[OutdatedBoombox]

*Do not post
Registered name:
Call Name:
Gender: mare
Age: 4
Height: 14hh
Capture Location: Seward, Alaska
Coat Color: Claybank Dun Overo
Genotype: ee/aa/DD/Oo

This lovely mare was found swimming off the coast of Seward with three other AISPs, which we assume are the rest of or part of the same herd. She is a very, very curious about people but will not let them get within 10 feet of her and is absolutely terrified of dogs. She doesn't like having her face or legs touched and is very difficult to load into a trailer without sedation. She loves the water and will leap into it whenever given the chance.

Username:
Stable/Reserve Name:
AISP Name:
AISP Gender: mare
AISP Coat color: Claybank Dun Overo
AISP's Dam: Foundation
AISP's Sire: Foundation

[Bayfire213]

Before I get distracted again, I shall go ahead and post this fair lady's name.
Thank you kindly for this sweet little darling, I must admit that I'm a sucker for both dilutes and paints~

Registered Name: Red Dirt Rhode
Call Name: Rosie

Stable/Reserve:

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2891070]Seven Strides Stables[/url]

Task 1: AISP Retrieval

It didn't seem like it had been very long since they'd last been here, and indeed it hadn't been. Just as soon as Sanya had settled in and an association representative came out to check on the mare's progress, there came the call that they were eligible to take in a second pony from the grey mare's old herd. A younger darling who had a bit of a road ahead of her, all things considered. The most pressing issue was that of the dun mare's avoidance of humans and human contact, and how that in addition to her protests stepping into a trailer would factor in to actually loading her in the ominous metal deathtrap- as many horses seemed to think it. Somehow, Sera got the impression that this new mare would be amongst that number of equine conspiracy theorists. They'd taken all but one of the dividers out of the trailer in preparation, and had a few hay nets ready to be snacked upon during the lengthy journey back to the barn. They'd even brought Sanya back up north with them, the calm and steady mare hopefully able to act as an incentive for her younger herdmate. Both the youngest and the oldest of the mares in their herd, Sera couldn't help but hope that the grey mare would make the dun's own transition easier.

Carefully pulling into the parking area, Sera cast a quick glance towards her partner for this trip. The slightly younger woman was conked out, cocooned quite snugly in a thick red blanket the elder knew from experience kept one as warm as any fireplace. It was a good blanket, wonderful for the bitter, biting chill of the dead of a northern winter. Grinning slightly to herself with a wry shake of her head, the brunette returned her full attention back towards the vehicle she directed. Gingerly pulling to a stop, the owner and manager calmly cut the engine. They would be here for a while, after all, and it wouldn't be to anyone's benefit if the battery were to die or the fuel to run out before it was time to leave. She'd managed to gain permission to use the facility's modest round pen to work with the young dun, not wishing to jump straight to drugging the mare before seeing for herself how bad the mare was, and if it might be easy enough to work out a few of her issues off the bat.

Slipping soundlessly from the truck's cabin and into the compressed blanket of snow, the door clicked shut behind her as she made her way back towards the trailer. Impatient pawing and a billowing snort told her to quicken her pace, the grey mare eager to get out and explore her surroundings now that she could smell other horses. Grinning slightly to herself, soon the ramp had been let down and the mare's halter unclipped from the trailer's tie and reclipped to a lead. Grey ears flicked back and forth, swiveling to take in all the sounds, nostrils flaring to take in all the scents. Her seafoam gaze darted about, taking in the semi-familiar surroundings as Sera led the mare towards the pens, the area holding several horses fewer than it had the last time they'd been here. Sanya pranced at the end of her lead, though had since learned to mind her manners and thus didn't attempt to push pass her handler.

Then a trumpeting call sounded, loud and proud and hopeful. The grey mare's ears focused towards the sound, her strides lengthening without protest as Sera began to jog towards the pen containing a striking red dun mare. The grey mare, recognizing her younger herdmate, returned the greeting with great gusto. Grinning at the happy reunion, brown eyes glanced between the two, relieved that it seemed the grey mare would be able to help her younger companion adapt.
[651 words] O O

Task 2: On Site Vet Check

She watched with a soft gaze as the mare trotted around her, red coat covered in a heavy sheen of nervous sweat. Ears swiveled towards her, then away, head lowering, before jerking up again. Patiently, Sera waited. Not pushing the young mare faster, yet also not letting her break into a walk. Not until the nervous youth had settled, was willing to allow the distance between them to shorten. The mare watched the human carefully, still uncertain about this strange new person. A long tongue slipped out as she mouthed at the air, head drooping down somewhat as she focused on the two-legged creature in the center of the borrowed round pen. Immediately, the human's gaze hit the ground, posture going completely lax, seeming to completely ignore the trotting mare. Another circuit was made at a trot with no change, and ivory ears pricked towards the relaxed human. Strides slowed, and a blue eye focused cautiously on the human- just in case the young woman had something else in mind. Yet nothing happened, even when Rosie settled back into a admittedly face paced walk which broke into a slow trot, before slowing and settling once more.

More licking, more chewing, her head falling even lower as she was allowed to slow down, drag her heels, and catch her breath. Round and round, the overo mare growing all the more lethargic in pace until finally she stopped, swinging around to face Sera directly. A billowing, blowing snort followed, clearing the frosty chill from her nose. Time ticked by, and still the human didn't react. Chewing at the air, Rosie gingerly took a single step forward, knowing from last time that to step off and start circling again was to prompt the two-legged mare to chase her again. Only, this seemed to be what the human wanted, because this time there was no whirling around to lunge at the dun mare's flank. With more confidence the pony strode forwards, closer to the brunette in the center of the ring, until her hot breath was warming the back of the woman's coat. Still relaxed, still calm, Sera moved with all the haste of a slug to offer up the back of her hand for the mare to sniff, turning to face the mare with just as much speed.

The mare tensed when gentle hands first touched her slick, sweaty neck, yet pleasant scratches and calming murmurs swiftly saw her settled once more. Nimble fingers followed a familiar procedure, pampering the pony even as the trainer quietly made note of anything out of the ordinary that she found. She worked her way around the mare's body slowly, without haste, carefully paying attention to when and where the island pony tensed, and working in the same area until the mare relaxed again or indicated some discomfort or pain beyond the norm. Nothing really stood out until after Sera had already made her way around to the mare's other side, and moved to start checking the mare's legs. Ears flicked back in a momentary pin, neck twisting so that the mare could better observe her actions- possibly to bite, while the leg she'd been attempting to test lifted up to paw at the ground. Brown eyes connected with the hazel of the stablehand who'd come up here with her, a silent message passing between the two as the younger nodded in understanding, quickly and efficiently gathering everything the elder might need if the mare proved too resistant to having her head and legs handled. Nearby the Seven Stride's employee, a few of the association members had also gathered around the round pen to watch, slow as the day had been and curious as they were.

Humming lightly under her breath, Sera easily let her hand rest upon the mare's neck again, contemplating her course of action. She didn't want to drug the mare, leave her out of it for who knew how long with the chance of an unexpected reaction, nor did the human want to see her potentially harming herself or others in a freak out over having a halter on her head. Sure it would be easy enough to have a lead clipped to the halter before tying it on the mare, yet she could already envision many ways the situation could go south in a heartbeat, and Murphy's law would surely have plenty more to add. Absently she stoked along the mare's sweaty hide, before finally deciding. Practiced hands stroked along the mare's neck, carefully feeling for something akin to a triangle along the muscular expanse. Pressing softly, pressing deeply, making sure that she had found the right bundle of nerves. With a confidence born of practice, she firmly grasped the topmost layer of fur and skin and gently pulled it further from the underlying muscle. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, the mare's head rose higher for a moment, before slowly drooping lower as endorphins were released. A five count saw the mare's eyes half lidded, ears lax and lazy, with her lower lip drooping slightly. Releasing her grasp of the fur, Sera watched the pony with a critical eye before repeating the process again.

Only this time as she counted off the seconds, she lifted a booted foot to carefully rub along the red mare's foreleg. White ears flicked slightly, while the pony's head rose by roughly an inch or two, and her eyes opened a bit more compared to their previously nearly closed position. Set her foot once more in the churned up snow and frosty mud, the young woman maintained her grip for two heartbeats longer before releasing the mare. Shifting her chocolate gaze to once more meet that of her employee, it was Sera's turn to nod, gesturing for the stablehand to join her in the round pen. Her hands remained on the dun pony, stroking and soothing at the younger human nimbly scaled the fence to join the pair in the ring.
[994 words] O O

Task 3: The New Area

Watching the pair now in their own small pasture, Sera glanced over to wave at the stablehand currently manning the trailer, swiftly closing the gate once the vehicle had passed through. Making sure it was latched securely, she then turned to observe the two reunited herdmates. Rosie clung tightly to Sanya's side like a young foal still unsure what to make of the world, while the grey mare trotted about the perimeter, making sure nothing had changed since she'd last been here. Ears pricked, steps high, the grey mare looked right at home amongst their snow covered surroundings, a graceful winter sprite as she drank in all the scents the frosty winds carried towards her regal presence. In stark contrast, the claybank mare's coat seemed a bright beacon amongst the pastel pastures, her timidly mirrored actions unavoidably loud when her own vibrant coat refused to let her hide. The duo moved in tandem, their strides in near perfect synchronicity as they made their way about their new domain.

Smiling slightly to herself, Sera observed as Sanya stopped by the modestly sized lean-to shelter in order to rub against its wooden frame, presumably to scratch an itch. The elder mare made to walk away, yet paused when her companion hung back to copy her actions. Seemingly having decided her patrol had finished, dark nostrils flared as Sanya took the chance to seek out anything potentially edible within the vicinity. Ivory ears pricked up as she caught wind of something far more scrumptious than the hay hiding from the elements within the three sided shelter. Eagerly the elder equine shifted to make her way over to the watching human, prompting the red mare to bolt after her before slowing to hide behind the shorter pony as it became clear precisely where this particular bee line would lead. Grin growing a little wider, Sera was already fishing a few molasses cookies out from a pocket by the time the duo reached her- one far more enthusiastic than the other.
[336 words] O O

Task 4: The Release