Redwood Valley Equestrian Centre | Mustang Million

[SydneyandStorm]

((Certainly! Go ahead ^^ I'm going to push everything back a couple days anyway because I had a couple assignments sprung on me and was unable to sort out the patterns in time ^^' Sorry about that; I will do my best to have everything finished up for that by Friday at the latest, pushing everything back two days! c:))

[caf.]

[[in that case, i've slightly edited my last post to open the door for a little character interaction, if that's alright]]

[OutFoxed]

Riata Stone

☘ 28
☘ Female
☘ Coup de Grâce : Rebel (4, S)
☘ Legends

Keaton Ramses

✖ 27
✖ Male
✖ Full Moon Shadow : Jackal (6, S)
✖ Specialty: Freestyle

Erin Moore

☀ 25
☀ Female
☀ Tequila Sunrise : Sol (5, S)
☀ Specialty: Hunters

────────.X.

The twenty one hour drive had been a pretty straightforward trip; the mustangs loaded well at eight o'clock Sunday morning and the trainers hopped in the truck cab with enough sugar and caffeine to power a rocketship to outer space. The stallions actually took well to the hustle and bustle of the farm life and the impending road trip; the trainers had spent the previous week working on loading and unloading safely and driving around the facility property, unloading the horses and reloading again just to repeat the process in a 'new' location. Sol had picked it up with ease - loving the treats Erin rewarded him with in copious amounts. Jackal was also a quick study but tended on the nervous side once the ramp closed up - whinnying and banging at the sides with his hooves. Rebel was an eager gentleman - his nosy personality made it so he rooted around the trailer ramp with his nose, seeming to try and understand the mechanics, and also having to stop and paw at everything. Every time Ria brought him up to the trailer ramp, he'd blow through his nose at it as though it was his first time, then wiggle his nose under the board and try to lift it (Erin or Keaton were often wrangled to stand on the ramp so he couldn't succeed) finishing off with a minute long scraping and pounding on the rubber mat with both front feet. When he was finished his silly routine, the flashy mustang practically trotted up the ramp and stood in the slant stall with his ears pricked at Riata like 'Why are you taking so long standing down there'.

For the first hour on the road - Jackal screamed; Rebel screamed; and yes, Sol screamed. Although to be fair, Sol only seemed to be whinnying to be part of the 'cool kid club'. Jackal had worked up a lather of sweat over his shoulders - something the trainers were able to monitor because of the video feed that Keaton had hooked up to a small tablet. Erin and Keaton took turns watching the mustangs sway and munch away at their feed bags in the four horse head-to-head trailer. Rebel had been stalled in the back stall, the middle divider having been taken down so he could enjoy the larger space, while the two more levelheaded mustangs faced him in the front sharing a middle common wall. The seal black horse finally settled down around the second hour, but only because he turned his attentions from vocalizing his discontent to physical destruction. He tried kicking down the sides of the trailer, the ramp of the trailer and even the front stall doors. When that didn't work, he tried to bite and rip the padding covering the doors. And when that didn't give the results he desired, he promptly ripped all of the hay out of his bag and tossed it around. The hay went everywhere, into the central space dividing the stalls, and underfoot - where he promptly mushed it into the muck and mire that had become of the fresh shavings Keaton so painstakingly bedded down for the horse. Sol and Rebel watched in the other horse's revel - curious and also delighted in having more food thrown their way.


The third hour brought quietness to the trailer as everyone settled in for the long haul. Unfortunately, that is where things started to get tense in the truck cab. They had stopped a few times prior to make sure the horses were actually doing okay, and to check that Rebel hadn't hurt himself or caused irreparable damage. Erin had been all down to business and Keaton a bit akin to a sloth - completely normal. But it was when Erin started rapid fire quizzing everyone and telling Mustang Trivia, when things started to go down hill. There wasn't enough coffee in the world to keep Riata's headache at bay - mostly caused by the stress Keaton and Erin were giving her as the younger assistant spat out facts and her cross country rider snarked and cursed for being woken up during his nap. Ria tried to drown out the noise by covertly raising the volume of the radio - which evidently just made the NPR broadcaster's droning voice get louder, aiding to the pounding in her head. Her thoughts veered toward finding ways to run away, or wishing she'd had the emergency eject upgrade to her truck.

The fighting ended when Riata finally spoke up and calmly told the both of her junior trainers to kindly Shut the Hell up. The fourth, fifth, and sixth hours were pleasantly spent - Riata navigating traffic and construction through eastern Tennessee. They stopped every three hours to water the horses, offer fresh hay, bathroom break and reload on drinks and snacks. They made it to Nashville see the evening lights, the university, and drive past many country hopefuls. They did stop and take a couple touristy pictures before hopping on the road again.

It was about 9 pm when they passed through Memphis and onto Arkansas - Ria was having a hard time keeping her headache at bay, the past twelve hours of traffic and stop-and-go construction had caused her muscles to tense and cramp. The general consensus was that their butts hurt and the convenience store coffee was getting pretty bad. The horses were doing well, not being too disturbed by the air-ride breaks; a fan helped to circulate the air, helping to keep the temperature cool enough for them as well. As they neared Little Rock, Ria couldn't keep her eyes open much longer; a glance at the dim radio clock stated it was just past midnight. Erin was curled up in a ball in the passenger's seat, having passed out a few hours before. Keaton was lounging on the back bench seat with his eyes reflecting his mobile screen. The head trainer mentioned getting in a power nap before tackling the last leg of the trip.

Getting back on the road around 5 am, the Foxtail Stables crew hit the texas border by 7, making it to Dallas by 10. The last hour was breeze; everyone was definitely ready to be out of the confined spaces of the truck and trailer. Rebel had started to pace the small stall and Rebel was rocking side to side. Sol, bless his heart, was trying his hardest to reach the bottom of the hay bag - each time he almost conquered, the bag was restocked with a fresh flake and he'd have to start all over again. It was with relief they finally hit the fairgrounds just before noon - stopping only to hand over paperwork before following the signs to the competition grounds.

Two trailers were already lined up when Ria shifted the Foxtail Stables rig into place beside them. Eagerly the humans inside jumped out and took in the sunshine. Following the packet instructions, Ria found the four stalls staked out for them and began set up. Keaton checked on the horses but left them for the moment in the trailer as he started hauling trunks and equipment from the trailer storage to the stalls. Erin worked on bedding the stalls and checking for potential hazards. The head trainer went over to the show office and checked in.

❂

The side ramp was dropped down, letting in Texas sunshine. Jackal whinnied in earnest, pleading to be the first one out. He had managed to kick a hind shipping boot off and his anti-sweat cooler was lopsided. Keaton went to straighten the horse out before walking him slowly down the ramp and onto the showgrounds. The black horse snorted and pranced, taking in the unique sights and sounds, smells and new surroundings. His tail was held high like a banner and his coat gleamed with sweat in the sunshine. "Welcome to Texas, Jackal." Keaton calmly stated as he stroked his horse's neck. As they headed off toward the stalls, Ria heard the cross country rider mutter something about everyone needing a shower, to which she wholeheartedly agreed. A nice warm shower and a change of clothes for her, and a cool rinse for the horses, was going to help get the day going. The golden stallion nickered at his trainer as she snapped her lead to his leather traveling halter - they moved down the ramp with ease, following after the other pair. Riata was last in retrieving her mustang. His inquisitive eyes taking in as much as he could from where he was in the trailer; ears perched alert on top of his head. An earsplitting holler screamed from his mouth before retreating to a rumble in his chest. The young woman winced and tried to soothe him with rubs on his withers. Her headache was monstrous at this point. She took her time letting the young horse explore his surroundings. He stamped at the ramp before going down; he flinched sideways a step at the hotdog vendor down the lane; he tried to eat the metal siding on the competition barn.

When all of the horses were in their respective stalls - Sol found the fresh hay net, Rebel was nervously dunking his head in the water bucket and flinging droplets around when he shook his head, and Jackal was prowling the perimeter of the metal enclosure. "I'll stay here and work on unpacking our equipment and I'll see what I can put up of the stable decorations;
You two can run off to the showers and get refreshed. We'll switch and then pull the horses out to lunge, I'm sure they're done seeing metal walls for a bit." Riata instructed her junior trainers. She was already working her way through a show trunk, pulling out the curtains used to cover the tack stall.

[Well, I don't know if it's long enough!
Definitely excited about this.]

[caf.]

((Kasey // 22yo woman // Cavallo Stables
Riot // 4yo Mustang mare
Training - x x x))

Kasey stood up to head for lunch right as the Foxtail team arrived, but paused when she laid eyes on them. It struck her how long it had been since she’d ridden with a team; while occasionally she joined up with her lessees or friendly teams but she had no coach, no partner. Not a bad existence by any means, but an interesting one for sure; she had more time to focus on her own matters, but for the most part, the other riders all silently rooted against her.

She remembered then that she’d handed Tanze, the little Fjord mare, over to the Foxtail team; for an instant, she almost wondered about asking how she was doing. It was hard to remember whether she’d sent any other horses to that farm, or whether she’d even sent any to the Starwalker crew.

Upon hearing Riot let loose a long, loud whinny, Kasey settled back into her lawn chair. Leaving her alone to go get lunch sounded like a poor choice, and by the time she settled it’d be too late to eat. Retrieving a small bag of trail mix from her bag she began to eat with one hand and browse the show packet with the other, surveying the patterns for each of her classes. She noted that nobody had stalled directly next to her; must have been a scratch. Still, with the newest team arriving out of state, she expected in a minute a horse would occupy the wash stall next to Riot (who alternated between frantically ripping hay from the net and dramatically pawing in the shavings). She supposed she would have to greet everyone at some point, since her connections had somewhat faded with the demise of Cavallo Combined Training.

Standing, she abandoned her “meal” and paced over to the stall door to lean on it, regarding the little mare with a quiet, even look. Riot approached immediately, searching for treats; when she affirmed that the human had nothing to offer for her mouth, she began to sniff her over, curious as to what occupied her. Kasey idly reached up to rub the tangled forelock she already needed to re-brush, wondering why she suddenly felt so young and inexperienced amidst the competitors surrounding her.

[[sorry if mine haven't been as high-quality lately - it's been a rough week lmao]]

[Starwalker123]

Logan Woodhaven | Male | 23 years | Starwalker's Fancy Don't Let Me Down | Mare | 4 years | Legends/Cow Work
Eli Fox | Male | 16 years | Starwalker's I'm Weak | Colt | Yearling | Youth

The Starwalker crew set up stalls in record time, then the others left Eli to got to the hotel. They had put up the curtains over the tack stall and unloaded tack. Eli had put up his cot in the spare stall. He had volunteered to watch the mustangs over night. Eli looked around the barn. He should get up and go meet some of the other riders.

When the last group pulled into the barn, he was grooming Weak. As far as he knew none of this barns had brought horses from them in the past. Eli set the brush down on the wall and pulled a set of rubber bands out of his pocket. He whipped out the braid's even with his hands shaking.

Eli left the brush on the chair outside of the stall door. They had put it in between the stalls for now. When they got back Logan and him planned to work there horses, at least get them out and lunge them. Eli made up his mind to go say hello to the rider that wasn't with a group.

He walked over to her and looked into the stall. He didn't get too close through."Hello, I'm Eli Fox, I'm with Starwalker Equistern Center. I trained a youth mustang. Your horses looks amazing.

[caf.]

((Kasey // 22yo woman // Cavallo Stables
Riot // 4yo Mustang mare
Training - x x x x))

Kasey jumped upon being spoken to, though she should have been expecting it what with being stalled so close to the wash rack. She glanced at Eli over her shoulder; she didn’t recognize him, though it was likely she’d recognize his trainer if she saw them. She nodded in greeting, turning halfway to face him.

“Hey. Kasey Cavallo. Cavallo Stables.” She tried her best not to sound so flat but nonetheless spoke in an unamused monotone. Looking back at her mare she said, “Thank you. We’ve, hm, had quite a ride.”

The young adult peered into the empty stall adjacent to hers and noted the small cot now inside, silently hoping Riot wouldn’t be too much of a bother. Her eyes continued upward to the cream-colored mare two stalls down. Kasey gestured to her with two fingers.

“She yours?”

Riot, understanding that humans are generally boring when their hands are empty, returned to her beaten hay bag.

[Starwalker123]

Logan Woodhaven | Male | 23 years | Starwalker's Fancy Don't Let Me Down | Mare | 4 years | Legends/Cow Work
Eli Fox | Male | 16 years | Starwalker's I'm Weak | Colt | Yearling | Youth

Nice to meet you. I think everyone did with there mustangs." Eli glanced to where she was pointing."No but Fancy is a Starwalker horse. Wild is inbetween the empty and her. He is a wild bay racinbo. He is a little thing, but since he is a yealing i'm hoeing hel'll grew a bit more. If not he will fit right in with the ponies at home." Eli said," So what's your horses name and what event are you doing?"

[caf.]

((Kasey // 22yo woman // Cavallo Stables
Riot // 4yo Mustang mare
Training - x x x x x))

At the mention of ponies Kasey suddenly did remember Eli’s face, if only faintly. She’d seen him around Pony Association conventions. It was nice, at least, to have some connections with the competitors; it was easier, after all, to root against someone you’d never met.

She nodded as he pointed out his colt; the little thing was indeed somewhat gawky, but he had clean legs and was clearly well cared-for. It surprised her that they trusted him to stall next to the mare, but then he looked like he had a good head on his shoulders.

“Her name’s Riot,” Kasey said of her horse. “Hope she’ll turn out an eventer when I’m done with her, but for now ‘m just doing dressage and legends with her.” To herself, she wondered what would become of Wild when he became old enough to ride.

[OutFoxed]

Riata Stone

☘ 28
☘ Female
☘ Coup de Grâce : Rebel (4, S)
☘ Legends

Keaton Ramses

✖ 27
✖ Male
✖ Full Moon Shadow : Jackal (6, S)
✖ Specialty: Freestyle

Erin Moore

☀ 25
☀ Female
☀ Tequila Sunrise : Sol (5, S)
☀ Specialty: Hunters

────────.X.

As Ria waited for her junior trainers to finish up in the bathrooms, she putzed around setting things in place. She noted the other competitors within the barn; the young woman who owned Cavallo Stables and the young team from Starwalker Equestrian. The Foxtail mustangs had quieted down a bit, probably glad to not be confined to the trailer stalls. Jackal shouted a worrying whinny every so often, calling out to any and all within ear shot. Sometimes, if Sol didn't have a mouthful, he'd whicker a reassuring reply. Ria mentally reminded herself to send Keaton over to the Cavallo stalls and introduce himself - as he often cared for the Fjord mount they'd received from them.

Erin was the first to emerge refreshed and ready to get down to business. She relieved Ria so that the older woman could enjoy some shower time. She pulled out the chunky golden mustang - who started to pout at being torn away from his hay, but she redirected his attention with a peppermint treat from her pocket. She lead him over to the wash rack situated in the middle of the stable - two stalls had been set up for washing and the opposite area held two grooming areas. It was somewhat rudimentary - a low wall dividing the two bays with a set of metal cross ties mounted high on the wall. The wash area offered a hose over each stall with a swinging arm that kept the hose from being on the floor. Sol stepped into the dry wash bay, sniffing and snorting - clearly on the lookout for food morsels. As Erin turned the water on and splashed the floor by the gold stallion, he whuffled and huffled, worrying over the spraying water. Sol was a surprisingly clean horse; he liked a clean stall to sleep and liked to roll or sun bathe in the soft arena sand. Getting muddy was not his idea of a good time and he was a bit jumpy at the start of bathing. Erin quickly aimed the nozzle up over the stallion's forelegs, moving up his shoulder and onto his stocky barrel. The faster he was drenched, the faster he was to settle and accept the activity. It was a few minutes of the mustang rocking side to side in the cross ties, skittering away from the spray and trying to turn his head towards it to see it better, and pawing the textured cement floor. When he did calm down, Erin rewarded him with a small handful of pony poppers she kept in her pockets for times just like this. She worked hard to reward his good behavior, and as soon as she realized he was very food motivated, used treats as positive reinforcement.

[Starwalker123]

Logan Woodhaven | Male | 23 years | Starwalker's Fancy Don't Let Me Down | Mare | 4 years | Legends/Cow Work
Eli Fox | Male | 16 years | Starwalker's I'm Weak | Colt | Yearling | Youth

"That's amazing, I'm hoping a came turn Wild into a jumper when he is bigger. He is the most honest sort of a horse but he has so much try in him. I'm just hoping I don't out grew ponies. Eli said as he watched the foxtail rider led there mustang into the wash wrack."Hopefully that doesn't spook our horses." He said pointing to the wash stall."You wouldn't by chance have been at some of the pony get together would you have."