#i did used to ride a haflinger

[horsesarecreatures]

I decided to move to the first barn I saw this week. I visited another place today which was pretty nice, close to me, and on the Bedford Trail System. However, it did not have a wash stall or run in sheds. The shed row stalls also reaked of cats so I couldn't really see myself grooming Amba in there on rainy days without having an asthma attack. When outside or in frequently cleaned houses I can tolerate cats, but in close quarters where their fur, dander, etc. build up the allergies are a huge problem unfortunately.

I have Amba scheduled to be picked up at 2:00 tomorrow. Praying that Deborah keeps her distance and doesn't start shouting but I've seen her do it to other boarders who were leaving. Lynn and Mike, the owners of the haflingers, are on a waiting list for a retirement barn that's closer to them, but if they can't get in soon they said they would follow us. I totally understand why they don't want to drive an hour, but it would make the horses so happy if they could stay together. Also I will miss them.

I'm surprisingly not sad about leaving the current place though. Back when I had Cannoli and first started looking for a new place, the thought of leaving made me cry everyday that whole week until things were resolved. But this time, I haven't cried once. I just feel relieved to leave behind the resentment I have for D, the worry I have about Amba not getting proper care, and the feeling of always walking on eggshells at the barn.

Also, it looks like we can keep Julie. The new place is an hour and 20 minutes from Manhattan, but she seems pretty unfazed by long drives. She can still ride Amba for free, but I will be trying to add a real leaser in June.

[milfjagger]

long horsey post under cut to save my followers who don’t care

i think i rode a pony for the first time when i was about 5 but i started lessons when i was 7!! my sister started at the same time aged 5 and my mum took up riding again having not ridden since she was a kid. (btw all of these photos are from this really cute memories book that my mum had printed for me and my sister ♥️)

we used to go to northern ireland to see my dad’s family pretty much every easter, and we usually also combined it with a trip to donegal in the ROI bc that was where my dad used to go on holiday as a kid! there was a riding school in rathmullan where you could take the ponies along the beach and that was where i had my first gallop!!! my dad doesn’t ride so he always walked along the beach and tried to get pictures; this is me on a pony who i think was called pearl iirc (i have a really good memory for the names of horses for some reason even if i only met/rode them like once)

by this point we had moved from devon to hertfordshire and i absolutely fucking hated it there BUT they did have a very big and very good riding school in walking distance from our house . we had lessons there every week and when i was 10 my mum bought a horse from them! he was called boris, he was a big chestnut irish draft who was sooo handsome and sweet and everyone was so jealous of him lol but here he is 🧡

boris was supposed to be the family horse but my mum is tall and didn’t really realised how much too big he would be for me and my sister (and my brother who rode for a bit before he decided his horse allergies were too bad to continue 😭), especially bc he was only 5 when we got him and he grew about 3 inches from then (finishing at just under 17 hands). i was already like 5’3 at age 10 (early puberty lol) so was able to ride him a bit but my sister couldn’t really bc her feet barely reached the bottom of the saddle. for a while we loaned (for free, from another owner on the yard) a 14 hand haflinger called tommy who i have literally NO pictures of but if you google haflinger that’s pretty much him, they only come in one colour. tommy was absolutely fucking mental and the strongest pony ever, i remember one time i was cantering on him and literally couldn’t stop him at all so i just had to sit and wait until he got tired 😭 we also did some jumping on him and rode him in our lessons which was always slightly terrifying but we had a lot of fun on him until he went lame from a health condition and his owner put him in retirement. then the stable owners told us they had a pony we could loan for free (mainly for my sister) but quote “it’s not a nice pony” and that is the story of how we got isobel, who we have now had for 17 years, is 25 and completely retired from work. she is a very small (12 hands) roan rescue pony who was extremely nervous and unhandled (she had been turned loose for a year before we got her, she wouldn’t let most of the staff near her and her mane was down to her knees and super matted) but my sister was super patient with her. i rode her a little bit but i was already bordering on too big for her. she was 100% my sister’s pony and my sister ADORED her. we all still love isobel so much even though she is grumpy as fuck she’s so cute and she deserves to live out her retirement in peace and be a friend to mum’s current horses ♥️♥️♥️ this is isobel (first pic with my sister soon after we got her 17 years ago and another recent one)

isobel had some limitations though, mainly that she was terrified of jumping and given what she went through before she was rescued by the rspca we didn’t want to push her too much. our riding school was super jumping focused and at the time me and my sister were both really into jumping (and we thought isobel was only gonna be temporary) so mum decided to get a pony that was bigger than isobel but smaller than boris and would be able to do some jumping. which was when we got cookie, who was an absolute legend and i really hope she’s happy if she is still alive today ♥️ she was a skewbald irish cob with one blue eye and one brown, just over 14 hands and came highly recommended by the riding school who had owned her briefly, but she was being sold by a private owner. we had kind of a rocky start with her (when we went to try her out, me, my sister and my brother all rode her and told mum that she scared the shit out of us, but my mum was like “well it’s this pony or no pony”) and she was completely mental for about 3 months and would just buck and run off constantly but luckily we had trained at the school of tommy (and isobel who could also be kind of quirky) and i started really enjoying her. my sister was still nervous but she had isobel who was much smaller and also now that we had 3 it meant we could all ride together which was super nice :) cookie was an amazing jumper for a cob and so pretty ♥️ she had quite severe hayfever and was very bothered by flies so she had to wear a fly mask in the summer and would toss her head quite a lot and in many ways she was not an easy pony at all but we literally loved her and learned so much from her bc she was so weird and crazy. i always think there are two types of cobs, the ones that are basically walking sofas and the ones that are a bit fucked in the head and she was definitely the second type LOL. here is a pic of me jumping on cookie!!! this is from when the riding school took a bunch of school horses and other kids’ horses to a cross country course and i literally fell off at least twice that day and the yard owner actually got on cookie to try and sort her out and she was like fair play lol that pony is spicy!!! but at least we got some good pics before that

pretty soon after we got cookie we moved back to devon and we were only planning to take cookie and boris bc isobel still belonged to the school but they basically insisted we take her, handed over her documents and she was ours 😭 we moved into a farm with its own stables and joined the local pony club, which kinda sucked tbh it was really cliquey and no one really thought much of cookie bc she was a cob and they all had expensive show ponies or thoroughbreds lol. she could easily jump a course of the same height as their horses but she wasn’t really fast enough to win the timed jump-offs …but we still got some rosettes ♥️ I didn’t take boris to many events bc he was mainly mum’s horse, and at this point my sister was really confident on cookie and wanted to ride her all the time so we thought about getting another horse that would be just mine. we heard from someone at our old yard in hertfordshire that she was looking for a home for her super nice dressage horse, but he would be super cheap bc he had health issues and intermittent lameness. i remembered the horse and had always thought he was really sweet and friendly and we ended up getting him, bc it was an amazing opportunity to have a really highly trained horse and have some fun with him when he was sound, but we did kind of know his time would be limited before he went completely lame. his old name was literally FUGLY which was so cruel and inaccurate but i assume he was a really goofy looking foal or something … anyway i was having none of that negativity so i named him lenny 🧡 he was a big 17 hand chestnut warmblood (oldenburg i think but you need a phd to understand european warmblood breeding) and was such a goofy silly head but so sweet and unlike any horse i had ever ridden and i was so extremely excited to have him. he was also best friends with boris who was a similar size and colour and they looked so cute playing together in the field 🥹♥️ this was lenny (with my mum riding him lol i never rode him at a show for reasons i will get into)

we had just got lenny and we knew he was kind of delicate so there was no way he was going to pony club camp to do jumping and all sorts, so for my first ever pony club camp (age 15) i took boris and my sister took cookie. and on literally the FIRST DAY we were having a jumping lesson, boris tripped and i went over his shoulder and broke my collar bone 😭 i had to go to hospital but luckily he was fine and he actually stayed for the whole camp and i think one of the pony club mums rode him and had a great time 😭 and then basically i couldn’t ride for weeks and was super nervous to get on even when my shoulder was better, especially bc lenny was new and a lot more of an advanced horse than i was used to. my mum absolutely fell in love with lenny though and got into dressage on him. I didn’t really ride much for ages after that and even when i did i usually rode cookie. then boris was diagnosed with arthritis - he could still be ridden a little bit though and had medication to manage his joints. I can’t remember if mum sold him before or after we got my sister’s next horse bailey but she ended up selling boris to someone from pony club who said they just wanted a horse to do light hacking on and we could visit him whenever, but within a few months they had sold him, probably for a profit and by lying about his health which was so incredibly irresponsible, infuriating and heartbreaking. so I have no idea what eventually happened to boris but i suspect he was put to sleep within a few years 💔 it’s really sad and i hate that person so much for lying about what they wanted him for and then potentially tricking someone else into buying a horse that wasn’t fully sound. fuck them forever fr boris was so sweet and deserved way better

anyway as i said my sister wanted to do more jumping and especially cross country jumping, and she was getting to a level where cookie couldn’t really keep up with the other more sporty type horses so she ended up getting a 15.2 hand bay irish sport horse called bailey. he was also kind of quirky and for a long time she would fall off him literally every time she took him to an event. my mum would be waiting at the finish line to take a picture and see bailey come running in without her 😭 he was so funny though, when you groomed him he would reflexively start grooming the wall with his teeth as if he was mutual grooming with another horse it was so cute ♥️ this was bailey

because my sister fell off so often over jumps, and bc we had lenny who was highly trained in dressage, both my mum and my sister got really into dressage, my mum on lenny and my sister on both lenny and bailey. i get sad talking about those two bc they both had to be put to sleep, lenny first when he went fully lame from his long term injury. he also had a tumour on his ear which didn’t look good and we had to do the kindest thing for him 💔 my mum was devastated (she absolutely loved him, maybe even more than boris) and one of her friends very kindly bought her a big orange rose to plant in his memory ♥️ and then with bailey, it turned out the reason he kept bucking after jumps was bc he had arthritis in his front legs and would be in pain when he landed. he eventually went fully lame and was in constant pain and again it was the kindest thing for him but it was incredibly sad as he was still quite young. i think at some point bailey overlapped with the new horses mum got for herself and my sister but my timeline is wobbly bc i wasn’t really into horses at the time. i did cry a lot over those two being put to sleep and i cried when we eventually sold cookie, but she went to a really good home with someone who really loved her and may still have her to this day (we lost touch but cookie would be about 23 and could well still be alive).

anyway then my mum had a big 16.3 hand piebald warmblood called stan and my sister had a 16 hand grey british sports horse called george. stan was older (15 when mum bought him) and very experienced and well trained but he was extremely grumpy and difficult a lot of the time and everyone except mum was scared of him 😭 and george was a super sweet youngster who was definitely my sister’s favourite horse ever (except probably isobel) but he kind of scared the shit out of my mum bc he was young and nervous. then my sister went to uni and mum had to sell one of the horses bc she wouldn’t be able to exercise two (we still had and still have isobel but she is too small for any of us and retired anyway, not to mention no one would ever buy her lol) and she decided to sell george for some reason even though he was the way nicer horse. my sister was obviously sad but she follows the new owner on instagram and it looks like george is still doing well to this day :) so mum struggled with stan for a few years and then decided he was basically too old to be competing anymore, snd that was probably why he was getting so grumpy, so she sold him quite cheap to someone who just wanted to do light work (and was really happy with him, he was a beautiful horse for the price they paid). and also if mum had kept george then she would probably never have got athena, who is her current dressage horse and my mum loves her to bits. she is a 16.1 hand dark bay warmblood and is basically perfect for mum in every way. she’s not the most friendly horse but she’s really calm and easy to handle and i love her a lot ♥️ this is athena aka bean aka babina she’s such a fancy girl

athena also has a few health issues though (literally classic our family’s luck with horses) and was off lame for ages in 2018-19 and since it was just athena and isobel at home mum was itching to ride so she spent ages looking for the perfect “project horse” i.e. a young horse that had been backed (ridden) but not really trained so she could do some training herself. after looking at about 20 horses she found this funny little 5 year old grey mare who was maybe 15.1 hands at best and really cheap. and that was bubbles aka bugs who I literally love so much she is soooo cute and friendly and has turned into such a nice little horse. she is the one that i ride now when i visit my parents and she is such a sweet girl i absolutely love bubbles ♥️ look how cute she is (ft. me jumpscare)

mum wouldn’t let me ride bubbles straight away though bc bubbles was young and i was really out of practice, plus bubbles needed a confident horse to go out hacking with (i.e. not athena who is too delicate for such things) so one of my mum’s friends really kindly started letting me ride her horse bonnie :) then through 2020-22 bonnie’s owner wasn’t riding so we moved bonnie to the farm and i loaned her full time. she was a little 15 hand bay baroque type lusitano who was bought for literally 100 euros from a meat factory in portugal 💔 she was also literally evil and would attack you while you were grooming, feeding, putting on rugs, tacking up or basically anything that wasn’t riding, but as soon as you got in the saddle she adopted the chiller nature and was really fun to ride, very speedy but really solid and unflappable, presumably bc she used to be a bullfighter and carriage horse back in portugal. despite how mean she was i loved bonnie and she gave me so so much confidence in my riding and i don’t think i would have got back into horses without her. me and my sister rode loads together during lockdown, switching between bonnie and bubbles :) she was also there for me when i wanted to take on another loan horse, a smallish cob called misty, who threw me off quite badly on like my third ride on her and i was terrified to get back on, so i got on bonnie instead and got my confidence back (misty went back to her owner, who then sold her bc he was a professional trainer and even he couldn’t fix whatever was wrong with her lol and she was supposed to be a riding for the disabled horse!!! she was dangerous fr!!!!)

but anyway then i went back to uni and even though my mum kind of wanted to keep bonnie, she wasn’t going to buy her from her owner after all the work and training and money that she put into her and her owner unfortunately really needed the money from a sale (a lot more than the €100 she paid for her…. thanks to the work of literally me and my mum and not bonnie’s actual owner but i digress). I would have bought her myself if i had the money and the time but i don’t live with my parents and the farm is about 1.5 hours drive away and i can’t reasonably ask my mum to look after my horse all the time especially bc she is such a nightmare to handle. and i can’t keep a horse nearer to me, it’s way too expensive and i don’t have the time 💔 but on the plus side i am definitely confident and competent enough for bubbles now (i don’t really ride athena, i wouldn’t get much out of her as i’m nowhere near trained to that level) and it meant i felt really confident on my riding holiday even on a more spicy horse… bc i know i can handle it !!! my mum even admitted yesterday i am “quite a decent rider” and coming from her that means a lot 🥲 ♥️ and i can ride bubbles whenever i visit my parents!! anyway here’s me and my sister on bonnie and bubbles 😁 thank you for reading if you got this far

[strawberrystreamfields]

Carolina's Journal Log Day 1:

I went to visit Moorland last night and ended up staying the night. Unfortunately for me, I didn't check the weather. Rosedawn and I are headed back to Fort Pinta right now to check on the others. Jorvik hasn't seen snow like this in years unless you count The Valley. Rosedawn's adorably small in this snow. Oak isn't too pleased about the weather, so he looks like he'll just be staying in the saddlebag. Here's hoping I don't need this journal again soon, it doesn't look like he's planning on leaving that bag anytime soon. On a better note, Moorland looks ethereal in the winter snow. Silverglade Castle in the distance, and here I am, on my little Haflinger pony trudging through the snow.

We made it to Fort Pinta without any snags, and thankfully, all of the others were alright. Nyx and Arcticwind were practically being used as equine(?) heaters by the others, and, who can blame them? I checked with Maya that everything was well and good before leaving the stable. Rosedawn and I were about to head off to Valedale to see how the Soul Riders were doing, (I bet Alex already tried to lightning-blast some logs to get some warm(er) fire), and as per usual, something odd just had to happen. We heard a bleating from behind us and stopped, turning to find a straw yule goat. And it was.. alive?! This was new. The goat seems to want us to follow it. We'll see how well this ends.

The goat led us back to Moorland, taking us to Mrs. Holdsworth. She told us about the Jorvegian tradition of making straw yule goats, before asking the goat to lead us somewhere. Rosedawn and I followed it to find a sleigh being pulled by an Icelandic covered in snow and a Capran seated inside. The Capran asked us if we wanted to go to the 'Winter Village', and we accepted. After all, what's the worst that could happen? (Alex, you get my saxophone if I go missing)

The Capran finally landed the sleigh. Thankfully, we're still alive and well, though I'm not exactly sure how much Rosedawn enjoyed the whole experience. We briefly talked with another Capran, and that was when I looked down the hill to see it. The Winter Village. A village that even from a distance looked like warmth in the cold surrounding it. I could clearly see a massive tree in what could have been a town square of sorts, all decorated for the holidays. As long as this doesn't turn into a 'you've seen our home and now you may never leave' situation, this should be fun!

Our first order of business ended up being sliding down the massive ice ramp. We're both alright, though we ended up crashing straight into a snow bank. After exploring the village itself, we took a lap around the frozen lake. As we were doing so, we passed what appeared to be a family of deer with a fawn! (Sketch below)

We've finished our canter around the lake, and now we're just taking a walk. The lights above us are magnificent, casting everything in a magical sort of glow. It looks like Big Bonny might have a story to tell, so we'll take a quick break there.

She told us a story about the Ice Witch. Hmm... the Ice Witch kind of reminds me of Katja. Nevertheless, we headed back up the path to the ice ramp to talk with another of the Caprans. They sent us to try out a race, which, to put it mildly, was absolutely exhilarating. The final part was crazy, with a shining magic bridge appearing beneath Rosedawn's hooves. We could see the whole village as we ran! Though, it was definitely nerve-wracking, my fear of heights practically hyperventilating.

It was getting a bit too chilly to stay in the village, so Rosedawn and I headed back to Moorland. Rosedawn liked the sleigh ride about as much as she did the first time, which wasn't very much. It turned out that maybe it would've been wiser to stay at the Winter Village, seeing as we walked right into a blizzard. We headed up to Nilmer's Highland, following a beam of light that could be messing with the weather and causing this blizzard. The snow was up to Rosedawn's chest, and it was safe to say that Oak definitely wasn't enjoying himself. We found Rowan stuck in the snow and helped them recover their supplies. The snow was dying down by that time, and Rowan was able to continue on their way. Perhaps now we finally ought to check on the Soul Riders in Valedale.

Everything looks so serene when covered in snow. We headed through Silverglade Village, passing the castle, which had had its' towers dusted in snow. The pastures were filled with snow, though many of the horses looked, for the most part, quite unbothered with the whole situation. Next stop, the Hollow Woods!

We traveled through the Hollow Woods, and everything but Rosedawn's hoofbeats and our breathing were nearly silent. The old, burned summer house was a dark scar on the otherwise light-colored surrounding. Though, it didn't look out of place. We didn't see anyone on our way to Valedale, though with how cold it was, it wasn't a great surprise.

Finally, after quite a few detours, we made it to Valedale Village. There were a few horses in the stables, all with blankets on, most of them eating or sleeping. We walked to Elizabeth's old house, and sadness filled me for a brief moment. I still missed her sometimes. On a happier note, I found all four Soul Riders, Concorde, and Misty all inside, and recalled seeing the Soul Horses alongside Blondie in the stable. As we walked past, Farah offered me some herbal tea which I gratefully accepted, and volunteered to take another order of herbal tea over to Avalon's, where I was already headed. I headed inside to find Avalon's house overrun with quite a few people I knew. I should've brought more tea.

We left a couple hours later, and just as I was thinking that this day couldn't get much crazier, I found myself talking to a penguin. He challenged Rosedawn and me to a race, which of course neither of us could refuse. Racing with/against penguins was an... interesting experience to say the least.

The sun would be going down soon, so we headed to Redwood Point. I ensured that I didn't have anything that I needed to do today before taking Rosedawn down into the stables and heading to the cabin. They weren't going to believe the stuff I was about to drop on them.

[neutronstarchild]

Hi!

I'm sorry if you've already been asked these!

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

Thank you! <3

Ohhhh @serial-doubters-club... I thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. Because... ancient archeologist Neut found a thing.

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

I will take you back to the 1990s. To a time when your dear Neut was a horse girl, and was writing original fics on Microsoft Word. These days of yore were before the internet, so this particular hobby of mine has not yet been witnessed. But... I want to show you something a 13 year old horse girl me wrote.

In part because I cringed when I read it, and in part because it's a nice reminder of how far we can come with experience and practice. Very few people are born ultra-talented. We all work to get better and to grow creatively and with our use of language.

So, I give you. An original fiction by 13 year old me. Behold and cringe the cringiest cringes, but also smile and know that when we work at things, we improve, more and more and more! So let all of us keep doing things that we thoroughly enjoy, knowing that each time we ask "how can I make this better? what can I improve?", we truly do.

Without further ado, you will find The Call of Courage under the cut (edited only for 1 or 2 typos. Every other grammatical error has been left inside for all). Written by 13 year old Horse Girl, Neutron.

There is a ranch of endless fun and unmistakable pride in their horses, which have been educated by only the best; Rachel Marcus  and  Claudia Mitchell.

   "Bulls eye," boasted Rachel in victory "You'll never top that Claudia"

   "Try me," answered Claudia as a dart seemed to cut through the air and made a direct hit on the bulls eye almost on top of Rachel's.

   "I can see you've been practicing," said Rachel glumly

   "Yup," replied Claudia

    The two put the darts away and went out to the pony pasture and spotted Shadow Rider and Devil’s Tomb , the two bay haflingers who fled when they saw the bridles in the hands of Claudia and Rachel.  Claudia cornered them so Rachel jumped on  and hurled the bridle on the head of Shadow Rider, the unhappy pony.  Then she flung herself on top of him.  Shadow Rider didn't agree to the idea of being ridden so he put up a fight by rearing, bucking, and shying up a storm.  Claudia brought Devil’s Tomb  under control quickly, and maneuvered her toward the gate.  Devil’s Tomb  was a fairly large pony at 14 hands (4’ 8”) and was strong, whereas Shadow Rider was a lot friskier than Devil’s Tomb,  but Rachel finally brought him under control.  Claudia started Devil’s Tomb  into a canter since the fence was low and she had done this trick 100 times before.  Devil’s Tomb 's hooves met the air and they flew over the fence as if they were champion show jumpers.  Rachel followed, quickly but cautiously as both of the ponies made graceful landings.  Rachel trotted Shadow Rider into the ring.

   "That was exhilarating," remarked Rachel "C'mon Claudia"

    The ponies' erratic behavior disappeared as two well trained ponies entered the ring.  Claudiawalked and then trotted around the ring.  At that moment Brian walked up and he looked like he was bringing good news. 

   "Guys," he exclaimed "There are 5 new people coming to the ranch and their names are Matthew Ellison, Nate Smallhurst, John Foreman, Monique Jinnerson, and Samantha Jackson!"

   "Cool," said Claudia calmly

   "Maybe we can be friends," chorused Rachel

    The trio went, and planned out a way to welcome the newcomers..

    Of course Milley, Jacoline, Jinny, and Whitney wanted the newcomers too.  Milley Smits was Claudia 's cousin and a mall-o-holic.  She had green-gray eyes and blonde hair.  Milley looked like Claudia but was uglier.  Claudia had innocence imbedded in her eyes which were in a shade of blue that would make any model die of jealousy.  She also had very long legs and a perfect figure, and on the otherhand, Milley was stumpy.

   Milley was hiding in the bushes near the driveway where she thought the 5 would show up, it was the wrong drive way though.  The people would have to join Milley's club which she called The Secret Society, but Claudia called it The Mental Society.  Claudia was admiring the pigment in the red roses which brought a glimmer to the garden as she saw a van pull up with lots of luggage.  Claudia was the first to the van.  Then out two girls walked, followed by two good looking guys but as if lady luck gave a jolt with all her might the last guy walked out.  He had hair of pure gold, and eyes the same color as Claudia's.  Rachel and Brian saw the same things with other people.  Then there were two who were being all cuddly with each other each of them had blonde hair and cute brown eyes.  Then all eight of them immediately united and became inseparable friends.

   "I'm Claudia Mitchell," said Claudia breaking the silence

    "I'm Matthew Ellison," said the "perfect" guy

   "I'm Brian Hepler," said Brian staring at the girl next to him

   "I'm Monique Jinnerson," said Brian's girl

   "I'm John Foreman," said the guy as he nuzzled the girl

   "I'm Samantha Jackson," said the girl who was nuzzled

   "Don't forget about me," complained Rachel "I'm Rachel Marcus"

   "And I'm in love..... I mean I'm Nate Smallhurst," said the guy admiring Rachel

   "Cool, now we all know each other," stated Claudia "You should be able to see the cabins now"

    The 8 of them hurriedly retreated to the cabins, and all of them had good ones in a small, grouped in area.  All of them sat down as Milley came running up and then started screaming.

   "You two-timing, twit!" she screamed with all the force her little lungs could make "These people are supposed to be mine!"

   "Me being the two timer?" snapped Claudia "You are a two timing, mall hopping, guy hopping, psychotic gossip!"

    Milley looked at her with revenge in her eye and she knew how to get it too.  She trudged back to her bunk, and sneered, then smirked.  Claudia was finishing up her chores and planning on spending the rest of the afternoon giving Matthew a tour.  The bond between them grew, with every step they took together.

   "Y'know, I am hoping on going canoeing with you tomorrow so we can see the woods," whispered Claudia

   "All I want to see is you,"  said Matthew subconsciously

   "That is the sweetest thing you have ever said to me," said Claudia, a little bit flattered and embarrassed

    As the bond between them grew, so did the romance.  They had started going out, but the surprise was the first kiss.

   "What a beautiful sunset," commented Claudia "I didn't think it was so radiant"                                                             

   "The radiance would never compare to your own," muttered Matthew sweetly

     The two of them held each other and their eyes locked.  An urge wavered through Claudia's body as she closed her eyes andthe kiss came.  That one kiss made sparks fly in the relationship, and made the two fall even more deeply in love.  They were more then two people who have nothing in common getting together to catch a movie, instead they were like two snowflakes dancing in the gentle breeze, or puzzle pieces that can only be whole with one another.. 

  "Okay then the moment will have to end now I guess," sighed Matthew

   Milley watched devilishly as the two got up from the bench and headed toward the bunk houses.  She had kidnapped everyone, including Rachel, but she had to tie Rachel to a tree in the woods.  Whitney borrowed her dad's Magnum and had taken Monique, John, Rebecca, Brian and Nate;  Matthew was next on the list.  Little did they know Rachel was working vigorously to untie herself.  Matthew was almost asleep when he heard a CRASH in his room.  He rose his head, terrified, he bolted up as he broke into a cold sweat.  

   "W-W-Who's there?" he asked in barely a whisper as he heard tip toes heading his way.

   "Matthew," the voice rasped "You gotta get outta here"

   "What?"

   "Listen to me, you and Claudia will be separated permanently !"

    Matthew would not let that happen so he followed the person's every command as they got into a canoe and rowed down the creek to Paradise Lake and soon Matthew found out who it was..... it was..... Rachel.

    Meanwhile Claudia had heard the crash in Matthew's cabin and she was over there to investigate.  Claudia had one of the keys to the cabin as she quietly unlocked the door.  Then she switched on the light which revealed Matthew's glasses and.... not Matthew.... but Milley !

   "What are you doing here?" Milley rasped

   "The question is what are you doing here?" requested Claudia "I came to check on my boyfriend"

   "Looks like I have to get rid of you," sneered Milley as she grabbed Matthew's bed lamp and flung it at Claudia but it missed

    Claudia, who had just dodged the lamp grabbed a rope and tried to trap Milley, but Milley grabbed it and yanked it so it backfired, so Claudia got tangled in the rope.

   “What are you going to do to me?” demanded Claudia

   “Something that was coming to you,” screeched Milley

    Milley looked at her with craziness in her eye as she knocked Claudia out.  Milley brought her to Paradise Lake and placed her in a wagon.  Claudia woke up to see 5 of her friends looking at her and desperately searching for answers to questions which were unanswerable.  Then came a glimpse of hope when she didn't see Matthew or Rachel.  The hope, she knew would come in handy.  Milley still had the evil look in her eye as she nudged the wagon which went tumbling down the hill and hit the water which made it sink.  Even under the water Claudia could still hear the crazy and uncontrollable laughter of Milley.  Claudia tried to unwrap herself but without air she got weaker and weaker.  Suddenly at the last moment Claudia thought  she had to live she felt strong arms pull her up and above the water.  Soon her weakness melted away as she opened her eyes and saw the fantasy that she once thought was a dream.... it was Matthew.  Milley looked helplessly as Whitney ran away and took the gun with her.  The sneakily, Rachel ran up to her and wrestled her to the ground.  Claudia untied herself and tied Milley up.  Milley then was taken to a Children's Mental Hospital and would probably stay there for a long time.  Claudia and Matthew kept their bond as strongly as ever.

    "Y'know how you saved me," said Claudia "Did you know that was me?"

    "No; butI had an impulse to jump in and risk it," replied Matthew "It was a call of courage"

   Micki chuckled as the two of them walked off into the sunrise and to their bunks.

[windpeakofficial]

CAMELIA WINDPEAK || INTO THE WILDWOODS

         -  in which camelia goes on a planned expedition to open up the secrets beyond rovar's gap.

(i wrote this at 2 last night and i am REALLY rusty im sorry lol)

                                                   | ❆ |               [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 10:30 AM || DUNDULL, JORVIK ]                                                    | ❆ |

The sun struggled to shine through the thick, frosted over window panes of Dundull Stables.

Last night had marked one of the first harsh frosts to come this season. Sure, southwestern Jorvik had pretty simple winters, especially compared to the northeastern territories, or Camelia's hometown of Beauvista. Still, however, a chill managed to creep its way through a loose board in the barn - accompanying the sounds of mucking, horses making conversation, and the looming echo of the kitchen's radio playing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."

As Camelia adjusted the girth of her treeless saddle, she received a calm nudge in her side from Pepper. Turning to face her, she received a face full of mare stare and a snort - causing her to giggle. "Don't you ever like anything on your back?" She chuckled, slipping a light brown bosal over Pepper's ears and mounting.

Before the team knew it, they were already on the way to Mistfall's Ranger camp.

Cam knew that it would only be fair if she brought this specific mount out for the trip into the Wildwoods. Being a retired Jorvik Ranger horse from right here in Dundull, she knew that Pepper would not only appreciate the gesture, but also guide her from years of taking the trails. She had received an invite from Alonso about a month ago, asking if she wanted to come and help out. Happy to oblige, and possibly find a few secrets, she agreed and booked a stall to board in.

                                                     | ❆ |     [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 11:00 AM || MISTFALL RANGER STATION, JORVIK ]                                                      | ❆ |

Coming up the hill to the station, she could already see 4-5 rangers come into view, one of them being a happy, waving Alonso. Though excited to meet everyone, she couldn't help but be apprehensive. How couldn't she be, really, considering that they were going into an area that hadn't been explored for years and she was doing it with none other than a bunch of strangers.

Waving happily, she dismounted and led her mare to the newly-lit campfire. Breathing in the scent of marshmallows, she grinned and introduced herself. Everyone seemed fairly sweet ( except for that Nova chick, no clue what her problem was ) yet something just felt... off. Rowan Allaway - but what really bugged her was the fact that she couldn't figure out why. They were just different, mysterious, confusing.. too much that could be feared, she supposed. They said that they'd "heard things about her" and that if they're true, she'd be useful... Regardless, she dropped the topic once she saw a familiar haflinger and its' rider approaching them.

Rania. That put her at ease. She smiled at her warm greeting, replied happily, and before they knew it they were off.

Cam heard everyone chatter amongst themselves and eachother until she became fairly certain that she was being ignored. She didn't know why, really, but it didn't matter. She had already zoned out - the only thing her subconscious picked up was the rambunctious stories that Rowan was telling and the occasional remark from Alonso, Rania or Yousef. She felt magic teeming stronger and stronger as they got closer to the passage.

"Camelia?" A voice called out, shaking her from her thoughts. "Can you join us for a group picture before we head in?" Rowan beams and her stomach churns uncomfortably. Her mouth twists into a smile.

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

                                                     | ❆ |            [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 11:30 AM || ROVAR'S GAP, JORVIK ]                                                      | ❆ |

Pepper nervously stepped up the hill, ears partially pinned in an uncomfortable listening position. She spooked when Astrid let out a loud gasp, stepping aside a few hoofbeats.

"Sorry everyone, she's a little on edge." Cam apologized "Astrid, is everything okay?"

"It grabbed me! It reached out and GRABBED me!" The ranger practically screamed. Cam's gut did flip-flops. There is definitely magic here. She sensed it.

The rest bickered back and forth, forcing Cam to try and focus back into reality even though her soul was trying to comprehend the magic. "Not now, Cam. Not now" she mumbled, sighing as she watched Yousef gallop away with Astrid and her steed in tow. Rania looked at her quizzically.

"What do you make of all this?" She asked softly, causing Cam to gulp.

"I- think there's a lot more to this place than what meets the eye." She blinked, urging Pepper up the mountain, still bothered by the underlying power.

As the team of two headed near the top of the hill, they fell back. This gave Cam some time to pull out her camera and sneak some photos of the beautiful landscape. Despite the fear factor, it was gorgeous nonetheless. Beauty carved out by the hand of Aideen herself and- what was that Enitan was saying up ahead?

"Enitan, what were you saying?" She trotted up to the group, slipping her camera back into her saddlebag. "Sorry, I was lost in the landscape."

This caused the man to chuckle "The deer, Camelia, it's very special. It watches over the woods." This also caused Tiera to laugh. What was up with awkward laughter today?

"It's a genetic effect called leicism, though sometimes certain environmental elements come into play - like radiation! Enitan, where do you come up with these stories?" She bickered, causing Enitan to sigh and look toward the gap that Rowan was standing in.

Woah.

Cam and Pepper were speechless. Their hearts pounded in an almost perfect sync. This was a large valley with trees that touched the skies. They went on for miles, fresh breeze flowing through with hints of magic. It was stunning. The grasses grew wild, yet kept a manageable length. This place was truly a wonder.

And then it started to pour.

                                                   | ❆ |          [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 12:30 PM || WILDER’S VERGE, JORVIK ]                                                    | ❆ |

Pepper was almost eye to eye with Dellingr, keeping it together only through the bond they shared. One thing she had to say about that horse, he wouldn't leave Rania if his life depended on it. He pranced through the mud, huffing and puffing through the lowering temperatures.

CRACK!

Pepper leapt back what could've been called a foot. She exhaled heavily, watching Shay gallop away without his rider.

Cam blinked, exhaling with the same volume of her horse. She held Pepper's reins tightly and walked carefully toward a dazed Rowan.

"Someone's gotta go after Shay before he hurts himself!" And as soon as you both made eye contact, you knew who it was going to be.

Thunder boomed as Pepper tried her best to find her footing, huffing and puffing, snorting for the horse to calm down. Camelia's eyes blurred from the bitter wind hitting her face. As they neared the steed, the girl stood out of her saddle, leaning toward Shay until she managed to catch his headstall between her fingers, pulling back and letting out a pronounced "HO! EASY!"

The bridle slipped out of her hands, forcing her to find her seat again before Shay came to a sliding stop about twenty-five feet in front of them. Without hesitation, the tattered woman dismounted and began to step toward the panicked horse, humming softly. All of a sudden it was just her, this horse, and the world. She silently thanked Rhiannon for training her in the gift of wind whispering and soul riding in the back of her mind.

She loved the way the magic felt. It coursed through her veins like life blood, and everything felt so loud. Colors were brighter, feelings were stronger, and every sense she had was awake and vibrant. Before she knew it, her hand instinctually stroked his muzzle. She turned around and walked back to the gang, Irish cob in tow.

"Thanks for bringing him back to me, Camelia. He's a real beaut, but he's still learning the ropes." Rowan smiled. Cam felt an exhausted smile bubble to the surface of her mind, tired from the power she used in front of this unknowing, motley crew, but still being careful. Maybe they weren't so bad.

Enitan mumbled to himself "I think this forest doesn't want us here. It seems.. angry." A visible chill ran down his spine, either from the low temperatures or the fact that he was just.. scared.

"Stop getting yourselves all worked up." Rowan sighs "Nature holds no grudges, it only acts on its' own behalf."

Cam performed the most overly exaggerated eyeroll ever, stifling a laugh when she heard Tiera giggle. Nobody said a word and they continued on their hack, though Cam reached over and tapped Enitan on the leg, nodding understandingly at him.

She hadn't really realized this, but the rain had stopped completely. All that she recalled was that she felt the sun beaming on her skin when she was calming Shay. Who knows what happened, really. Magical properties were a fairly large gray area in Jorvik.

                                                         | ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 1:00 PM || REDWOOD POINT RANGER STATION, JORVIK ]                                                          | ❆ |

Cam smiled fondly as they reached the abandoned lodge. She could tell this was a really cozy place at one point, though quite frankly, she also figured that there was a 99% chance that there were 1-3 dead people inside. Who knows, though!

Everyone was given their individual tasks, and Cam quickly volunteered to fix the paddock. She had done it several other times when working at other places, and it was quite easy as long as you had a couple nails on hand.

One fence, three fence, brown fence ... brown fence. She was done! She quickly slid her helmet back and wiped some sweat off of her brow. Hearing a twig snap and, assuming it was Pepper, she turned with a friendly greeting.

"Hey, Pepper, I'm done a-"

Oh.

Oh.

It was Enitan's deer.

That had to be what it was.

It had a sleek build covered in vines and glowing blue flowers. At the base of its neck emerged a proud, bright white coat with shiny, hollow looking baby blue eyes that strikingly resembled Rania's. Was it blind?  You know what, that doesn't matter right now.

Cam reached out and slid her hand down its wet nose. The creature sniffed curiously, making her giggle, and galloped off. She let out a delayed flinch and looked over to her mare, as if to confirm "Did that just happen?"

Yes, that just happened. She guessed she would just- go back to the station, then. Wordlessly, she slid onto Pepper's back and trotted back to Rowan and the cabin. As she approached them, they gave her a peculiar look.

"Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." They squinted. Cam internally argued with herself, trying to figure out if she should tell them or not - or rather, if they'd believe her.

"Nope, it's all good. The fence is in tip top shape." She smiled, putting on a facade. This is a discussion to have with Enitan, she decided.

"Alright, well, you should get some rest. You look dog tired." Rowan chuckles warmly. She grimaced internally at the thought of napping at the cabin. Hopefully someone brought something a bit more comfortable than the old sleeping bag she used in her junior year of high school. Nevertheless, she nodded and left to untack Pepper.

                                                        | ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 3:45 PM || REDWOOD POINT RANGER STATION, JORVIK ]                                                         | ❆ |

Sighing to herself, Camelia turns Pepper out to pasture with the other horses. Grinning wildly, she watches them bounce and play with each other. The sun is already setting due to the season, so she seeks shelter inside the stable and begins to prepare a stall for her trusty mare. She feels her expression soften and, out of habit, begins to hum the same tune she did earlier.

A stall door closes and she doesn't bother to look, until she hears a familiar voice that could light up a room.

"Cam?" Rania questions "I recognize your humming. Is that you?"

Cam nods instinctually before snapping into reality and correcting herself "Oh! Yes, Rania, it's me. Do you need any help?"

"No," the dark haired girl grins softly "I just had a feeling, you know-"

"A feeling?" Cam blinks. "What kind of feeling?"

"Well, the rangers' exploration is over, but... I've a feeling yours isn't?" Her grin turns into a smile. "I felt what you did with that horse. I might not have been able to see it, but Aideen willing I felt it."

Cam trails off, just saying that the "humming" was merely something she's tried with other wild horses and it seemed to calm them. Rania clearly didn't buy it, but she knew that she could grill Cam on it later.

"Regardless," Rania taps the door of Dellingr's stall "what do you say you and I do a little exploring?"

Cam's face explodes from Rania's contagious grin.

And that's exactly what those two girls did, too. They wandered all over the woodlands with their mounts, taking pictures and describing landmarks.

FIN. 2161 WORDS.

                                                        | ❆ |                 [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 6:30 PM || WILDWOODS, JORVIK ]                                                         | ❆ |

[njceventing]

A bit about myself...

Hey!! So I’m Nicole Cruse a 26 year old who like most of us has a absolute love of horses. From a baby I only ever wanted to play with the horse toys so at the age of 3 mum took me for my first riding lesson! However unlike a lot of people I compete with, it wasn't until I was 17 years old that I finally got my own horse. (who was a unbacked 3year old Haflinger!)

I missed out on the pony club childhood or knowing what a competition felt like. I preserved and grew with my haffy (Princess Aurora) for 7 years despite a lot of people's views of her..*rolls eyes* She was stubborn (EXTREMLEY) and did not want to compete in jumping. However at 21 years old I finally joined my local pony club with her and made a lot of new horsey friends. Through this we then decided Aurora loved hunting and hacking! We did then manage to be in a national winning endurance team and win at the pony club endurance championships!!

I then got my 16 year old show jumping mare (Opporto), she was worth her weight in gold and allowed me to finally compete properly and not only that but actually be in with a chance of placing!! I progressed from being terrified of jumping 70cm to jumping courses of a metre plus with her! Unfortunately I lost her to sand colic before her time.

I then moved to West Sussex to work on a sales and breaking yard. Here is where I learnt how to school horses from very experienced eventers to breaking in race horses and clients horses. I learnt and grew a lot whilst there and I then had the chance to buy my little Irish boy Bobby as a 8 year old. He was meant to allow me to carry on progressing and eventing. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be as he had a freak accident in hospital causing him to join Opporto far too soon. 

During this time I had also sold Aurora to her new home so I could have concentrated on eventing... A little while later I then bought Chicha (Cruise) my now 10 year old Irish sport horse. We had a unfortunate start he was bought from a field so spent 3 months getting going, to then breaking my collar bone so he was turned out again for 6 months. I brought him back in to work slowly as I had moved jobs to Suffolk ad did not have a lot of time. However after a few months I had to have another operation on my collar bone to have the metal work out! So for the first 1.5yrs it was a very inconsistent start. But I now feel like we have a better understanding and hopefully progressing to a better future!

I have often been described as "being a sponge" meaning I try to absorb the information given to me. I know I'm not a true eventer after all I work 9-5 in a office and don't get paid through horses. However I am a trier. I constantly think how can I be better. When walking I often think ‘no shoulders back engage your core.. Be a better rider..’ When playing a game with slow reactions I've been known to shout ‘NO! have quicker reactions.. Be a better rider!’ I know I'm not perfect.. Far from it.. I scrutinise myself all the time with how I need to be better. But I won't give up. I will keep doing daily exercises to try and allow my body to sit better in the saddle. I will keep waking up at 5am to ride the horses before work.. I will always listen to advice from others to try and get the most feedback and improve my knowledge.

So this is me a very average girl who dreams to one day do well in eventing and dressage! And in the mean time I will have fun on my journey making memories. 

[themidnightrulesarebreakin]

I had a really lovely ride today--for the first forty five minutes.

My trainer’s been fighting off a nasty cold, so she let us do whatever we thought we needed for a fifteen minute warm up. I rode Chillie, my sweet baby pony, again.I spent the warm up putting him through his gaits and really working on making sure he was listening to me through our transitions and not just taking off and cantering everywhere like I know he loves to. This horse absolutely loves to canter, and will go on forever if you let him. But for our purposes, he needs to be listening to me and what I’m asking, and by the end of our warm up I had him doing just that.

My trainer even said I did a good job warming him up, doing exactly what he needed to make sure he was listening to me and not his own stubborn little head. We moved on to jumping after that, jumping two crossrails in a row and then coming around to canter through some ground poles. Chillie gets very excited and tends to take off a stride early, so I really made sure to sit back and ask him for the extra stride each time. The first time my aids weren’t clear enough, and he took off early. The second time was better, but not great. The third my aids were clearer and our line was flawless. The fourth, my trainer put the second crossrail up to a 2′3″ vertical and we still jumped it wonderfully. He was listening to me and responding to my aids, and for the both of us it was proving to be a great lesson.

But then we switched directions to do the same exercise on the opposite lead. I don’t know what happened in Chillie’s brain, but he stopped listening to my aids and just ran out at the jumps. He stopped responding to my legs and his turns got sloppy, and I kept bailing before the jumps because he was so out of control I didn’t feel comfortable jumping them. We’re working on teaching him to not take off early, and i didn’t want him to take off early and go down on his knees again. He does that quite a few times, and we’re trying to teach him to wait for the jump. We finally got over the two jumps and the ground poles, but he took off super early before the vertical because he wouldn’t respond to my aids asking for that extra stride. He didn’t go down on his knees, but it wasn’t the prettiest jump in the world.

I don’t know what happened. Usually once I get him really working and listening to me he does an amazing job. He is still incredibly green, so I don’t know if it was his excitement and my own inexperience getting in the way, or what. I felt kind of bad ending my lesson on a note like that, especially because we did have such an amazing ride up until that point. I really just want to keep telling myself it wasn’t a bad ride--because it wasn’t--and maybe I’ll believe it.

I always love riding Chillie. He’s my dream horse, really. A cute little 14.2 hh haflinger that just loves to work and will listen to you if you know how to ask. And we really did put some good work in, even if the last few minutes were a little rough. I love this horse. I want to help train him well. I could ride him forever. He’s the sweetest little guy in the world and I love the time I get to spend with him. I’m just a little disappointed I couldn’t keep it together for the whole lesson, I guess. He deserves me riding at my best, and I’m not sure I did at the end of it today, even though everything before that was incredible.