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!.
Aurora was itching to get out on the trails. She left the house bright and early - wanting to ride Indi before she began her day teaching Dressage lessons. She had asked Felicity to get Indi brushed so that she could head on the trail - the younger blonde had agreed to drive Aurora and Indi to the head of the Meadow trail.
As the woman arrived, her trusty dapple grey mare was already in the cross ties - back in her stall sheet but clearly already groomed. The trailer and truck were in the front. Felicity came out of the tack room, having already packed Aurora's dressage gear in the trailer as well. Aurora would have to buy the young woman lunch as she went above and beyond what she asked for. The older woman thanked Felicity who gave Aurora a smile and waved off her thanks.
It wasn't long before the older grey mare was loaded up into the trailer - and the three were off towards the trails. The two ladies chatted and about ten minutes later they arrived. Aurora unloaded Indi and got her tacked up while Felicity held the lead rope. She bridled the mare and got on - arraigning a pick up time before she left. The pair were off on the trail, going at a brisk walk. The older woman laughed softly as the older mare was feeling her oats on the brisk Fall morning.
She could see a horse and rider pair in front of them, hearing that the rider must be on the phone with someone. The woman and her horse were approaching - she waited until the man was off of the phone. "It's basically a straight trail. You'll just have to turn around if you want to go back. Apologies for startling you, I figured your horse wouldn't answer back." Aurora chuckled, letting Indi walk beside the Gypsy Vanner mare.
Aurora nodded as the two blonde young women mounted up on their horses. Emma had ridden with her for years now - her partnership with Vienna was flourishing. She waited until both of them got on and began walking around on their different horses. "Madame? That's a first." The older woman chuckled - she had heard from Naomi that Angel and her family were originally from France. "It's just Aurora. Leave the Ms. Sky. That's my mother." Aurora didn't change her last name after marrying Andrew - her career as an Olympic rider was already established under her maiden name.
"Nice to meet you both. How much Dressage riding have you done, Angel? Let's have both of you go into a working walk, making sure that their impulsion moves you forward. Try riding off of the wall where you can. Keeping them straight between your two legs and hands." Her eyes glanced from one girl to the next with a smile - hoping she wouldn't scare poor Angel off. She was the one of two dressage coaches at BA after all.
She looked at Emma, knowing the teen would set an example. "And Emma? What have you and Vienna been working on lately? I know this isn't the mare's favorite of the three disciplines."
Aurora had been awake for ages - braiding Phantom's mane herself. It was something that allowed her to be in the zone. The blonde woman hand walked the chestnut stallion around, allowing him to explore the show grounds. She had her wireless headphones in her ear - listening to her choice of dressage music as the pair walked around.
She knew Andrew and Alexi would make it in time for her class. After a quick check of her watch, it was time to head back to start getting ready. Phantom took one last munch of grass before the walk back to the stall. Once they arrived, she took the halter and slinky off before starting their grooming session. It wasn't long before the chestnut was ready to go in the warmup ring. She quickly got herself ready before putting the bridle on the horse's head.
The woman led her horse towards the mounting block, tightening the girth before getting on. She put her feet in her stirrups and began warming up once they entered the warmup ring. Naomi had agreed to help her during that time. Aurora kept her ears open, hearing that her name was coming up as they were wrapping up their warmup. She brought Phantom back to the walk, steering him towards the show ring.
She heard her music start as they headed towards X, heading in at a working walk before halting and saluting. The routine went smoothly - Aurora added some leg yields, canter pirouettes, collected canter and some 20 meter circles. She finished up her routine on the right at the collected trot - halting at X to compete the test.
The blonde let out a sigh, loosening the reins and patting the chestnut on the neck as the exited the arena.
Aurora had just finished riding Indi - cooling the older grey mare out in the outdoor arena. She was mentally preparing herself for her lessons, knowing she had someone new on the docket today. Aurora had been informed that Emma was also joining her, glad that Angel had someone to ride with her for her first lesson at Blue Acres.
The blonde reached down and patted Indi on the shoulder, dismounting before rolling up her stirrups - fixing the fleece cooler on the mare's back before handing her off to a stable hand who was there to help her. Aurora thanked the man and gave him brief instructions before she took her helmet off, setting it on the side of the arena. She placed the ball cap on her head, wanting to keep the sun out of her eyes as she taught. It wasn't long before both girls had arrived, leading their horses behind them.
"Hello, Emma and Angel. Welcome to Blue Acres, Angel. How are you both this afternoon?" The older blonde turned towards the gate of the outdoor arena, smiling at both girls. She had a few fun and different exercises for them to do - wanting to see what Angel could do with her horse and how much Emma had improved after the most recent competition.
Aurora Sky has been riding for over thirty years now, riding under Olympic Dressage rider Sarah-lynn Sky in Boston, USA. She has had the opportunity to ride under several Olympians during clinics and higher level competitions. She herself has competed at the Olympic level since the 2008 games, representing team USA with Phantom of Venice.
For the past almost 20 years, she has also been coaching - having both her British coaching license and her USEF one as well.
class objectives
Aurora mixes old school teaching with more modern techniques. She makes sure both horse and rider get what they want out of the lesson. After a competition, she often has a discussion with each rider about how the rider thinks they did and what they need to work on.
Aurora jokingly rolled her eyes - she thankfully didn't have too many students who outright refused to get their own horses ready. "Then be prepared to pay extra for my time to get Phan ready for you." Those that were in a rush, often paid a groom to get their horses ready for them. She did her best to save that for emergencies, but there was always someone available to help if needed. The chestnut let out a snort and lowered his head, recognizing it was someone he knew.
As Andrew brushed, Aurora shuffled around the tack room, gathering the stallion's tack - making it back just in time to hear Andrew talk about his morning. "Were his teachers there to let you two in at least?" She knew Alexi would never be late to school as the two of them knew that being on time was important - for more than just school. Aurora hung the snaffle dressage bridle on the hooks by Phantom's stall, making sure the leather straps were untangled. "Aren't you productive? Maybe you should think about going to trade school and be a plumber. Was it an easy fix?" With having four people living in their house now, there were always things that needed to be fixed. "Like hockey coaching or skating?" The woman was happy her husband had found his niche after retiring - Hickstead was less busy than Boston but, there was always an activity going on around them.
She was quickly done fiddling with the bridle, going back to watching Andrew brush her chestnut horse. "It's been quiet so far thankfully. Cleaned all my tack, coached a lesson and rode Indi. Most of my students are going back to school here soon, so I'm looking forward to it quieting down around here." The competition season was starting to wind down again and it was time for them all to work on things that were found to be bad habits in the show ring.
Aurora shook her head, it seemed as if her student misunderstood her. With a quick wave off of his comment, she couldn't help but laugh. "I do enjoy when my students are confident in their abilities but riding is a constant learning journey." She felt that even if she won a class, there was always something that went wrong. It had taken her awhile to realize everyone was that way - perfection was something that was unachievable.
The woman adjusted her hat, making sure her eyes were shaded from the sun so she could watch Jameson and Fiver. Aurora nodded, glad that Jameson was one of her students who would actually have a conversation about riding, rather than wanting to prove they were right. "I promise, it's too hot outside for anything intense. When have I ever made you two do anything extremely difficult?" She tried her best not to make her students do anything she didn't think that she thought they couldn't do - though there was always something new for them to learn.
"Those are the things I was thinking of to. Have you been working on halt transitions too? I do know that canter halt transitions aren't until the next level but it's always good to prepare." She watched as Jameson nudged Fiver forward, going more into a working walk. It was something she herself needed to work on with London. "When you get to the next letter halt and wait five seconds before walking on." She would be nice to him and start with walk halt transitions. "Let's then do one figure 8 at the walk at both ends of the arena, halting again in the middle of the long side and then you can start with a loose rein trot." The gelding looked like he needed a good stretch before they started working - granted any horse did well with that.
Aurora chuckled, she knew it was quite entertaining when Aurora made Phantom jump a cavaletti with Stephanie - it usually didn't end well. "She won't make you jump, I'm letting her coach flat lessons while I'm away. For the Olympics next summer, you'll have Naomi. I didn't find out I qualified until this morning, so you are the first one to know." She was proud of herself and Phantom. The horse had truly proved himself since he walked off the trailer after failing as a three day eventer back in America. "Though a bit of work with poles on the ground and cavalettis wouldn't hurt with Stephanie either."
“Don’t get me wrong, I do love my aunt. I’m just not as formal as she was.” The woman was almost like a second mother - taking her in whenever her parents were being terrible towards her. She was also the one who coached her up through the ranks until she reached the Olympics. She nodded as Jameson gave her an answer, knowing it was a difficult question. It was always good to hear what the competitor themselves had to say about their rounds. “Even if you had won the class, no round is ever perfect.” Though she tended not to focus on that - she wasn’t judging the class after all. “I’d agree, those are two things we will have to work on during lessons.” She started moving around the arena, deciding on standing in the center.
The blonde was always looking for everyone to improve - including herself. “I promise it’s nothing too insane. Just working on parts of the test from the show. I figured it would be a good place to start this week.” She had the test still - keeping it to practice on anyone who was at that level and wanted to. “What have you and Fiver been working on since then?” Aurora watched as the paint gelding began walking around the arena. “Just be nice and relaxed in the saddle. Focus on loosening the two of you up at the walk for now.”
She reached down and closed the lid of the leather cleaner, just in case it would dry out. "Oh come on, this is all part of riding. Are you going to be one of those students that make the staff get their horses ready for them." Aurora smiled, walking over to he husband and giving him a gentle hug before letting go. She was itching to get him on the back of a horse for years - but playing hockey meant avoiding other extreme sports.
"You'll be on Phantom. The other two are a bit small for you." The chestnut stallion had a good head on his shoulders, and they'd only be on the lunge line to begin with. "His grooming kit is there in front of his stall door. The black rubber glove first, it's called a curry comb." The blonde opened the stall door, allowing Phantom to stick his head out. "How was your morning so far? School run go okay?" Aurora reached down and opened the grooming kit, leaving the lid open as she picked up the other curry comb and started on one side of the horse - starting in circular motions with her hand.
It had taken years, but Aurora had finally convinced her husband to start riding. She wanted to wait for show season to slow down and for her students to head back to school - meaning that she had her morning to focus on him and helping him get Phantom ready. She had arrived at the barn before him, wanting to clean his tack and bring him inside.
She threw her hair in a ponytail and started working. The dressage saddle needed the most cleaning as she hadn't had time after her most recent horse show. Aurora ran her sponge down the black leather saddle - hanging out by the chestnut stallion's stall. She kept her head down, reflecting on how she could improve - as usual putting way too much pressure on herself. Though these next few months meant qualification time for 2024. It didn't take her long to finish cleaning the saddle, knowing they would have to lengthen the stirrups when Andrew was ready to get on.
Clearly the chestnut stallion was paying more attention to his surroundings than Aurora was, as he let out a low whinny, signaling to her that someone was approaching. She blinked, getting herself out of her reflective trance and lifted her head. "Hey, glad you could make it a bit earlier. Figured it would be good for you to learn to get a horse ready too before we get you on." Aurora put her sponge beside the container of saddle soap, approaching her husband with a smile.
Aurora had been at the barn since before the stable staff had arrived. As it was deep in the summer, she tried to ride her three horses before the heat truly hit. She was thankful that one of her students helped her get the next horse ready while she rode. After finishing off her hack with Indi, she passed the grey mare off to her student - thanking her for all of her help before she got herself ready to coach.
She went into the tack room - taking off her tall boots and her helmet before setting them in her locker, swapping her boots for a pair of old sneakers and setting a ball cap on her head. The blonde pulled out a carrot out of her locker and headed to the cross-ties. She snapped the carrot in half and placed in the palm of her hand, the grey mare carefully munching away on it. "Thank you again for helping me out, it seems with Summer being here everyone wants lessons on the afternoons." Aurora gave the mare the other half of the carrot as her student slid the saddle off of her back. She then headed to the outdoor arena, glad that the show jumping class before had taken their jumps away.
Aurora checked her watch, seeing that she was on time. She didn't have to wait long until she heard the gate open. The woman turned to face Jamie and his paint horse, Fiver. "Jameson, you know I don't answer to Coach Sky. That's my aunt. It's just Aurora." Though even her aunt insisted on her students call her by her name - she wasn't going to tell her students that though. "Of course! I miss all of my students if they are away. How do you feel your show went?" She was always interested to hear the perspective of her students after a competition. "Once you get on, just start walking around and letting Fiver stretch for a few minutes."
Aurora jumped at the opportunity to help out. She signed up to help with the BBQ stand - helping hand out food and drinks to those who ordered. She opened the lid of one of the coolers and checked the amount of ice inside.
After counting how many cans were in the cooler, she turned to help the first person in line. She knew that some people from the rival barn also signed up to help - but she didn't mind. This was a time for the community to come together and rebuild. She picked up her notebook and began writing down the order.
show name • Indigo Fever stable name • Indigo or Indi (by Alexi mostly) age • twelve discipline • dressage gender • mare
the appearance
identifying features• Indigo has several dapples on her body but her face is almost pure white with a few dark grey marks. She is mostly dark grey with a few white-ish spots.
the personality
likes • children, being spoiled, having beginners ride her, the chiropractor and having her mane and tail braided for competition. dislikes • someone with a heavy hand while riding her, someone telling her off, not getting her feed on her schedule, jumping (even small ones) and doing any work with poles. strengths • level headed and a quick learner weaknesses • kids and sugar cubes. fears • being scolded and being left on her own. overall personality •Indi is a pretty push button horse, which some may consider a fault. If someone had to describe her personality, they'd say she is outgoing. The mare loves saying hi to everyone that walks past her stall, usually by sticking her head out to see if the person has a treat or at least a pet. Indi loves being with foals, though she hasn't had any of her own yet. She's the 'mom friend' any horse would be happy to have around.
the history
owner • AURORA MEGAN SKY father • Saturday Night Fever mother • Indigo Purple siblings • None. overall history • Indigo was bred at the barn that belongs to Aurora's aunt. The woman had carefully researched the parents before she had them bred. Indigo's Sire was the most successful horse in their stable, until Phantom came along. Indigo was allowed to just be a horse until she was four. That's when the dressage training started. She took to it like a fish to water and soon enough, Aurora was in charge of the grey mare. Indigo was always the backup horse during all competitions Aurora attended, in case her top mount was injured. Indi was loved by many at the barn. Many people offered to buy her from Aurora but she refused, saying that Indi should stay in the family.
As she didn't come over to Hickstead when Aurora first moved, she recently arrived to Blue Acres as Aurora has ideas of breeding the mare soon.
the role player
alias • Gabi age • 26 other characters • too many...
