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!.
“Wait, did you seriously ask her to marry you?” Cassie assumed it was a joke but there were too many kinds of relationships nowadays that it would be rude if she didn’t ask. She finished off her slice of pepper in another bite. It seemed the other ladies were also enjoying themselves.
She took a sip of wine and nodded. ``I've been with him for a while now, but don’t worry, the list after him is pretty short.” The blonde joked, she had been with Leon for what seemed like forever and she couldn’t see herself with any other man or person for that matter. “Alright, I’ll take a picture of the label and ask for a few more bottles then.”
“I can bring the cake out first if we do want to start with that first. Though I did make baked brie if we wanted that next.” She was happy cooking for other people and hosting gatherings was what she enjoyed the most. “I do think most people are set on the school schedule even if you don’t have children. The summers seem to make people a bit happier.” It was something she was very used to by now - getting cabin fever after a long Winter.
She picked up a carrot and took a bite of it. “Darn, I definitely thought the bar would be full of gossip. Especially since people love to drink their faces off in the summer.” The warmer weather seemed to bring out the alcoholics in some people. “Well, some of us are lovely but there are some that just seem…grumpy? I’m not sure that’s the right word.”
“Oh, that sounds terrible. I wonder if they know about the fire than they let on?” Some people also didn’t like the idea of sharing a barn with others, but it was hard to feel sympathetic towards those people. “I seem to have more students though now that the two barns have merged. It’s nice though, being able to offer group lessons.”
“It could be? For the most part, I think all the horses and humans came out unharmed. Though I don’t know about you, Adalia but my three horses took awhile to settle down after it.”
“Oh? What’s keeping you busy lately?” She asked, setting the final pole down on the ground. Cassie walked over to the side of the arena and picked up a few pylons, placing them in an L shape on the other side of the arena - off of the wall. “Tell me about it, I can’t wait for the break already and I feel like school just started.” Her students this year were keeping her on her toes. She was sure her coworkers were glad that the students were almost worn out by the time they got out of gym class. “That’s great to hear. Do many people bother her to give pets or attention?” It was different from having a regular dog. A lot of people stopped her while she was walking Rocket - always wanting to give the older golden retriever some deserved attention.
“Alright, I’ll give you a few minutes with her at the walk. Try and work on sitting up straight in the saddle. Once we get warmed up, I have a pattern set up for you. Nothing too difficult.” She wouldn’t want to push her students - but she also liked to challenge them.
“Do you ever take Una to the park and let her be off of work? If so, would you want her to have a puppy playdate with Rocket?” She wasn’t quite sure if it was possible, but Rocket was always up to making new friends and playing fetch in the park.
Cassandra was finally done teaching for the year. She had called the bakery a few days ago to ask Hazel if she needed help finishing up the last of the baking. She had already finished her baking to take home to her family, so when Hazel agreed she was excited to help out.
She was up bright and early, eating her breakfast and filling her thermos with coffee from the coffee pot in her kitchen. The woman quickly took Rocket out for his morning walk and left the older dog in the apartment.
It wasn't long before the blonde was at the bakery. She was there before the other employees - agreeing to give as much time as Hazel needed her for. The woman knocked on the front door, waiting for Hazel to let her in. She held the metal thermos in her hands to keep them warm as she waited patiently.
Cassandra didn't have to wait long until she saw the door open, smiling to see the woman on the other side.
“The Grandparents didn’t help with that either.” Cassandra joked. Their grandparents had a large Ranch back home, which meant they had several dogs to help herd the cattle and horses if they needed it. Cassandra found it very helpful, especially when she helped with barn chores or if one of the animals decided to get out.
She nodded; any animal was a huge time commitment. Cassie herself barely had time for her three horses plus a dog. “Well, you could always foster a dog for the winery. It would give it some possible adoption options and it wouldn’t be such a big commitment.” She suggested. “Or you could borrow Rocket on the days you are free.” The dog was reaching the senior point of his life, which meant he basically slept all day anyway. In some ways, he was much easier to look after than a puppy.
“It wasn’t this time, but the first few times it was. His friends are getting girlfriends now, so it shouldn’t be next year.” She really didn’t mind it. Leon’s friends were becoming her friends, which made traveling together so much easier for everyone. “Thank you. They created a more female friendly merchandise line for all the hockey teams and even though I live here they sent me a box of the new collection.” It was something she wasn’t expecting as the owner's husbands didn’t play in Edmonton.
Cassie took another bite of the salad. “I’ll have to gather you two up with some winter clients then. I think there are some parents of my students that haven’t even started their Christmas shopping yet.” It wasn’t everyone who gave her a gift, but between teaching at the barn and teaching at the school - she ended up with more Christmas presents than she expected.
She finished off her plate and set it on top of Wes’s. “Oh good. I don’t think the two of them will ever retire. The League will have to drag Dad away from hockey.” Cassie shook her head. Their grandparents were forced to retire from farm work, but they still overlooked everything that needed to be done. “I really need to give them a call soon. I’ve been terrible with school starting back up.”
Cassandra led Willow closer to the wall, checking the cinch and rolling down the stirrups beforehand. "Oh, come on, it'll be fun. I promise I won't make you do anything that will make you uncomfortable." The last thing she wanted was a student who wasn't confident in their abilities to ride.
She held on to the reins as Nulpi got on Willow. The mare stood still, simply swishing her tail and flicking her ears. "How have you been lately? Anything new?" Cassandra made sure that Nulpi was in the saddle before she stepped aside.
The blonde stayed close, just in case Nulpi needed some help. She smiled when she saw Una nearby. "Has the pup been behaving herself?" She was always happy to hear about the other animals her students had.
"Let's start easy at the walk, work on your position. Pretend you are sitting in a chair." Cassandra walked away from the step stool and began setting up some poles on the ground. She placed four of the poles close by as part of an exercise they would do later.
Cassie loved hearing about the dogs on her brother’s route. “Aw, how cute. Aren’t you glad we grew up with dogs?” She could never understand why anyone didn’t like them. Her Grandparents wouldn’t have their successful ranch if they didn’t have the dogs. There were moments when she was younger where she would have been in big trouble without them. “Glad they are well behaved. Do you think you’d get a dog of your own?”
She took a bite of her own salad, wondering if there was something missing. “Honestly, it always feels like it. I’m shocked his friends want to take me with them on their boy's trip.” Though more recently, Leon’s friends had started having girlfriends - so it technically wasn’t a boy's trip anymore. “It’s fun though. Always great to see him. Next time he comes, we should all get some dinner.”
After setting her fork and bowl, she took a sip of her water again. “That sounds like a nice number. One hundred and fifty people sound like way too many, even for me.” She gave Wes a soft smile, knowing what her brother could handle. “Though I do hope it gives you some more people visiting the winery.” She was admittedly very proud of her brothers for taking over a business. “I’ll have to order a case of wine soon. There are some hockey friends that sent me a goodie box so a bottle would be a great thank you gift.”
Cassie nodded. She also thought it had too much vinegar. “That’s what I thought when I read the recipe. I could try adding less next time but there might be another vegetable or sauce ingredient I can add.” Baking was more her strong suit, but she tried her best.
Cassandra always found herself at the barn on the weekends. She was happy to have enough students to keep her busy, especially since school was back in session.
She was getting Willow ready for another lesson with Nulpi, glad she had one less horse to ride. The dark Quarter horse mare had proven herself to be a great horse for beginners - Eddie was much too complicated and Charm was a youngster still. Cassandra hummed along as she brushed the mare in the cross-ties, making sure the mare was spotless. After using the curry comb, she used the hard bristled brush to get the dust off of her body.
Willow let out a snort and dust flew in a puff around her. Cassandra sneezed and kept going. She threw the brush back in her bag and pulled out a bottle of show sheen. The blonde gently misted the mare and used a softer brush to brush it through. It wasn't long before her hooves were picked and her mane and tail were brushed, Cassandra opting to braid the mare's tail.
Once the tack and boots were on the mare, the woman bridled the mare before leading her into the arena. She saw Nulpi there and gave the woman a smile. "Good morning, ready for another lesson?"
“I definitely agree with you there.” Rocket was more spoiled than other dogs though - especially when he was much younger. Cassandra was thankful that her brothers and Leon were dog people as well and assisted in the spoiling. “Are there any cute dogs on your mail routes lately?” As Rocket was much older now it was harder for him to keep up during a run, but Cassie knew to slow down her pace when they were out.
She took a sip of her sparkling water and set it down on the bench beside her. “We went to Germany for a bit to visit his Grandparents and then we headed to Malta with his friends.” It was always nice to see Leon’s family - over the ten years of knowing them, they felt like family already. “And then we went to Austria with his parents for a few days.” Leon’s father didn’t have much time as he was coaching but he made the effort to join them. “Wow, that's great! So glad to hear it went well.” She knew there were things that overwhelmed Wes, but she knew she could rely on Ty to help out in those situations. “You’ll have to put it up on the website as something you offer!” It was always fun for her to hear how the vineyard was doing, as it was something she wasn’t experienced with. “Did they have a lot of guests?”
The blonde took a bowl of pasta salad for herself as well after Wes had served himself a serving. “Let me know how it is! It’s a new one that I haven’t tried yet.” It was from one of Leon’s teammates who loved to cook as much as she did.
Cassie opened the picnic basket and pulled out a can of lime sparkling water before opening it, setting it beside her. She then opened her water bottle and pulled out Rocket's plastic dish before setting it on the ground and poured some water into it for her canine friend.
"Hi Wes!" She was always happy to see family as they meant a lot to her. The woman barely heard her brother walk down the pier towards them but she recognized his voice instantly.
Rocket took a big drink of water from his bowl as he got pets. "I swear that dog is spoiled." Cassie joked. She knew Rocket wasn't a young pup anymore but she spoiled him just the same.
"It's been good. Glad I was able to go see Leon's parents and have a vacation with them." It was tradition in the summer for them to go somewhere in Europe together. "And you? Winery keeping you busy?"
"Help yourself to the food or the drinks in the basket. I made peanut butter brownies, pasta salad and there are cans of sparkling water inside too." Sure she went all out but she loved cooking and baking.
Cassandra tried her best to meet up with her brothers once a month. Since she was the oldest, she felt responsible checking in on her siblings since they had all moved to the UK.
Leon was off at the local gym, needing to prepare for the upcoming NHL season - which was unfortunately just around the corner. After dropping him off, she drove herself and Rocket to the Pier, deciding that it was going to be nice enough weather to spend time outside. The blonde had brought some snacks and a few cans of sparkling water - in case the two of them got hungry during their chat.
The blonde hopped out of her car and clipped the leash onto Rocket's harness - the dog was much older now and would most likely walk beside her but she wanted to follow the rules just in case. She picked up the small picnic basket and led the Golden Retriever to the end of the Pier, sitting down on the ledge and letting her feet dangle.
The older dog laid down beside her, feeling content as the warm sun warmed his fur. The woman opened the basket and glanced inside - making sure for about the fourth time that day that she remembered everything.
“Ha, you’ll have to stand in line after my boyfriend.” Cassandra laughed. She had been dating Leon for a long time now but she wasn’t going to pressure him into proposing to her. She picked up a slice of bell pepper and also dipped it into the hummus and took a bite. “I’m sure you are the perfect wife material, Adalia.”
“Let me know what you ladies think of the wine. If we like it enough I can get her to order another case.” The bottle was a late birthday present to her and she couldn’t think of a better time to test it out.
She took another bite of the pepper and smiled. “I made a German chocolate cake with buttercream icing and I used shredded coconut on top.” It was something her aunt used to make at her bakery back home and it tended to be a crowd pleaser. “Other than my students starting to get restless because school is coming to an end I have no hot gossip.” Cassie shook her head. It was the case with everyone, the feel of summer was in the air.
“Definitely. I teach Western basics at Blue Acres and I would have thought the fire would bring people together…but now I’m not so sure.”
“Not a problem. We wouldn’t start without you.” She smiled. Cassie didn’t mind people who were only a few moments late - though she also didn’t like to be kept waiting either. The blonde kept the last minute touches to the table, bringing three wine glasses over as well. “Oh good, glad you are both hungry.” Having to cook for one person was something she didn’t think she would ever get used to.
She nodded and opened the fridge again once she was in the kitchen, pulling out the bottle of white wine. “I haven’t had a chance to try this one. One of my friends back home sent it to me.” It was from one of her boyfriend’s teammates and his family but she still considered them to be friends.
“You aren’t the first one to say that. Please, help yourselves with the food.” She had put the snacks Adalia brought into bowls and onto the table as well. “I also made a cake from scratch.” She was more than happy to bake and cook on her days off. Once she double checked everything was on the table, she sat down on one of the chairs. “Oh, being busy isn’t too terrible.” Cassie poured wine into three of the glasses. “Anyone really terrible either of you would like to gossip about?” She was someone who was always busy and there were always parents or students she could chat on about if needed.
“Work is starting to wind down for the summer so things are ramping up. Thankfully my area doesn’t have a final exam.” She wasn’t one to make her students run the beep test as punishment either - trying to make the Physical Education classes as enjoyable as possible.
“Oh the more wine the merrier!” The woman moved back and allowed Zoe to enter the flat. Rocket walked off to his bed and curled up in a ball to sleep. “Come with me and we’ll put it in the fridge to chill.” She walked over to the kitchen and heard Adalia’s voice. “Oh, don’t worry we wouldn’t start without you.”
Cassie walked over and closed the door once Adalia came in the door. “I probably have enough food to feed an army but I can divide it up between the three of us.” The woman smiled, walking back to the kitchen. She opened the fridge door and pulled out a veggie tray and set it on the counter. “Do you two want to start with white wine? Or I’ve got red as well.” She didn’t know what either of them drank - only really running into them in the elevator.
“I’ve got a baked brie in the oven to start off with and a vegetable tray with hummus to start off.” She loved being able to bake and cook for others - it was getting tiring just cooking for one person. “Please, make yourselves at home. How have your weeks been?” Cassie reached up into a cupboard and pulled out three small plates.
Cassandra had spent her Saturday cleaning her apartment as she had invited some new friends over for a wine night. Rocket, the golden retriever was trying to help but decided that sleeping in his dog bed was his best option.
She had also made some appetizers and baked goods for the three to share, making the apartment smell of food. The blonde checked her watch and made her way to the bathroom to get ready. After changing into a long sleeved floral shirt and some light wash jeans, she put on a light layer of makeup. As the timer went off, she walked over to the oven, taking out the baked brie after putting oven mitts on. She turned down the temperature to keep the cheese warm.
The food that didn't need to be kept warm was already set out on the dining room table and the wine glasses were on the table. She didn't know what the other women enjoyed, so she had a bit of everything. There was even a homemade German Chocolate cake in the fridge for dessert.
As the woman set three plates out on the table, she heard the door bell ring. Rocket opened his eyes and walked over to the door, sitting down beside Cassandra and wagged his tail. "Hey, so glad you could make it. Come on in!"