers prank each other and teaching her little cousins to ride… it’s where she loved most.
Emma thought to her gentle competition horse back home. Emma teared up a little as she thought back to all the high school rodeo competitions they’d been through. “Well, honestly, I miss him like crazy, but he’s the perfect fit for a cousin of mine, Tillie. She’s about ten, just starting to get into competing. Cash has so much experience and still some fight in him, so I think they’ll make a great pair. Plus, he adores kids, so I know Gram will give him a good time giving buckaroo lessons to the littles. I don’t think he would have minded the move but I also think he’s where he needs to be.” Emma chuckled as she remembered the first time Cash had met her cousin Tillie almost five years ago; he had nudged her had off her head and Tillie had been smitten.
Emma nodded at his saddle use but when he mentioned his ass on a frisky horse, she couldn’t help but grin and giggle, the boy showed his humor and she was 100% here for it. “I usually prefer western myself, but my ass probably sticks to the ground more than a saddle. I’m guessing Max is your horse, right? Can we go to his pasture? Not to get him back out of course, but I’d love to see him and the pasture as well, after all.”
“Oh my goodness,” Emma whispered as her eyes widened when Mik told her about getting jumped in the parking lot. She cringed for him, and instinctively put a hand on his arm - a comforting gesture her aunt’s southern hospitality lessons would somewhat approve of. Always be comforting, never be scandalous. Emma could hear her voice now.
“Yeah, Dash will be great for her. He got me through high school rodeo really well and he adores kids. Where would you suggest I start looking first for a horse? I wouldn’t know where to start on this side of the pond.” Emma wasn’t sure how much competing she was going to do, either. She knew she wanted to keep up her riding but she didn’t know much about the area and what all was around. Emma’s southern drawl came out, “see, back home, my grandparents have a big community of riders and ranchers around them. They may not have a fancy facility, but they’ve got the love and the people. So, I’ve always had easy access to good horses. In fact, Dash was bred with me in mind. I’ve gotten to see him raised from the day he was born. I was there that day, actually."
Emma knew about almost all disciplines of horsemanship, riding, or competing. Her grandmother was insistent that any child who learned to ride must be well-rounded. Unfortunately, though, her knowledge was limited - surface level - of anything outside of western riding or rodeo events. Even so, she loved learning new things and was always up for a challenge or new adventure. “Until I do find my own horse, I suppose I could dain to take a class with the good teacher.” Emma winked and giggled before his words registered and realization struck. She bowed dramatically before starting… “So, if you moved here that must mean you’re not from here, then? Where dost thou originally hail from, dear sir?” Emma playfully curtsied and grabbed his hand, using it to twirls herself around once as she waited for his response.
Emma heard his comment about being a breath of fresh air and she couldn’t help but give him a big, bright, southern belle smile. She wasn’t sure exactly what he meant - it made her wonder what sort of company he kept normally. Emma wasn’t anything special; she just enjoyed life and wanted other people to be able to do the same. She knew the consequences of a life cut short and she wasn’t ever going to take a moment for granted again.
Emma watched as Mik seriously contemplated their topic of an extra-long barn. His mind was obviously a very active one as she saw the wheels turning around and around inside his head. Perhaps Mik was a deep thinker. Emma never took things too seriously, so she didn’t quite understand deep thinkers, but she liked finding out just what those deep thinkers were thinking about.
Emma listened as Mik explained his situation with complete interest, nodding when appropriate and listening intently. She had to bite her tongue not to interrupt like she normally would. She didn’t want to scare the poor boy off. Although, her rambling might end up scaring him off anyway. “I’m so sorry to hear you got injured, but I’m really really REALLY glad to see you’re alive, up and going. You’re more than welcome to talk about what happened but I also 100% absolutely completely and entirely understanding you don’t want to. Actually, you sound like you really have a head for this place; like you really know your way around.” Emma glanced around at the horses. “I do have my own horse, but he’s back home in the states at my grandparents’ and is going to be a lesson horse as well as first competition horse for a cousin of mine since I’ve left. He’s a little older but still has a good fight in him, so he’ll work well for her, but I’m in need of a new competition horse. However…” Emma looked sheepishly at Mik for a moment before slowly walking around him, slowly making a decision of whether or not to admit her inexperience to him. She finally stopped next to him, glanced around like she had this huge secret, stood on her very tippy toes to whisper in his ear. “I’ve never competed in a cross-country event before.”
Emma woke up early and regretted it immediately. Her alarm was loud and across the room - the only way to even attempt to get her up this early. She contemplated throwing one of her pillows or just burrowing to ignore it but eventually gave in. She rolled out of bed… literally, as she landing on the floor with a thud, and groaned. Eventually, she drug herself into the bathroom and by the time she had washed her face and slipped on her workout gear, she was pretty much in full Energizer Emma mode once again.
Back home, Emma stayed in shape without even trying. No, she wasn’t one of those girls who could just eat junk food and never gain weight. But, she was one of those girls who rode her horses, mucked stalls, pushed round bales, lifted square bales, fed horses, walked fence lines and pastures, set up arenas, groomed horses, cleaned saddles…. She’d been doing ranch chores since she could stand long enough to hold the hose or help wipe down supplies.
Since moving to Hickstead, Emma hadn’t started riding again just yet. She’d given herself time to settle in and take a break after everything she went through back home. But, she’d also noticed her skinny jeans were a little more snug so she decided to do something about it. For this reason, Emma decided to go to the local park. She took a deep breathe, loving the fresh air, and started moving her feet forward
Emma giggled at his words. The fact that he went through quite a few of them lended itself to some theories on just what kind of either rider or individual he was. Emma raised her eyebrows and stuck her tongue in her cheek from saying anything. It’s not like she was any better, but she also didn’t want to embarrass the lad if it wasn’t his fault after all. She wasn’t easily embarrassed herself, but she didn’t know Mik well enough just yet to joke in that way with him. Give it time, though, and things might be different.
Emma laughed and nodded her head on his comment about friendship. She pretended to bow and put on a various serious tone. “Depends on whether or not you can truly handle the tornado that is Emma Marie Brownie, darlin’.” Emma twirled around right there in the barn and shrugged her shoulders in a carefree way. Emma felt the place looked and sounded amazing. She could definitely keep herself busy in a place like this.
Emma watched Mik’s gaze and followed it to the ponies. She almost teared up just a tad when it brought back all the memories of home. From her grandparents’ ranch where the horses would run the pastures, to her and Hunter’s horses. Their horses had ended up buddying up to each other, one of the many things that cemented their bond. She smiled at the memories before returning her attention to the young gentleman in front of her. “What? You mean you DON’T want a barn a couple miles long? Who wouldn’t want that? Sounds like a dream to me and anyone else trying to stall a fussy horse.” Emma made herself giggle. “Well, what’s it like being here? Are you just a rider, an employee, a boarder…? Give me the scoop on the place, but make it chocolate chip, I like the details.”
Emma appreciated the boy’s attitude about the saddle. She was the same way, having grown up riding horses. Her first lesson included having to help carry her own tack and when she was old enough to hold the saddle, she started carrying it by herself. It was like a rite of passage.
His smile was sweet and she returned one in kind. Emma followed his lead as they walked. Emma almost kept walking when Ronan stopped - walking and talking for Emma was a lot like texting and walking; a dangerous idea - but she took a step back when she realized. She gently took the door from Ronan so he could walk in with the saddle as he talked about his move to the area. “Oh, I bet your grandfather is wonderful. I spent most of my life with basically two sets of parents: my actual parents and my grandparents. We lived in a small home but my grandparents have the ranch with all the horses and animals so everybody pretty much spends their time at Gram and Pops’ place.”
Emma bounced into the tack room after Ronan, her curls bouncing along with her. She heard his request and immediately responded “Sure! Is it locked or…?” She walked around Ronan to his locker to help him. She paused at his question, giving a small chuck at his emphasis on “literally”. “Why, yes, Mr. Holmes, it appears you’ve figured me out. I am definitely figuring it all out. I’ve seen a bit but not got it all sorted quiet yet. And, yes, I love horses. I have a couple at my grandparents’ ranch back home in the States. I couldn’t bring them with me. I know they’re very loved and well taken care of there and I was nervous about bringing them overseas. I’ve never done that before. Plus, I need a new competition horse, anyway. Cash is amazing and he got me through some great years in high school, but he’ll be used for teaching lessons or for beginning competitors now that he’s slowing down a little. He’s still got a lot of fight in him but he’s getting older and I don’t want to push him til he hurts.” Emma nodded at his saddle. “I’m guessing that’s your western saddle, do you typically ride western or…?” Emma gave a cute little shimmy with her hands out back and forth as she asked the question.
Emma bit her tongue as she listened to Mik talk about Charm and what happened with his shirt. She couldn’t help but giggle at what happened. She tried to remain proper and dignified but…. Who was Emma kidding? She was a giggler. She did, however, give Mik a knowing and understanding nod with a soft smile. She understood accidents around horses and a barn in general - herself being the cause of many to begin with. She couldn’t help when her momma’s southern hospitality lessons seeped through. “Well, I’d offer to sew it up for ya, darlin’, but I don’t think it would look too sharp.” Emma gave an apologetic shrug and as he began the tour.
"I think you can work out that we have stalls on either side of us.” Emma gave a faux gasp of shock and pretended to look around amazed. “NO! Seriously?!?! Dude, I had no idea…” She giggled, not missing an opportunity to have her fun before bouncing along. Emma listened as he spoke, nodding to things here, mmhmming to things there. “That loft sounds amazing.” Emma was honestly impressed by what she saw. Don’t get the girl wrong, she’d spent plenty of time in upscale locations - she competed and took some specialty classes, etc., but that didn’t take away from the hard work that had honestly been put into Blue Acres. It showed and Emma could appreciate that. Naomi obviously knew horses well enough and she either had a good eye for business or had a partner who did. And Mik seemed like a decent guy - not a stiffnecked snob like she was afraid she’d find. It was pretty typical to find the rich and snooty at the nicer barns back home, so Mik was a happy surprise and was really glad to have found.
Emma stayed relatively quiet through most of the tour. Not going to lie, it took all of her strength. The girl was a talker, but she did it. Once they stepped outside, she figured she’d take the chance to relay what she’d learned. “Okay, so, lets make sure I understood everything you showed me so far. You have stalls ON EITHER SIDE. That’s the most important thing.”
After making the comment about joining the girl, Emma grinned a silly happy grin at the girl and continued to set herself up. She hoped and prayed this girl would appreciate her comment, not think her weird or be stuck up or anything like that. Emma was horrible at reading social clues sometimes. She just loved people and tended to think everyone else was just as happy as she tried to be. She’d recently learned the hard way that life wasn’t always breezy or happy - sometimes life was just plain unfair and cruel.
"I'm sure that could probably be arranged. You distract them, I'll whip out to the corner shop and be back in five." Emma giggled at her response. “Deal,” she whispered and pretended to look around the room in a sneaky manner before laughing and getting settled in. "I'm Adalia, by the way. Have you done one of these before?"
Emma shook her head no before she answered, her southern drawl sticking out like a sore thumb as she blushed a little. “No, I definitely haven’t done one of THESE… I mean, my goodness, though, if my high school had offered one I definitely would’ve taken it. Of course, who wouldn’t have? I bet it would have been packed and everyone would’ve done their best to get an A. I mean, granted, when your mom is the music and drama teacher at your high school, not getting an A is rough. I mean, she wasn’t like harsh on us but if our grades were low she did everything imaginable to help us succeed. It was nice but sometimes overwhelming.” Emma shook her head, a smile on her face. “Oh! And, Adalia, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Emma Marie Brown, or just Emma, or Em, Emby, Brownie… whatever floats your boat.” Emma stuck her hand out and gave the girl her signature bright smile.
Emma heard the boy snort and she couldn’t help but inwardly smile. She loved making people laugh or smile or feel any kind of good emotion. She wasn’t perfect by any means, but any chance to make someone’s day better was a good chance. Her Gram always said “Making someone smile is always worth your while” and her Pops’ favorite saying was “a laugh a day keeps the doctor away.” Although, Emma didn’t believe her Pop’s phrase was true in the slightest it did make you happier, so she appreciated it nonetheless.
Emma happily took his offered hand as she popped up. She brushed off her pants and shook her head. Typical Emma Marie. Her daddy always said she had an entirely different view of the world: either up on a horse, or down from the ground, rarely just on two feet. Emma caught his handsome smile and it warmed her heart a little - another win for Gram today.
Emma’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened when she realized her mistake. “Oh, my gosh! I’m so so so sorry! Please, let’s get your saddle put away. My goodness I know how heavy those get.” Emma laughed but then she literally covered her face with her hand for a moment, slightly embarrassed as she shook her head. “And I forgot my name. I mean - to tell you my name. Sorry… But, Ronan, it’s an absolutely pleasure to meet you. I”m Emma Marie Brown. You can call me Em or Emma. Although, my rodeo team called me Brownie, so I guess that works, too. Some people call me Emby, but not very many. Mostly my brothers. I literally just got into town. What brings you here to Hickstead, and Seven Oaks?” Emma spoke as she followed Ronan so he could put his saddle away. She was a little embarrassed - but not a whole lot. It kind of came with the territory of being Emma Marie.
"I might be a little biased, but I believe the hype really is true. We strive for the best." Emma nodded her head as she listened to Mik talk about the stables. "This is the barn. It's pretty empty at the moment, because Naomi likes the horses to be outside as much as possible when the weather allows. The ones inside are either ready for lessons, on stall rest or have been kept inside for the farrier." Emma liked hearing that Naomi liked the horses to be out. Her own horses back home always preferred the pastures over anything else. She really only kept them in a stall or paddock for the same reasons. She got a good feeling inside. She watched as Mik looked at the horse he had just been with and Emma took notice of something off. Emma decided to take a moment to look at the barn around them, noticing little details here and there that showed just how much pride they had in their amenities. It may have been a barn (a place for big - albeit beautiful - animals), but it was definitely one of the nicest barns she’d set eyes on. Her grandparents had a nice barn but it was just the family ranch, not a facility, and it definitely had its own “rustic charm” so to speak. "Is there anything in particular you would like to know? I can give you a tour if you would like?” Emma took a small step toward the horse’s stall - the one Mik had just come out of. “Honestly, I would love a tour. That’d be pretty great. I’d really like to get a feel for the place.” Emma took a deep breath as she smiled at the gorgeous horse. “I’d also love to know what happened to the back of your shirt… did you fall that hard or something?” Emma kept her eyes on the horse, waiting for a response.
Emma noticed Mik wipe his hands first. She appreciated that - not the wiping, necessarily, although that meant he was a gentleman - but the fact that he was a hard worker. Most likely either he was sweaty from over-exerting himself as he worked or they had dirt or dust on them from working the stalls. Either way, she appreciated hard work when she saw it. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Emma. You have a lovely name, enough so that there's a book with that very name for the title." Emma nodded sweetly when he mentioned the book. She had gone through a Jane Austen phase one summer with her mom as the captain of the ship and they’d bonded over it. "How can I be of assistance?" Emma gave a soft giggle when he offered his help once again. She had a bad habit of rambling and getting turned around. Her late fiance was really good at redirecting her and boy did she miss him. Returning to the present, she looked sheepishly at Mik. “Sorry, I tend to get a bit off topic. But, yes, I’d love your assistance, if you’re up to it. I’m new in town but I heard quite a bit about Blue Acres here and thought I’d check it out - see if all the hype was really true.”
Emma had decided to try taking a class or two at the local university. She hadn’t met many people in town yet and wanted to find a way to maybe meet some people closer to her age who might also enjoy the occasional activity. She had helped her mom in the theater and music departments growing up - but she had little experience in the visual arts. Which is exactly why she decided to go in that direction. She had taken some basic classes in high school (no one wanted to take class with their mom so visual arts was the way to go). She had enjoyed drawing and painting. While she was better than your average six-year-old, she definitely wasn’t the next Van Gogh. When she saw the description for the class, Emma decided to give in to her naturally adventurous side and take the class.
Emma slipped into class quietly. She’d slipped her tote over her shoulder, not realizing it wasn’t her old school bag but her horse tack-to-go bag instead - oops. It wouldn’t help her much here so she hoped the teacher would have everything needed available. Sure enough, she borrowed an easel and made her way to an open spot, slipping the paper into place. “Now all I need is a glass of wine.” Emma head the girl next to her whisper. She glanced at where the girl was looking at, and sure enough Emma knew exactly what she meant. Emma smirked as she set her bag down and shimmied herself into place before leaning over and whispering, “Make it a whole bottle and I’ll join you with a view like that.”
