[Idem]

Range Trotters are the result of crossbreeding Orlov Trotters, Finnhorses, Welsh Cobs (section C & D) and Hanoverians. Later crosses of Quarter Horses, Paint and Appaloosas to gain color and to give a boost to their hardiness.With a height average of 13-15 hands, they're a hardy breed with characteristics for various disciplines.

Created for use as work, carriage and leisure riding horses originally, they now serve as long-distance range horses, such as work with Park Rangers and mounted officers.

Willing and eager personalities, most are quickly trained to be bombproof and therefore trusted mounts in all lines of work; some are being seen in local show jumping competitions, others are notably used in therapeutic sessions for their calm temperaments. Harness races and endurance trials are common for the breed, as they are able to sustain an extended trot without tire. Cross-Country competitions see some of the taller Trotters, but due to their cob lineage this is still uncommon.

Despite the variety of competitions and work these horses are being seen in, they are still famously skilled as endurance racers. Many competitors have chosen Range Trotters due to their tireless work ethic, as well as the ease in which they can be trained. Many have become champions in endurance trials, and they have quickly become a sought after breed for their natural ability.

This Trotter is showcasing one of our new Halloween markings:

The Mold: TmTm/Tmtm
Limited
A type of splash marking, but it is jet black. May have runny edges like ink, or inky cap mushrooms.

To capture this trotter with this special limited marking, tell me how you would go about capturing this spooky horse. Will you use brute force and use a rope to lasso them in, will you use some sort of snack or treat, will you sit and wait and let their curiosity get the better of them, or will you do something else? Feel free to tell me how you will do so with either art, writing, or some other creative medium! You're also welcome to pretty up your forms <3 End date is in about a week and a half, so plenty of time to enter! Feel free to mark if you'd like to enter!

End Date: Oct. 16th

Username: Pandora!
Show Name: OHS Evil Lurking Close Behind
Barn Name: Poltergeist

Gender: Stallion
Height: 15hh
Eye Color: Foggy Nights
Phenotype: Silver Classic Champagne The Mold
Genotype: EE/aa/Zz/ChCh/TmTm

[Pandora!]

Username: Pandora!
Show Name: OHS Evil Lurking Close Behind
Barn Name: Poltergeist
Gender: stallion
Height: 15.0hh
Halter Color: matching the flames 😈
Prompt: see below ⬇ image sources: x

It was a dark and stormy night...

Well, at first it wasn't. It was actually a pretty regular night, it was a bit later than usual but I was finishing up with night check at Oak Haven before heading up to the main house for the evening. A late October chill pricked my nose, and the fingernail thin moon didn't provide much light to navigate by. I shuddered against the chill as I pulled the barn door closed, wishing the horses a peaceful night's rest. I had barely made it twenty feet from the ghost quiet barn when a shrieking whinny split the night air. An enormous gust of wind ripped through the trees, and the barn door flung open violently. I jumped with fright, whirling back towards the barn to properly secure the doors this time. The horses were in a frenzy when I entered, many were lathered in foamy sweat, the whites of their eyes glowing in the dark.

I was mystified, they had just been perfectly calm, munching on their hay bags a moment ago. Heron was pacing frantically, Isis was kicking at her stall, and Reverend was whinnying fearfully to his neighbor Cobra. How could a gust of wind get all the horses so bent out of shape? I searched the barn high and low for anything unusual, but nothing strange bubbled to the surface. Defeated but still perplexed, I calmed the horses and got them ready for bed once again.

After that evening, I went to bed curious but honestly too tired to be bothered by it much. There were too many other things on my plate to worry about -- breedings, competitions, horse sales -- to let a little wind get to me. I could have forgotten about it entirely if not for the strange, unexplainable things that kept happening. I'd come to the barn in the morning, unlock the door, and find a horse completely tacked up. I'd find poles and jump standards set up in bizarre arrangements in the arena, hay bales exploded open, things going missing and showing up in the pasture, and near constant electrical issues. At first I was convinced the barn staff was having some good natured Halloween fun, but none of them broke character no matter how many times I asked them to knock off the pranks.

The pranks I could live with, but the one thing I couldn't look past was the change in demeanor of my horses. Even the most spirited Trotter in my barn was still pretty easy going. But now my level-headed mounts all seemed to be anxious, spooky, and lethargic. I had to figure out what was going on, so I ordered a trail camera and set it up inside of the barn, ready to catch whatever prankster was plaguing my barn.

The first few nights were completely quiet, absolutely nothing unusual to be seen and I was aggravated. Could this be all in my head? I was busier, and more forgetful, than usual but that couldn't be the case. Tomorrow was the 30th of October, so called Mischief Night known for kids playing pranks, and I came up with a plan to stake out the barn. If some neighborhood hooligan attempted to break in and mess with my horses one more time, there would be hell to pay.

So, I did what any sane person would do: hide all night in the hay loft on Halloween Eve. With some blankets, hot cocoa, and my laptop loaded up with hours of spooky movies all I had to do was wait. The blankets and cocoa worked too well, and by midnight I had nodded off, visions of candy corn dancing in my head. My sugary dreams were abruptly interrupted by the calamitous thundering of hooves which sounded like a horse racing down the center alley. I sprung up, leaping down the hayloft stairs to locate the source of the raucous. I flicked on the barn lights with a confident, "Ha ha, I got you now!" but there was nothing in the barn. Before I could get my bearings, a piercing whinny came from outside.

I cursed like a sailor, had these teenage troublemakers spirited away with one of my horses?! I flung open the barn doors, the warm light spilling out into the oppressive black of the night. I froze, my legs petrified as I looked out into the lurid black of the night. Instead of the rowdy group of teens that I was anticipating, sometimes much more frightening looked back at me: a large, inky black shape with bloodcurdling, glowing violet eyes. The shape moved, it's disfigured body melting in with the shadows as it slowly crept closer to me. My breath hitched painfully in my chest, and I could taste a metallic fear in my mouth. I couldn't move, I was stuck there internally pleading for my feet to move but they couldn't be convinced to budge.

As I started to pray to any god that might be listening, the figure grew close enough for the light of the barn to touch its amorphous shape. Once the glow from the barn came in contact with the being, it suddenly looked rather familiar to me: it was a horse! Aghast, I blinked and rubbed my eyes, it looked like the thing was covered in pitch-black tar. For a moment the horse looked at me, and I looked back, frightened and entranced. For a moment, time was suspended, I was bewitched by this beast. With a rear and another shrill whinny, the spell was broken and the beast turned to gallop off.

I was filled with an unearthly determination as I turned on my heel to grab a rope from inside the barn. The horses were wound up, pacing anxiously and pawing at their stalls, wild eyed. I threw a bridle onto Apex, one of my most daring mounts, and swiftly leapt onto his back to gallop out into the night. We tore after the mysterious horse, Apex flying on the wind beneath me. I was worried the beast had too much of a head start, but my faithful Apex was closing the gap like he was racing to win the Derby. The dark horse glanced backwards, and I swear that he was looking through me.

We drew closer and my heart thudded wildly, an injured bird trapped in a cage, as I began to wind up a swing with the rope. The first attempt was a swing and a miss, I could have sworn the rope went right through the horse. Apex only continued to gain speed as I gathered myself again to try to lasso the beast. I tossed the loop, holding my breath while the rope was airborne. An earsplitting whinny, and enough tension in the rope to almost pull me from Apex let me know that I had finally hit my mark. I clutched Apex's mane for dear life as he slammed on the brakes, giving the beast at the other end of the rope a yank hard enough to slow him down.

I'm still not sure what supernatural strength possessed me that night, but somehow Apex and I were able to wrangle the beast back to the barn and into a pen. In the morning light I didn't see the haunted beast that had frightened me so much, just a spirited horse in need of a good bath and plenty of hay. The name Poltergeist was a natural fit, and he settled in after some tender love and care. After that, the pranks about the barn grew few and far between, less bizarre and disruptive. I still can't help but be skeptical, how could a silly horse who just needed some help be the cause of all of this mischief? I guess I try not to wonder too much, and I definitely try not to notice the faint purple glow that emanates from Poltergeist's stall if I look out to the barn on an especially cold fall night...

[ZeroToInfinity]

Username: ZeroToInfinity
Show Name: BMR's Spooky Showcase
Barn Name: Spot
Gender: Stallion
Height: 15hh
Halter Color: Blue
Prompt:

Spot's large size requires a little more intuition than just brute force. Luckily, anyone who has watched him as much as the staff of Blue-Mount Ranch have knows that his favorite treat is Staghorn Sumac. With a couple of conveniently planted trees, catching Spot is an easy feat!

[SabrinaB]

Username: SabrinaB
Show Name: GC Search The Fields
Barn Name: Octavius
Gender: stallion
Height: 14.3hh
Halter Color: flame inspired
Prompt:
I'd probably take my time and try to win his trust with treats and cuddles <3 Love helps you make a mentl connection. I don't believe in breaking horse. You dont break his spirit, but you make a bond with eachother.

[Idem]

Username: Pandora!
Show Name: OHS Evil Lurking Close Behind
Barn Name: Poltergeist
Gender: stallion
Height: 15.0hh
Halter Color: matching the flames 😈
Prompt: see below ⬇ image sources: x

-Snip-

Congrats, I absolutely adoreed this story!! HMs to ZeroToInfinity and SabrinaB

[Pandora!]

Thank yoooou so much (and also sorry for making you read my short novel )!! I don't get the opportunity to write creatively that often and I was inspired! ♡

[Pandora!]

This trotter is a Champion Cross Country horse!
They will receive the following benefits:
• +1 Breeding Slot
• +3% to Twin Rate

They are also eligible for a makeover, and can now compete in Dressage to aim for another championship!