[j. bourne]

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

Username: klovesugar2
Show Name: Hershey On My Mind
Barn Name: Kisses
Gender: Mare
Age: 9 years
Height: 16.3 HH
Eye Color: Amber
Phenotype: Chocolate Palomino Tobiano Blanket Pintaloosa
Genotype: ee/aa/Crcr/Toto/Lplp
Mane Type: Trimmed
Discipline: Deep Red with Brass Buckles
Halter: Trail
Breeding Info: N/A
Edit List: Pinned Ears and Wide Eyes


To win this nervous mare, tell me about your plan to make her feel more comfortable at your farm.
Minimum 300 words with no limit!

Code: Select all

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

Minimum 300 words. Ends September 1st.

[-Unbridled-]

Username: -Unbridled-
Show Name: Kingdom's Queen
Barn Name: Queen
Gender: Mare
Age: 5 years
Height: 17.3 hh
Halter: Turquoise
Discipline: Cross Country
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Here
Comfort Plan: Queen was very afraid and hostile towards humans due to her past. She was in the illegal breeding program most of her life, and was neglected and repeatedly abused. She was homed in a small stall, crowded with several other horses. The other horses were her only company and comfort. She was only fed when she absolutely had to be, and her only water source were the small puddles that would form after a rainstorm. She would graze in a barren, muddy pasture that was so crowded, each horse would be flank to flank with one another. When she was rescued, she was wrestling with her new owner as she was trying to load her in the horse trailer. She wasn't used to trailers. She especially hated it when her owner tried to calm her and stroke her, thinking her owner was going to hurt her. She saw all humans as a threat. She never experienced love from another human. She is now currently undergoing many tests and new situations, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. She has a large roomy stall the is cleaned every day and bedded with fresh, soft straw. She is given top of the line horse feed and oats, and given fresh ice water twice a day. She is turned out in a pasture for a good amount of time with other mares that she can socialize with. She is also slowly getting used to humans. She still doesn't trust them getting too close to her, but she's definitely made progress. She happily lets humans reach their hands out to feed her sugar cubes, which has helped her a lot. Sometimes, when she is distracted, you can reach out and stroke her neck. She enjoys ear scratches from the few humans she is closest to. She is still in the process of being broke in so she can participate in competitions and be ridden. She has been learning fast, and becomes more comfortable with humans every day. She's now living like a queen.

340 words

[skip]

Username: .River.
Show Name: Angelic Angel
Barn Name: Angela
Gender: Mare
Age: 5
Height: 16.2
Halter: Light Grey
Discipline: Cross Country
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Boop
Comfort Plan: I was looking over the horses available for adoption, when I stopped a mare who cowered in a corner of her pen. She was pacing back and forth, ridden with anxiousness. My face saddened with concern. This mare was very scared and seemed to have been one of the worst treated out of the bunch. I wanted to bring her to my farm, where I hoped to make her a happy horse. This was going to be no easy task. I watched the mare, and determined how I would make her feel calmer. I went to my truck and retrieved some oatcakes, hoping she will take the treat so I can bring her to my trailer. I approached her, taking each step slow and with caution. She paced around anxiously. I stopped a few feet away from her, slowly reaching out my hand that was filled with an oatcake. She at first backed away, not wanting anything to do with me. After some soft murmurs and trying to let her know I wouldn't hurt her, she tentatively took the oatcake from my hand and ate it. That gave me enough time to slowly grab her lead. She was still a bit anxious, but let me lead her to the trailer. Once I loaded her up, I drove back to my farm. Once there, I walked to the trailer and opened it up. She was anxious, stomping her hooves a bit. She didn't want to leave the trailer. I softly talked to her, letting her know she would be okay. It took a while, but once calm, I led her out of the trailer and to the pasture. The pasture was a beautiful lush area, fenced in with a white fence. There were a few shady willow tree on the land, and plentiful green grass. In the pasture she stood around for a bit, anxious of what to do. After a while she trotted around, investigating the area. I decided to make her feel comfortable, I gave her time to explore the pasture and adjust. Within an hour, she was gently grazing the field. I was leaning against the fence, then decided to enter the pasture and lead her out to the barn. This time approaching her she didn't put up a fuss. I walked her out, and brought her in the barn. Inside lay a stable with the best bedding I had. To make her comfortable I brought in fresh water, fancy bedding, and the best hay I could buy. This mare was going to be treated well. Before letting her in her stall, I got a fancy blanket for her. Draping it across her back, the expensive material was like the finest silks. It was delicate, ensuring a nice feeling on her. I let her in her stall now, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. She laid herself down to sleep, and I smiled with the hope that she would enjoy her new life. (495)

[Bayfire213]

Username: klovesugar2
Show Name: Hershey On My Mind
Barn Name: Kisses
Gender: Mare
Age: 9 years
Height: 16.3 hh
Halter: Maybe something deep red with brass hardware?
Discipline: Trail
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Boop
Comfort Plan:

(So I got a little bit carried away, and most of this is just setting the scene, mood and all, and demonstrating the sort of training and attitude Kisses would be met with once she was back home, while a more direct answer to the prompt can be found in the last paragraph if you don't wish to read through this entire thing. 3250 words in total, 333 in just the last paragraph.)

"Really? That would be wonderful, thank you so much for this Clair. I'll see you when we get back." Nora hummed, pleased that something was going right today. One weight off her shoulders. Horses were herd animals, and the best teacher of how to be a horse, is the horse, and that was one of the most important lessons they could ever learn. Not a human, no matter how many people insisted on imprint training foals, which wasn't necessarily bad in and of itself, but not everyone attempting such had a clue what they were actually teaching, and that was a problem. This mare looked like she'd never been allowed to be a horse, and that... came with a whole slew of issues, in her experience. Bad manners and dangerous behaviors, mostly, though she was aware enough to admit that was likely only because those were the ones Nathanial sent her way, the ones who needed that trained out of them before they would really be adoptable, would really appeal to the sort of people they wanted to actually see taking those horses home. Either way, her thoughts digressed, she didn't exactly have a herd at home for her new charge to take to, and there were no promises that the officials would be sending her home with any others. But a bit of luck and a bit of chance, she was meant to be horse-sitting for a friend in about a week's time as the other went on a honeymoon, and Clair was fine dropping off her two sweethearts a but early. A grey little mustang mare named Bat, and a bay Percheron-Quarter cross gelding, Cricket. Both calm, easygoing sweethearts, though Bat was a queen of a mare who refused to be disrespected, and would help with teaching the other mare what wouldn't actually fly in polite company.

Which wasn't to say that she'd be so irresponsible as to just let the trio loose together right off the bat and call it good, no. That would be an accident waiting to happen, especially not knowing the mare's true temperament, as no matter how one looked at it, Nora had no clue how the mare may have been treated or rather mistreated before it came to this point, the Euphorian just had her world turned upside down, and was about to be in for a few more surprises by the time all was said and done. Her attitude now could be wildly different once she was actually settled in, and the last thing anyone needed was for one of the horses to get hurt. They could socialize from across a good, sturdy fence, at least until Nora could be somewhat sure that the two mares wouldn't actually get into it. Cricket was hardly any concern at all, the gentle giant a huge pushover, too lazy to try to argue with anyone, be they horse or human or something else entirely. They were good horses, both of them, and she had faith that this dusty lady would be alright with them once the dust settled, but... it was best not to take that chance. Especially since she still needed to get the mare to a vet, though before either of those things could be done, either bringing her home to meet her temporary herd, or having the vet take a look at her, there were a few steps that needed to be taken first.

Such as getting the mare on a big, bad, horse-eating trailer. Yet nervous as she was, shying away like this, it would be a task in and of itself just to catch the mare, nevermind convince her to load. Sure it would be possible to just run the mare down a chute, load her that way, but just because it was quick and easy, didn't mean it was necessarily the best way to go about it. Nora didn't wish to force that additional stress and fear upon the mare who had already been through more than enough, especially since there was a chance the other was in foal- this being a breeding farm, her certainly mature enough to carry, and none of the animals having been thoroughly checked over by a qualified vet just yet. Or if they had, no one had thought to let Nora know about it, or the results of said check up. But that was enough standing around outside the pen, watching the mare's behavior, waiting to see if the promise of fresh hay and water would be enough to tempt her onto the trailer, or if a bit of time would have her investigating either the trailer or Nora herself. It wasn't helping. Didn't seem to be hurting, however the mare was high strung, wound up all to high heavens, unable to focus on anything for too long before something else ensnared her attention and had her skittering away. Nothing was changing, and while the officials were fine with her taking a bit of time, especially as they considered her application to take home another of the neglected creatures and tried to process all the disorganized chaos, she couldn't be sure how long that leniency would last, all the more so how that patience stacked up against the mare's reluctance. One would give way first, and she didn't care to risk it being the officials, send the mare bolting down a chute, terrified, into a metal box on wheels.

"Time for a talk, pretty girl." Nora mused, tone relaxed as she calmly opened the gate, slipping inside the pen with the skittish thoroughbred. Noting quietly how the mare's attention immediately snapped to her, prancing sideways and blowing sharply, the whites of her eyes showing as she focused on this new potential threat... Before that head turned, focusing elsewhere, then back on Nora. Then elsewhere again, muscles quivering, unable to stand still, pacing the fence line as far away from Nora as possible. The brunette hummed softly, stepping towards the center of the roughly roundish enclosure. This put her closer to the dusty creature, spurring the horse into flight. Wheeling around the arena, head held high, turning towards her, then away, ears twitching, flicking. Trying to focus on everything around her.

"Ah, you want to move, huh? Yeah, I might want to run away if some strange critter got too close to me too. I'll go with you, that's alright, you can run. But I'd like it if you would pay attention to me, okay? Don't want a one sided conversation. Might I have your attention, please?" She hummed, striding confidently in front of the drive line, ahead of the mare's shoulder. Quick as a whip, the mare whirled around, bolting off in the other direction, exhaling sharply, an ear focused on Nora as the human calmly shifted around, making tight, relaxed circles of her own in the center of the ring, matching the mare's strides as best she could, left leg for left leg, right for right. Half instinctual at this point in her life, as much of a habit as it had become. As focused on the horse as she wished the other to be on her, listening to the only language the two shared. Body language. Yet soon enough, that head started twisting, those ears flicking, Nora no longer her main concern as distractions all around them vied for the equine's attention.

"Come now, little bit of compromise, please? You want to run, I'd like you to stop. Now that's not exactly going to happen, now is it? I can't make you stop, only you can make that call. But you don't want to stop, you want to move, so if you wouldn't mind giving me your attention, instead..? Good girl..." Patiently, she corrected the mare as her attention once more drifted towards all the terrifying, threatening things around them. The other horses, people, cars moving, trucks, trailers, too. All the scary things that were surely out to get her. Except they weren't, but there was no telling the mare that. It was like a panic attack, in that way. No one would be able to convince the mare that the chaos around her wasn't out to get her, the horse had to figure that out for herself. Even if Nora already had the mare on the lead, there would be no possible way to force the mare to stand still and be calm, not if the rescue didn't decide herself to do such. Nora wasn't going to physically win a contest against a thousand pound animal, she just wasn't, and even if she could, that wouldn't help the underlying issue, that mindset, that mentality, causing the mare to panic in the first place.

"Hey there, sweetheart, don't focus on them. Just me. I'm closer, anyways, am I not? A bigger threat, not that I'm going to do anything to you, but you don't know that, do you? You haven't been dealt the best of hands, but it's alright. You'll figure it out. I'm closer, a bigger risk, yet I'm not hurting you. Maybe they won't hurt you either, hm?" Stepping ahead of the mare once more, she let the other whirl around, attention on Nora for a little while, before ultimately being distracted again, and the cycle would repeat. Over and over again, Nora moving with purpose as she calmly redirected the mare's attention every time it strayed for too long, trying to get the mare to think, rather than just react- needing a moment to focus on not tripping over her own four feet whenever she turned, rather than all the things outside the pen which were surely out to get her. A moment to recognize that Nora was there, to decide to turn, to concentrate on turning, before she could resume her anxious canter around the pen. Yet gradually, the mare began to slow, attention focused more on Nora, than the outside world, a little more with each redirection. Still moving, but rather than the mindlessly panicked flight of before, she was moving with the intention that she might have to turn any moment, listening for when Nora would ask her to again. Prepared for it, thinking. A good sign. A welcome one.

"Ah, starting to slow down? I suppose it is easier to turn when your not running around like a headless chicken. Or are you starting to get tired of this moving around business? Would you like to stop? Or do you want to run still? Personally, I vote for stopping. Standing still, relaxing... It sounds really good right about now, at least in my opinion. What do you think?" Alert, Nora carefully shifted, inching towards that drive line, carefully toeing it until she saw those muscles start to coil like the mare was about to turn- quickly backing off as soon as she caught that moment's hesitation. Ears twitched, flicking, unsure as to Nora's intentions, head turning into the circle a little more, attention snared by the other's sudden retreat. However the human gave release as soon as she slowed to move into a turn, so maybe..? Nora let the other continue around for about half a circle, before asking again, calmly stepping towards that shoulder, hyperaware of the other, focused on getting the timing right, backing off as soon as the thoroughbred faltered, once more behind the drive line, moving the rear end rather than the front. Repeating it, patient as the mare tried to figure out the right answer, figure out what the odd human was asking. Watching as the mare briefly slowed to a trot, before breaking into a canter once more.

"Oh, can we trot now? Would that be an okay thing? Trotting is nice, much easier than that canter, isn't it, especially when you take it nice and slow..." Their little dance continued, time passing unremarked upon, focused on each other, until someone accidently set off someone's car alarm, stirring the mare into a fright again. Nora patiently working to reclaim the other's attention, turning her and playing a game of half halts and hesitation. The human as confident as any stallion seeking to claim or reclaim a band of mares, making every effort to prove himself an able, competent leader as he snakes his head, makes himself known, moves them, shows them he knows what he's doing, but doing so without cruelty. Firm but fair. A herd wasn't afraid of its leader, the stallion did not inspire fear, but rather, respect and trust. Respect of him and his space, trust that he would protect and provide for them. Her actions intended as a sort of mimicry, as natural to the horse she was attempting to talk to as she could possibly manage, attempting to surpass that language barrier.

"Very good, that's wonderful sweetheart... I'm getting a bit tired now, I don't want to move my feet. Do you? I don't mind either way, but I'm gonna take a break. Just stand here, and relax..." Catching on to the hesitation in the mare's strides, noting how her head was turning in more, ears pricked towards Nora, attention firmly on her rather than the chaos still surrounding them. The human allowed herself to still, relaxing in the middle of their little round pen, calmly awaiting the mare's decision. Did she still care to run? Would her attention drift back to the panic-inducing chaos as soon as Nora gave her that opening? Or perhaps... Ah. There we go. The mare followed her lead, dainty hooves gradually coming to a stop as well, turning to face Nora more fully. Watching the strange two-legged creature, regarding her in silence, before cautiously approaching. Nora mindful of her body language, careful to give very little reaction, not wishing to inadvertently scare the mare off, make her think the company unwelcome. For all that body language could communicate, the shape of them was different, and with that fundamental difference, some signals could be so easily misinterpreted. Another horse, she might have tilted her head slightly to watch them, posture remaining relaxed, let the other know she was well aware of them, and was ready to react if they tried anything. This one, however... better to act as though she truly couldn't care less about the other approaching her. The mare was being respectful, slow and mindful as the hoofbeats sounded and shadows shifted, something less threatening for Nora to pay attention to in order to gauge the mare's attitude. It could so easily turn, she could have misjudged the other, yet... she didn't think so, and, well, trust for trust. It was a two way street, at least in any healthy relationship.

"Oh, are we buddies now..?" Feeling a fuzzy muzzle ghost against her arm, warm breath blowing across the skin, dark lips wiggling slightly as the mare investigated her. Perhaps the beginnings of an attempt at grooming her, trying to be friendly, or perhaps asking if they were okay now, but no matter the case, it was a gesture Nora was happy to reciprocate. She shifted, almost lazily turning to grant the larger creature her attention, not slow like a stalking predator, no, but more like a relaxed horse meandering towards a particular tantalizing patch of grass, simply unhurried and at ease. A hand reached out, not for the head, not to grab, but rather the less threatening motion to scratch at the horse's withers, grooming the dirt away to reveal a somewhat pale patch, as another horse might after some minor dispute or another. An assurance that she still liked the mare, that the other was still welcome in her herd after having established that hierarchy between them. The mare blew out a heavy sigh, shuffling back one step, then another, before her front legs abruptly folded up underneath her, a contented horsey groan as she laid down, rolling a bit, wallowing in the trampled grasses for a minute or two, before just utterly relaxing, settling down to doze off, to let the sandman take her where he may.

"Oh. Oh... How long have you been waiting for that, hm? Sweet girl..." Her heart went out to the mare now quietly dozing at her feet, mind racing as the dots connected. Horses most often slept on their feet, ready to flee at a moment's notice, this is true, however a horse could not reach that deep, restorative level of sleep, that precious REM sleep, when like that. There was a reason, after all, why even wild horses could often enough be caught laying on the ground dozing, despite the inherit risk of that more vulnerable position. Yet, a horse had to feel safe in order to actually drift off. Usually a herd would take turns keeping watch, someone always alert and on the lookout, ready to wake and warn the others if anything were amiss. But for this mare to drop like that as soon even that tentative trust was formed, to drop like that as soon as someone, anyone, reassured her that they were listening, that they weren't disregarding her concerns, her fears... That it was okay, would be okay... How long must she have gone without a proper rest? How long had she felt so unsafe? Months? Years? A sobering thought, hazel eyes soft as they watched the once nervous paint. Maybe she'd still be a bit wild when she woke up, or maybe not, but either way, a bit of rest would do her a world of good.

Training, trust, respect- it was all a process, not something done or earned in a single day, but today... It was definitely a step in the right direction, hopefully the first of many. A small herd with good hearts to teach her what it meant to be a horse, show her it was safe to run and frolic and play, to look after, teach, and reassure her when Nora simply couldn't be there due to other obligations. Get her settled in to the quarantine pasture attached directly to one of the stalls, room to stretch without making it too tricky to catch the mare, to work with her, if she remained as reluctant to be touched as she had been earlier. Of course the stall and pasture would be regularly mucked out, once in the morning, once in the evening, same as with the other horses- dump it in the compost pile, rather than let it build up like the previous owner so obviously had, to an utterly appalling degree. It would be no hardship to start the mare slow, the slow way truly the fast way with horses, especially ones like this. Really just spending time around her, some groundwork at liberty, just working the mare like she had been not too long ago, building up that trust, and confidence. Treat her like another horse would, not trying to control her reactions or dismiss her fears, her feelings, but rather teaching her how to control herself. A sort of cognitive behavioral therapy- bringing her up, then dialing her back down, helping her realize there wasn't any need to panic, helping her learn how to deal with that anxiety and bring herself back down, without making the mare dull and unresponsive as was often the case when one focused too much on just desensitizing a horse, and not bringing that energy back up. They'd take things at her pace, not Nora's, nor anyone else's. They had time, and Nora didn't mind spending it.

[j. bourne]

Username: klovesugar2
Show Name: Hershey On My Mind
Barn Name: Kisses
Gender: Mare
Age: 9 years
Height: 16.3 hh
Halter: Maybe something deep red with brass hardware?
Discipline: Trail
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Boop
Comfort Plan: - snip! -[/list]

Judging this one a bit early! It was a tough decision but congrats!

[Bayfire213]

Thank you so much, I'm estatic to add this beautiful girl to my herd~<3