[sapphirespirit]

Hey folks! Here is a Handsome ,strapping young stallion for you folks to adopt. He is a Grulla sabino, with the dun stripe, and leg barring. Oh, and looks like he's got a Gulastra plume, too! and my, what a wonderful Wreath around his neck, and such pretty silver bells!

This boy was getting hitched up for a Sleigh ride. This is his first Christmas season to be working, so he was being a typical young, strong headed horse. He's a bit head shy- and refused to let them place the driving bridle on him, then he broke loose! It shouldn't be too hard to find him. Just listen for those bells! Well- Actually- he's rather crafty. He's been evading his captors for a few days, actually. And, after talking with the owner- who is near desperate at this point- He agrees to let you keep him if you can catch him! Such a prize, for such a steal! Should be easy for you, I mean, you are the next horse Whisperer, after all!

Code: Select all

[center]
[b][color=#400080][u].:I want [i]that[/i] Christmas Horse:.[/u][/color][/b]
[b]Owner:[/b]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Breed:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b] Stallion
[b]Age:[/b] 4
[b]Color:[/b] Grulla
[b]Markings:[/b] sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
[b]Story: [/b]( How did you catch the Elusive Equine? 400 word min, 1200 word max)
[/center]

Art/other extras are fine. please no gifs, music, or any irrelevant anything. ^^ Thanks

.:I want that Christmas Horse:.
Owner: Dark.
Name: Jack (Showname: Nightmare Before Christmas)
Breed: Mustang
Height: 14.3hh
Gender: Stallion
Age: 4
Color: Grulla
Markings: sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
Story: This story features both Jack and my horse, Nyx.

The wind whipped, sending the snow plummeting down in spirals. I huddled into my saddle, a thick wooly scarf pulled up over my nose. I was soaked to the skin; an ample amount of sleet was mixed in with the falling snow. Suddenly, I lurched to the side, snapping my hand out onto the horn to steady myself. Nyx was slipping in the snow. The grulla mare's ears were pinned back, her head low as she carefully picked her way up the hillside. Her feet lifted high through the snowdrifts, her movements footsure and calculated. Both the ground and the sky had turned into an endless sea of white, the snowstorm fully set in.

It was hard to judge what time it was, though I gauged it to be an hour since I'd left the farmer's house. I sat and had a coffee in his kitchen as he told about his missing horse. A young stallion, rebellious and testing, had escaped and ran out onto the hillsides - fully harnessed. They searched for him for the last few days, to no avail. Finally, when the storm set in, they called off the search. As I stared out of the house's window, watching the blizzard grow I frowned; not even a young fit stallion would last these conditions in the hills. That was then that I offered to look for him. I must admit, they tried their best to dissuade me from riding into the storm but I had none of it. I would find this horse if it killed me.

In the back of my mind, I was regretting my decision as we made our way up the hillside. I had chosen to take my mare, Nyx, with me. An all-terrain vehicle wouldn't be able to cope with the snowdrifts - and going on foot would have been suicide. Nyx was reliable, foot-sure and most of all, a friend. I lightly rested a hand on her neck as she plowed forward, trailing my fingertips lightly up her pelt encorougingly. The scenery around us was changing as we got further up the slope, going from open morrland to sparse pine forrest.

All of a sudden, Nyx drew to a halt, standing square and raising her head. Her ears snapped forward, on high alert. The mare took a few deep breaths before letting out a loud whinny. Her whinny was eaten by the wind, as it lashed greedily at our faces. Together we waited in baited breath. Then a response came. A scream of a whinny; barely audible - but panicked and weary. I knew it was him. Fear rose in my throat as my breath caught - nothing about that whinny sounded right. I couldn't tell where the sound had come from - the storm was so thick - but I knew Nyx could. I lowered my reins and gave her a light squeeze. She took off cantering though the snowdrifts with an irregular, bounding gate. The stallion whinnied again, this time closer.

It wasn't long before a fallen tree came into view, a big soldier pine. A loud whinny seemed to come from it. It took me a moment to realise the snicker came from the horse, lying alongside the tree. As I rode closer, alet out a gasp. His right hid leg was outstretched, caught beneath the tree trunk. It must have fallen in the gales. His harness was snagged against the branches; locking him in position. He was wild eyed and panicked; he looked like he'd been struggling and thrashing around. Dried blood coated his trapped leg. I lashed Nyx's reins around the horn and jumped to the ground, trusting her to wait obediatnly. Cautiously I approached the stallion, making calming sounds and lowering my body. At first, he snapped at me, pinning his ears back, but I persisted - laying a palm on his forhead to calm him. Slowly I moved round his body, inspecting everything. Carefully I picked my way over to the tree trunk and slowly desnagged the harness from the branches. The stallion felt the pressure release and panicked, trying to claw his way up. He fell back down in submission, letting out a withdrawn grown. His leg wound had reopened. I pushed the tree, trying to move it; grunting before I gave up. What was I going to do!?

Nyx stepped forward, letting out a small snicker. I turned to face her before grinning. I got up, grabbing the lasso from the saddle. I dived back lashing the rope around the trunk. I snatched one of Nyx's reins and lead her around the tree, lashing the other end of the rope to the saddle horn, "C'mon girl, you can do this." I lead her forward, till the rope was taut. She struggled at first, pulling and blowing, "C'mon girl, pull." Nyx thrust her head low and gave one last pull. The tree moved marginally, but it was enough. The stallion scrambled up, holding his back leg. It wasn't broken but it looked lame. For a moment, I thought he was going to run for it. I grabbed one of Nyx's reins and walked slowly towards the stallion, untying the lasso from the tree trunk. I approached the stallion. He look cold and miserable. I slid the lasso over his neck.

The storm was getting worse. I could remember the trail back to the farm. I remounted Nyx and squeezed her forward, turning in my saddle to watch the stallion walk. He seemed fine. He was lame; but I was satified that he could manage to make his way back down the slope. We set off into the snowstorm, taking the steps very slowly.

***

We made it back into the yard an hour later. Both the horses and me were shivering and soaked. That had been two hours ago. I made my way across from the house to the barn to checked on them. Nyx was stalled next to the stallion, who was called Jack. Both had deep beds of straw and a hot mash to eat. They looked a lot happier. Jack had a chill and a small leg wound, but given the circumstances; he'd go off lightly. I walked forward and leaned on Jack's stable door. The stallion walked forward, pressing his muzzle into my shoulder. I gave him a small stroke on his neck, a smile tickling my lips, "Your back now Jack." I cast a glance over at Nyx and laughed as she craned her neck to try and sniff him, "And it looks like you've certainly found yourself an admirer!"


1102 words.

[Spiritstar3]

.:I want that Christmas Horse:.
Owner: Spiritstar3, call me Spirit please, darlings
Name: Reason for the Season -sorry, had to- (Elusive)
Breed: American Paint AraAppaloosa
Height: 16. 3 hh
Gender: Stallion
Age: 4
Color: Grulla
Markings: sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
Story: ( How did you catch the Elusive Equine? 400 word min, 1200 word max)

Well now dear, I was walking along through the snow when I came upon the desperate owner of this feisty stallion. After being told, I nodded and waved as I set off. I came across a log and some prints a moments later, and fancied I heard the sound of bells. But just when I thought I'd found him, I saw it was just a reindeer hitched to some sort of sleigh/sled, and those were His bells I had heard. And so on I went through the snow, searching around for that pretty stallion, above and below. A blinding snow was driven up by the wind, and I thought Great, what now? I won't be able to hear him in all this! Or see him, for that matter! But I just kept on walking through the snow, until I heard that sound of bells again. And this time I knew, because they sounded like Silver Bells. The wind died down and I stopped a bit. I took in a breath, and I closed my eyes, then I let out that breath in the form of a beautiful whistle that was enough to rival any birds. I stopped as I heard the thump thump thump of hooves, and there he was. He looked none too happy. But then I did that whistle once more, and he stopped as he was ready to bolt, and pricked his ears to listen at the whistling. I pulled out a nice and juicy carrot, and he eyes that carrot for a moment but then backed away. And so I sighed as I took one step forward and two steps back, holding up my hands and saying "I give up. That's a first, me, giving up..." And do ya all know what that there feisty young stallion did? He reared up a few inches, then pranced towards me as he dropped his muzzle a little bit towards my hands, tossing his head as I lifted my gloved hands up towards his muzzle. And then he nudged me and I leaped back, him following after me as I began to move faster and faster and soon I was running, the stallion right behind as though this were some sort of a game. And we ran and ran, all the way back to where the owner and sleigh awaited his arrival. And so the owner thanked many, many times and then rehitched the stallion up, and imagine my surprise when he gave me a leg up into that sleigh and handed me the reins and all! And then off me and that stallion went dashing through the snow, with a sleigh full of people that included the owner of the silly boy, and that's how I came to become friends, best friends, with this stallion.
467 words baby, short sweet and to the point!

[all patched up]

Reserve

[urie]

.:I want that Christmas Horse (ALLOT):.



Owner:
Well hello there ^^ I am Dog-Trainer, it's nice to see such lovely horses again!
Name:
His name would be Mischief, his show name '' Box Of Tricks '' due to all of the tricks he has up his... mane? And because he is so mischievous, of course!
Breed:
He is a Arabian mix, but we don't know what with!
Height:
he is 14.2 hh.
Gender:
Stallion
Age:
4
Color:
Grulla
Markings:
sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
Story:
'' Okay then, see you '' I called to the fuming but desperate owner, as I jogged off down the path, my breath clouding in the wintry air. I glanced around, as if the horse was about to peer out from behind a tree or something. I slowed my pace as I caught sight of some hoof-prints, tracing up the path in the snow. But soon, I could not see them any longer and I began to quicken the pace, rubbing my gloved hands together in a bid to keep them warm. I had only been out for about 15 minutes but my fingers felt like icicles in my thick gloves. I pulled my had down right over my ears and trudged on down the path. At one point, I could've sworn I heard a faint whinny in the distance, but of course, it could've been any horse at all. It was coming up to an hour know and I had begun to lose hope. I hadn't heard the faintest jingle or seen the slightest tail flick and I was starting to worry. A pack of wolves could probably take a horse down, and with that thought I quickened the pace once more to a jog. My eyes scanned the snowy surroundings but unfortunately to no avail. I swallowed, hoping that the worst hadn't happened. I felt the carrot in my pocket and suddenly felt very tired and hungry - not for the carrot, though. I suddenly realized how cold I felt, too. I decided, unwillingly, that I needed to take a break. Hitching the head-collar and lead rope onto my shoulder, I trudged off up the path, coming to an old barn. I knocked on the door suspiciously before opening the door and creeping in. It was rather spooky in the gloomy darkness, but my eyes flicked to a light switch on the door and I flicked it on. Light illuminated the eerie darkness and I could use each and every one of my senses once more. Old hay bales were stacked up on the ground, and I walked over, eager to rest my aching body. I grabbed my rucksack and opened it, taking out the sightly squished sandwich from inside. Munching down on the delicious bread and cheese, I soon realized how weary I was. If I could just rest my head for a couple of minutes...

I was awoken around an hour later by an odd, jingling noise. Then I suddenly realized where I was and what I was meant to be doing. I was just about to leap off of the hay bale when I heard a snuffling noise from the back of the barn. Peering around slowly, my eyes widened as they fell upon a gorgeous young stallion, who was quite happily eating the contents of my packed lunch - it was lucky that I was full and wasn't looking forward to my breakfast bar and my apple!
Swiftly but slowly as to not frighten the horse, I stepped down from my hay bale. The surprised stallion's head whipped up and I could tell by his eyes he wanted to play 'catch me if you can'. I turned to the side, realizing that with his dished face, he was a horse to be respected and liked to make his own decisions. I stood still for a few minutes, until curiosity over came the naughty horse and he took a step forward. As he did, I stepped back, which confused him, and made him more curious. Every time he stepped forward, I stepped back. Finally, he came right towards me, not wanting to play the frustrating game anymore. He nickered gently and his bells ringed out slightly as I gently put his head-collar on and, flicking off the light, I left the stable.

Not your average 'throw a rope round it's neck' capture eh?

( 645 words exactly c; )

[Arrows]

.:I want that Christmas Horse:. [So adorable!]

Owner:
Arrows

Name:
Jingle Bell Rock [Bells]

Breed:
Morgan xXx Saddlebred

Height:
15 HH

Gender:
Stallion

Age:
4

Color:
Grulla

Markings:
Sabino, Bald face, Gulastra Plume

Story:
I drove my F-150 smoothly and slowly along the roads bombarded with Christmas lights. My two-horse trailer whirred behind me and I pulled over onto a dirt row and shut off the ignition. Stepping out swiftly, I grabbed a red and white halter with a green lead rope. My breath billowing in the frosty air, muddy boots crunching in the snow, the owner's voice echoed loudly. It was frantic yet annoyed, indicating that he was frustrated immensely and that it has happened before.
I paused, jerked from my thoughts as I heard the distinct click-click-clop of horse hooves. I took lighter steps, gentler breaths. My hands calmly brought out a handful of sugar cubes and peppermints, looking for the mystery horse. I wished I had brought my gloves, as a numb feeling had already set in. My coffee was also locked up in the truck, which I seriously could've used a warm, milky drink by now. The sound of hooves had disappeared and a distant jingling was all I had. I was hurrying now, the bright moon basking the empty streets and dirt roads. It was getting late. I stayed out an hour later, milling around the streets and listening hard for jingling and hooves. I tromped back to my truck dejectedly, slamming the door and throwing my cold coffee out the window. It had become my mission to find and capture the creature, and train it, and so far I was failing.

After buying a new coffee from a nearby Starbucks, I sat in my car and thought about my horses. What always seemed to work to get them to come to me? Hurricane Bay only needed a loud whistle, and she came running. Indigo just needed the crackle of a peppermint wrapper. Bandit simply wanted a carrot and enough attention to make the other horses jealous. What about this horse? I stepped from my truck and began to call out softly. I saw the flick of a tail, and heard the jingling of bells yet again. I knew that the stallion was close enough, for I could hear the click-click-clop of hooves again. My frozen hands grasped for the treats in my pocket again.

I was surprised when the horse flew from the corner. His hooves slapped the ground in a full-out gallop, bells jingling excruciatingly loud. I was beginning to think that he wasn't about to stop his full-fledged charge until her skidded to a stop right in front of my face. I could feel his heated breath, see his damp fur, and look at his wild eyes. Before I could even stick out my hand all the way, the horse grabbed the treats ravenously. I couldn't help but give a light giggle, watching the horse carefully. The stallion gave a loud snort at my sudden outburst, giving a crow-hop and backing away slightly. I shushed myself, speaking softly. "Hey there, Mr." I held out a peppermint, and the stallion stepped forth again. Eying me with a great deal of suspicion, the tom snatched the food once again. I brought my open hand up, clutching the halter loosely.

The grulla stallion whinnied as he saw the halter, eyes wide. His front legs flew into the air, flailing. I backed off, falling backwards in surprise and my butt hit the hard pavement. The shy horse suddenly paused, hooves hitting the ground harshly. He came close to me as I stood tentatively, moving without haphazard. Giving me a light nudge as though to say, I'm sorry, he stuck his face through the halter softly. I gently took the sides of the buckle and ran up the holes, snapping it in. The horse never moved. As soon as I grasped the lead rope, though, I felt a harsh jerk and I was shoved back by the sudden and unexpected tug. I turned on my heel, giving the stallion a hard stare. He seemed to shy away. In my thick, country accent I spoke to him, "Boy, I'm tryin' to save ya. I better see that attitude stoppin' soon. Com'on." My tone was soft but stern. It seemed like he got the message, for when I gave him a light tug on the lead he followed compliantly.

The trailer door hit the ground with a dull metal clank. The stallion tugged back slightly, eyes confused and distrusting. With a couple more kind words and the powerful bribing of carrots, the grulla clattered onto the trailer eventually. As I drove, satisfied, I smiled with a great deal of joy. This horse was going to be trained. I would coax him to trust me. He was going to never feel alone again.

[ChristainAnimalLover]

.:I want that Christmas Horse:.
Owner: ChristainAnimalLover
Name: Sleighbells and Hollyberries, "Jingle"
Breed: Dutch Warmblood
Height: 15.2 hh
Gender: Stallion
Age: 4
Color: Grulla
Markings: sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
Story: ( How did you catch the Elusive Equine? 400 word min, 1200 word max)

[Dark.]

.:I want that Christmas Horse:.
Owner: Dark.
Name: Jack (Showname: Nightmare Before Christmas)
Breed: Mustang
Height: 14.3hh
Gender: Stallion
Age: 4
Color: Grulla
Markings: sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
Story: This story features both Jack and my horse, Nyx.

The wind whipped, sending the snow plummeting down in spirals. I huddled into my saddle, a thick wooly scarf pulled up over my nose. I was soaked to the skin; an ample amount of sleet was mixed in with the falling snow. Suddenly, I lurched to the side, snapping my hand out onto the horn to steady myself. Nyx was slipping in the snow. The grulla mare's ears were pinned back, her head low as she carefully picked her way up the hillside. Her feet lifted high through the snowdrifts, her movements footsure and calculated. Both the ground and the sky had turned into an endless sea of white, the snowstorm fully set in.

It was hard to judge what time it was, though I gauged it to be an hour since I'd left the farmer's house. I sat and had a coffee in his kitchen as he told about his missing horse. A young stallion, rebellious and testing, had escaped and ran out onto the hillsides - fully harnessed. They searched for him for the last few days, to no avail. Finally, when the storm set in, they called off the search. As I stared out of the house's window, watching the blizzard grow I frowned; not even a young fit stallion would last these conditions in the hills. That was then that I offered to look for him. I must admit, they tried their best to dissuade me from riding into the storm but I had none of it. I would find this horse if it killed me.

In the back of my mind, I was regretting my decision as we made our way up the hillside. I had chosen to take my mare, Nyx, with me. An all-terrain vehicle wouldn't be able to cope with the snowdrifts - and going on foot would have been suicide. Nyx was reliable, foot-sure and most of all, a friend. I lightly rested a hand on her neck as she plowed forward, trailing my fingertips lightly up her pelt encorougingly. The scenery around us was changing as we got further up the slope, going from open morrland to sparse pine forrest.

All of a sudden, Nyx drew to a halt, standing square and raising her head. Her ears snapped forward, on high alert. The mare took a few deep breaths before letting out a loud whinny. Her whinny was eaten by the wind, as it lashed greedily at our faces. Together we waited in baited breath. Then a response came. A scream of a whinny; barely audible - but panicked and weary. I knew it was him. Fear rose in my throat as my breath caught - nothing about that whinny sounded right. I couldn't tell where the sound had come from - the storm was so thick - but I knew Nyx could. I lowered my reins and gave her a light squeeze. She took off cantering though the snowdrifts with an irregular, bounding gate. The stallion whinnied again, this time closer.

It wasn't long before a fallen tree came into view, a big soldier pine. A loud whinny seemed to come from it. It took me a moment to realise the snicker came from the horse, lying alongside the tree. As I rode closer, alet out a gasp. His right hid leg was outstretched, caught beneath the tree trunk. It must have fallen in the gales. His harness was snagged against the branches; locking him in position. He was wild eyed and panicked; he looked like he'd been struggling and thrashing around. Dried blood coated his trapped leg. I lashed Nyx's reins around the horn and jumped to the ground, trusting her to wait obediatnly. Cautiously I approached the stallion, making calming sounds and lowering my body. At first, he snapped at me, pinning his ears back, but I persisted - laying a palm on his forhead to calm him. Slowly I moved round his body, inspecting everything. Carefully I picked my way over to the tree trunk and slowly desnagged the harness from the branches. The stallion felt the pressure release and panicked, trying to claw his way up. He fell back down in submission, letting out a withdrawn grown. His leg wound had reopened. I pushed the tree, trying to move it; grunting before I gave up. What was I going to do!?

Nyx stepped forward, letting out a small snicker. I turned to face her before grinning. I got up, grabbing the lasso from the saddle. I dived back lashing the rope around the trunk. I snatched one of Nyx's reins and lead her around the tree, lashing the other end of the rope to the saddle horn, "C'mon girl, you can do this." I lead her forward, till the rope was taut. She struggled at first, pulling and blowing, "C'mon girl, pull." Nyx thrust her head low and gave one last pull. The tree moved marginally, but it was enough. The stallion scrambled up, holding his back leg. It wasn't broken but it looked lame. For a moment, I thought he was going to run for it. I grabbed one of Nyx's reins and walked slowly towards the stallion, untying the lasso from the tree trunk. I approached the stallion. He look cold and miserable. I slid the lasso over his neck.

The storm was getting worse. I could remember the trail back to the farm. I remounted Nyx and squeezed her forward, turning in my saddle to watch the stallion walk. He seemed fine. He was lame; but I was satified that he could manage to make his way back down the slope. We set off into the snowstorm, taking the steps very slowly.

***

We made it back into the yard an hour later. Both the horses and me were shivering and soaked. That had been two hours ago. I made my way across from the house to the barn to checked on them. Nyx was stalled next to the stallion, who was called Jack. Both had deep beds of straw and a hot mash to eat. They looked a lot happier. Jack had a chill and a small leg wound, but given the circumstances; he'd go off lightly. I walked forward and leaned on Jack's stable door. The stallion walked forward, pressing his muzzle into my shoulder. I gave him a small stroke on his neck, a smile tickling my lips, "Your back now Jack." I cast a glance over at Nyx and laughed as she craned her neck to try and sniff him, "And it looks like you've certainly found yourself an admirer!"


1102 words.

[FallenAngel.]

.:I want that Christmas Horse:.
Owner:
Name:
Breed:
Height:
Gender: Stallion
Age: 4
Color: Grulla
Markings: sabino ,Bald face, Gulastra Plume
Story: ( How did you catch the Elusive Equine? 400 word min, 1200 word max)

Reserve.

When does it end x

[sapphirespirit]

this'll end on DEC 26TH!

[Arrows]

Little bump!