[j. bourne]

Welcome to the Fallen Oaks Farm Event
It is here that an illegal Euphorian Thoroughbred breeding operation was shut down by local authorities. All of the mares, stallions, and of age foals are in need of homes. There will also be some mares that still have their foals that need to be taken care of. Euphorian lovers from all over have come together to get homes for all of the animals. They've brought giant trailers and are ready and waiting to bring home a bunch of new faces. But before adopting, they must visit the trailer parking site. Welcome to Fallen Oaks Farm!

Username: TheUnsinkableShips
Show Name: A Summer Breeze
Barn Name: Whisp
Gender: Mare
Age: 6 years
Height: 17.3hh
Eye Color: Brown and Blue Heterochromia
Phenotype: Flaxen Red Dun with Scarring
Genotype: ee/aa/DD/ff
Mane Type: Cropped
Discipline: Eventing
Halter: Leather with Silver Buckles
Breeding Info: Dominant for dun [DD] and will always produce dun foals.
Dominant recessive for flaxen [ff] and will always produce flaxen-carrier foals. Can produce flaxen foals when paired with another flaxen or flaxen-carrier [ff or Ff] ERRP.
Edit List: Pinned Ears and Trimmed Tail

This mare appears to have suffered from some kind of nasty fungal infection while at Fallen Oaks Farm.
It seems to have left her with an interesting coat! Markings or scars, who's to decide?

To win this intriguing mare, write a story involving her. This story can be about anything and from any perspective!
Minimum 100 words.

Code: Select all

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Show Name:[/b]
[b]Barn Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b] Mare
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Halter:[/b]
[b]Discipline:[/b]
[b]Link to Trailer Park Entry:[/b]
[b]Story:[/b]

Minimum 100 words. Ends September 1st.

[TheUnsinkableShips]

Username: TheUnsinkableShips
Show Name: A Summer Breeze
Barn Name: Whisp
Gender: Mare
Age: 6 Years Old
Height: 17.3hh
Halter: Light Brown Leather
Discipline: Eventing
Link to Trailer Park Entry: xXx
Story:

On a warm summer's eve, a mare stares out towards the stable window wistfully. It wasn't meant to be open, the wind had simply gusted big enough to rip the door off it's hinges, but the gentle summer breeze that wafted into the humid stable was so nice, Whisp hoped it never closed.

It would be her first time seeing the outdoors, should she be able to get through the sea of horses blocking her way, having been born in raised in this dank stable with too many other horses, and mud and dirt and more covering her coat. With a dangerous curiosity, she wished to look outside the window.

From where she was packed in the stable, all she could feel was the warm summer's breeze.

Night fell, and the hush of night overcame the barn, lulling all to sleep.

The window remained open, squeaking slightly as wind nudged it around.

Whisp was awake.

And curious.

And in the quiet of the night, she squeezed through piles of ponies to reach the window.

When she was there, the cool, crisp air of the night beckoned her closer, smelling so sweet and clear.

It smelled like honey and dewdrops and freedom and Whisp wondered if she'd ever get to taste it for real.

For now, she stuck her head out that broken window and sighed into the night, her only witnesses the stars and moon as she yearned for freedom and release from the dank dark stable behind her.

On a warm summer's eve, Whisp tasted her future, and hope blossomed under the star-filled sky.

(265 Words)

[DeadlyArcana]

Username: Alhena
Show Name: A Country Boys World
Barn Name: Calli
Gender: Mare
Age: 5 yo
Height: 17.3 hh
Halter: Pastel Pink
Discipline: roping
Link to Trailer Park Entry: here
Story: It had been a few days since Calli had found her new home at Atlantic Thoroughbreds. She was enjoying the pampering and all the treats in the world. Her past at the horrid breeding farm however, lingered closely in her mind. At night alone in her stall, Calli can still hear the faint cries of her friends, her family, being torn away from her and never coming back. She missed all of them, but most of all her baby boy she had when she was first brought into the facility. He was a healthy, golden foal with a small snip on his nose. Perfect in her eyes. But he was ripped away from her, far too young for his age too. But it wasn't by the cold blooded humans, it was by mother nature herself. The very being who gave him to her, took him right back. She was never able to foal after him, and to this day she still sees her baby wobbling around her, but never really being there.

One day, out in the pasture, Calli was feeling extremely down. Thinking about her baby and missing him more than usual. She wished he could of grown up and experienced this safe haven with her. The tall, lush grass, rolling hills and rising mountains surrounding the barn. He would of loved to run around and listen to his whinnies echo around the fields. Suddenly, she felt a small thump on her back. She startled slightly before raising her head from the grass to see a red cardinal perched on her hind quarters.Its bright red feathers blew slightly with the breeze that came across the valley but it didn't budge. She continued to watch the bird, making sure she didnt make too many movements to scare off the little creature.
Minutes passed by and the bird continued to sit on her back, watching her intently. She gave up on trying to figure out why the bird chose to sit on her so she went back to grazing.

A few more days had passed and every one of those days the same red cardinal would come to visit Calli in her pasture and sometimes in her stall during the day. She considered the small bird a friend now and would expect its arrival each time she was turned out. They would sometimes race around the field, the bird flying closely above Calli's head and tweeting happily. She did not understand why the bird chose her but she was grateful she did. It gave her company and something to look forward to everyday. The little bird would wait on the fence post for her to come out, sometimes you could hear it calling for her to come play if she was taking too long to get turned out. The staff at Atlantic Thoroughbreds have taken notice to their odd friendship but know that the cardinal only likes Calli.

{here is an artical that details the meaning of cardinals to people when spotted: here}

[certified]

Mark!

[ExVenor]

Username: Half Tree
Show Name: Smells Like Paradise
Barn Name: Maui
Gender: Mare
Age: 4
Height: 16.1hh
Halter: surprise
Discipline: Show Jumping
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Tara ready for battle.
Story:
"Well that hardly seems fair." a man's voice grumbles from in the barn.

Tara pauses as she walks by and takes a few steps backwards to turn into the open doorway instead. There Maui - one of the newly acquired horses - stands with a brush in her mouth keeping it away from the man who was grooming her. Tara leans on the doorway and watches her fiance huff as he tries to take the brush from the spunky mare. She drops her head to an enticing level and the moment he reaches forward she tosses it to the side or lifts the brush up high. When she holds her head aloft like she is now Phoenix has no chance of getting it back because of her height and his still recovering ribs.

Tara watches them together with a grin but decides to step in when Pheonix makes a grab for the tool and overextends himself. The hiss of pain followed by the grumpy expression thrown at the mare is a clear indicator he's getting to the end of his rope. She deliberately scuffs her heel on the floor so he'd hear her coming and not realize she'd been watching him suffer at first. He heaves a sigh but otherwise says nothing as she trades a treat for the brush and offers it back to him.

He rolls his eyes but accepts it holding back the urge to comment that she babies him because of the bruising on his ribs. She just grins turning to plant a loving kiss on the mare's nose and another on his lips before going on her way. The horse and the man both watch her leave before looking at each other. The mare pulls a funny face at him begging for another treat and he can't help but shake his head with a snort. She'd go back to grabbing at grooming equipment when she realized he wasn't the one with the food. He'd blame Tara for the bad behaviour later, first, he has to finish grooming what feels like the tallest horse in existence.

---

Maybe an hour later Tara comes in with Saruchio in tow, the vibrant stud standing quietly when she pauses. She had expected to see Phoenix still grooming Maui but the crossties are empty and brushed neatly tucked away. The stallion next to her stops playing with his bit to lift his head and perk his ears towards the opposite end of the aisle.

Following the stallion’s lead, Tara walks past the stalls all emptied for the day and comes out of the building at the opposite end. There she finds Phoenix sitting in a blue Adirondack chair enjoying the afternoon sun with Maui happily eating the grass she can reach. The end of the lead rope is loosely gripped in one hand as he lets her roam a bit.

Tara moves to his seat pushing his elbow off the armrest so she can perch on it with one hip. Saruchio watches the mare with interest as she eventually lifts her head to stare back at him. Both humans watch with matching smiles as the horses greet each other.

Maui still has an obvious lack of conditioning compared to the fit stallion but she is extremely improved from what she was when she first came in. Tara drops his free hand to Phoenix and rubs his back affectionately.

“You did a good job,” she says quietly, “She was so scared of grooming when we got her but you made her enjoy it again. I’ve never seen a horse so clean.”

He squeezes her need in acknowledgement but lets silence fall back between them as they watch the two brightest horses in their barn begin to groom each other. A few months ago Maui would have shied away at the contact but now she relishes in it.

---

She had a horrible skin infection when first rescued causing all attempts to touch her to be met with violence on her part. Her skin hurt and the required treatment of scrubbing off the crusties hurt even more and she learned to fear the grooming tools during her stay at the vet. Often being sedated during the process to make it safer for everyone so when she could finally come to her new home without risk of spreading things to other horses she was physically recovered but not mentally so.

The horrible bruising on Phoenix's ribs meant that he was slower to react than usual and the first time he took out the new grooming set she landed a solid bite to his forearm. Everyone was shocked into stillness except for Phoenix who backtracked pretty quickly to check his arm. Maui had never shown any kind of malice up until that point and the two owners spent a long night discussing her situation.

Tara didn't have the time to train her to accept the touch of grooming tools and tack again and didn't want Phoenix to get hurt again. He was stubborn though, they could recover together since he couldn't ride for a while anyway. All he had was spare time and light duties how much harm could grooming one horse everyday cause?

It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but he got her to settle for hands going over her whole body after the first week. After a few more she'd allow a soft cloth and from that point, he would sneak tools under the cloth so she wouldn't see them. Once they were on her and gliding over her colourful coat she didn't have a reason to be afraid. She learned one of her most important lessons during her recovery her skin didn't hurt anymore.

Once Maui started accepting the brush her true personality had started to come out and she realized she could grab tools out of the grooming kit at her hooves and toss them down the aisle to clatter loudly. That was fun but it got better when the human started trying to grab them before she could accomplish her goal. It didn't take her long to learn the art of keep-away, especially when doing it to someone with limited mobility. Thus the habit of driving her favourite human insane was born.

[Kassypen]

Username: Kassypen
Show Name: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Barn Name: Tiffany
Gender: Mare
Age: 11
Height: 15.3hh
Halter: blue eye color please!
Discipline: therapy work
Link to Trailer Park Entry: link
Story:

1, 2, 3, tick
4, 5, 6, tick
7, 8, 9 tick
10, 10, 10

I could hear him murmuring nonsense in the backseat. My hands shook against the steering wheel. ARRC was my last resort. I couldn't think of anything else.

1, 2, 3, tick
4, 5, 6, tick
7, 8, 9 tick
10, 10, 10

That was his newest favorite phrase. He wouldn't quiet. All day was counting and ticking, even some night when I couldn't get him to sleep it was just numbers and sounds. I was so close to passing out on those long nights. But I couldn't. If I did my son would hurt himself on accident. Or worse, would have one of his rampant panic attacks.

1, 2, 3, tick
4, 5, 6, tick
7, 8, 9 tick
10, 10, 10

I finally pulled into the gravel parking lot and blinked the tears from my eyes. This would work. It had to work. When I opened the back door to the car my heart split. Tommy hated car rides. I could see the terror in his eyes. But the smoke cleared as soon as he saw me. I pulled him out of his car seat and hugged him.

1, 2, 3, tick
4, 5, 6, tick
7, 8, 9 tick
10, 10, 10

After signing the waiver and writing "autism" under the medical issues line, the tears fell. The doctors had recommended horse riding as a way to calm his ticks.

1, 2, 3, tick
4, 5, 6, tick
7, 8, 9 tick
10, 10, 10

As soon as he saw the mare his hands and feet calmed, his eyes softened, and his mouth closed. On her back he looked like a king, and he didn't say a word until after the session and in the car ride home.

Pretty pony
Soft pony
Neigh Tiff neigh

[LivingLethal]

livinglethal mark!

[♔Voltaire♔]

Username: ♔Voltaire♔
Show Name:
Barn Name: Tahiti
Gender: Mare
Age: 6
Height: 15hh
Halter: Champagne (#F7E7CE) with silver buckles
Discipline: Ranch Riding
Link to Trailer Park Entry: XX
Story:

My life up until last month had been rough at best, struggling to breathe in the small and dark stall I spent my entire life in. My future seemed about as dismal as that barn, the other horses I shared it with it struggling to stay alive. One never know what lifeless truly looks like until they see it firsthand- a horse that looks lifeless truly isn’t the same as one that is. I was rescued almost too late, infections had taken over my body and I was ready to resign myself. I had never wanted to die, but when you are locked up for so long with barely anything to sustain yourself, unable to find some sliver of hope in an open window, that’s all you beg for.

The woman who brought me in was quite shorter than I expected; though I have only interacted with the men while in the “illegal breeding ring” as they coined it. She washed me over, gave me so much comfort and love and treatment and I only found it fit to make sure I worked my hardest to become something she was proud of. I’ve always aimed to please- maybe that’s why they kept me alive for so long back at Fallen Oaks, but that chapter in my book of life has come to a close, and I cannot wait to begin writing the next one.

Today marks a month since my rescue, and everything looks brighter. I never knew how wonderful the sun felt, or how amazing the rain looked as it fell.

Soon enough, one month will become two and then three. Then a year, and another. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but what I do know now is that I want to live to see it.

[Lavellan]

Username: Laurara
Show Name: Forgotten Fleck
Barn Name: Ira
Gender: Mare
Age: 7 Years, 4 Months
Height: 15.3hh
Halter: Lavender
Discipline: Driving
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Here!
Story:

With ears almost constantly back, and eyes that filled with worry, Ira seemed to be on edge, even after she left Fallen Oaks Farm. She enjoyed attention, loved getting scratches and scoffed treats like she would never get another, but her eyes always held a glint of worry, as though suddenly I’d cart her back to Fallen Oaks, where she’d live without peace of mind or any affection.
She shied away from all tack, allowing her halter to be slipped over her nose, but nothing more. At the sign of a bridle, her jaws would clench tight, and she broke into a sweat at the first sign of a saddle. Of course, there was no way for me to know what had happened, but no matter how patient I was, I found no way to break through her walls.
The longer she stayed with me, the more confident she became with me, but still, she never allowed tack to come near her. One afternoon, as I sat with her in the pasture, she began to show some playful behaviours, bucking and kicking out as she circled me. I allowed her to, and then, with a shout, I jumped forward, causing her to change direction with a whirl and a squeal.
We played for a few minutes before she came towards me, shoving her head into my chest and asking for scratches. Laughing at her silliness, I scratched her favourite spot. After a few moments, she paused, eyeing me thoughtfully, before turning away from me, standing sideways towards me. As though offering to allow me to ride.
She hadn’t much of a mane to hang on to, and her frame still showed signs of malnutrition, but I had to test. Stroking my hands down her back, I pressed down lightly, and, she didn’t even shift, never moving. After few more tests, I bounced up onto her back, and, to my amazement, she didn’t move, barely reacting. Stroking down along her neck, I tested with a little squeeze of my legs, and, to my surprise, she moved forward, gait easy and ears flicked back, concentrating on me. I tested for about ten minutes, managing to get her to canter beneath me, before dismounting, not wanting to push too hard...

The dim light of dawn peeked above the horizon as I hopped out of the bed of the truck, the crisp pre-dawn air catching in my lungs, pulled by the excitement that built within me. Moving to the back of the trailer, the sleepy sounds of a body inside, I opened the doors, welcomed by kind bi-coloured eyes and a soft whicker. Leading Ira out of the trailer, we walked, side-by-side, down the small trail, the feeling of soft sand making it difficult to walk.
Arriving onto the beach, the fingers of dawn creeping over the skyline, I slipped the halter from the mare’s nose. Standing patiently at my side, the mare barely reacted as I hopped onto her back, settling myself down and catching her short mane in my hands. A click of my tongue had us at the water’s edge, and the excitement between us was almost visible. I barely had to squeeze with my legs before she pushed herself forward into a canter, one ear perked forward, the other trained on me. Her gait was smooth, her paces long, and, with a slight shift of my weight forward, she pushed even harder, opening her paces to a flat, thundering gallop. The sea sprayed behind us, the dawn lightening the sky above, and, with a breathless laugh, I let go of her mane, opening my arms to catch the air as we moved together over the pale sand, nothing between us, nothing before us.
She had come a long way, was a much different horse to the one that I adopted from that farm so many weeks ago. We were unstoppable.

650 words

[Queen Vivane]

Username: Queen Vivane
Show Name: Waving Royal
Barn Name: Evaline
Gender: Mare
Age: 4
Height: 16hh
Halter: purple
Discipline: Polo
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Here
Story:
"It's hard to tell what makes her tick" came the whisper. "I can never tell what it'll be that she chooses as her thing for the day" the voice spoke again. The mare choosing to ignore the quiet conversation and continued in her attempts to snooze. Dual colored eyes closing, she swore she was almost asleep when something clattered to the ground outside.


Startling her into full wakefulness, with an annoyed sigh she moved to stick her head over her door. Eyes landing on the dark haired woman who was currently glaring daggers at the wild looking man with pale eyes. She snorted angrily at the pair and stomped one hoof as another equal sign of her displeasure.

"Whoops" the man offered, having the grace to look at least slightly sheepish