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!.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Kayleigh felt nervous - she hadn't competed with Boss in awhile. The tack store kept her busy during the show season, which left her to decide not to compete. She wanted to allow her employees to compete if they wanted to - that's what a good boss would do in her eye.
She had her headphones in, brushing Boss as she memorized the course that had been set up for the 1 Meter class. The woman finished up getting Boss ready, deciding against braiding the bay gelding's mane and tail. She put front and back boots on Boss's legs, getting herself ready in her show clothes - finishing off zipping her tall boots up before grabbing the snaffle bridle and walking back over to Boss, who was patiently waiting in the cross ties.
Kayleigh slid the bit into his mouth and adjusted the bridle - making sure the straps were done up before walking the bay over to the mounting block. She tightened the girth before rolling down the stirrups and getting on, Boss waiting until her weight was in the saddle before waling forward. The woman steered her horse towards the warmup ring and began warming up as they waited for Stephanie.
After around twenty minutes of warming up and a few warm up fences, they were ready to go. The horse and rider combination before them exited as the pair entered quickly afterwards. Once the bell sounded, Kayleigh and Boss began cantering towards the first jump, which was a vertical. After it was cleared, Kayleigh felt the nerves wash off of her - focusing on the rest of the course. As they approached the double, she could feel Boss back off - quickly adding leg as a bit of confidence for the oxer. The rest of the course went smoothly, all 12 jumps staying up and they managed to complete it under the time allowed.
The blonde smiled brightly and gave Boss a loose rein once they were back to the walk, patting the gelding on his neck as the exited. "Good boy, Boss!" She kept the smile as she quietly wished Cara good luck as they passed the next pair to go. Kayleigh walked Boss around the show grounds to cool out, quite happy with how their round went.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Kayleigh had dealt with her fair share of vets - not just the one that came out when Boss needed medical help. Most of them had horses of their own, meaning they came into the tack store to buy tack or horse apparel from her. She hadn’t dealt with Nate very often, however, as he didn’t have a horse, but he seemed friendly enough.
“Oh good, I was worried you’d take all my money.” Kayleigh laughed, glad that Boss wasn’t accident-prone for the most part. “He has been feeling great lately! I’m dusting off my show boots here finally.” She entered herself for fun - there wasn’t really anyone she really wanted to be better than. Some of her clients didn’t believe she competed, so she wanted to prove a point. There were already bets going on behind her back that were silly in nature, though Kayleigh laughed when she heard about the latest outrageous one. “Yeah, she just left before you got here. She’s probably in the barn getting a horse ready if you want to chat with her on your way out.” She knew her coach often left one last of her three horses to ride after she was done teaching for the night.
She reached her hand down to check Boss’s temperature - feeling that he was still quite warm and needed more of a cool down. “It was! I feel like we’ve known each other long enough to have worked out the kinks.” Though there was always room for improvement, this was one of the best lessons she had had in awhile. “Any interesting cases lately?” Kayleigh didn’t really want to hear if one of the horses had broken it’s leg, but maybe there was one in particular he wanted to talk about.
The dark blonde nodded, she understood what it was like to be happy when a significant other came home late at night. “Is Whitney teaching at the University still? I just hope she doesn’t bring the bats home with her!” She smiled before giving Boss another pat on the shoulder.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Horse show season was in full swing, meaning Kayleigh and the rest of the Tack Store staff were busy. She organized the last pallet of horse supplements after finding that the shelf was getting empty. The dark blonde wiped her forehead with the back of her hand after the few minutes of intense work.
Not long after, she heard the front door bell ring - meaning someone had entered the tack store. She got up from where she was and glanced towards the front door. "Just give me a moment, I'll be right with you." She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear before heading to the front door.
She glanced at the young woman who had entered her store. It seemed as if she was new as Kayleigh didn't recognize her. "Hi there, how can I help you today? I don't think I've seen you around before!" Kayleigh had been running the tack store long enough to recognize her usual customers. She approached, not getting too close as to give the smiling teen her space.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Kayleigh was pleasantly surprised by River’s personality. It seemed he truly wanted to get to know her on a friendly level. She admitted to herself that she was a bit snarky, but she was only giving the attitude back to him. The woman did stay professional though and did the saddle ordering and fitting process - River got what he wanted and they came up with a solution. “No, no. I do believe in girl power but I can tell the liver chestnut gives you that twinkle in your eye. He’s the shiny new toy.” Kayleigh hoped that she wasn’t overstepping her boundaries. It was something she had observed during her time visiting Seven Oaks. “Not that you don’t give Raven any attention, it was just something I noticed.” She took another drink of her iced tea, hoping that the conversation topic would shift.
“Thanks for the clarification on our relationship status. I’m just making sure these aren’t poisoned. I wouldn’t want the famous River Bloom to die of poison on my watch.” She scoffed and flipped her hair over her other shoulder. Kayleigh didn’t hide her grin at his facial expression afterwards. “I’ve really only heard that you are a bit of a playboy but maybe you’ll prove me wrong.” She shrugged her shoulders before getting a refill on her iced tea. The bartender gave her a weird look before walking off to serve another customer. “I hope you saved some for axe throwing.” She honestly had no idea what she was doing, though she had an idea there would be some sort of tutorial.
The woman watched as River reacted to her arm bump. It was quite intentional on her part - wondering how he would react. “So, I’d have to get you drunk then to get that story out of you?” Kayleigh could only imagine what made people dislike him, though there was only so much she could read about him online. She didn’t exactly get the inside scoop from the stable hands, but she could tell they were scared of him. “Yeah, I’ll save drinking with you for another day.” She glanced over and noticed a staff member was going to approach them shortly.
“I’m more than capable of handling my own, thanks. I’m really not a Disney Princess.” She really was independent - especially being used to a long-distance relationship. It taught her a lot about herself during the process. “Hm? A snarky connection? I don’t think I’ve ever participated in that but we’ll see where it goes.” She laughed wondering if there was some sort of hidden meaning behind it all. “I mean, they seemed terrified of you. But that doesn’t mean they can’t break your shell of anger and make friends with you.” Kayleigh thought everyone deserved a second chance, depending on the situation of course.
She got off of her chair and nodded, waving the room attendant over. “You bet, are we making a bet on this? There’s gotta be some sort of competition with you.”
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
The blonde gave Boss a pat on the shoulder, it seemed that her flat work away from jumping with Stephanie was starting to pay off. The bay gelding was basically like a puppy - listening to what she had asked, though the woman knew he wasn't a robot horse. There was always something for the two of them to work on. Today the jumps were set up to practice roll back turns, preparing them for an upcoming local show.
It only took her a moment to recognize the newcomer. It was the newer vet in Hickstead. He seemed to be stuck walking Harlow's horse - though Blue Acres was more his retirement home. "Hi Nate! Long time no see, thankfully for my pocket book." She laughed. Boss had stayed sound for awhile now - only needing his necessary vaccinations. "We are good thanks, just finished our lesson with Stephanie. How are you? Whitney still wanting to spend time with you after your late hours?" She teased, only having met Whitney a few times when she tagged along on calls.
She steered the gelding in a circle around one of the jumps. Kayleigh wanted to allow Boss to catch his breath - the lesson was a bit more strenuous than the two of them were used to.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Kayleigh was surprisingly shocked that River wasn't being snarky towards her. She was fully expecting some pushy banter between the two of them - similar to what happened at the tack store. The blonde needed to simmer it down though - not wanting to push any buttons. She let out a scoff at his comment about his horses. "Of course Raven is feeling that way. I know I don't know you that well but I feel that Parkour gets all the attention." It was hard for anyone to go from number one BFF to number two.
She watched him grab a pretzel bite - stealing another one as it didn't get a negative reaction from him. "Okay, okay. I'll play nice but only if you will. Though once we throw axes I can't promise not to be competitive about it." She did come from a competitive family after all - and her ex boyfriend wasn't ever happy if she won anything but 1st place at a horse show. "Why do you think that is anyway?" People were becoming more and more rude - though usually there were at least a few decent people in the world.
Kayleigh took a sip of her iced tea. She watched his facial expression after she had offered to order a drink for him. "Oh no, I don't feel like drinking tonight either. A hangover isn't something I need for tomorrow." She was booked solid at work - there seemed to be a show coming up soon and everyone competing wanted a saddle fitting beforehand. "And with there being weapons involved, I really need a clear judgment. I am a bit clumsy, so I need all the help I can get." Kayleigh laughed softly after setting her glass down on the bar gently.
"What kind of connection are we talking about?" She gently bumped into him with the arm closest to him. Kayleigh wasn't one to assume that a guy wanted a relationship with her - they had just started hanging out after all. She had heard of too many relationships going too far too fast. "You would think a guy like you would have friends. Especially in the riding world. But yeah, friends would be nice." One of the room attendants approached them, telling them both that their room was ready.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
The bar seemed to be busy, people were giving her smiles as she approached River. She knew what axe throwing was - and was totally ready to be competitive about it. Kayleigh knew to keep her cool, River hadn't actually said it was a date or anything - they were just two adults hanging out, right?
"Oh come on, I have to do my due diligence and make sure I did a good job." It was odd as River wasn't speaking in his usual snarky tone - almost as if someone had flipped a switch in the personality section of his brain. "I'm glad it fits, hope both horses are doing well." She nodded, glancing at the bar in front of him and stealing a pretzel bite, dipping it in cheese before popping it in her mouth. "You really think I'm that kind of person? I hate being late. It would be bad, especially given my job." She finished chewing her snack and nodded.
"Did you want to drink first and then go in? Or how does this work exactly?" She waved down the bartender and ordered herself an iced tea as soon as she realized that River was sticking to water. Mixing alcohol and axe throwing would be a bad idea - it could prove to be a hazard. "Can I ask what made you invite me out here? Kind of sounds like a guy bonding time thing to me." She laughed as the bartender set a glass of iced tea on the bar in front of them. Kayleigh raised her glass and took a sip before setting the glass down again.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
Kayleigh had just finished another lesson with Stephanie. They were hard at work preparing for another upcoming show. The dark bay gelding smoothly sailed over the course, Stephanie smiling as the two went along. It was clear the pair were ready to go. The darker haired woman clapped, impressed on what Kayleigh had done. "Clearly, you two are ready. Depending on how this weekend goes, you can probably move up afterwards." Stephanie said, waving goodbye to Kayleigh before she left.
The blonde was left to cool Boss out on her own, leaning over and gave the gelding a few pats on the neck. She let out a sigh, it had been awhile since she had competed. Running the tack store had kept her away from it, which made her gelding cranky. She let the gelding walk around the arena, glancing to see someone and their horse approach the arena. Kayleigh smiled and loosened the grip on her reins, holding them on the buckle.
"I'm just cooling Boss out, but feel free to join us." She called out to the other rider, taking her feet out of the stirrups and letting her legs dangle - it felt nice being able to stretch them out.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
After the saddle fitting was done, Kayleigh had thought her dealings with River were over. They had texted back and forth, deciding finally that they would hang out. Kayleigh felt odd at first, leaving him on read until she made up her mind. It was one of her employees that replied to his text, saying that she would agree to meet him.
It was finally the day. She left Skye and Violet to run the store for her, getting ready in her apartment before leaving for the Rage Room. It wasn't something she had heard of before, but she did have quite a bit of anger to let go of. She fixed her blonde hair in a low ponytail and headed in the car - driving off towards Willow Bridge City.
Thirty minutes later, she parked her car - finding it easily with the use of the Map app on her phone. She got out of the car, grabbing her purse and headed inside. Kayleigh glanced around once inside, smiling when she saw that River was already there. "Hey, long time no see in person. How have you been? The saddle fitting Parkour right still?" She wanted to smack her head after talking about work, though it was too late now for her to take her question back.
"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody!"
It was rare that the community came together - she had decided to post posters around town asking for gently used tack to sell - with all the proceeds going to the rebuilding of Blue Acres.
Kayleigh set up her own tent - placing the items for sale on the tables. Each item had a price sticker on them and she was surprised how many people had donated. She turned to one of her workers and smiled. "Are we ready to open?"
The other woman nodded and finished fixing the collar on a hunt coat. "Alright! We are open. Come check out the tack tent!"
Because Kayleigh moved around a lot, she really hasn't felt "at home" anywhere. She isn't good at making friends at all, but hides it by trying to be friendly anyway. Kayleigh works hard and loves her job, but not as much as her horse and boyfriend. She hates silence in the store and tries to liven it up with the local radio station. Due to moving around a lot she hasn't found any friends in Hickstead yet. She boards her horse at Blue Acres.
enemies
She has moved around too much to make any enemies anywhere. And due to the fact she runs the Tack shop she tries to stay neutral in the barn rivalry. But there may be some enemies out there...
HEY THERE! my name is Gabi and i'm 21 years old. i'm a wiminz and i've been roleplaying for number years. but enough about me, here's my character. =]
[/font]:[/b] CEO
barn name: Boss.
age: 9 (March 17, 2007)
gender: Gelding.
colour: dark bay.
markings: White blaze and three white socks.
height: 16.2 hh
breed: Canadian Warmblood.
sire and dam: Hugo Boss X This Girl.
siblings: N/A
owned by: Kayleigh Haydn.
brief history: Boss was treated with care and respect, ever since his first day on Earth. He the first born at the UCLA veterinary breeding program and the vet in training in charge of him taught the others to care for a horse. Once he was old enough, they sent him to the equestrian team to be trained. Since Kayleigh was horse crazy, she watched all their competitions and fell in love with the youngster. She was looking for a new horse anyway, so she talked to the coaches and they said she could have him. The person that rode him before Kayleigh had fallen off her other mount and was in a coma. A few years ago, Kayleigh brought Boss with her to Hickstead and boards him at Blue Acres. [/font][/ul]
[/font]:[/b] the farrier, water fences and being with humans.
dislikes: Butterflies, scary jumps and people who ignore him.
strengths: jumping, having a lot of scope and being a friendly horse.
weaknesses: As a foal he was handled by humans too much, so he doesn't like to be around other horses for long periods of time.
fears: losing another rider.
habits: He often makes a nest out of his shavings and sleeps laying down.
overall personality: Boss and Kayleigh are two peas in a pod. He is quiet and listens to her. He always whinnies when he hears her car pull into the Blue Acres parking lot. If someone ignores him, he will cause a fuss. Boss will kick his stall, whinny and nicker until someone at least gives him a light scratch on the nose. [/ul]
i'm a wiminz and i've been roleplaying for many years. i was referred here by no-one
but enough about me, here's my character. =]
[/font]:[/b] Kayleigh Leah Haydn
nicknames: Kay.
age: 30. (August 1, 1986)
religion: None.
sexuality: straight.
marital status: taken by Micheal.
occupation: Tack store owner.
playby: Jenifer Lawrence.
hometown: New York, New York, USA
parents: Mika Haydn and Danielle Haydn.
siblings: None.
brief history: Kayleigh's parents were enlisted in the US Navy when she was born. They were on their way to Brazil, taking their newborn daughter with them. She grew up moving from base to base, switching schools at least once every few years. At age seven, she started to ride during her parent's time in France. Her parents thought that some kind of sport would give her stability. She fell in love with riding the minute she got on a pony. Her parents bought their only child the lesson pony she grew up riding, taking him with them whenever they moved. When she grew out of him, they bought her a horse. She graduated high school in California and that is when her parent's decided to retire. Kayleigh got accepted to the University of Hickstead and got her business degree there. She runs the tack store now, after buying it from the previous owner. She met her current boyfriend at a swim meet in the States, since she was working as a lifeguard at the time. They quickly became friends and recently started dating. Since he was a professional swimmer, they did the whole long distance thing for a bit. Thankfully, he retired after the 2016 Olympic games and is planning on moving in with her. [/font][/ul]
[/font]:[/b] the smell of lavender, setting up the displays in the tack store and rainy days.
dislikes: being alone, spiders and having to miss a day of work.
strengths: selling tack to people, cooking, keeping her place clean and being kind.
weaknesses: She really hates being alone and is a psychological problem she has.
secrets: She wanted Micheal to retire after the 2012 Olympics, when he said he wanted to as well...but he came back for the 2016 games.
fears: losing the tack store and not creating her own family.
habits: She keeps music on in the store when it's open, fixing her hair and checks the displays to see if they are perfect.
overall personality: Because Kayleigh moved around a lot, she really hasn't felt "at home" anywhere. She isn't good at making friends at all, but hides it by trying to be friendly anyway. Kayleigh works hard and loves her job, but not as much as her horse and boyfriend. She hates silence in the store and tries to liven it up with the local radio station. [/ul]
