#equine writing advice

[theprissythumbelina]

So you want to write about horses.

(Part 3! Enjoy this post? Want to know more? Check out So You Want To Write About Horses Part 1 and So You Want To Write About Horses: Medieval Edition)

Maybe your character is a jockey, or a rancher, or a stablehand, or the ever popular cowboy in the wild west. Maybe they have a whole team and an Olympic dream. But what do people even do with horses? I can help.

First, some vital terms

The equipment that a horse wears is referred to as Tack. Tack can be minimal or incredibly complex. The part that goes on the horse's head when riding is the bridle, and the part that goes on the back for the person to sit on is the saddle.

^ Got that? Good, there will be a test at the end.

Now, What do people even do with horses?

To know the jobs around horses, you should know that the equestrian world is divided into very distinct and separate realms, and the further you delve into these realms, the more specific and specialized the horses, equipment, and terms become. Broadly, there is "pleasure" horses and "working" horses. Working horses are relied upon for physical labor to support their humans. Pleasure horses fall into more of a hobby for their humans.

There is also the Western riding style and the English riding style. The Western style descends from the Spanish saddle, and is used throughout the world, but most commonly in the Americas, where it is closely tied to herding cattle. The English style is a bit harder to clearly pin down the original influences, but has history in military uses throughout the European continent, and currently exists internationally. The English style is the style used at the Olympic games and in jumping competitions, whereas Western is not.

^ this is an example of a Western Style working horse. Western describes the style of equipment as well as the riding style. This horse is dressed for herding cattle, with a large comfortable saddle and simple rope bridle.

^ This is also a working horse, this time in the English riding style. Notice the saddle is much smaller, without a large 'horn' at the front of the saddle, and the bridle on the horse's head is much more complex. This horse is a Police horse.

^ and there are many combinations, variations, or lack ofs that exist. Some people have trained their horses to not need any tack, and need only the tiniest movements of their rider's body. Don't ask me how, I am not one of them.

Finally, Professions involving horses.

For ease of understanding, I will break this into segments that involve all horses, English horses, Western horses, and then the even more specific horses like racehorses, ect.

This edition will deal with professions involving All Horses.

Equine Veterinarians

Veterinarians that work with horses in rural areas are usually more generally large animal veterinarians, while equine vets, often attached to an equine hospital or clinic, have specific and in-depth knowledge of equine medicine, rather than equine and bovine medicine. Both large animal vets and equine vets administer vaccines, diagnostic tests, and certificates of health, as well as diagnosing and prescribing treatments of injuries and sicknesses. Vets also aid in breeding horses, caring for pregnant mares, birthing foals, and handling semen collection or injection for artificial insemination.

One of the most common reasons for a vet call is for the treatment of colic, any horse owner's nightmare. Horses have a massive system of intestines, and any change to a horse's diet, stress, or exercise, as well as many other causes, can lead to a backup of food or feces in the digestive system. Minor cases can resolve with pain treatment, but in severe cases surgery is required, and horses can die very quickly from what is essentially an extremely dangerous stomach ache. It is one of the most common causes of death for horses.

^ In very severe cases, parts of the intestine tie themselves into knots, lose blood flow, and die within the horse. I know many horses that have died from colic, and some that have survived.

Farriers

Farriers are pedicure specialists for horses. The hoof of a horse is simply a very large and thick fingernail, and a farrier is an expert in trimming, shaping, and even repairing that massive fingernail, as well as tacking on metal shoes to the bottom of a horse's foot. Farriers are also sometimes blacksmiths, and will create their own shoes, while others use premade shoes and nails.

^ (1)A farrier tacking on a shoe to a horse's hoof. (2) Shaping hooves with a rasp. Farrier treatments cause no pain to the horse when done correctly, and the specialized knowledge of which is why many farriers are expensive. Horses will need this redone every 4-8 weeks, depending on the horse and the environment. Even more than the vet, a good farrier is vital to the health and use of a horse, while a bad farrier can ruin a horse in less than the swing of a hammer.

(Side note: This is not a shoe, and no person putting that on a horse should be considered a farrier. I don't take many strong stances in informational posts, but this is one.)

Saddlers

These expert leather workers fit and shape the tack to the shape of the horse and the shape of the rider. Many serious riders have custom fitted tack, where a base saddle or bridle has been reworked after purchase to perfectly fit the riding pair in question. (I have one, it was expensive, and it continues to be worth it). Historically, tack has always been made with leather, which allows for stretch and molding of the tack, as well as decades of longevity, and still today, only the cheapest of tack is made with plastics. Saddlers often specialize in English or Western style tack, and many old brands are still known today for certain fits.

^ An expert Colorado saddler at work.

Trainers

Horses do not naturally trust humans, even after thousands of years of domestication, nor do they automatically know how to be ridden. Trainers are experts not only in their discipline, but also experts in horse behavior, communication (with humans and horses), basic first aid, common sense, and the rarest of all, the elusive 'horse sense'. Horse sense give a trainer the understanding of a horse's personality, and allows them to form a bond that not only teaches the horse to trust them, but to trust all humans. A trainer's job is to discover the horse's potential abilities, as well as the horse's fears, dislikes, and any pain or mis-training that could impede a horse's progress. Across the world, there are many style of training, many jobs that horses must be taught to preform, and a lot of misunderstandings. A good trainer can save the lives of horses and humans alike, a bad trainer can ruin both. The first steps of training a horse can be referred to as 'starting', 'breaking', 'training', 'backing', and many more.

Grooms

Grooms are the beauty professionals of the horse world, as well as the people getting everything done behind the scenes at high level barns or shows. In some places, grooms bring the horse in from the field or stall to be brushed, put the tack on the horse, warm the horse up, and then hand the horse over to the rider. In other places, grooms are a luxury as much as a butler for your horse. Grooms may also be responsible for managing the stables and tacking areas, keeping those areas clean through sweeping or removing mess, and potentially feeding, moving horses from pasture to stable, or whatever else needs to be done at a large stable. In other situations, the more grunt work will fall to part-time stablehands, while the grooms focus on working with the horses and riders.

^ Racehorse Groom Stephanie Searle grooms a racehorse.

Floaters/Equine Dentists

Horses are unique animals, with unique digestive systems, as has already been discussed, and with unique teeth. Due to horses' diets involving primarily hays, grasses, or grains, the teeth of a horse receive a great deal of wear from the tough nature of these foods. The wear patterns are so well documented that they have for thousands of years been used to tell the age of a horse with a great deal of accuracy.

Floaters are equine teeth experts, and receive their name from the practice of 'floating', or grinding sharp areas of horses' teeth down to prevent these sharp points from slicing into the horse's cheeks or stopping a horse from properly chewing.

^ Floating a horse's teeth. Also not painful, but like many people, horses tend to prefer being sedated for the dentist.

Professional Transport

In the modern age, as well as to a certain extent, the past, horses are constantly being moved, shown, sold, and shipped. Professional horse transport exists in the form of semi-trucks, ships, and planes, as well as trains. The transport of horses, usually very expensive and valuable horses, requires a team of professionals including veterinarians to ensure the horses' safety in transition.

^ Horses ready to go on a plane. Personally, a terrifying sight.

Alternative Treatments

Just like human medicine, horse medicine has a proliferation of supplements, alternative treatments, folk magic, and home treatments. Professional equine nutritionists work with feed companies as well as feed supplement companies (think herbal food additives as well as fish oil, ect.) to create supplement brands that claim to calm or energize horses, ease pain, prevent colic, or treat any number of issues. Horses may receive any number of visits from such varied services as equine massage therapists, equine physical therapists, equine chiropractors, equine spirit mediums, animal communicators, and so on. The scientific basis for these professionals ranges from well supported to lacking support, but such services remain popular regardless.

^ No matter what the profession with horses ends up being, just about everyone starts here: mucking out the stalls.

This post will end here, but keep an eye for the extended cut with the English and Western specific professions!

[ladamedusoif]

Sleigh Ride (Jack 'Whiskey' Daniels x F!Reader)

A Merry Fic-Mas - December 10

Part of A Merry Fic-Mas: A Holiday Fic Calendar - click for masterlist.

Follow @ladameecrit for my writing updates!

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels x F!Reader

Warnings: Established relationship; no use of Y/N; no physical descriptions of Reader; non canon-compliant (this man survives and gets the happy ending he deserved); alcohol consumption; references to smut. 

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1283

Summary: Jack is dashing, and so are you - dashing through the snow, that is.

For @agentjackdaniels, with love.

In the bright light of a sunny winter morning, you blink awake, peek your head above the covers, and swiftly retreat when you feel the first blast of cold on your nose. You nestle in again and reach out to Jack’s side of the bed, seeking heat from your own personal furnace.

Instead of Jack’s solid, warm body, though, you find a little note: 

Had to check on something out in the stables - be back around ten or so. Have some coffee and make sure you’re wrapped up nice and warm for me when I get back, sugar - got something I want to show you. J x

It wasn’t unusual for Jack to be up well before you when you stayed on his little ranch. He’d inherited it a couple of years ago from a favourite uncle, Joshua - “I don’t even have to change the signage, honey”, Jack had mused, looking at the wooden sign at the main entrance that announced, in beautiful old hand-painted lettering: SILVER RANCH - J. DANIELS.

It had become a retreat of sorts for the two of you. The main ranch house was small but solidly-built, decorated in a simple, old-fashioned style that you fell in love with from the first time you saw it. Silver Ranch was the perfect place to spend winter holidays: just you and your cowboy, taking in the surrounding trails on foot or on horseback, giggling over your attempts at fondue, or snuggled up together on the couch in front of the stone fireplace. 

Sometimes, you or Jack would pull a few blankets onto the warm rug right beside the fire: a statement of intent, and the signal for an evening spent making love there under the layers until the fire began to die down and it was time for bed. 

You help yourself to a cup of fresh coffee - Jack always ensured he made a large batch if he was up first - and make some toast before padding back towards the bedroom to get dressed and ready for whatever he had in store. Wrap up warm, he’d said, and you heed his advice, pulling out your thermal layers and adding your warmest socks, a soft, long-sleeved cotton t-shirt and jeans, and slipping a denim shirt and fleece gilet over the top. Your knee-length padded coat and snowboots were out in the hall, ready and waiting with your hat, scarf, and gloves. 

Equine noises and the sound of Jack’s warm voice outside the house signal his return. He calls your name as he enters, finding you on the armchair with a blanket over your knees. 

“Well, don’t you look mighty cosy?”

He’s always a sight for sore eyes, even in layer upon layer of his warmest winter clothing. You know that a pair of brushed-cotton long johns and a long-sleeved thermal vest lie beneath the dark jeans and padded jacket he’s wearing. He’s unzipped the jacket, revealing a warm woollen sweater layered over a plaid shirt, the collar of a grey cotton tshirt just visible. In one hand, Jack holds a felt, extra-warm hat you’d given him the previous Christmas, along with a scarf and his trusty pair of suede, fleece-lined winter gloves.

You grin at him. “I am cosy - but I’m prepared, too. See?” 

You stand up and show off your winter layers, basking in the glow of Jack’s approving smile. 

“And a good thing too, sugar. C’mon - wanna show you something a little bit special.”

It’s… a sleigh. A real-life, as-driven-by-Santa-Claus, straight-out-of-Doctor-Zhivago sleigh. Jemmy (short for Jameson, much to Jack’s chagrin), the favourite horse of Jack’s uncle, stands proudly ahead of the wooden vehicle, bobbing his head and sending joyful little chimes pealing from the sleigh bells - sleigh bells?! - affixed to his bridle. 

You close the door of the house and walk down the front steps, jaw hanging open at the sight before you. The sleigh is dark wood, antique but well-maintained, with red leather upholstery on the seating. Fading gold accents pick out curved detail carved into the old wood. It’s small - certainly compared to the whoppers usually depicted on Christmas cards or in representations of jolly Saint Nick - but perfectly made for two. You notice bundles of blankets neatly folded on the main seat, awaiting the passengers.

Jack holds Jemmy’s reins and pats the horse’s muzzle affectionately before turning and grinning at you. His cheeks are flushed pink with cold and excitement and even with his aviator sunglasses on, you know his eyes are twinkling. “Well? What’cha think?”

“Where did you get a sleigh, Jack Daniels?”

He chuckles and walks around to your side, helping you into the sleigh like the gentleman he is. “I found it out in one of the barns last time we were up here. Came up on my own a couple of times to work on it and get her nice and pretty for my girl. You like it?”

He’s already packing blankets around you, tucking you in so firmly you have to wriggle a little to be able to move. 

“It’s incredible, Jack. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a real one of these, let alone been in one.”

He crosses to the other side and hops in quickly, pulling a couple of blankets around his own knees before draping one big enough for the two of you on top. You feel Jack’s strong arm, made even bigger thanks to the layers and layers of clothing he’s wearing, wrap around your shoulders as he kisses you before firmly replacing his hat on his head. 

“Well, we’ll start off nice and slow. And then if you want some authentic dashing through the snow - well, you just say the word, baby.”

With a gentle word and a flex of the reins in his practiced hands, Jemmy starts to move and the sleigh begins to glide through the snow.

The sleigh ride feels like being in an old movie, or a picture on a vintage Christmas card. There’s no sound other than Jemmy’s hooves, the crunching and whooshing as the sleigh’s runners cut through pure white snow, the jingling of the bells, and the chatter and laughter between you and Jack. 

It is heaven.

You lean against your love’s shoulder, feeling a warmth course through you that has nothing to do with the thermal layers and Jack’s insistence on bundling you up for the journey. This is so him, you think - planning and preparing for this day for months, just to give you something special. Something shared just between the two of you. You sit up and lean in to kiss his cheek.

Jack chuckles, his beautiful, open face flushed pink and a sprinkling of powdery snow visible on his dark moustache. “So you like the sleigh, sugar?”

You nod and nestle back in against him. “I do. It’s a beautiful thing.”

He hums happily and nods towards your feet. “You'll find a little something extra down there, to keep us nice and warm until we get home.”

The chrome of the hip flask is blinding in the stark whiteness of the landscape and the bright sunlight. You help yourself before passing it to Jack, who takes a grateful swig and exhales. The warm vapor of his whiskey-scented breath is visible in the cold air as he rounds the furthest point of the trail and turns the sleigh for home. 

dividers by @stcvcngrant

[masezace]

need to fill up my dash

i made a new blog recently and i'd really like to follow some more people so my dash isn't so sad and sparse, so please like and/or reblog this if you post about or reblog any of the following:

writing (tips, advice, your personal experiences and original fiction, etc.)

books (recommendations, bookish aesthetics, etc)

(in connection to writing and books, i'm interested in historical fiction, fantasy/sci-fi, mystery, sports, and thriller. romance is... okay... but i'm very picky there. primarily prefer young adult and new adult categories, but i'm not super strict)

linguistics and conlanging

psychology, autism, and neurodivergence

anime/manga (primarily just haikyu!!, hxh, and buddy daddies, though a sprinkling of others is fine too so long as you're someone who tags things in case i wanna blacklist certain stuff)

horses, and literally anything of equine relevance

equestrian sports, volleyball

kpop (specifically monsta x, dreamcatcher, stray kids, ateez, and hoppipolla, again, if you post about other groups too it's fine as long as you are a good tagger lol)

nature, forests, flowers (aesthetics, facts, etc)

pastel/cute aesthetics

video games (specifically rdr2/rdo, the sims, jwe/jwe2, and games of a similar caliber)

i know this is a very random assortment, and so will be my blog, so don't feel obligated to follow back, though of course you can if you want. please don't take it personally if you like this and i don't follow you, i'm sure your blog is still great! it just may not be a good match for my interests. :) feel free to also check out each other's blogs in the notes (if this gets any😅), you might find some cool new people to follow!

[antilocaprine]

If you're still doing the ask game then 5, 36 and/or 40? No worries if not, have a nice day! 🌻

(Ask Game)

Here's a secret: I'm always willing to answer ask game questions. If it was something I reblogged a while ago, you just gotta tell me which one it is. I never don't want to talk to people and these are a great way of doing it. So thank you!

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true? Oh my gosh, I don't think I do? I try not to tie too much to the act of writing, because that way madness lies, and I know myself and how I can spiral. Sorry for the boring answer!

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice...what do you Know? I have approximate knowledge of many things...but I have more knowledge in certain things for sure. Anything to do with a large swathe of North American wildlife, animal behavior, hunting, animal and human anatomy, equine husbandry, evolutionary biology, some space stuff, etc, are things I consider within my wheelhouse. But I also really enjoy research, so that's helpful when I run up against something I don't know enough about. Time to read up on it!

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it. After my answer to the last question, no one should be surprised that one of my very favorite poets is Mary Oliver. She shone a beacon of light on the natural world, and though her poem The Journey may be my general favorite of hers, the final lines of The Summer Day are particularly striking to me: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do/with your one wild and precious life?"

[horsefinders]

How to Successfully Sell Your Horse Online

Selling a horse online can be a rewarding yet challenging endeavor. With the right strategy, you can reach a broad audience, ensuring your horse finds a suitable new home. Whether you're an experienced seller or new to the process, this guide will provide valuable tips to help you sell your horse online effectively.

Understanding the Online Market for Horses

The online marketplace for horses is vast, offering numerous platforms where you can list your horse for sale. Websites like Equine.com, DreamHorse.com, and local classifieds can connect you with potential buyers from various regions. It's essential to choose the right platform based on your horse's breed, discipline, and price range.

Preparing Your Horse for Sale

1. Health and Wellness: Ensure your horse is in good health before listing it for sale. A recent vet check, up-to-date vaccinations, and a clean bill of health are critical. Buyers are more likely to be interested in a horse that is well-cared for and healthy.

2. Training and Behavior: Highlight your horse's training level and behavior. Buyers appreciate detailed information about the horse's skills, temperament, and any specific training it has received. Honest descriptions help build trust and set realistic expectations.

Creating an Attractive Listing

1. Quality Photos and Videos: High-quality images and videos are crucial in attracting buyers. Capture your horse in good lighting, showcasing its conformation, movement, and any special skills. A video of the horse being ridden or performing specific tasks can significantly boost interest.

2. Detailed Description: Write a thorough and engaging description of your horse. Include age, breed, height, gender, and any special attributes. Mention its training history, competition experience, and any notable achievements. Be honest about any quirks or issues to avoid misunderstandings later.

3. Price Setting: Research similar horses for sale to set a competitive and fair price. Consider factors such as age, training, pedigree, and market demand. An appropriately priced horse is more likely to attract serious buyers quickly.

Promoting Your Listing

1. Social Media: Utilize social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share your listing. Join equine-related groups and communities to expand your reach. Engaging posts with eye-catching photos and videos can drive more traffic to your listing.

2. Word of Mouth: Inform your network, including friends, trainers, and local equestrian clubs, that your horse is for sale. Personal recommendations often lead to successful sales.

3. Paid Advertising: Consider investing in paid ads on equine websites and social media. Targeted advertising can help reach potential buyers who are actively looking for a horse like yours.

Communicating with Potential Buyers

1. Be Responsive: Promptly respond to inquiries from potential buyers. Answer questions thoroughly and provide additional photos or videos if requested. Good communication builds trust and keeps buyers interested.

2. Arrange Viewings: Offer to arrange viewings and trial rides for serious buyers. Ensure your horse is well-prepared and in a safe environment for these sessions.

3. Negotiation and Contracts: Be prepared to negotiate the price and terms of sale. Have a clear and legally sound sales contract ready to protect both parties' interests.

Finalizing the Sale

1. Vet Check: Many buyers will request a pre-purchase vet examination. Cooperate fully with this process to ensure transparency and trust.

2. Payment and Transfer: Once an agreement is reached, ensure secure payment methods. Provide all necessary documents, including registration papers, health records, and a bill of sale.

3. After-Sale Support: Offer after-sale support if needed, such as advice on care or training. This can help ensure a smooth transition for both the buyer and the horse.

By following these steps, you can effectively sell your horse online, ensuring a successful and satisfactory transaction for both you and the buyer. Happy selling!

[writingofriding]

I read a story recently where the main character gets a herd of ponies to obey her by locating the boss pony and befriending it. Are there boss horses? And if so, how would you recognise which one it is?

Ohhh, equine behavior! That’s one of my favorite things to talk about!

Q: Are there boss ponies?

A: Yes. Horses and ponies have complex social groups, which I refer to interchangeably as herds or bands, but any group of equines is subject to a subtle and shifting hierarchy at all times. In a mixed-sex band, the boss, or lead horse as they’re sometimes called, is likely to be one of the more mature mares. Though though some bands are led by males, I’ll use “her” to refer to a hypothetical lead mare because that’s much more likely to be what you’ll find. The lead mare generally decides where the band goes and when, and drinks first at water sources. Sometimes she will intervene in squabbles between other horses in the band. However, she probably isn’t the chief defender of the band against outsiders—that dubious honor is more likely to belong to a stallion.

Q: How do you tell which one is the boss?

A: Identifying dominant horses in a band is pretty easy to do, but you have to pay close attention to the horses’ subtle communications with each other. The most dominant horse is unlikely to be the one you see win an outright fight, because the leader is probably firmly established in a band that’s been together a long time. So the other horses will already be yielding to her automatically. The easiest way to know where the horses stand in their hierarchy is to watch them near a resource, like water or a desirable and limited food, and see which horse the others automatically get out of the way for, even if she does nothing more than give them “a look” or pin her ears.

[vanderlindemangofarm]

The Van der Linde Gang - Jobs in a Modern AU

I’ve been really inspired to write about this lately and I’d love to hear your takes! These are the occupations that I think each gang member would have in a modern AU. Some were more challenging than others, but hopefully you guys can see where I’m coming from with each! 

Arthur: Film location scout. His natural eye for photography and framing makes Arthur the perfect member of a pre-production team. His no-bullshit approach to everything means he keeps to deadlines, although he’s known to go wandering off into the wilderness for unknown amounts of time. He enjoys the lone working side of his job and finding exactly the right spots that would make the film come to life. He doesn’t always like the films once they’re finished (in fact he’s often bought cinema tickets and walked out half way through, grumbling that it wasn’t worth the popcorn) but he can’t deny the excited buzz he gets every time he gets hired. In his early years as an assistant he met Bertie Mason, a nervous but talented photography intern. Despite an ill-advised hookup after a week joined at the hip they have remained close friends and still go out on shoots together. 

John: landscape gardener. John? Flowers? Yes, alright, I found it hard to believe too. But look, it’s not about the flowers, even if he does get misty-eyed at the sight of a sunflower in the early morning light. It’s about the challenge, the outdoors, and solving problems. After all the renovations he did to his house and garden (some more successful than others) John found how much satisfaction he got from digging and reshaping and planting. Don’t get me wrong, he’s often without a shirt, even in the colder months, much to the delight of some and the horror of others. He always makes friends with the household pets and is wonderful with the kids, always dropping his task to throw a frisbee around for a bit or cheekily accept an ice cold glass of lemonade from their mothers. Whenever he drives past one of his projects he feels himself glowing with pride - “I did that!”. 

Dutch: philosophy lecturer. As always, late with Starbucks. Will he actually grade your essay? Will it mysteriously disappear? Keeps you on your toes, doesn’t it? Sitting precariously on the very edge of his desk, leather jacket hanging off his shoulders and losing his balance every 15 minutes, Dr Van der Linde is nothing short of a wonder. For the love of all that is holy, do not get him started on Kant. Kant has no place here. You want to talk about your precious Kant? Get your butt down to Dr O’Driscoll’s class, he has plenty to say about Kant. Perhaps a little too fond of Socrates. Plato who? Completely illegible handwriting and definitely sleeping with several members of the faculty. But somehow his students always walk away with excellent grades. At the end of each term Dutch takes everyone out to a local bar for drinks, insists on buying tequila which no one really fancies at 11am. Claims to ride a motorcycle called The Count which no one has actually seen. Impossible to hate, and he writes everyone great references for their summer internships. 

Hosea: social worker. In a crisis, there’s no one better to knock on your door. Hosea has seen it all and he’ll see it all again, but that doesn’t stop him from treating every single case he gets with the upmost respect and care. His no-nonsense approach to his work means he gets things done, but he never sacrifices his compassion. He mostly works with teenagers and has a way of being able to connect to each individual without coming across as patronising. He’s been in the field for over two decades and is an invaluable mentor for any newcomers, always willing to share a word or two of advice or be a shoulder to cry on. 

Javier: guitar teacher and music therapist. During his worst years, Javier’s guitar was his lifeline. And he wants to help others find their lifeline, too. He works on a freelance basis, mainly going into mental health hospitals, schools and prisons. He runs workshops focusing on guitar playing, but brings other instruments (mainly percussion) to try too. He’s a gentle teacher, always with a joke in his back pocket for when you need it most. He has nicknames for everyone and remembers everything they’ve ever told him. He’s patient and never lets anyone feel bad for making a mistake. Javier also runs an after-school guitar club at the local middle school alongside playing his own music at gigs whenever he can. No, he doesn’t reply to DMs no matter how thirsty they are. 

Sadie: self-defense instructor. After surviving an attack several years ago, Sadie used her ferocity to get her qualification in self-defense to teach other women how to fight back should they need to. Her husband Jake helps out in her classes, happily allowing himself to be thrown around and slammed onto the mat as many times as required. Her students are terrified of her in the best and nicest way. Sadie also volunteers at a women’s refuge, providing emergency care and taking phone calls. 

Charles: environmental campaign manager. Charles has always been drawn to charities and started doing voluntary work for Greenpeace when he was at university, securing an internship with them in Canada which led to a full time job. Whilst Charles mainly hosts meetings and organises events, he also works closely with elementary schools and runs workshops with outdoor activities, crafts and music. Last week they made bird feeders! It was awesome. He’s also a keen activist and regularly meets up with Javier to go to protests and community events, most recently for BLM. 

Micah: motorcycle mechanic. Micah is massively invested in motorcycle culture and treats his beloved bike better than his own mother, if he still spoke to her. Although he pretends not to care, fixing bikes is his greatest passion and almost looks...happy when he’s doing it? Maybe? He likes knowing more than the people who stop by his shop and makes sure they know it. Occasionally he leaves his number on a scrap of paper inside women’s handbags when they’re not looking but for some reason none of them call. Like it or not, he’s incredibly skilled and will have your motorcycle singing a tune if that’s what you want. Euphemism? Of course not. 

Abigail: nurse. She was so shy when she realised she wanted to pursue nursing - would people laugh at her? Was she too impatient, too nagging, too shrill? Her dyslexia always put her off going into further education and she was always discouraged by her parents. But with lots of encouragement from Hosea (who helped her to fill out her applications and other forms) and her friends, Abigail went to university in her 30′s to get her degree. She graduated top of her class and now works full time in her local hospital, based mostly in the emergency room. From drunken brawlers to tearful children and grumpy old men with lumbago, Abigail has learnt to keep her cool and to have faith in her own ability. 

Molly: holistic therapist and masseuse. It took years to get that bastard of a philosopher out of her head (and out of her bed - damn those happy hour drinks “for old times’ sake”), but she’s finally free. Molly radiates a kindness that few took to the time to see, and she wanted to take strength from her past struggles to help others who may need someone to listen, just as she did. Molly took a bunch of online courses in various holistic therapies, including aromatherapy and massage, as this was something she had always been interested in. She runs a tiny clinic on a quiet street, the rooms filled with sunshine and the scent of geraniums. She also has a quite popular ASMR YouTube channel, Emerald Eyes ASMR, which she shyly admits just reached 500k subscribers. Her most popular video, ‘Irish Girl Helps You Fall Asleep (soft spoken, tapping, mouth sounds)’ just reached over a million hits. 

Kieran: veterinarian specialising in equine care. Much like Abigail, Kieran didn’t like the idea of going back into education. He’d had a rough time of it as a teenager, dropping out of high school early and working a string of menial jobs for the next decade. They paid his rent, but he still felt poor. His favourite job, however, was working at a stable. The horses made him feel calm and he found that he could read them better than most people. He went to the library and read as much as he could about them. From there, he got himself an apprenticeship which paved the way for him to earn his degree in veterinary science. He smiled so hard in his graduation photo his eyes disappeared into his cheeks. He travels all over the local countryside, visiting farms and ranches to care for the horses. His confidence picked up after the first few blunders, and little by little he’s saving up to buy his own ranch one day. 

Lenny: political science student. You know that kid who always looks amazing, even in 9am lectures? Yeah, that’s not Lenny, but he’s sat just behind. See him? Yep, the one rubbing sleep from his eyes as he pushes through the effects of another all-nighter. It’s not due to procrastination, but from perfectionism. He spends hour agonising over references, appendixes and even titles. One time he was so tired he signed his work “Ynnel”. He’s completely in love with his course and relishes every class he takes. Oh, he’s taking Dutch’s ‘History of Western Philosophy’ module by the way. Sitting in the front row, middle seat, directly in front of Dutch, his eyes glinting wickedly. Poor Dutch. Lenny has a counterpoint for absolutely everything and can barely stifle his laughter as Dutch gets more and more flustered. He’s been dating Jenny Kirk, an English Lit student, for the past few months and it’s going well. So well in fact, that he might stop hiding his Doctor Who merchandise every time she comes to his dorm room. 

Tilly: business student. Tilly started university at the same time as Lenny and they still always go to the library together, rolling their eyes at each other over their morning peppermint lattes. Tilly is at the forefront of any and all on-campus activism. Think of Sam from Dear White People - that’s our Tilly. She wears her Ravenclaw scarf all autumn and winter long and posts scathing Instagram stories about the cafeteria food. But she’s powerfully kind and very ambitious, taking on a part time job tutoring kids with dyslexia in their reading and writing. 

Susan: midwife. Think having a baby is scary? Try crossing Nurse Grimshaw. She’s here now, and that baby is coming out of you one way or another. She’ll hold your hand through thick and thin but if you dare say “I can’t do it” one more time she’ll unleash hell. Susan will make sure everyone has a job to do. Partner just standing there like a lemon? Not on her watch. She’s harsh but kind to her trainees and will always offer a cup of coffee and a shoulder to cry on, but there’s a time and place for slacking and it’s not on her labour ward. 

Trelawny: talent agent. Our Josiah is cunning, infuriatingly charismatic and with an eye for the best of the best - what else could he do so effortlessly? He’ll wrangle you a 10 second role as a latrine cleaner in a non-profit film and he’ll still make you feel like the next DiCaprio. You’re a diamond, don’t you know? Of course you could nab Elphaba, we’ll worry about the singing later. How do you feel about cat food commercials? No no, it’s not pornography, it really is cat food this time - he double checked. On top of this, he knows everyone in the business. No, really. He can’t move 3 feet down Broadway without someone booming his name. The tone of said boom depends, of course, but who hasn’t been caught with his bottom out in that director’s wife’s en-suite? 

Sean: outdoor activity centre instructor. You mean you can actually get paid to swim in lakes, ride ziplines through the forest and eat roasted marshmallows?! Sean couldn’t believe his ears. But it was true, and he’s living his best life. He may be on his penultimate warning for unruly behaviour, but he knows he could never really get fired. How could they? Everyone loves him. And to his credit, he’s a fantastic instructor, especially with kids. Everything from canoeing to caving, wild swimming to climbing, Sean has mastered it all and he always makes it fun. No one is allowed to feel left out or silly for not being able to do something. Sean has a way of making everyone feel included, even if you can only make it up the first few rungs of the ladder. Hey, that’s still off the ground! He once knew this feller Bill who cried because a moth flew into his face. You’re doing fine. 

Mary-Beth: librarian and YA author. Sweet Mary-Beth, how could she be anywhere else but surrounded by books? She adores her job at her small, local library and is always looking for ways to make it even better. She often gets tangled up in the stories she reads whilst organising shelves, but it’s quiet enough most days that she’s rarely caught. She loves helping people find their books or recommending her favourites. She also runs the toddler storytime groups and a writing club for older kids. Of course, she’s also writing her own books. The first of her ‘Valentine Mysteries’ books made a modest profit and she’s excited to write more about the adventures of Leslie Dupont. 

Karen: actress. Realising that she had a knack for accents and even after an especially successful high school lead role as Roxy Hart, Karen didn’t really acknowledge her would-be passion for acting for a long time. But she used her talents to get herself and her friends into X-rated films, dive bars and successfully pull off dozens of prank calls. It wasn’t until one of her friends was going to an open-call audition for a short film and wanted someone to go with her that Karen had her epithany. She was cast on the spot, much to the dismay of her friend. Since then, she’s been in a handful of arthouse films, a commercial here and there, and recently enjoyed a short run as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at a small theatre downtown. Does she want fame and fortune? Honestly, she hasn’t really thought about it. Right now, she’s just enjoying the ride. And the phone numbers left for her at front of house from many admirers. 

Strauss: financial loan adviser. Oh boy, perhaps you saw this one coming. Then again, maybe not. Old Leopold isn’t quite the two-pronged-tongued eldritch horror people often mistake him for. In fact, he actually advises people against loan sharks. He had his fair share of debts y’see and he genuinely doesn’t want anyone else to go through the same thing. He’s not exactly sweet and cuddly, but he might let you have a free pen if you call by his office. I mean, technically they’re not free but...never mind, just take it. 

Bill: plumber. It was purely accidental that Bill bashed his way into his career. No, really. His sink was blocked and after an hour of poking and prodding the pipes he started hitting the poor thing with a spanner out of pure frustration, cursing all the way. To his shock, it worked, and he suddenly had running water again. What shocked him more is that he realised he wanted to know how. So, he bought a book. And he read the book. And one thing led to another, and now he’s the proud owner of Williamson Plumbing Inc. The money is very good, but for Bill that’s not it. You have to understand that for him, it’s the act itself of fixing something that brings Bill immense satisfaction. And Bill isn’t used to knowing more about something - anything - than those around him. For the first time perhaps in his life, he can sit down, solve a problem, and know that he’s done a good job. 

Swanson: AA group leader. After getting completely sober almost a decade ago and staying that way, Orville wanted to give something back to the people who had helped him out so greatly. Becoming a volunteer to help those who were trapped where he was seemed like the only path, and it felt so right. Orville is there in meetings, making coffee, handing out donuts and training new volunteers. If anyone wants to talk about their faith he’s all ears, but he never pushes it as a cure-all in any situation. Orville’s sobriety has also meant that he’s learnt to make the most phenomenal mocktails. 

Pearson: grocery shop manager and cooking teacher. Simon has his small grocery shop on the edge of town which has a wide range of regular customers. But he wanted to do more, so he set up a small class to teach fellow veterans how to cook. His wife helps out, and they grow the ingredients together in their garden and down at the allotment. It’s just an therapeutic for him as it is for his students, as he’s only just realising how much he wants to talk about his time in the navy. 

Uncle: unknown. For the longest time, everyone thought Uncle worked at one of the worst dive bars in town, as whenever they stumbled in for a nightcap he was there, behind the bar, happy as a pig in shit. Turns out that he just started going there one night and no one could get him to leave. And so every evening he’ll appear like a phantom, sit himself in the half-broken chair behind the bar (clearly labelled “not for customer use”), order the cheapest beer on the menu and sit there until midnight. No one can understand how he gets the means to live as he ragingly denies receiving any government handouts despite his lumbago. Claims to be a veteran but hasn’t fought in any wars anyone has heard of. 

[pandawriterstuff]

Pinehallow Excerpt

So, this is incredibly self indulgent and cheesy, to warn you all, I've been worrying about plot and how to get through the middle of the story and all that, and got some good advice, and then saw this hilarious clip of a horse having the time of it's life rolling in a mud puddle, and voila:

“Stardust!” Monty yelped, stepping backwards from where the horse was gleefully pawing at a mud puddle, spraying everything around her with dirty water, including Monty’s jeans. Swiping his hand down, he tried to wipe some of it away, a laugh burbling out of him as another even larger splash landed as Stardust decided the ‘mud bath’ was the right shape now and plopped herself down in it. He was very glad she didn’t have her saddle on. That would have been a mess he had no desire to clean up. “Are you enjoying yourself, you silly equine? Is this the mare’s version of a spa day?” Stardust neighed at him, Monty rolling his eyes and giggling at her answer. Redwood, one of the more dignified geldings loose in the corral today, snorted as if in disapproval of her rolling about and went back to crimping the grass that tried to grow around the fence’s edge. Nodding at him, Monty continued, pulling a bag of dried pears from his pocket, “Perhaps I should share my snack with a less messy companion, the washing machine would likely appreciate it.” Rising from her wallow at the sight of treats, Stardust headed for him like she was on a mission, Monty not stepping back in time to avoid her rubbing her head, drenched mane dripping, right against his chest. Alright, perhaps he could have stepped back quicker if he tried, but when Miss Nell asked how he’d managed to cake himself in mud later, that would be his story. Scratching the horse behind her ears and trying to shove her head back at the same time, Monty nearly dropped his pears. “Alright, I yield, the pears are for you, though it would not harm you to share with your friends, you know.” Giving the horse a pear strip and chewing on one of his own, Monty sighed happily. He knew Stardust wasn’t exactly his horse, of course. But she was his friend, and Monty thought that was something far better.

Taglist: @sleepysera @enchanted-lightning-aes @odysseywritings @thegreatobsesso @writing-is-a-martial-art

[phroyd]

It’s because of shit like this that we have Regulations of one kind or another, because when we don’t, we have THIS!  And, it’s that people are not only buying this shit, they are defending buying it, that it’s clear, Trump will probably win and civilization is in serious decline. - Phroyd

Industrial bleach is being sold on Amazon through its product pages which consumers are buying under the mistaken belief that it is a “miracle cure” for Covid-19, despite health warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration that drinking the fluid can kill.

The chlorine dioxide solutions are being sold on the Amazon platform under the brand name CD Kit and NatriChlor. Third-party sellers signal the bleach as a “water treatment” and include legal disclaimers that the liquid is “not marketed for internal use”.

But comments from Amazon customers under the review section of the pages tell a different story. Users discuss how many drops of bleach they are imbibing and explain they are drinking the chemical which they call MMS to “disinfect ourselves”, a phrase that echoes Donald Trump’s controversial remarks in April that injections of disinfectant could cure Covid-19.

One purchaser, writing in Spanish, said his family had started taking bleach soon after the coronavirus pandemic hit the US. “Many people still don’t believe in it, but I am sure that it has helped us a lot,” he said.

Another Amazon customer wrote: “My mom who is 77 got Corona, Covid, and had a whole body-ache stomach upset, very extreme headache, fatigue … Well, she started taking MMS and NOT KIDDING you, she was practically half better the NEXT day and the day after she was totally good!!”

The bleach that is being sold on the Amazon marketplace is typically used in industrial processes including textile manufacturing and bleaching of pulp and paper. In small doses it can be used to disinfect water, but the concentrations being advocated by pushers of MMS – “miracle mineral solution” – are well above safety levels.

Proponents of MMS falsely claim that it is a cure-all for almost all diseases, including malaria, HIV/Aids, cancer and now Covid-19. They also market it untruthfully as a cure for the condition autism.

Since the start of the pandemic, the FDA has been trying to clamp down on fraudulent dealers of quack remedies claiming to protect against the virus. Last August the agency issued a strong health warning that MMS bleach products could be life-threatening.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers has recorded more than 16,000 cases of chlorine dioxide poisoning, including 2,500 cases of children under 12. Many of those individuals suffered serious side effects, the group noted, including a six-year-old autistic girl who three years ago required hospital treatment for liver failure.

Several deaths of people drinking bleach marketed as a “miracle cure” have been reported across South America, including in Argentina where a five-year-old boy was reported to have died in August having been given chlorine dioxide as a Covid cure.

In the past, Amazon has removed from its platform several pro-MMS books, including those by the founder of the movement, Jim Humble. He claimed to have discovered that chlorine dioxide cures malaria while on a gold mining expedition in the Guyana jungle in 1996.

Amazon in March promised to crack down on product listings that cash-in on false remedies for Covid-19. But third-party sellers are still finding ways to peddle potentially dangerous products on the site.

Amazon did not immediately respond to Guardian questions about the sale of the bleach on its platform.

Fiona O’Leary, a campaigner against MMS based in Ireland, said she was “shocked and heartbroken that Amazon is still selling this product. The FDA is prosecuting producers of bleach, but now we have Amazon selling it. How can this be happening?”

The CD Kit and Natrichlor bleach products currently on sale through Amazon are made by KVLAB, which is linked to Keavy’s Corner, an online shop based in Lake Placid, Florida. In a business listing, Keavy’s Corner describes itself as specializing in “chlorine dioxide products for consumer use”.

In an email to the Guardian, the owner of Keavy’s Corner, Steve Pardee, said that he began selling the product for cleaning dog kennels and equine use. He denied ever having claimed that chlorine dioxide is a cure, and stressed that he had nothing to do with the third-party sellers touting his wares on Amazon.

“I have never advocated human consumption. My listings for all these items have included links to FDA warnings since 2013,” he said.

Documents show that Pardee was active on the “MMS Forum”, an online community of advocates of bleach as a miracle cure, as recently as last year. In 2012 he was involved in preparing an approved list of MMS suppliers, and said in one post: “I started making MMS in 2008.”

Pardee told the Guardian that back in 2012 he had “offered safety and technical advice” to a forum run by Genesis II, a one-time leading provider of bleach miracle cures in the US run by the Grenon family. Mark Grenon, the head of the family, and his son Joseph were arrested and charged by the FDA last month in Columbia and are awaiting extradition to the US, while two other sons are also in jail facing similar charges in Florida.

Pardee said he had cut ties with Genesis back in 2013 or 2014 and had nothing to do with them. But he did join a discussion on the MMS Forum in March 2019 in which members discussed changing the name from Miracle Mineral Solution to WPS, an acronym for Water Purification Solution.

The name change would help them “hide from the wolves and hyenas targeting MMS,” as one user put it.

Pardee contributed to that conversation with the comment that “people who deal in any alternative health items need to be very careful of the language they choose. It all boils down to words. If you simply sell a chemical, and let people be educated elsewhere, they will find you when they know what they are looking for.”

Phroyd

[lunawritesaa]

Oh pardon me. I meant #48 in touch. I’m a fan of the idea, and h*nd h*lding (Thats an ace joke) seems like an “extremely” gnormal trope. Honestly, I’m considering making a blog of my own. But not about writings. I just got two more typewriters... Got any general advice. Equine Anon

oh don’t worry about it! i just wanted to assure that i write what you want, that’s all! thank you for clarifying :)

and ooo yes! i’m more than happy to give some general advice to you! honestly i’d highly recommend starting a blog. it has so many benefits and you get to interact with so many cool, unique people. it makes it all worth it.

under the cut!

so since you’re not running a writing blog i will keep most of that topic out. i know i’ve spoken about general writing blog advice before too, so hopefully i will not repeat myself too much haha

the most important thing that i always make sure to tell anyone who asks me for advice about a blog is to PUT YOURSELF FIRST. if you ever feel drained do not force anything. your mental and physical health should always be a priority no matter what. don’t ever feel a need to post. this is something you do for fun, it’s not a job!

take it in strides! learn about you and your desire to post and work w that. everything will fall into place as your blog progresses.

there’s always good and bad, remember that! you’ll have really good days with really nice interactions. you’ll love everything about running a blog! other days you’ll hate it, people will be assholes and say mean things. but just stay true to you and don’t let anyone get to you. plus- i’ll always support you! there’s always people who care.

most importantly: have fun! it’s your blog and you should always enjoy it :)

[jthiskey]

J.T. Hiskey And Lil B Raise Significant Money For BLM

jt hiskey

Q: Please introduce yourself to the readers and how you first got into this field of work –and who were some of your influences growing up?

j.t. hiskey

I’m Louie. I’ve always been into music. I was influenced by Twisted Sister, Guns n Roses, then Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Nirvana, then punk bands like The Ramones, Nofx, and The Riverdales, then got into Ritchie Blackmore and Peter Green.

jthiskey

I’m Jose. My parents introduced me to different musical styles from their vast LP record collection and from the radio when I was growing up. From The Beatles to Styx to Lionel Richie and Cindy Laupner. Then as I got older I gravitated to Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, Veruca Salt, Blink 182, Fuel, Oasis, Sum 41, Creed.

Q: What kind of training have you had, if any?

Louie: I took a guitar class in high school, one in college, and had 1 month of singing lessons.

Jose: I had music lessons with the Accordion, the Guitar but didn’t keep up with them. Q: What has been your favorite project to work on so far?

Jose: Equine abduction…

Louie: The Manhattan Project. just kidding. Q: What sports do you enjoy watching?

Louie: hockey, hockey, and hockey.

Jose: Basketball Q: What is it that you are hoping to accomplish?

Jose: We want to share our music with the world in the hope that they enjoy it. We hope that it might touch someone in a profound way or encourage them to keep on going despite the challenges they may face.

Louie: I’m hoping to accomplish having music being my life and having people hearing my/our music. Q: What has been one of the biggest highlights/achievements of your career so far?

Louie: Being played on the radio. Jose: And we really loved having someone doing a cover of one of our songs. To see it for yourself someone really digging your song was just amazing to see. Q: If you had a chance to work alongside anybody who would that be?

Louie: Anybody famous, haha

Jose: Really anybody who is serious about doing something special, would be an honor Q: What is your creative process like?

Jose: There’s usually something that affects my emotional state or story I want to express. I’ll write it down or text it to myself. As I work on the lyrics or a chorus or group of words that sounds great, I’ll then bounce it across Louie. He has the mind to really pick things apart and find better words that make the song lyrically singable and playable on the guitar. I don’t know chords so I have to reproduce the sound that I have in my head and Louie can pick up very quickly the chord I’m looking for. There have been many times where he will hit a chord by mistake and I’m like Wait, Play that Again! That’s perfect! Sometimes, we work on songs for as little as half an hour or hour and other times up to a month of constant back and forth. We record it on our phones and listen to it, work on it more to really perfect it and practice it for Recording at Sonic Palace Studios.

Louie: My creative process varies. Sometimes I’ll have a vocal melody in my head or a topic I want to write about, and I’ll make music to fit that. Or sometimes I’ll have a guitar riff or melody and work around that. Other times I’ll hear a song or riff, and it’ll “inspire” me (read: ripoff, haha) Q: Are there any funny stories during practice or recording?

Louie: A funny story was you writing what you thought the lyrics for mothers’ smiles were, compared to what they actually were.

Jose: Yeah I remember that I thought I heard the words right but was way off. I also remember there I was struggling to get “The last party of the Summer” down pat and Louie was like, ‘hey you’re getting caught between the lines’. And I looked dead set at him when he suggested to change it up to make it easier for me, and I said, “I don’t wanna change the song just because I can’t sing it.” We cracked up and I listen to that blooper and it cracks me up every time. Q: How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

Jose: The internet has made things easier for indie artists to show their artistic side, whether it’s in music or any other form. You can have an idea, record it digitally and share it with the world almost instantly. I feel the music industry has controlled things to their own detriment and the detriment of artists. Now anyone can make music and be heard around the world, get paid for their music without labels hogging it all.

Louie: I think the internet killed the radio star. That whole file-sharing royalties issue exposed a lot of artists as greedy, “in-it-for-the-money”, and, as image is very important to popular music, it was very damaging to the “rock n roll image”. On the other hand, the internet is fantastic for artists who just want their music to be heard. Q: What would you change in the industry if you could?

Jose: The major problems that artists face when trying to share their music is funding, time, and the resources to really have an impact in reaching listeners. Being independent means it’s all on you to do everything to make your music, get gigs, sell your songs, collaborate with other artists etc. There has got to be a better way for the industry which really won’t change due to their greed. If you removed that element, you would see more artists featured that have great music to share to the world that you wouldn’t otherwise hear in today’s music paradigm. It would be great if artists that were really successful, support other artists with a fund that they could use to make their music. I would support that.

The major hurdle for indie artists are just getting people to listen to your stuff. Radio is still king and even with all of the online platforms it’s hard to get people to listen to your stuff. There is just so many other bands out there with great music that I’m still discovering until this day. The industry pushes those out for whom and only whom THEY want to elevate, really those that can make them the most money.

Louie: If I could change the music industry, I’d slow it down. Not tempo-wise, but the music industry runs its artists into the ground. The constant touring, and deadlines, stuff like “you need to have this album released by this date” kinda suppresses creativity. Let them have a break. Give them time to write good songs. Q: What is the best advice you’ve been given?

That you can do things yourself. It takes hard work, time and energy but it’s worth it in the end to be able to create things and mold things to how you want them, just not how others would bend it into towards their vision. Don’t waste time or mental energy on those who are flakey or really don’t fully support what you are trying to do. Q: What’s next for you?

Louie and I will continue to record and release singles, collaborate with other artists to record songs and release more singles and maybe a few more albums. It would be easier to concentrate on our music if we could put our jobs and bills on pause. But Life keeps rolling along and we are trying to hold on during its ride. Despite it all we will keep on Rockin!

[queenlua]

book review: Pilgrim in the Microworld by David Sudnow

I enjoy telling stories at cocktail parties about my youthful internet exploits, because I am both a goddamn nerd and a goddamn delight. Explaining the basic shit like Neopets or IRC channel shenanigans is easy enough; most people have some experience with message boards or chatrooms. Explaining play-by-post RPGs is a bit trickier, but still doable—you frame it as a collaborative storytelling thing, compare it to Watership Down, describe your favorite wolf-soap-opera plotline, and at that point, you’ve either confused the shit out of someone or made a friend for life.

But the one thing I’ve never quite been able to describe, to my own satisfaction, is play-by-post horse battle RPGs.

Ostensibly, it’s really similar to the standard play-by-post RPG format. Your horse attacks the other horse; you describe it in a few sentences of prose. Theoretically, this could be as simple as “Smokey pivots on his right forehoof and kicks at Huey,” then “Huey rears up and falls on Smokey’s back,” or whatever, and you go from there.

But that would be too easy.

See, the winner of a horse battle was chosen by a handful of randomly-selected disinterested mods, who graded each post on the basis of (1) quality of prose, (2) effectiveness of attacks, and (3) creativity of attacks. You got points subtracted for godmoding or simply shrugging off damage, but you got points added for clever counterattacks or use of space. Each player had a fixed number of turns, with a fixed number of attacks each turn; each post had to be done within two days; there was a massive hierarchy of special powers/perks your character could get if you advanced high enough through Pony Fight Club; and the ponies who achieved Gold Rank were like. Envied and feared, all over the site.

Which meant, of course, that I needed to be on this list.

It took me a goddamn week to join my first horse game, because I had to read through a whole encyclopedia of horse breeds to determine, empirically, which breed would be the best at beating up other horses. For my first ever horse battle post I wrote 3,000 words to describe “Ska kicks Duplicity in the side” and revised it like 800 times and was physically shaking when I finally hit send. I had a fucking printout of the equine muscular system and the equine skeletal system taped on the wall next to the family computer for convenient reference. I reenacted horse poses in the basement to try and figure out which angle I could attack from. I scared the shit out of my horseback riding instructor by asking all kinds of weird questions about “so like what’s the WORST thing you’ve ever seen a stallion attack do, though.”

And the posts themselves, oh, the posts. See, “quality of prose” in this scene meant “as purple and neurotic as humanly possible (with a very strange set of jargon you will literally never use anywhere else),” and I rose to the challenge ably. We all did, and the results were some of the most tryhard, pretentious writing this side of David Foster Wallace:

Here’s an excerpt from one that I managed to dig up:

the rotation locates the spring action retention of the hind regions, the gashed arenas stretched and pulled with each following spin and force…hind flints echo ‘pon the soil as fores spin effortlessly upon the soil, hinds lifted in mirrored image of first attack by opponent, a similar region seemingly forced to location, but the motion of the receding spook renders the toss to the hock/limb region towards the more deadly region of rib-cage and right lung, knowledge of retractable inhalation essential to the sustenance of battle..forelimbs echo at the joint, bent and snapped back and forth towards this area with explosive force, the verbatim maneuver thusly completed, the fores lift from mud-caked position, crimson liquid staining the glossy extremes of the bloodkissed’s pelt [. . .] accepted plurality of motionless fate, flints return after seeken motions t’wards the murky loam, a snarl exhaled and soft smirk ‘crossed ashen mug... limp is obvious ‘thin hind regions o’ she as darkness reclaims torso, bulwarked vital throat region definitive as pools roam the other..seems more interesting than the others, but hell...when you’re certain that death is on the line anything becomes more interesting..

Did the horse like, kick the other horse? why are its forelimbs echoing; did it hurt itself just kicking the other horse? how did the kick drawblood? Who fucking knows? The important thing is it sounds fly as hell, and the mods will be too embarrassed to admit they don’t fucking understand what is actually happening. That’s gonna be a 10/9/9 score, easy.

But, uh, this is all a bit much to explain at a cocktail party.

So I am delighted to announce that I now have a better shorthand for explaining The Horse Battle Play-By-Post RPG Scene.

This is the horse battle book.

Sure, it’s ostensibly about some dude’s obsession with the classic arcade game Breakout. But the majority of it is a pseudo-philosophical, over-described, tangent-riddled description of the experience of playing Breakout. Which ends up sounding a lot like the horse battle stuff. Here is an excerpt chosen at semi-random:

A long fast volley at the finish was simply too much for me to handle. The more it lasts the more afraid you get it won’t last longer, and layer upon layer of competing advice rapidly piles up to overheat thoughts to an agitated concentration that melts your cool. The whole field of vision frazzles you with temptation, you stiffen up to fight off distractions, and through that very effort their beckoning power becomes even more salient. Anxiety about the future of the gesture flows backwards without really knowing what a hazard is, all while telling yourself not to analyze anything. Work over a long run at the piano, a tricky passage beginning on a certain measure in the music. Now play the entire piece, and that fast messy section is coming up. Now you’re into it, and in its midst you’re feeling a ragged uncertainty in the movements...

The whole book is like this. When I realized that this was what I was reading, I achieved enlightenment. I stopped and put down the book and grinned ear-to-ear at this man, this one goofy sociology-professor man, partaking in the bizarrely niche hobby of some hundreds of teenage horse girls in the early 2000s. What a blessing.

All that being said, I would not recommend this book unless you, too, have some horse battle nostalgia you need to get out of your system.

(crossposted from DW)

[rheyninwrites]

Old Friends Part 3

f!OC Modern AU

I He was only nineteen when they met, still a kid, same as the rest of us. Once he laid his eyes on her, his big dumb heart was just taken away. He swore that she was The One for him, no doubts in his mind at all. He followed her around like a puppy dog, and she loved every damn minute of it.

Charles, who was his best friend besides me, tried to talk sense into him. We all knew she’d be bad news for him. If it wasn’t her, it would be because of her father. The man was probably the wealthiest person any of us had ever seen, or even heard of at the time, and all of his efforts were being put into finding a “suitable” husband for his precious daughter. You practically needed a six figure salary to even be considered, so it was highly unlikely that an ex con who performed manual labor for a living would make the cut.

“You realize she’s rich, right?” Charles said one night as we hung out in the townhouse we all shared. “Like, more money than all of us will ever see in our whole lives put together rich?”

But he just waved the advice away and dove headfirst into love. And boy oh boy was it love, or maybe obsession would be a better way to describe it. He was practically glued to her side. Almost stopped hanging out with us completely. He ate, slept, and breathed her name, her face, her figure. All she had to do was walk in the room and he went all gooey, all heart eyes and floating across the floor after her.

Of course, I found it utterly disgusting, but at that point I had realized I had major feelings for him, so I knew some of my distaste for it came from jealousy. She was everything I wasn’t. Tall and thin to my average height curves, rich to my poor, graceful to my clumsy. Some of us can’t afford facials and finishing school. So different than me, so much more refined. And he wanted her , craved her, so I knew I didn’t stand a chance.

God, the dance went on for years. “Daddy” wouldn’t have approved, so of course it was all kept very secret, while in daylight she paraded with the suitors her father sent her way. Arthur would meet her at night, often springing for a fancy restaurant he couldn’t really afford, and she’d have him out with her all night. Then he’d race his way to whatever job he was working, apologize for being late, and drag his way through the day on whatever little sleep she’d let him have.

I know I’m making her sound like a bitch, my recollection colored by bitterness. It’s hard to let some hurts from the past go. Not only did she have the man I wanted, but she had the easy life that comes to the rich and beautiful. I think she probably did really care about him, just not enough to do what really mattered.

That became clear one afternoon, just as I was graduating college. Most of the rest had either never started college to begin with, or had dropped out in favor of a job offer. Tilly was starting work at the flower shop she’d own in a few years, Bill had gotten Charles in at the factory he was working at, while Javier, Sean, and John were starting at a construction company. Karen had convinced Abigail, newly in love with John, that they should start a business together, which, unfortunately didn’t go so well. Mary-Beth had just moved in with us, one year into her English degree, and Lenny wouldn’t be showing up until the Fall, a genius seventeen year old hell-bent on being the first in his family with an MD. Sadie didn’t join us until years later, having met Charles at work.

Tilly, Charles, and I were sitting at the kitchen counter, having a quiet conversation, when suddenly Arthur burst through the door, a grin nearly splitting his face in two. The three of us looked at each other in confusion as Arthur stomped to the fridge and grabbed a beer, guzzling half of it down at once.

“This is it, I ain’t never gonna have to worry about another thing in my life. Not in my damn life!”

“You gone tell us what all this stomping and shouting is about, Arthur Morgan, or you gone just leave us here wondering?”

“Ah, shit, Tilly. I’m just so damned excited! You ain’t gonna believe this. You remember that position I applied to? The one at the summer camp up in New York?”

Of course we all remembered. It had been the only thing he’d talked about for weeks, hemming and hawing about whether or not he should apply. It was training and handling horses used in equine therapy, something he’d wanted to do for years. Unfortunately the application had said that anyone with a criminal background shouldn’t apply. Thanks to his fuck-up of a father, he a few pick-pocketing charges, and one or two shoplifting incidents. Luckily, instead of being a victim lost in the often cruel justice system, he ended up with a great counselor who got him help and got him sent to a rehabilitation facility, where they used horses as part of the therapy. When he came out, he was a different person, and he said he wanted to be able to give that to others. Unfortunately, between needing a steady income and having poor grades, he hadn’t gotten into any of the training programs he’d applied to, and he’d all but given up hope.

When he told us about it the camp opportunity, we all encouraged him to apply anyway. Since the charges had been so long ago, and he’d been through the rehabilitation program, we thought maybe it wouldn’t matter as much. Mary-Beth helped him to write a cover letter to include with his application, explaining not only why the charges were there, but how they lead to him finding that passion and how it changed his life. Maybe it wouldn’t matter, maybe they’d throw out his application, but if he never applied, he’d be certain he never got the job.

“I got it! I got the damn job! They said that, while they normally ain’t keen on hiring people with a criminal record, I was clearly a fine example of ‘the transformative power of the horse’. “

Grin still splitting his face, he stood there, arms out and nearly crying from happiness as we all gathered around him to hug and congratulate him.

“And that ain’t the only thing. My story touched them so much, they’re thinking they might want to use it in their new advertising campaign.”

He plopped into the chair while we all screamed and shouted our excitement, filling in Karen, Sean, and Javier as they tromped downstairs to the kitchen to see what the noise was. Karen was the first to form a coherent sentence.

“Hot damn, Arthur, that’s the best damn thing I heard in a long damn time! Sounds like we might have to get ourselves out tonight to celebrate!”

“Aw, thank you Karen, but I’m afraid I’m gonna have to pass on that tonight, as I already got other plans.”

“Shit, Arthur, what plans could you have that are more important than celebrating your success with your best friends?”

Arthur looked down sheepishly, the first blush I’d seen on him in ages starting to creep up his cheeks. I got a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach as he reached into the pocket of his jeans and brought out a tiny velvet box, which he sat on the table slowly. I glanced over at Tilly, whose eyes widened ever so slightly in an “oh shit” face. Charles was already backing away, ever so slightly shaking his head.

“I, well, I’m gonna see Mary tonight. And I’m gonna ask her to marry me.”

My heart fluttered its way to my mouth before finally deciding to drop down into the pits of the fiery depths below . This was definitely not good. Not just because I loved him romantically, but because I loved him as a friend, and I knew that there was precisely a snowball’s chance in hell that she was going to say yes. But as his friend, I also knew it wasn’t my place to say that, and that my job was to support him, so I was the first one to speak.

“That’s great, Arthur. I hope you guys have a really great future together. My best to you.”

And because I knew I couldn’t stand there anymore without shedding tears, I excused myself to the bedroom Tilly and I shared. Flopping onto my bed, I laid there, facing the ceiling and thinking about all of the things Arthur and I had done together, all of the moments we had shared. I let all of the feelings I had for him wash over me, and let them flow from my eyes.

Why can’t he love me the way he loves her?

It had been a constant refrain in my head for the last several years. Every time I heard of some new thing they’d done together, every time I’d overheard him gushing to someone about how amazing and how incredible she was.

Why can’t he love me the way he loves her?

After a few minutes, I heard a gentle knock on the door, and Tilly’s voice asking if she could come in. I guess I mumbled something in the affirmative, or she knew she should come in anyway, because the next thing I knew, she was lying in bed beside me, wrapping her arms around me as I cried. She’d known for a long time that I cared about him as more than just a friend, and she knew how much this was hurting me.

“You know it’s gonna be a disaster. He’ll propose, she’ll bat those long eyelashes at him, clap her hands together and say ‘oh, Arthur’- you know how she does- and then she’s gonna turn him down flat. Either that, or she’s gonna say ‘yes’, make him feel like a big man, and then blame her daddy when she has to break it off!”

Tilly sat up and did her best comedic impression of Mary’s clasped hand gesture, which did get me to laugh. But laughing turned back into tears soon enough. I pushed myself up to lean my back against the wall and looked at Tilly.

“I don’t hate her, you know. I really don’t. But she knows damn well that she’s not going to spend her life with Arthur, that it’s not even an option for her, but she still keeps seeing him. And she knows it’s gonna lead to him getting hurt, but she still won’t let him go. It’s so damn wrong.”

“ I know honey. In a lot of ways Mary’s a fine girl, but she’s selfish, and there ain’t no getting around that. Rich girls nearly always are- I don’t think they can even help it. I guess, you grow up getting everything you want, you don’t really learn that sometimes getting what you want ain’t the best for others.”

Turns out, we were right. Mary said no. We didn’t see Arthur for two days, and when he finally showed, he was a broken man. All the life seemed to have gone out of him, all the pride. His shoulders slumped, he trudged to his bedroom and shut the door. He only ate because Charles practically force fed him. I think he would have happily starved himself to death over her.

And he never did get to that position in New York

[ocehans]

9 Essential WEB SITE DESIGN Methods for DIY Beginners

Let’s get right down to it, shall we? Below are a few of the very most useful styles and guidelines to learn when building your first website:

1. SET ASIDE the Mouse, GRAB a Pencil

Your site may already exist as a lovely, complete entity in your mind which is the reason why you immediately leap into Photoshop (or worse, an internet browser and HTML) to plan it out. Whoa, whoa-cool your jets for another! Don’t place the cart before the equine. First, get out a pencil and pad of paper and start putting your ideas into something easily tangible. That is an important stage to map out the framework of your site using only rectangles, doodles and influenced ideas (categorized as wireframing). Things can be very tough at this time; no one’s heading to view it nevertheless, you.

It is more easily at this time to alter designs you originally thought works however now discover are cluttered and confusing in writing. This can save you many hours of disappointment instead of making the same finding after the site is coded and in a web browser. Plus, it can help significantly to create a web page when you have research at hand to seek advice from rather than moving in blind.

2. Follow a Hierarchy

It’s an undeniable fact that a lot of web surfers tend to only check out webpages rather than take time to read everything. You should be ready because of this by placing the most crucial content first. This means that a consumer can break down the most essential information on a full page all in a single screen on preliminary load, and never have to focus or scroll. That is, of course, easier said than done. Here are some tips to help you better understand the significance of the design theory:

Keep Content “Above the Collapse”

We call that preliminary display of loaded content “the fold”-and everything below it that must be scrolled to be observed is considered supplementary. Generally, your most significant information rests “above the collapse”. The crucial thing to perform within this area is to entice a consumer to do this or generate the motivation to scroll down further.

Utilizing a “Hero” Image

A common trend in web site design nowadays is to fill this “above the fold” area using what is named a “hero” image or banner. They are full-screen history images with very succinct and to-the-point overlaid text messages, usually combined with a call-to-action button. Feasibly the whole purpose of the net web page could be included within this banner area, although it also acts as a great primer for this content to follow.

“The Collapse” May Change With regards to the Device

Here’s where things become complicated-and why you shouldn’t overburden yourself attempting to match everything above this marvelous line. Concerning the user’s device, the display screen sizes could differ greatly. A jaw-dropping 5K screen has a vertical quality of 2880 pixels, whereas an iPhone 5 has not even half of this. This means that mobile users just aren’t heading to have the ability to fit as much content to their display real property. (More upon this later.)

3. Typography Is Your Design

Unless you’re owning a photography business, the text is the solitary most important component of any website, so it’s important to get this done part right. Your web page’s hierarchy is greatly reliant on the typography you select: how your headings, subheadings, and body text message follow an all-natural circulation and stay aesthetically distinctive in one another

Make sure the written text is legible (avoid flowery fonts!) and large enough (usually around 16px for your body).

Stick to only two fonts-and make sure they set well together!

Give your paragraphs some room to inhale between one another, and arranged enough top cushioning or margin on your headings to symbolize clear breaks in content.

Avoid long lines of text. It’s easier on the eye for paragraph lines to be approximately only 15 words long-and a little significantly less than that for mobile displays.

Serif fonts are usually best only in print-unless they may be found in large headlines on the net

4. Colors & Comparison Are Crucial

We’ve discussed color mindset at length, however, the idea bears duplicating. The colors you select for your website play a massive role in how users understand your brand, as well as how motivated they could feel in taking action (i.e.: buying things) through your website. Why? Well, every color evokes certain feelings, and either for their natural character or by social fitness, these colors have grown to be associated with certain types of businesses. If a children’s toy company or a financial consultant painted their whole website in the stark dark, it could send the incorrect indicators with their meant viewers. Around the flipside, a shiny orange or an enjoyable blue, respectively, would catch the perfect firmness and consciousness for his or her customers.

If you’ve already established the colors of your brand, use those on your website then. It’s best, however, to keep it at only three colors for your site; like fonts, you don’t want to overdo it here or your site could finish up with multiple personality disorder. Also, be skeptical of way too many splashes of color across your website; our eye is attracted to them like honey traps, plus they could interrupt the natural movement of your articles. Use color only once it is most needed, such as links or control keys.

In contrast, your text message must stick out from the backdrop. Using light greys, yellows or greens for your fonts will likely render them unseen on the web page. Black on the white background is the foremost combination of comparison and is normally what you ought to stick to.

Additionally, you want your text message to pop against background images. Using very occupied photos can distract from the written text, to avoid this issue either use less comprehensive photos or use an overlay of, say, rgba(51,51,51,0.5)to help soften the image within the text.

Contrast also is important in how users are attracted to certain important elements of your site. Your most significant call-to-action control keys must get attention through the use of contrasting colors. A blue “Buy Now!” button manages to lose its urgency and well worth it when it's swallowed by a niche site that uses blue everywhere-but a red button on that same web page grabs a user’s attention by shouting “Hey! Click me!”

5. Using Pictures

Deciding on the best images to use on your website partly boils down to your artistic aptitude, but there are also intellectual considerations to consider that should assist with your selection process. First of all, avoid embellishing your site with extraneous photos because they could look nice. Instead, think of how each image you utilize serves its purpose, and how it functions as content. A well-chosen picture can convey your brand, service, product, or audience a lot more effectively than words. Use photos to help your users understand something, to evoke feelings, or even to inspire trust and self-confidence; with them solely for visual reasons should be supplementary.

Understanding Document Types & Compression

There can be an extra step that must be taken for using images on the net. Those elegant photos you have from sites like Shutterstock and iStock could be very substantial (5,000+ horizontal pixels and 10+ megabytes in proportions) which is okay for printing, but they’re unfit for websites. Not everyone has superfast Dietary fiber Internet, and that means you must decrease the size of your images to support for launching times (not forgetting 40% of site visitors will leave if the website takes much longer than 3 mere seconds to weight!). Typically, you want to keep each of your images at no more than 500 kilobytes in proportions, though your average quality should of times be around 100 kilobytes.

JPEG is the typical format for photos. It is a lossy format, this means its image quality is reduced when compressed. If you’re utilizing a JPEG for a full-width history image I quickly recommend keeping its horizontal quality at a minimum of 1200px. For general purposes, stay away from any image with significantly less than 600px horizontal quality, as it'll likely show up blurry on modern displays.

PNG is the most well-liked choice for images or for images that want transparency. It is a lossless format, which is ideal for keeping image quality but may also greatly increase document sizes. Generally, you’ll use PNG images for illustrations, symbols, or smaller images that may be stacked together with other elements for their transparency. You’ll hardly ever need a PNG to be bigger than 1000px.

SVG (Scalable Vector Image) is a more recent format that is changing GIF and even PNG in some instances. SVG wonders that it could be as large or as small onscreen as you will need it to be, all while keeping perfect clearness and crispness (but still be a little quality). You should think about using SVG for just about any logo design, icon, or vector visual on your website; as high DPI shows are becoming commonplace, the sharpness of SVG provides the best image quality.

6. Mobile-First Design

We’ve now reached a period where most people consume online quite happy with their cell phones rather than on the desktop computer. As a total result, there is much larger precedence in web site design to tailor specifically to the mobile experience, which has resulted in the “mobile-first” design viewpoint.

This means that essentially, throughout your initial sketching and planning phase in some recoverable format, it is best to focus on the site’s mobile layout first. Only the most crucial content necessary for the functioning of your site will be displayed on smaller screens. This causes you to simplify your design and slice out any distracting elements immediately. Think back again to your “above the flip” content: if you first ensure that the important info can fit on the original screen of the phone, then you’ll know for several it'll fit on bigger displays. Once you’ve nailed the fundamental mobile layout, you'll be able to start adding in embellishments or bigger images for desktop displays.

Your mobile layout assumes a far more vertical design that inspires scrolling, as opposed to the wide landscape of the desktop. If, say, your product web page displays entries in a grid of 3 across on desktops, then usually your mobile layout will display them as only a single column.

Yes, which means that you essentially need to produce several layouts for every web page of your website. Fortunately, a worthwhile website contractor should provide reactive templates that change these designs automatically so you’ll then just need to fine-tune them.

7. Keep Things Aligned

When elements appear sporadically laid across your site it is often due to an alignment issue. Imagine your website on the sheet of graph paper. Individual it into even columns by sketching, for example, six right lines. You now want to ensure that the remaining sides of your elements are distributed and aligned to only these six vertical lines.

8. Keep It Simple

It is said that the best web site design moves unnoticed; it is a poor design that phone calls focus on itself. As stated earlier, the main facet of any website is merely its text message. If you can offer outstanding typography that is a joy to learn, you won’t do much more. Wanting to overdesign your site will just mess and complicate things.

Are the package shadows necessary? The crazy, ornate patterns? A large number of colors? Not probably.

9. Big Open up Spaces

Your articles need room to breathe. White space is the prevailing design choice for modern websites: wide, open up areas of nothingness to pad areas between content. It’s a far more pleasant way to process information, looked after stimulates you to eliminate superfluous text messages and images to keep carefully the site clean.

Get more advice Thought Media is a leading Chicago web design providing professional website development services, and one of the top SEO companies. The agency has worked with hundreds of clients all over the world! Creating high converting website designs, providing reliable website hosting, and successful Search Engine Optimization Marketing campaigns!

Conclusion

Web site design can be considered a sprawling field of technology to learn, ideas to practice, dialects to review, and artistry to understand. Only with experience will all of these components start to make sense, however, you already are well on the way simply by grasping the basics of why is a good website work. I am hoping that guide acts as your launching-off point, which offers you the self-confidence to consider your website into the own hands and build it just how that only a business proprietor knows best.

[horsefinders]

How to Successfully Sell Your Horse Online

Selling a horse online can be a rewarding yet challenging endeavor. With the right strategy, you can reach a broad audience, ensuring your horse finds a suitable new home. Whether you're an experienced seller or new to the process, this guide will provide valuable tips to help you sell your horse online effectively.

Understanding the Online Market for Horses

The online marketplace for horses is vast, offering numerous platforms where you can list your horse for sale. Websites like Equine.com, DreamHorse.com, and local classifieds can connect you with potential buyers from various regions. It's essential to choose the right platform based on your horse's breed, discipline, and price range.

Preparing Your Horse for Sale

1. Health and Wellness: Ensure your horse is in good health before listing it for sale. A recent vet check, up-to-date vaccinations, and a clean bill of health are critical. Buyers are more likely to be interested in a horse that is well-cared for and healthy.

2. Training and Behavior: Highlight your horse's training level and behavior. Buyers appreciate detailed information about the horse's skills, temperament, and any specific training it has received. Honest descriptions help build trust and set realistic expectations.

Creating an Attractive Listing

1. Quality Photos and Videos: High-quality images and videos are crucial in attracting buyers. Capture your horse in good lighting, showcasing its conformation, movement, and any special skills. A video of the horse being ridden or performing specific tasks can significantly boost interest.

2. Detailed Description: Write a thorough and engaging description of your horse. Include age, breed, height, gender, and any special attributes. Mention its training history, competition experience, and any notable achievements. Be honest about any quirks or issues to avoid misunderstandings later.

3. Price Setting: Research similar horses for sale to set a competitive and fair price. Consider factors such as age, training, pedigree, and market demand. An appropriately priced horse is more likely to attract serious buyers quickly.

Promoting Your Listing

1. Social Media: Utilize social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share your listing. Join equine-related groups and communities to expand your reach. Engaging posts with eye-catching photos and videos can drive more traffic to your listing.

2. Word of Mouth: Inform your network, including friends, trainers, and local equestrian clubs, that your horse is for sale. Personal recommendations often lead to successful sales.

3. Paid Advertising: Consider investing in paid ads on equine websites and social media. Targeted advertising can help reach potential buyers who are actively looking for a horse like yours.

Communicating with Potential Buyers

1. Be Responsive: Promptly respond to inquiries from potential buyers. Answer questions thoroughly and provide additional photos or videos if requested. Good communication builds trust and keeps buyers interested.

2. Arrange Viewings: Offer to arrange viewings and trial rides for serious buyers. Ensure your horse is well-prepared and in a safe environment for these sessions.

3. Negotiation and Contracts: Be prepared to negotiate the price and terms of sale. Have a clear and legally sound sales contract ready to protect both parties' interests.

Finalizing the Sale

1. Vet Check: Many buyers will request a pre-purchase vet examination. Cooperate fully with this process to ensure transparency and trust.

2. Payment and Transfer: Once an agreement is reached, ensure secure payment methods. Provide all necessary documents, including registration papers, health records, and a bill of sale.

3. After-Sale Support: Offer after-sale support if needed, such as advice on care or training. This can help ensure a smooth transition for both the buyer and the horse.

By following these steps, you can effectively sell your horse online, ensuring a successful and satisfactory transaction for both you and the buyer. Happy selling!

[writingofriding]

Donkeys, horses, and mules; is there a reason someone (maybe in a fantasy story) would prefer one to another? And if someone rides a mule, what would that say about them? Thank you for making this blog by the way, I've really enjoyed reading all the answers!

First of all, you’re welcome. I’ve always been that annoying kid who strains to raise her hand in class every time she knows an answer, AND the weird horse girl, so an excuse to answer questions about horses is basically a dream come true. I’m glad you’re enjoying it! Okay, now, to your questions. Q: Is there a reason someone in a fantasy story would prefer a donkey, horse, or mule? A: Donkeys, horses, and mules are pretty different creatures, size and appearance aside. Which is why they’ve been utilized for different tasks in human history. This answer is going to get into generalities; there are plenty of great pack horses out there, and plenty of donkeys that are lovely to ride. I’m speaking in broad strokes. It’s worth mentioning, as people tend not to realize, that horses and ponies are a separate species from donkeys, and a mule is the combination of a female horse and a male donkey. The combination of a female donkey and a male horse is called a hinny, and are less common, probably/primarily because the resulting mule is likely to be significantly larger than the donkey, which means that a female donkey might have trouble carrying and delivering the foal. I’ll use the word “mule” to refer interchangeably to mules and hinnies. I’ll also preface this entire answer by saying that I have never lived with a mule, but I have had both horses and donkeys in my daily life. <3 Horses are the most popular of the three for riding and/or heavy draft work. Horses have been selectively bred for size for much longer than donkeys. For most of history, most donkeys were too small to be ridden by adult humans. That made them able to cover longer distances, faster, while being ridden. There’s also more physiological variability among horse breeds. Why exactly that is is hard to say; maybe just because they’ve been selectively bred for longer. In any case, the draft type horses are much larger and stronger than donkeys, as well, which makes them ideal for much heavy work. Some regions have not traditionally had access to donkeys, also, which would limit their use and people’s comfort with using them. Donkeys have a very different attitude and worldview compared to horses, and people experienced with horses won’t necessarily know how to manage donkeys. Horses are very reactive, and many traditional training tactics, passed from human to human, rely on methods that essentially capitalize on their desire to flee in the face of discomfort (avoiding pressure from stimuli, including sound, pressure, and sudden movement). Whereas donkeys pay attention to the same things, but tend to be more stoic, which can confuse and aggravate someone who’s used to horses. Again, I’m making generalizations here, but it’s often said that this difference in horses and donkeys originates from their different capacities for speed. A horse runs from a threat, whereas a donkey knows it’s often better off deploying strategy, or even fighting. Google videos of donkeys fighting various predators; when they encounter sudden danger, too late to avoid it, they are impressively vicious.

That same “calmness” under pressure makes donkeys a popular choice for pack animals, because even if something goes wrong, chaos in the pack string would be less likely than with horses.

(The donkey’s tendency to hesitate and think things through has given them an unwarranted reputation for stubbornness; really, they deserve as much patience as horses, even if their panic and fear doesn’t embody itself in a way that’s easy for humans to read.) Mules are an interesting subject, because in my experience people who own mules think that they combine the best of horses’ sensitive and cooperative nature, with the stoicism of donkeys. They also tend to be nearer in size to their horse parent than their donkey parent, so they have been bred as riding or draft animals, and as a result there’s a wider variation in the type and kind of mules versus that of donkeys. I’m really not sure what separates mule owners from horse owners except personal preference as to temperament, and maybe some lingering thought that horses are more aesthetically pleasing tips the scales for some people in their direction. I’ve seen mules do all manner of things that horses can do, so I don’t think there’s much functional difference at this point. I would add that horses are still generally the more supreme athletes at the highest levels, but that might be a lack of opportunity, rather than ability, for mules to compete and be compared. Oh, one athletic feat mules are thought to surpass horses at is the ability to jump fairly high from a standstill. If you’re curious, run an internet search for mule jump competitions, and prepare to be amazed. :) This ability makes them popular with, for example, hunters who are browsing land that contains fences. It’s much easier to be able to cross where you like than to have to look for gates. That’s not to say that horses can’t jump, too, but horses generally have to approach an obstacle at a trot or canter in order to jump it, and higher obstacles necessitate a naturally bold horse and advanced training. Plus, the horse’s style of jumping with momentum means they need room to approach the obstacle, then room to come to a stop on the other side after landing, which can be tricky depending on the terrain. Mules and donkeys seem to have an entirely different jumping attitude. Q: If someone rides a mule, what would that say about them? A: It’s going to vary based on who you ask. Mule enthusiasts would tell you mules are smarter, more people-oriented, and calmer under pressure. The implication being, everyone should prefer them. :) I think in fiction, characters who choose mules are often, and fairly, thought to value the practical over the aesthetic (mules being generally thought to be less beautiful than horses--sorry, mules, but it’s true) and to find a mount that is more likely to plod than prance much more appealing. I’ve found that region makes a difference, too. If mules are popular where someone grew up, and they have experience around them, they are more likely to have one themselves. Those who grew up with horses only tend to be more leery.