𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙖𝙙𝙚 [o&a]

[na'vi.]

─── ★ ─ 𝘌𝘓𝘐𝘑𝘈𝘏 𝘞𝘖𝘜𝘓𝘍𝘌


── i. 25 yrs ii. male iii. western iv. stables to covered arena v. Ember tags. open mentions. --


If there was one thing growing up on a ranch would teach you, it's that your ass better be up before the sun is. The man already had on his jeans, a tshirt, boots, and an old ballcap when he left the victorian styled home. Making his way down the long driveway that lead to the opulent stables. It was all very showy for Elijah's taste honestly, having grown up around wood fences and a classically styled barn this was basically like the 4 Seasons for horses in his mind. Though his own thoughts of the place mustn't be confused for judgement, they were merely observations. The walk to the stable was scenic, though it was nothing he hadn't seen before on various travels it was still pretty. He didn't pay much mind to the scoops in the path that still held water from last night's storm, what use were boots if you didn't get them dirty?

As he rounded into the stables he passed various stalls, each horse content and well behaved he hoped Ember would be the same- none of her usual shenanigans that he had secretly grown to love. That hope he previously had was instantly stomped out the moment he peered into the mare's stall. The blood red bay stood idly, a hoof cocked and her tail swishing lightly at her hocks, with what used to be her water bucket sitting atop her head. A sigh escaped him and a half squeal came from her pudgy frame, swiveling and shoving her head out of the stall. With a swift shake of her head the bucket came tumbling down from her head, only to be caught by Elijah with a soft smirk the man shook his head, "What's up baby girl?" He cooed to the mare, his voice oozing with affection for the mare as she nuzzled the man, wiggling her velveteen lips against his short scruffy beard. He chuckled, reaching towards a little hook that held an old and tattered rope halter with a free hand, he slipped it over her head, scratching under her forelock gently he grinned as she tilted her head up, lip wobbling freely in glee at the spot being itched.

With a little huff of amusement Elijah pulled away, her petulant whinnies and nickers towards him only making him smirk as he measured out her feed, followed by a scoop of softened alfalfa pellets, and a scoop of red cell. He poured it into the mare's bucket, picking up the water bucket he set down earlier to wash it out and replace it in her stall. She was still busily eating, taking her time to munch away it gave him time to grab a pick and some brushes. Initially it was annoying to have a horse who ate so slowly but he'd grown to adore it about the mare over time. He slipped into his stall, kneeling down in the shavings and picking up a hoof to pick out the debris. Her hooves would have to be trimmed down soon enough, it had been nearly 5 years since the last time she was truly shod, and her hooves were still in perfect condition from his tedious grooming and attentiveness over her hooves. Going barefoot was a risk with any horse at first and he was adamant about making sure his mare stayed healthy.

Finally done picking her hooves and flicking the dust and dirt away from her frame her made his way towards the tack room, picking up the saddle blanket he had used for years and her bitless bridle. He carried it into her stall, situating the pad onto her back and slipping the bridle over her rope halter. She happily munched away, at this point her own drool pooling slightly at the bottom of her bucket. Sometimes he was positive she needed a trough rather than a bucket. He returned once more to the tack room, picking up her breast collar and age old saddle. Just as he was to walk out his eye caught a little bag of apple wafers. Balancing the saddle on his hip and his free arm to secure it he snagged one of the treats- they were Ember's favorite. Making his way towards her stall once again he was in a world of his own, humming quietly. Once beside the horse he shoved the treat in his pocket, putting the saddle on her and cinching it. Next came the breast collar- which for him was purely for decoration. The intricate turquoise beading looked beautiful against her and matched the saddle pad he always used.

With all of the ground work done he looped the reins around the horn of his addle, leading her out of the stall and towards one of the well worn paths. A few other residents were also up and away on their horses, and he untied one of the knots in her halter, looping it to one of the rings on the saddle he was just about to haul himself into the saddle when Ember nuzzled his pocket, proceeding to rub her whole head the length of his body and lip at his jeans pocket. The treat! He'd nearly forgotten, "You're an asshat Ember, you know that right?" His words came playfully tot he mare as she nickered, continuing her assault on him. Only stopping when the treat was finally produced. She took it from his hand gleefully, her tail swishing to and fro.

Finally being able to get on his horse he clicked his tongue to her once and she began to walk along the fence line happily, her heard low, relaxed, and her ears flopped out to either side lazily. Elijah had always been the type who rode his horses loose-reigned. She had all of the head she would want and more, which was the way it should be in his mind. He wouldn't ride her too hard today, perhaps just something low effort. He definitely wasn't going to make her do much more than walk for the time being, not so soon after breakfast. Instead he sat back in the saddle quietly, humming to himself along the way.

[eleutheromania]

──── ♣ K𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚗 M.

male. » twenty-five » barrels and roping » no love interest » owner of brazen silver renegade
» location : trail going to lake » mentions : none » tags : open

the muggy morning was far from worrying for the young man, his mare, on the other hand, was living up to her name quite literally. he had put her out in the pasture not too long ago in order for her to get some energy out before he took her for a ride to get her energy out. kieran was currently in the empty stall that belonged to the bay mare and filling the water and feed buckets for when they returned. he pretty much had yet to speak to anyone, mainly keeping to himself, even if he was generally a social person. right now he just wanted to go out and about, despite the humidity and growing heat. sighing, he ran a hand through his shoulder-length brown hair, pulling out a few loose knots before closing the stall door and heading out of the stable itself.

his hazel gaze scanned the area for his mare and what he saw soured his mood just a little. waiting at the gate was his horse but rather than clean like she had been when he put her out, she was covered in dirt just about everywhere as if she had purposely rolled in a rather wet area in the pasture. grumbling under his breath, his shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath before he moved towards her. she knew exactly what she was up to but kieran was far from surprised with anything she decided to do. wrapping the lead around her neck and tying a loose knot, he opened the gate and lead her towards some cross ties where he had her tack waiting. being quick in his movements, he did as much as he could to get some of the mud from her flank before he began to tack her up. with the saddle on and clinched, he let her settle for a good minute or two before going back and tightening it again. he placed once boot in the stirrup before gracefully in one fluid movement, placing himself on top of his mare. once he was comfortable, he reached forward for the currently loose reins before pulling them back. minor protest was given before the mare moved back a few steps.

squeezing brat's sides, the horse broke into a brisk walk and soon a trot before he let up the pressure. it wasn't long before they hit the trail and kieran allowed the mare her head, letting her determine the pace as she maneuvered through the trail. he enjoyed the crisp clean air even if it was accompanied by a little humidity. he was glad to be here, a little fresh start which allowed him to focus on the mare he currently rode. he had been neglecting her training wise for quite a few months before coming here but she seemed to have retained most of the fundamentals along with the fact she was far from green. a heavy sigh escaped him before he just let his senses focus on his surroundings, clearing his mind and relaxing him further as he headed for the lake, hoping he had taken the right trail in the process.

[kanni]

______________________
𝔸valon ℂhicosky
nineteen|female|single
showjumping & xc
ℂalypso & Luna
location; barn
tagged; none
______________________

Although the first few days of her stay on the farm Avalon fell victim to jet lag, today it seemed that her body
had finally adjusted to the time zone it now resided in. The young woman had woken up hours before the
alarm clock she had set for herself, and blindly proceeded to get ready, only realizing what time it actually
was once she had put in her contacts and been able to properly see the blurry letters of the digital clock.
Her rush had slowed to a crawl upon realization that she was a full three hours ahead of schedule, now
taking her time to pick and choose which polo she would wear, with what breeches, what belt, what socks,
etc. She had actually tamed the thick ropes she called her hair into gentle waves before pulling it into a
braid that fell midway down her back, fingers deftly returning to a task they had been unable to for the
past three days. Avalon had been able to double check her riding bag, making sure that she actually had
everything instead of mentally prepping for the mad dash back and forth between her room and the barn.
Her phone was fully charged, her headphones were with her, and she had actually felt prepared for the
first time since arriving. She hadn't bothered with breakfast, Avalon was never hungry in the first few
hours after she woke up, and had leisurely made her way out of the farm house, a small

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bounce in her step as she made her way to the stables. It was a perfect morning for groundwork with Luna, balmy but not so much that the air felt thick and heavy. It wasn't supposed to get cooler until sundown, and with the sun just barely peaking over the horizon as it was Avalon was happy that she had chosen to wear light colored clothing. It was already warm out, and it could only get hotter. Being from California, the girl was used to hot temperatures, but she was used to being able to run down to the ocean any time she wanted to cool off. She couldn't do that here, and so had to properly dress for the day as a whole, not just the time she felt she would be on dry land.
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Upon arriving to the stables, Avalon had been graced with the familiar smell of hay, horse hair, and leather cleaner. It was a smell that she had grown up with and never failed to calm her if she happened to be in a tizzy. The soft huffing and puffing of horses in nearby stalls was just as soothing, especially knowing that it was coming from her two mares, who Avalon gladly approached to say good morning too. It was early for the animals as well, but having been settled on the farm a day or two before their owner actually appeared, they were in better shape than Avalon could say she herself was. Stroking Calypso's nose in almost apologetic fashion, Avalon turned to greet Luna, an idea of what she wanted to do with the dapple already in mind from when she had been getting ready. It was her and her mothers' belief that groundwork was key to having a well behaved horse. You could let them run all they wanted with you on their back and all it would be teaching them was that it was okay to take off when someone was riding them. Lunging a horse got rid of chaotic energy, and strengthened the bond of communication between horse and human. Avalon barely needed anything more than a whip and her mouth to keep her mares circling around her after several years training them to respond to such.
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Now, Avalon opened the stall Luna resided in, a curry comb from the basket that she had hung on the stall in her left hand and a peppermint out of her pocket in the right. The dapple gladly accepted the treat, allowing Avalon to move next to her flank and begin grooming her. Grooming was always one of Avalon's favorite ways to start off a barn session, it was grounding in a sense, and even if the girl was late she still made time for it. She made quirk work of any dirt and dust on her horse's coat, and moved on to brushing out her mane and tail with a comb until it was silky-smooth. Once Luna met Avalon's standards - not a speck of dirt on her - Avalon left the stall to put her tools away. She wasn't sure where she was going to work with the dapple, but as she slipped a halter over the horse's ears with lead rope attached she considered that the outdoor ring was most likely open for use.

[Consulting_Angel]

Cato Novak
24|Male|Bisexual
Caesar|Dressage
Location: Barn
Tagged: Open

He had been awake since six that morning, hauling himself out of bed after just a couple of minutes of giving himself a little bit of time to properly wake himself up, as if it was clockwork routine for him. And it was, essentially, especially after being here for a few months already with his sister. Although he'd previously helped out on the ranch he'd been at before coming to Twisted Oak ranch, it had not been on a residential basis. That didn't mean he was complaining about the workload and schedule that he had right now, though, of course, especially as he was here with his sister, and the horse that he ended up bonding with the most when helping out on the previous ranch, Caesar. He was very much surprised that he had been accepted by Twisted Oak Ranch as well, and incredibly grateful. He looked forward to progressing and competing more with Caesar. They were already working to an above-intermediate level, and were just improving and getting better. He hoped that they'd eventually get to a point where they could compete in some sort of championships, but he knew that would take a long time, with a lot of dedication and work.

Currently, Cato was carrying a heavy, filled, haynet, balancing it on one shoulder and keeping hold of it with one arm. He was, quite clearly, carrying it towards Caesar's stall, so that he could hang it up for the dappled Andalusian gelding. As he walked, he took a quiet glance around the barn, silently taking note of who else was there and what they were doing. There were recently a handful of new riders that had arrived, though Cato didn't recall properly meeting any of them just yet. He wasn't opposed to meeting them and introducing himself, but he wasn't really inclined or motivated to do so either. He supposed that they'd just end up meeting whenever it happened to occur. Regardless, he liked to know the sort of people that were around him.
Once he reached Caesar's stall, he slid the bolt lock across, and used his foot to lift up the 'lock' at the bottom of the stall door. Then, he carefully opened the door just a little bit, and slipped inside the stall, where Caesar was clearly looking forward to snacking on the hay, despite having had breakfast already. Cato just worked around the gelding, hanging up the haynet on the small metal ring.

Amara Novak
21|Female|Bisexual
Bellona|Reining/Pole Bending
Location: Barn
Tagged: Open

Amara whistled quietly under her breath as she made up Bellona's feed, her hair tied up in a ponytail, and she also wore a brightly coloured tie-dye flora bandanna tied up like a headband to help keep her hair out of her face. It had already been a few months since she and Cato had arrived at Twisted Oak Ranch, but she still couldn't quite believe that she was here, and with Bellona, no less. The temperamental mare had taken quite some time to warm up to Amara when they had first met those few years ago, and really, she was a truly fantastic horse to work with, when she was compliant and given the right discipline. After she'd poured the right measurements of the different types of feed she needed to make up Bellona's morning feed, she gave it a quick stir, then she picked up the bucket and carried it out of the feed room, and out to the barn. Her whistling had, at this point, subsided to just quiet humming, mostly so that she didn't end up attracting too much attention to herself from the other riders that might be in the barn.

As much as she loved meeting and talking to new people, Amara didn't want to come across to the others as being stereotypically loud, even if she actually wasn't, and she was just being friendly. As a result, she hasn't really met many of the newer riders at the ranch, even if they'd already been here a little while already. She hoped that would change soon, though, but she was hoping that someone would approach her, rather than she approached someone else, as to not seem pushy.
It wasn't long before she reached Bellona's stall, and the mare was already looking to eat from the feed bucket before it had even made it's way over the door. Amara didn't see the need to open the stall door just to put in a feed bucket, so she always carefully dropped it over to the other side of the door, making it much easier and less stressful for her. She smiled, leaning on the stall door, to watch Bellona while she ate. She would not be working Bellona until the afternoon - she wanted to allow for sufficient time for Bellona to be able to digest her breakfast first before doing any work with her, as to not risk getting the mare ill. Instead, Amara figured that she'd probably do some cleaning up in and around Bellona's stall, as she usually did each morning, so she went off to go and find a broom.

[broken*]

★. ── ❝ GYPSY EVERLY WESTBROOK ❞
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( 23 y/o female ) ( western ; barrel-racing, cutting, reining ) ( horses ; billie, watch'er ) ( tags: Elijah )
★. ── ❝ so you're a tough guy, like it really rough guy, just can't get enough guy. ❞


the way gypsy was around her horses, anyone watching would think she was a true southern girl who grew up in the country, even though that couldn’t be farther from the truth. she just had found her passion late in life, but to her it was never too late to start something new. gypsy had gotten up long before the sun had risen that morning, as was her normal nowadays, to give her two dogs their breakfasts; the collie and the shepherd had been taught how to climb up an easy angled ladder that led up to her loft bedroom in the houses previous attic. Jack and Jill both slept with her in her bed each night, which she loved having their fluffy forms cuddled up against her. seeing as it was summer now, the auburn-haired girl had vouched for a pair of cut off jean shorts with an off the shoulder crop top that had been tied up in the front with a knot. pulling on her worn dark brown boots, she quickly put her hair in a messy braid before opening the hatch that lead out of her room and climbing down. jack had no problem following her, but young jill still got psyched out about the going down part and so gypsy stood with her arms out as the light border collie leapt down into her arms. gypsy shook her head laughing as the dog licked her cheeks like she was trying to say thank you. heading downstairs, she fed both of her dogs before scrambling herself some eggs and pouring a glass of orange juice. once all three of them had finished, she grabbed two green apples out of the bowl of fruit on the kitchen table and headed out the front door, whistling for her dogs to follow. by this time, the sun had started to rise, and she smiled at the beauty of the early morning lights on overcoming the darkness and shadows of the night. jill ran ahead of her towards the barn, while jack walked calmly by her side.

her baby blue eyes noticed several of the riders already here, feeding or racking up, and she nodded her head in silent greeting to any who looked up and met her eye. entering the feed room, she grabbed the two hanging buckets that she had labeled with her horses names, and began to mix their grain with their individual supplements, stacking one on each of her hips as she headed for the back two stalls. being as her horses were a stallion and a mustang mare, she preferred having them off to themselves, thankful that they got along well with each other, if no one else. both of their stalls had small turn outs that she always left the gate opened to. as her horses ate, she spent time grooming them both thoroughly, first Billie and then watch’er. it was only the beginning of summer and so the full sun heat hadn’t begun to come out yet, so trail rides still felt nice with the light breeze. gypsy was the type of person to avoid saddling her horses if she was just going for a casual ride, wanting to feel that true connection to the beast underneath her. but watch’er was still young and feisty, and the mustang was getting used to all of the weird things that she didn’t experience in the wild. so she grabbed the blood red bareback pad and tightened the strap around the mares girth, then slipped the gentle snaffle bit into her mouth, fastening the bridle over her ears. she then hopped the half-wall that she had specially designed for them so she could go back and forth, and slipped billie’s hackamore on, making sure to tie his cloth reins up so he wouldn’t trip over them. she clucked to him as she opened his stall door and stood patiently in the hallway; she had trained him on being ground tied awhile ago.

walking in to get her mare, she walked the pinto into the hallway and clicked at both her stallion and her two dogs to follow as she walked down towards the barn opening. the collie and shepherd went everywhere with her, which she found endearing. plus she was going to take the trail to the lake and the knee how much they both loved splashing around in the water. it probably looked like a scene out of a movie, with the human walking between two horses, with two dogs walking infront of them, but that was just a normal day for gypsy. Once out from under the awning of the barn, she slipped right up onto the short mares back, wiggling a bit to get comfortable, then she clicked her tongue again to get all four animals moving and steered watch’er towards the part of the ranch that held the trails. Billie was a good boy and fiercely protective of both his owner and equine companion; he was incredibly well trained and simply walked by their side at a calm pace as they started off. even though she was hardly a horse, nearly a pony, watch’er moved her little legs at a fast pace even when walking trails; it was just a habit she likely gained being out in the wild as she had. the go go go energy. as they got closer to the enter ante for the trail, she spotted another of the riders on his bay mare and clicked a bit, urging her partners to catch up. she recognized him immediately, although she’d maybe only spoken to him once or twice in passing. She had competed at several of the same rodeos for barrel racing that he did for bull riding, so he was a familiar face. Reaching briefly for the crystal that hung around her neck, she flashed him a smile as jack and Jill raced past them, stopping at the trailhead and waiting. ”hey there. You looking for a casual ride? We’re taking the trail down to the lake if you wanna join. I’m Gypsy, Gypsy Westbrook, so you can trust I know my way around this property.”

✾. ── ❝ FRANCESCO ROMANO ❞
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( 26 y/o male) ( english ; cross-country ) ( horse ; gram ) ( tags: savannah )
✾. ── ❝ work hard, dream big, never give up. ❞


The second generation American citizen didn’t have much, and he worked hard for everything he did have; that included the old Chevy truck he was driving, and the small beat up trailer said truck was pulling. his truck was from the 1980’s, and he has remodeled it himself with the help of his father, so it was now a handsome dark green color. the little metal trailer was less pretty, with dents and dips all over it, but it still did it’s job. he had never had a lot of money, and while it still ran he wouldn’t waste what little he did have trying to pretty it up. he was one of the later people to arrive to the stable it appeared, for as he pulled up he noticed plenty of vehicles already parked and even spotted quite a few horses being walked or ridden. he pulled over to the side of the house where the stable was and parked, deciding that he’d move closer to the house to unpack later, after getting gram settled in. slipping from the interior of his truck, he grabbed the lead rope sitting on the passenger seat before heading around to the back of the trailer. all of his and gram’s things were tied down in the bed of the truck; his tack, feed, grooming supplies, as well as Frankie’s suitcase and gym bag/back packs.

the dark Italian was dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans, his “work” boots which were basically cowboy boots as he didn’t want to dirty his English show boots, and a light gray vneck shirt that clung to every muscle of his chest and arms. looking at his phone for the temperature, he kind of shrugged when he saw the number; the 80’s was nothing to him. having spent most of his life growing up in central Florida, he was used to high 90’s or even the 100’s. shaking the thought away, and partially messing up his already messy hair, he unlatched the back of the trailer and opened it up, stepping inside and hooking the lead rope to gram’s halter before slowly backing him out and onto the ground. gram would always trailer up when asked, but the gelding disliked the tightly enclosed space paired with the movement of driving. he was hot blooded, and always antsy after being trailered anywhere, which was obvious now as he pranced in place a bit, his head moving to look all around at their new surroundings.

Frankie knew he had to work the horse out to get his pent up energy out, and so his dark eyes scanned the property until they landed on what he was looking for; a round pen. He figured they had one but he wasn’t just gonna start walking no where. He quickly walked him to the back of the truck, where he rustled around for his lunge line. They walked at a quick pace towards the round pen, Frankie making sure to firmly close the gate behind them before attaching the lunge line and unhooking the lead rope. as he stood in the center of the pen, urging the bay gelding from a walk to a trot to a cancer, he couldn’t help but allow his mind to wander. his father was a construction worker and his mother worked as a maid in a Disney hotel; money had always been tight. but six months ago the bank repossessed their home, and currently they were living in a trailer while trying to fight for it back. he hadn’t wanted to leave them, but they had urged him to; they had applied him for staying at this stable, because if he stayed with them, they knew he would have sold his horse, given up his dreams, to help them. and they just wouldn’t allow that. his horse began to slow down as Frankie’s mind began to wander, and his eyes fell on the form of a short-haired girl that he recognized from some of his first competitions years ago. he wanted to call out and say hello, but he was unsure she’d recognize him, as he no longer was the thin gawky kid with a bowl cut and glasses that he used to be, and simply watched her enter the bark without saying a word. shaking his head, he realized that gram had begun to slow down and he kissed at the gelding to urge him back up to a canter.

[kanni]

______________________
𝔸valon ℂhicosky
nineteen|female|single
showjumping & xc
ℂalypso & Luna
location; covered arena
tagged; open :)
______________________

The entrance to the covered ring was wide open for Avalon to guide Luna through, and though she was rather
disappointed that she wouldn't have the arena fully to herself, the auburn-haired girl was still excited to
properly meet someone else staying at the ranch. While Avalon had already familiarized herself with all of
the boarded horses - the stalls allowing easy viewing and communication with each one - her jetlag had
screwed over her schedule. When most had been asleep, Avalon had been awake and sitting in either Calypso
or Luna's stall, and when the others were going about their day Avalon was passed out in her room. Unsure of
how whoever was already in the ring would react to another's presence, she kept the halter on Luna's head,
instead of removing it as she normally would have. If nothing else, the rope and head piece were only there
in the case of an emergency. Both Luna and Calypso had been raised solely by Avalon, and therefore viewed
the girl as either a lead mare or mother - Avalon honestly wasn't sure which - and respected whatever wish
she may have. Whether it be to stay behind, to canter, to bow, take an extra stride, to follow without any
other form of guidance, etc. Despite their near dog-like levels of listening and cooperation skills, it was still

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a new farm and Avalon would much rather be safe than sorry. Ice blue eyes peeked into the arena, and the smile that had been slowly forming on her face dropped when she realized that someone must have just left it open after leaving earlier, as it was empty. Avalon snorted quietly, feeling like a bit of an idiot in that moment. No matter, though, as now she'd have the arena to herself to work with Luna. A long whip lay near the entrance, conveniently, and as Avalon closed the gate behind her, eyes slowly adjusting to the slightly dimmer lighting, she nabbed it.
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"Alrighty, you know the drill." Avalon murmured to Luna as the black leather halter came off of the dapple's head. The mare was quick to turn away from her riding, nose lowered to the ground to pick up the smells of whatever horse had been there last as she made her way to the fence. Tugging the hair tie off of her wrist, Avalon pulled apart her braid, deciding that she would rather have it up in a high pony at the moment. Even when high up, her hair was long enough to reach midway down her back. It was one of her pet peeves, having to handle her hair, and the girl was never quite happy with how it looked or sat one way or another. Unraveling the whip, Avalon clicked twice at Luna, who by now had made it halfway back to where she had started her walk, a signal for the mare to change direction. The dapple did so, and Avalon watched the mare's limbs carefully, as she always did, to make sure that there were no injuries or stiffness. The last thing that the girl wanted, besides Luna throwing a shoe as she so often did, was for her mare to be working for her if she was in pain. Thankfully, everything looked fine, and after a few minutes of just letting the mare walk, Avalon clicked thrice to get her to move up into a working trot.
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Despite her laziness when being free lunged, Luna was a whirlwind of chaotic energy, and Avalon wanted to get it all out before she attempted to ride the mare. After all, there was no more satisfying way to end her work than to walk the tired dapple out bareback. Being able to feel Luna's lungs working, her heart beating, her muscles clenching and stretching, was one of Avalon's most favorite things.
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"Come on Luna, give me some energy to work with!" Avalon flicked the whip delicately, her left wrist rolling to give some sound to it. Luna was not afraid of the whip, and Avalon never had to worry about over using it with her mares, Calypso rarely even noticing that it had been used at all. Luna almost begrudgingly picked up the pace, her knees rising and falling as she worked up into a trot that had her look as if she was just skating across the arena. Another click and Luna began to circle around Avalon, the girl having her mare circle smaller and larger at random. It was a good way to ensure that Luna was indeed listening, a practice that Avalon had used when she first got Luna, though it was really only now used out of habit.

[Λlpha]

..➳ kira tanaka

female | eighteen | bisexual | western rider | thunder + arrow | crush: open | form | tags: open
─────── location: barn —> outdoor arena

the night before.
xxthe headlights of kira's tuck shone through the pouring rain, the windscreen wipers going backwards and forwards rapidly. avicii played softly on her bluetooth speaker, struggling to be heard against the relentless pitter-patter of the raindrops. kira leaned forward in her seat, peering through the dark as she searched for the turn-off. aha! she flicked her right blinker on and turned slowly through the gates, mindful of the rattling horse trailer behind her. the long driveway was quite spooky at this hour - the oak trees above were swaying in the wind, their long branches blocking out whatever small amount of light the moon shed as it peeked out from behind the storm clouds. she could imagine what the grounds would look like in daylight; beautifully green with luscious fields rolling away on either side of the drive. it was the perfect place to spend the next chapter of her life
xxkira parked the car underneath a nearby tree in the hope that it would provide her with some protection as she unloaded her horses. however, fat raindrops still fell persistently onto her head, causing her to grimace from the discomfort. she preferred rain when she was indoors, curled up on a couch with a book, sipping on a nice cup of hot chocolate, not when she was outside trudging through the mud in the freezing cold. the gravel beneath kira's boots crunched loudly as she walked around to the back of the horse trailer. her frozen fingers fumbled with the door's latch, the cool, slippery metal not helping her at all in her struggle. eventually, the door came loose and she lowered it to create a ramp. "perfect" she muttered to herself with a small, satisfied smirk. before she unloaded her horses, kira made sure that there were no obstacles in the way, hoping that there would be no crazy horses being unloaded nearby. at this hour of the night, in the hideous weather, there were only one or two people wandering around, none of which had any horses with them. even though her own horses were not problematic, kira couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at the absence of any chaos. she was wet, hungry and tired, and was not in the mood to deal with any issues at this hour. with a weary sigh, she turned her attention back to the two bay rumps sticking out the back of the trailer. "alright, arrow, you're first up"
xxkira huffed frustratedly. it was ironically funny, she supposed, that thunder was absolutely terrified of his namesake. her mare, poison arrow, had been unloaded without drama, but of course, thunder had to make a big deal out of everything. the seal bay clung to her side like he had been superglued, his ears pinned back and his nostrils flaring at every flash of lightning. the stallion had his neck pretty much resting on kira's shoulder, his front hooves occasionally hitting the back of her boots as they walked. "you're such a big baby" she scolded him as a distant boom of thunder caused the horse to snort right into her ear. at the sound of her voice, the stallion seemed to find a small boost of confidence, just enough for him to cross the distance to the barn without any further problems
xxafter settling her horses in, kira trudged back to the truck to retrieve her luggage. her mouth curled downwards in dissatisfaction as she brushed the against the wet side of her car, the water soaking swiftly through her layers of clothing. with a heavy sigh, she yanked the door open and heaved her suitcase off of the back seat, dumping it on the ground at her feet. kira closed the door and locked the truck before grabbing her luggage by its handle and dragging it towards the sutton house where she would be staying
xxkira collapsed onto the bed, her dark hair fanning out behind her head as she did so. after arriving at her room, she had unpacked and showered at a record speed to allow for as many hours of rest as possible. she allowed her eyes to slowly flutter closed, embracing the dark comfort of sleep

present.
xxkira leaned against arrow's stall, her brown gaze watching the mare as she nibbled at her hay net. her eyes drooped from exhaustion - the combination of her late-night arrival and early morning wake-up starting to take its toll. with a resigned sigh, she hefted arrow's teal-themed saddle, the saddle pad balanced precariously on top and her turquoise and brown bridle looped through one arm. with a grunt of effort, kira heaved the pile of tack onto the stall’s door and slipped inside, murmuring a soft greeting to the bay mare
xxarrow walked along beside her, the quarter horse’s hooves kicking up small plumes of dust as they made their way toward the outdoor arena. kira pushed the gate open, leading the mare through before closing it behind them. she mounted arrow and nudged her forward into a trot, completing laps of the arena to warm up

[buckskin.]

,

𝒵𝑜𝒻𝒾𝒶 𝑅𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒶𝓇

❝ what if i wanted to rule the world? ❞
22 years old ︰ female ︰ polish ︰ no tags ︰ no mentions ︰ tacking up amber

Zofia placed the saddle cloth gently on the mare's back, reaching around her chest to make sure that it was even on the other side before placing her synthetic all purpose gently in place. Although she had a much nicer saddle fitted for the young mare, she felt that it would be much better to ride in the crappy old saddle on a trail than anything else. Besides, the synthetic was light and if there were many slopey hills, meant that (she hoped that) the mare was less likely to get a sore back. That was something Amber had been prone to in the past but after a visit from the chiropractor, it was found that she was severely out in the back and required several further visits. Ever since then, Zofia had been extra careful.
With one hand remaining on the bay mare, the girl made her way around to the right hand side to make sure the girth wasn't twisted before placing in flat against Amber's stomach. The mare could be rather girthy at times so slow and steady was what really won the race with her. "You're fine, little girl." she cooed softly before gently stroking her neck, causing the mare the lower her head as she relaxed. All Zofia wanted was for the mare to relax, all she wanted was for herself to relax and remember that it was okay to build a relationship with other horses. Saying that, space was a good thing too; Amber was one to get extremely attached and she had a bad habit of becoming.... possessive. Not only was the mare possessive of Zofia's gelding, Ryker, but Amber was also possessive of her and had bitten a handful of people in the past. It was something they were working on and the bay was starting to understand the boundaries she had to abide by.
Talking to her softly, the brown haired girl ducked under the mare's neck and patted the horse down on the shoulder before pulling the girth up on the left side. As the horse had a tendency to bloat, Zofia held the girth until she let her breath out before doing it up. That had been better than before, some days it took her fifteen minutes just to put the girth up. Progress was progress after all.

𝕵𝖚𝖑𝖎𝖚𝖘 𝕺'𝕹𝖊𝖆𝖑

❝ why are you like this? ❞
24 years old ︰ male ︰ irish ︰ no tags ︰ no mentions ︰ in hugo's field

Julius stood, arms out stretched with his face plastered with pure frustration in the dead center of Hugo's field. At this point he had dropped the leadrope at his feet and his eyes never seemed to leave the stallion as he danced around him with excited arrogance. Usually the stallion would come quietly but not today. Today, the moment the appaloosa saw the leadrope it was the end and he was determined in not being caught. Infact, Hugo was so determined about not going into his stall that the bucket of grain that sat at the gate was completely untouched. He knew it was another bribery device and was not having any of it. "Hugo, come on! You're being incredibly difficult." he hissed through clenched teeth as the stallion bucked and bronced around him, striking and playing while snorting his defiance. When he wanted to be difficult, Hugo really used his pure size and strength to his advantage. He knew he was intimidating and only acted so when he really didn't want to do something, like going into his stall. Although he was usually very friendly and enjoyed spending time with Julius, the stallion was determined to stand his distance much to the dismay of his human.
Julius kicked at the ground, feeling his frustration over boil as the stallion theoretically laughed at him. Perhaps he should leave him to play around for the day, it was something he considered. Upon making his decision to let the horse play for another couple of hours, the young man started his way back to the gate, picking up the leadrope off the ground on his way. The bucket would stay, hopefully Hugo would pick at it once he realised Julius was nowhere to be found.

,

[OutFoxed]

Piper Fairhill

△ 23
△ Female
△ Prag ♦ Honor
△ Hunters/Jumpers
△ Open // Julius
△ House/Barn

Why, oh why, had she volunteered to set up the family dinner for tonight? Didn't her housemates understand she barely knew how to microwave a bowl of ramen, much less cook for a large group? She had woken up in a panic from the terrible dreams plaguing her through the night - the recurring theme of failure rampantly trampling throughout her restless nightmares. To make matters worse, he phone hadn't sounded her morning alarms and it was already later in the day than she ever preferred.
Piper desperately grabbed up clothes at random off her floor, not caring precisely if they were clean or matching. In the bathroom she hurried about her in record time and pounded down the stairs where she shoved her mismatched stockinged feet in her muck shoes - a pair of worn paddock boots that hadn't seen a stirrup in years. She hated the feeling of rushing, but it seemed to be her only state of being - she managed to rarely ever be on time, even when it was only to her internal time.

Her horses spent overnight out in their field since the season shifted from cool balmy Georgia winter to hell heat & death humid summer in less time than a finger snap; a decision she made every year due to Honor's increased metabolic issues and to protect Pragmatic's coat from sun fade. The geldings lived well together and seemed to be happier with long term turnout hours. Piper did occasionally worry about their well-being and potential problems, but every morning they met her at the pasture gate ready for breakfast and late morning snoozes.

Already behind schedule for the day, Piper hadn't made up their breakfast grain so they were grumpily munching on hay while she set about soaking beet pulp and measuring out senior feed. In the feed room she had her own black plastic stacked shelving unit with accompanying plastic containers for for various grain types; her supplements and medications decorated the shelves. She'd contemplated the costs on individual tubs versus a system like SmartPak and found when she was boarding her horses it was so much easier to have they ready-made packets but now that she was managing her horses's care full time - it was way easier to measure it out herself, allowing for adjustments as needed in a day-to-day basis, especially as her older horse was prone to hoof problems and her younger to ulcers. She loved the level of care she could give them, totally able to cater to each need as it arose or able to head something off before it truly became a flare up.
The twenty three year old dished up the oatmeal like substance to her horses - the grain consistency closer to a mash than solid hard feed due to the extra water she mixed in; she liked knowing that her boys were hydrated with their grain meals - although Piper swore she had several hairs turned grey from years of stressing about horse water consumption. Greedy nickers turned to hungry slurping as each gelding shoved their muzzles into their breakfast mush. The definite downside to this way of feeding was that Honor tended to slosh his food on the stall wall and grill bars separating the two geldings - to which Pragmatic would take full advantage of, licking up whatever his pink tongue could reach after lapping his bucket clean. She tried to scrub down the walls weekly to help with the irritating flies that flocked to the leftover food.
Taking a few moments to glance over her horses one last time for a general health and wellness check - a simple once over that alerted her to anything different or alarming about their well-being that she did from leaning over the stall doors. Every moment she spent with horses, she tried to be as aware as she could about the subtle and not so subtleties of horses - from a quick glance at their eyes, ears, nose - to a hurried look over their legs and body - and an awareness of how a horse moved; it was a skill so second nature to Piper, she often forgot she was even doing it. She was able to quickly determine whether something was wrong with a horse in between the times she was able to give a more thorough examination, like when she was grooming or bathing them. She'd been alerted to plenty of colic cases before they became full blown episodes just by being aware of a horse's usual attitude - a lively horses all of a sudden being more sullen and reserved, or a horse uninterested in a new meal.

Her hazel eyes flicked quickly over her munching horses and determined all was well for the moment. She did notice that many stalls in the barn were empty and plenty of evidence showed various horse and rider combinations were out and about the property - oh she wished she could join them, but she would have to wait until the afternoon to enjoy a ride and barn chores. The dinner shopping list unfortunately wasn't going to shop for itself - so off to the supermarket she was to go.

Her legs were on another mindset entirely, her pace towards the house morose and wandering; perhaps she could find an unsuspecting victim to join her along to the dreaded deed. Taking a minute in her walk up to the house to readjust her hair - she couldn't help but letting her gaze roam the farm land. She saw Julius looking rather harried in his stallion's paddock; Piper couldn't help but smile at the pairs antics as she wrapped her rich mahogany hair up in a messy bun. The movement of horses working in the outdoor areas caught her eye; she squinted trying to identify the humans attending them.

Tyler Blackwood

✖ 25
✖ Male
✖ Firefly ⨂ Conquest
✖ Barn
✖ @open
✖ |Eventer|

Today was just another day like any other; morning chores and horses to ride. Tyler had risen with the sun, and what could only be the majority of the house. He'd made sure to get to the coffee pot early on, filling a travel mug to be enjoyed at the barn. The twenty five year old eventer was quiet and introverted, something the coffee helped to warm him out of along with the physical labor required in stalls and scrubbing buckets.

In the feed room, he set about scooping pellets and grain into two grain buckets - topping them off with zip bags containing supplements. The small room required a moment of dancing as one rider came in and another was mixing feed. With the two horses gobbling up their breakfast, Tyler set off to the hay barn to distribute grass and alfalfa in the reserved paddocks. By the time he was back in the barn, the horses had cleaned up their buckets and were ready to be turned out. Starting with the fiery mare, he set Firefly loose in the turnout - she took off with a jump and buck, tearing off around the fenceline. Her athletic ability was clear in every line and muscle, and she was not a horse to let you forget it. Conquest was a stoic as always, trotting off to the first alfalfa pile with a bold grace. Ty trudged back in to start on mucking his stalls and dumping buckets. He slipped on a pair of earbuds with a playlist of rock songs to keep him going through the sometimes tedious labors.