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!.
Maddison finally had the day off after working six days in a row. With Spring time arriving, the barn was becoming more and more busy. Any normal person would spend their day off at home, but Maddie was going to ride first before she went home to relax.
As she pulled her car into the parking lot of Seven Oaks, she saw another car she didn't recognize. Due to her jobs having odd hours meant she didn't ride the same time every day - let alone every week. She was thankful Tobias was flexible in when he could fit her in for a weekly lesson. The brunette shrugged her shoulders and got out of the car, walking into the barn. After a quick check of the watch, she realized that the horses were still outside - so she headed to Puzzle's stall and picked up her halter and lead rope set. The woman turned herself around and headed towards the mare's pasture - her rubber boots causing the gravel pathway to crunch underneath her.
Once she arrived and opened the gate, she looked over to the other pasture and saw someone who looked like they needed help catching their horse. "Hey, did you need help catching him?" She called, making her way over to the gelding pasture close by.
It took a moment for Maddie to realize that Odette was newer around the barn. “Oh, you weren’t here for the Fire at Blue Acres? I’m just suspicious of anyone around here at night.” She knew it didn’t happen at their barn, but someone around town clearly wanted to cause some trouble. “I’m glad I was just paranoid. I should have known someone would be around the barn still.” Sometimes the White family came and chatted with her while doing night feed, though the sound of hoofbeats made her realize it wasn’t them.
“Did you two do dressage today then? I know Puzzle isn’t too happy about the heat either.” The mare truly was in her happiest state in the Spring or Fall - she didn’t think any of the Seven Oaks horses truly enjoyed the heat. “Is that a good or bad thing? If I remember right, she’s usually spicy for you.” Her mare was relatively quiet for a younger horse, though when it came time to their lessons - the mare was revved up. “Does Muse not like children or small animals?” She often kept her dog at home - not wanting to disturb the horses afraid of them.
Maddie reached out her hand and gently scratched the mare’s soft muzzle. “Aw, come on. You must have a different favorite stable hand. I’m only here part-time.” She was glad both of her jobs were flexible - though she didn’t mind which days she worked where. The brunette enjoyed both of her jobs equally. “That would be nice actually. I’ll come with you so you can untack and then we can go get the morning feed ready for tomorrow.” The woman turned and began walking towards the cross-ties.
Maddie really wasn't expecting anyone to pay for her breakfast. She knew most people in town, but no one well enough to buy her food. She shook her head as if to wake herself up and heard an unfamiliar voice behind her. "Oh, thanks. Just got off of work so I need a caffeine hit before I drive home." There was only so much Hospital coffee she could handle. It was terrible compared to what she made for herself at home.
She thanked Molly who was behind the counter and headed over to the area where people waited for their drinks. "Thanks for buying my food this morning. I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you just move here?" Maddie watched as the staff worked away on making the orders that were in the queue. "Is your name really Alax? That's a name I haven't heard before." People seemed to be naming their children a variety of names she hadn't heard before - though all of her siblings had relatively normal sounding names.
It wasn't long before both of their coffees were done, Molly setting them on the counter. Maddie walked up and picked up her latte, wondering how anyone could order just plain black coffee.
Maddie smiled and nodded, glad that the man had agreed to ride with her. She really needed to start organizing trail rides with the rest of the stable hands - it would get them all away from the work stress, even if only for an hour or so. "Great! I'm fine with a relaxing ride. We had a lesson yesterday and I just got off work." She was lucky enough to work where Puzzle lived - it made it easy not to forget to ride. Tobias had worked both of them pretty hard the day before, so Maddie hoped that the mare was tired. "Who are you riding today?" It wasn't a horse she recognized - so it wasn't a Seven Oaks horse.
Puzzle plodded along, acting like an older horse rather than her actual age. The woman patted the mare on the shoulder, wanting to reward her for the good behavior. "I thought I recognized you. Yes, I work at Seven Oaks as a stable hand part time. If I'm not working at the hospital, then you'll see me at the barn. I'm Madison and this here is Puzzle, though people usually just call me Maddie." Madison was really just a name her parents when they were angry with her - though her siblings called her that too. "Were you helping out at one of the barns today?"
Maddie laughed sarcastically, shaking her head as she continued to drive towards the hospital. "You wish. It's the other way around. You've been dreaming about taking me out on a date." She wanted to say more, but it wasn't an appropriate conversation to have in front of a patient. Cayden had always gotten on her nerves ever since they started working together. Going on a date with him was the last thing on her mind.
"I'll give you guys that, but who usually keeps them alive during transport?" She would admit in a professional situation that both teams worked well together - focusing on getting the patient what they needed. There were some different personalities at the Fire Station, leaving Maddie wondering how they all got along at the end of the day. The brunette arched her eyebrow, slightly happy to see some professionalism from him. "There should be some ointment for her lacerations in the bottom drawer." She also couldn't tell how bad they were from the front of the ambulance.
The sirens were going off as she drove through a red light, knowing the hospital wasn't far away. "Three minutes! I'm going as fast as I can." She called, hoping she was loud enough for dispatch to hear her.
Maddie allowed her lungs to be filled with the summer air, the bugs were flying around which caused Puzzle to swish her tail and to twitch. The brunette glanced around as the Forrest ahead of her, glad that she was finally getting some shade after working outside all morning.
She very quickly realized that the pair weren't alone. The sound of hoofbeats behind them caused her to turn her head to the side. Maddie shifted the mare over, making sure the other rider had room in case they cantered beside them. "Ah, no problem. My horse is used to being around either horses." The woman appreciated the fact that the male rider actually acknowledged them. "Did you want some company on your trail ride today?" Maddie didn't mind either way, though after the hectic day she had having company was something she wouldn't mind having. "Do you work for the vet by chance? I feel like I've seen you around Seven Oaks before." The mare walked in stride with the other horse, letting out a whinny to greet the other mare.
The brunette let out another sigh, letting all the panic leave her body. Ever since the fire at Blue Acres, the barn staff were on edge. If it could happen to the other barn, there was nothing saying something similar could happen to them. "Oh no worries. I'm just glad it's you two and not someone creepy." The brunette smiled, flashing one to both Odette and Muse.
"It's just me, I promise. Everyone else has left. Did you have a nice ride? How is Miss Muse anyway?" She wasn't going to mention that the red roan mare was one of the horses that was difficult to bring in. It wasn't something the barn staff couldn't handle - though it seemed as if they all made a pact to make the day difficult. "No need to apologize. I do apologize if I startled you or Muse, though she seems to have a good head on her shoulders." If it was Puzzle, the appaloosa mare would be half way to the mare's paddock by now - she scared pretty easily.
Maddison scoffed, closing the door once the patient was inside. "Right, like you've know me for years or something." The woman tended to keep her private life private from the people she worked with. She didn't have a romantic relationship and she spent her free time at the barn - so there wasn't really much to tell. "Pretty much. You fight the fires and we get left with the patients." Maddie laughed, shaking her head.
"When's the last time you did CPR then?" She knew how hard Jamie worked for them to keep the victim's alive until they arrived - but it was usually a specific person who did so. Maddie made her way to the front of the rig, climbing in the driver's side and prepared herself to drive. The patient stirred, opening her eyes. "I...uhm. My name is Caro..le Hughes. I think it's December?"
"Alright, you'll probably have to do a statement at the hospital about the accident. I'm sure you know that already." At least the patient was stable for now - she started the engine and began driving off towards the hospital - flicking on the red lights and sirens.
"We will leave it for the Hospital, I'm slightly suspicious it will do more damage if we do it now. Did you tell dispatch we were coming?" She drove off towards the Hospital, driving as fast as she was allowed.
The brunette was done working the late shift at the hospital. Her trainee was doing well, though there was so much more to be learned being out in the field rather than a classroom. She waved goodbye to the trainee and left - desperately needing breakfast before she went home to sleep.
Maddie got into her car and drove off, knowing Parker's would have something warm for her to eat and a nice latte. She blasted the radio to try and keep her awake - bopping her head to the beat as she drove, heading towards Hickstead's town center. She made it fifteen minutes later, pulling in to a free parking spot before heading inside.
The door bell rang when she entered, standing in line. It seemed that everyone wanted coffee this early in the morning. Maddie had made it a habit to get breakfast before she went home, knowing that she'd fall asleep before she made herself some food. When it came her turn, she placed her order. "A hazelnut latte, breakfast sandwich and a side of fruit salad please." She pulled out her wallet, but someone else behind her beat her to it - paying for her order.
Everyone else had left the barn for the evening, except Maddie. She had just finished riding Puzzle in the indoor arena as the sun was setting by the time she was done. The yearlings had gotten out of their pen again, which meant all hands on deck. Some of the horses were being stubborn and needed a bit of convincing to come inside.
The day was chaotic, but Maddie still had work to do. She finished grooming the Appy, putting her back in her stall. The brunette headed to the feed room and began mixing feed for the next morning shift - always trying to make it easier for the next group, even if it meant staying late.
Maddie was on a roll, placing all the buckets around her and started scooping the electrolytes and pouring the right amount in each bucket, hearing hoofbeats coming down the barn aisle. She raised her eyebrow and rushed out of the feed room - wondering if a horse had gotten out of their stall. Her heart started racing, a gasp escaping her lips followed by a sigh when she realized it was a boarder. "Oh goodness, you scared me. Hi Odette, what brings you to the barn this late?"
Madison finished her shift working at the barn, it proved to be more difficult. Some of the yearlings at Seven Oaks had gotten out, which meant she had more work to do than usual. Her coworkers had other chaos to deal with but they suggested she take Puzzle out on a trail ride.
She double and triple checked with them, but they insisted. Maddie nodded and headed off to catch the mare, brining her inside and putting her in a cross tie. A quick grooming session later, the appaloosa mare was ready to be tacked up. Maddie headed to the tack room and got her boots on, zipping them up before taking an arm full of tack over to the mare. Christopher chatted with her briefly as she tacked up, doing up the girth as her red headed coworker left.
After putting the bridle on, she led the mare out to the front of the barn. Eventually, she pulled on the reins to make the mare stop - double checking the girth before rolling down the stirrups. She used the fallen log to get on the back of the mare, picking up the reins before steering her towards the start of the Forrest trail. The fresh air filled her lungs, starting to settle down after the chaotic morning.
Maddie finished her food, putting her dirty silverware in her container to take home after her shift. "I also feel like I'll be here forever. I don't see myself do anything else, except maybe teach future EMTs. That might be fun." Healing and helping people was what she enjoyed doing the most, except of course the hours could be a bit better. The EMTs were also short staffed, but there was a promise of new hires coming in.
She waved goodbye to Phyrne, as she heard her own phone go off, signaling that her break was over. "Well, fun time is over. Please feel free to come visit me during your shifts when I'm not on call. It's always nice to have some company." It was usually quite boring if she wasn't out on a call, though right now her textbooks were happily keeping her company. Some shifts were quieter than others, but they made up for the days she was constantly on her feet.
The dark haired woman got up, taking her container with her before pushing in her chair, waving goodbye to Quinn before she headed off towards the ambulance area.
"It's part of it, but I do like to think it's more complicated than that." It was almost like if someone said his job was just putting a fire out, he most likely wouldn't be happy with that either. "I'd like to think you know more about my job than that."
Maddie knew she should have handled it by herself, but she also couldn't drive and look after the patient at the same time. She glanced over at the Fire Chief, not knowing what he would say. Staffing issues were real for the paramedics. When the Chief gave Cayden the nod, she waved as a thank you and helped wheel the victim towards the ambulance. "Alright, partner. When's the last time you helped a patient anyway?"
She raised her eyebrows. How dare he suggest that he drive HER ambulance? "You? Drive? Yeah, in your dreams buddy. I'll drive you deal with her." Maddie also needed to gather information about the incident for her report. She turned and opened the back of the amublance, keeping both doors open. "Let's lift her in and get going. What can you tell me about the accident? I'll need to write a report once we drop her off."
Maddison shook her head again. "Is that all you think I do? Drive injured people around and get them to the Hospital?" She hated looking incompetent - especially in front of other first responders. The dark haired woman knew what she was doing and did it well.
"If you could help me that would be great, I'm driving solo today. Partner was a no show." Something about her cat being sick, but Maddie could see right through the lie. She continued to wheel the gurney towards the car, which didn't look like it had been totaled.
She glanced over at Jamie and gave him a wave. It seemed like the Fire Chief had his hands full with the crew and that he was in desperate need of an alcoholic drink. "Sounds like someone better get back to work." She appreciated the comment, stopping the gurney beside the car door. "You? Gross? Geez, I really didn't think you knew what chivalry was. Alright, I'm ready to move the patient." She made sure the gurney was out of the way and waited for the help.