Welcome to Bayridge Stables

This is an Equestrian Group Roleplay open to Literate writers with knowledge of horses.

It is about the daily care and lifestyle of the horses and humans based at Bayridge Stables. There is a Competition Team that goes to English Riding Shows, as well as opportunities to work with abused, neglected, and special needs cases.

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Bayridge Stables was established in 2014, geared towards English riding, training and teaching. Juliana Schofield followed her passion for horses and teaching by opening the riding center and brought on her good friend, Maggie Stilwater as her partner. Together they provide an encouraging environment for horses and humans to thrive and flourish in whatever endeavors they wish.

Bayridge while being well known as a fantastic boarding stable, horse training facility, and riding school - it is also a rescue and rehabilitation center for neglected and abused horses. Julianna's passion for caring and providing the best possible life for horses has pushed her to open her heart and stables for horses who need a soft landing space. Working closely with the regional Humane Society, Animal Control, and ASPCA, Bayridge Stables has helped foster and re-home hundreds of in-need horses. She couldn't do it all herself, with Maggie's guidance and strict management of the barn, and Georgina Benson, Bayridge's finest head groom - it still wouldn't be as amazing without the wonderful boarding and training clients, riding students, and interns, and of course the Horses!

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It's almost summertime, the weather is perfect and mother-nature is outdoing herself with gorgeous blooms. The horses' are happily munching away on the thick green pastures. It's all business at Bayridge Stables - Show Season is about to start! All the hard-work that's been happening all year long is about to pay off as the riding team gears up for the first schooling show of the year. Between teaching lessons and training horses, the Bayridge Stables team also is welcoming a new generation of horses - with Tali and Jewel awaiting their due date (and sleepless interns keeping late night watches). With a few rescue horses about to graduate and go to their new forever homes, there's always the possibility of new rescue cases coming in.

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Bayridge Stables Characters:

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1. Jubilee | Glee | 6 | Mare | Am. WB | G. Kerr | Eventing

2. Ransom Note | Faith | 11 | Mare | Trakehner | G. Kerr | Eventing

3. Cirque Soleil | Lei | 7 | Mare | American Warmblood | R. Bates | SJ/H/ Dr

4. All Or Nothing | Notti | 12 | Mare | Westphalian | K. Payne | SJ

5. Courted Fury | Ceren | 7 | Mare | Hanoverian | G. Steele | SJ

6. Pragmatic | 9 | Gelding | ISH | M. Stilwater | H/J

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11	12	13	14	15	Wash/Groom		Wash/Groom	16	17	18	19	20
1	2	3	4	5	Tack room Bathroom		Storage Feed room Office	6	7	8	9	10

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It had been a whirlwind morning, full of the usual chaos - a feed delivery that was supposed to come tomorrow, rescheduling issues with a farrier, and enough phone calls from paranoid parents to give her the biggest headache. Retrieving a cold soda from the fridge in the feedroom, Maggie pressed the aluminum can to her forehead with hopes to relieve the tension. Her cell phone rang - the annoying ringtone programmed specifically to alert her to office calls. A glance at the screen let her know it wasn’t a known important number, so she clicked the side button and stopped the piercing electronic music.

Maggie, a middle-aged woman with light brown hair swept into a bun at the base of her head, dressed in dark wash jeans, a navy blue polo with the farm logo and her name embroidered on the left chest, and a heather grey team jacket over the top. With an afternoon of lessons and running around the barn, she opted for her trusted set of sturdy leather hiking boots. Back in the office next to the feedroom, the thirty-eight-year-old noted the flashing red light on the phone indicating a voicemail but decided to leave it for a few more minutes, She was sure it was something to do with “Little Timmy can’t make it to Pony Club because he has a soccer game” or some other obnoxious reason that parents came up with. Riding is just as serious as those other team sports - even more so because your partner can’t speak the same language as you! But no, people just dismissed it as “the horse does all the work anyways” - not even bothering to understand that equines aren’t machines and their care is more important than sitting in the saddle.

Ugh! She huffed, frustrated with her current mind-space. The cure for such foul thoughts and negative energy - a stroll through the barn and out to the pasture. Only a few horses were actually in the barn - two because they were on overnight turn out and they were snoozing in their stalls, soft grunts and snores escaping out of the stall doors. Another was in getting an early lunch before their lesson - munching contentedly on a full hay bag. The barn smelled like home; horse flesh, pine shavings, fresh hay, recently conditioned leather, and even the dust just made it smell like heaven.

A sound of water running caught her attention and she peered down the aisle where the wash bays were. One of the grooms was bathing a show horse in preparation for clipping. She greeted them with a friendly wave and a quick how-do-you-do chat and of course a peppermint for the good-natured equine. Unconsciously she hummed along to the pop song playing on the radio before heading towards the barn exit and out towards the north pastures.

A gentle bass rumble greeted her even before she made it to the fence. Heaving herself up the bottom two rungs, she saw her faithful old man was already making his way towards her. “Hello, Mister!” Maggie greeted the thirty-year-old with a fond smile. Followed closely by his black swishing tail was the gelding’s partner in crime, another aged gelding. The woman held out a palmful of treats towards each gelding’s nose - she always made sure to bring enough for the two old men in her life. Honor whuffled his thanks as he softly licked his owner’s right hand clean, inspecting it for another few sugar cubes he may have missed. Spangled, the retired lesson horse gobbled up his mouthful before taking an interest in a patch of particularly tasty-looking grass. Letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, Maggie couldn't help but let all her worries slip away as she held her faithful horse’s head in her hands. Honor was her horse of a lifetime - having given so much of him to her, just as much as she’d given to him. Her younger lesson students were always in awe when she showed them pictures of the pair of them flying through equitation courses and out in the foxhunting field - not a lick of grey on the deep brown horse (or her either). The memories flooded her mind, as they always did when they had a quiet moment together - no obstacle had been insurmountable to them back in the day. “You’re no dinosaur though!” She said softly to the delicate ear that was flicked toward her, after all these years still ready to catch her secrets. “I saw you racing Spangled towards the gator this morning when breakfast was served. Was that you bucking or him?” She teased the gelding.

Maggie’s pocket vibrated a quick succession reminding her to get back to work. With a muzzle kiss on the velvety soft fur, she slipped back out of the paddock and headed back towards the barn to see who needed her.

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It was her fifth ride of the day and she really had to pee, but also really needed coffee. Walking on a loose rein, she guided her current mount around the jump obstacles in the ring for a short cool-out. Sometimes she remembered the days when she didn’t have a full staff in the barn to help her give the highest quality of care to each horse - and disliked not being the one to see to all of her mount’s needs. She repeated the same mantra she’d been saying to herself for years - the extra help means she can help even more horses. The young horse under her had been a lovely ride to end the day’s training sessions; responsive and willing. It was a total change from when it first had arrived six weeks ago for a tune-up. Reaching the arena gate, she guided the horse over to the mounting block and quickly dismounted, running her stirrups up and loosening the girth - an almost forty-year habit that wasn’t going to break any time soon. A groom was readily waiting to take the young horse and give it a proper cool down and groom.

Julianna grabbed for her water bottle and phone, guzzling one and screening the texts she’d received in the half an hour she’d been in the tack. An alert for an upcoming auction caught her eye and she immediately clicked the link. Of the several dozen horses listed, she noted a few in pretty rough condition and a few that sparked her interest for the BRS rehabilitation program.

Screenshotting the images, she typed up an email to the vet for a quick eval. Part of her program was to not only try to rehab horses who could go on to another career but also do the final service for horses who were suffering beyond care. Nothing hurt her heart more than knowing an animal was suffering for no reason. Low-end auctions were notorious for having battered horses with unknown fates spending several months in feedlots waiting for the next shipper - never knowing if it’s to the rendering plant or to another “home” where the abuse would continue. It was better to give the kindest gift of putting a suffering animal out of its misery than to have it spend more time in endless agony with no solution. Fortunately, Dr. McCoy of the local equine hospital and veterinary clinic was a trusted member of the BRS Rehab & Rescue Team. She valued his input above all else and he was always candid about a situation, if there was hope or if euthanasia was the best option. Expense was rarely considered with cases that could be helped - they had some grant funding to help offset costs, a local university for a wealth of knowledge, and kind supporters like Dr. McCoy who helped with services. The best part of the whole program was watching the incredible transformations these horses went through with a bit of TLC and kindness. Students in the Rehab program worked daily with the horses assessing, prescribing a program, and administering the much-needed care. When a horse was deemed rehabilitated - given a clean bill of health and passed the training program - the equine finds its forever home; sometimes even staying at BRS with the student trainer that worked with them from day one. For every horse that left the program to a happy new life, another one was rescued to take its place.
Julianna sighed as she scrolled through the pictures again, her phone was filled with them - and just as many with those same horses but fat and happy and gleaming with care. It made her think once again, just how much sometimes people truly suck. How could you do that to a living breathing being!

The trainer mentally yanked herself back to the present and the reason she had her phone in hand. Clicking an app that kept track of her notes, she dictated aloud how the latest session with the young horse had gone. The start of the ride; the goal she had going in; what she’d worked on during the ride; and her final thoughts of the training session. It was her version of a riding diary and one that she was able to share with her clients to keep them updated on their horses. About once a week she would sit down (ugh paperwork) and write emails to her clients utilizing the training session entries to inform them of what was worked on, how the horse was coming along with the overall goals and any information about health and wellbeing. She would include any information on show performance or if a service provider came (farrier, vet, bodywork, etc.) attaching an invoice if necessary. It was one of the more tedious parts of her job - something that Maggie had nagged her into doing (and a job sometimes delegated to the wonderful barn manager) that her clients have appreciated immensely. It kept them out of her hair for the most part (there was always that one who would text at three am to see if dear Bobby was just as snug as a bug in his night rug and bedded deeply in his pristine stall).

The middle-aged trainer was lithe with long legs and arms, clad in ropey muscles that had done a lifetime of work. She was dressed in a tan pair of unexciting full seat breeches, black tall boots that could use a good cleaning, and a long-sleeve navy technical shirt displaying the stable logo and trainer’s name on the left chest. A black wide-brimmed helmet was semi-permanently stuck to her head, black hair tucked up without strands showing. Julianna stopped in front of the whiteboard that dictated her life - it was situated on the aisle wall by the office. It had tons of information about all the horses, their exercise schedule including turnout and lessons, as well as farrier/vet/bodywork visits. Her main concern was the column that had her name at the top and the current day of the week. Checkmarks next to the horses she’d already worked, either groundwork sessions or training rides; the clock above the board showed that she was running on time. Just about two o’clock meant that she had a couple of lessons to teach and the Competition Team Meeting in the early evening. She might actually get out of the barn at a reasonable time.

Heather Storm | 22 | F | Location: Barn, Feed room, and Barn Aisle | Tags: Open

Heather would be hanging out in the feed room since she had gotten here at 7:30am even though she woke up at 6:20am. She would be fixing both Eclipse's and Etria's feed while double checking herself if she put in the correct amount for each of them. The woman let out a sigh before stretching her arms behind her back to hear some pops in her shoulders that felt quite soothing. "Okay, I'm very positive that I did this right.." Heather softly said to herself with a sigh, setting two buckets down at her feet before shutting one of the containers that was once open but now closed when she placed a lid on top of it.

Heather picked up the filled up buckets in each of her hands, already tightening her grip on each handle on the two buckets. She carefully pushed the door open with her back while being mindful as Heather didn't want to accidentally whack an unlucky soul with a door without being cautious. She walked across the barn aisle as she caught sight of Etria just standing at her stall, patiently waiting for her grain while Eclipse......Eclipse was just moving side to side like an impatient toddler with his head sticking out of his stall.

Heather managed to stifle a laugh at the sight of the two, a smile gently tugged at the corner of her lips. "Eclipse, you already know that Etria gets fed first since she's a lady." When she said this, her stallion pointed his ears back at her in much disapproval of this while she placed Eclipse's grain bucket down, softly telling the Andalusian mare to back up. Having enough room to slip into Etria's stall with her grain buckets in her right hand. She stood in front of Etria's feed trough before pouring her grain into it, looking over at the haynets to see that they've both already been refilled.

Heather gently patted Etria's neck before slipping back out of the mare's stall with her now empty grain bucket, closing the stall door behind her in this process. She placed down the empty grain bucket next to Eclipse's before picking it up with her left hand then she slips into his stall after telling him to back up a few times, shutting the stall door behind her before going over to his feeding trough, dumping his grain into it. Giving Eclipse a gentle pat on the neck as he has already started eating while the mare was already eating hers. Heather slips back out of her stud's stall before carefully shutting it then she grabs the other empty bucket in her right hand before she walks down the barn aisle, heading outside to go clean the two buckets off as her black riding boots lightly tapped against the wooden tile path way. Wearing a light Grey tank top with a white skull print on the front since it felt quite warm when she came out to the barn and two toned faded black & dark grey full seat breeches. Having her brown hair up in a neat ponytail, she had sometimes found herself kinda doubting her riding skills as an Equestrian but she lightly shook her head at herself to knock it off and just look at her riding skill as a work in progress in a more positive light.

Gwendolyn Steele, 22 || Boarder || Location: Barn || Tags: Maggie (Directly) , Heather (directly)

So far the day was going swimmingly for Gwen. The sunny weather and clean air greeted her early in the day as she made her way to the barn and lifted her spirits ever high. An exam she had studied excessively came back as a 95, her hair was doing exactly what she wanted for once, and she just had to tell Izzy all about the new things she had learned in class that week.

Truthfully, her high spirits made her drive to the barn a bit too quickly this morning and the woman felt slightly guilty as she pulled into her regular parking spot with a puff of dust. She shrugged the guilt off quickly and practically skipped into the barn, the ghost of a Dolly Parton song trailing behind her as she hummed quietly to herself. Stable hands bustled busily about and Gwen offered them all a wave and a sweet "Good morning!" Adding in the hand's name if she knew it. Her chores were simple for today (she knew this because she kept the days memorized and pinpointed down to what time she needed each finished by) and she planned on getting home by eight to be able to finish a piece she had been making to give to Maggie. They had looked through one of Maggie's magazines one time and she had pointed out a piece in a drawing she liked so naturally, Gwen had tried her hand at creating the real version of it. Granted it was a bit off- she still figured the woman would like it.

As if she had summoned her with a thought Gwen spotted Maggie walking in from the paddocks. With an excited wave and hurried steps, she managed to fall into step with the older woman. Gwen sucked in a deep breath of the air and smiled appreciatively before beginning, "I think you will be happy to know I am making absolutely stellar grades and I am about to finish a piece I think you will love!"

Her arms swung slightly at her sides and her strides to keep up with the taller woman bounced ceremoniously with her words. Gwen had turned slightly to face Maggie as they walked, her light blue windbreaker rustling softly with the motion. It was one of the only colorful pieces she owned and the curly-haired girl quite liked the juxtaposition of it hanging in her monotone closet. To anyone else she probably looked quite silly in the blue jacket, her dark grey turtleneck and black breeches certainly did not seem like the appropriate match for the sky-colored material. That's just the way her mind worked though, she did not care enough about what others thought to opt for something more muted and matchy-matchy.

"I think today I may torture Gray into going on a ride with me, I'm convinced that deep, deep, down he really does like them." This comment (though spoken) was directed more to herself than her walking companion as they entered the barn together. Steel gray eyes scanned the aisles and amongst the Hands she had already greeted she spotted a familiar face.

"Good morning Heather!" The call to the girl was soft as was the wave she offered her. Heather had always been kind, however, she was incredibly shy and did not speak much. Gwen figured Maggie would be the better bet in trying to get the other to speak and so after her greeting she piped down and peered at the instructor from the corner of her eye.

"I think if the two of you weren't so sweet you'd snap my head off for talking as much as I do." Gray had certainly tried once or twice but her female companions were far more patient than the steely male.

Five minutes. That's how long she mentally allotted herself to the conversation she was sure would ensue before she would flit off to retrieve Ceren from her paddock. Five minutes she mentally chided herself as she rocked back and forth expectantly on her heels, her eyes trained on Heather.

It was then that a new face approached. A pretty young girl strode towards Maggie and introduced herself with a smile. Oh she is going to be wonderful! Gwen just knew it and her hands were practically itching to reach out and offer the new girl a shake. Gwen took a mental picture of the girl's face and locked it away, Faye. Her name is Faye.

(A/N: Sorry if this is rambly, Im trying to get a deep feel for Gwen as she is a new character! I tried incorporating everyone as best as possible! <3 )

Heather Storm | 22 | F | Location: Barn, heading back to the Feed Room | Tags: Maggie (directly), Gwen (directly)

Heather would have gotten back from outside as she reentered the barn, walking down the barn aisle while carrying the two empty feed buckets in both of her hands since she got them cleaned. Her thoughts started to pull her away from reality once more. The start of her roots would be a dark brown then half way to the middle, it transitions into a normal brown and half way down to the bottom, it transitions into a light-ish gold looking brown but it would usually be seen in either the sunlight or when she's in a different lighting of a room in the building.

Heather was once more snapped back into reality, hearing two familiar voices. Letting her green eyes glance their way, giving both the women a kind smile before tipping her head a bit to them in greeting since she has both of her hands full at the moment. Come on Heather, say something! Don't be a stupid idiot. Just say hi them, stop being so damn awkward all the time! She softly cleared her throat, projecting her voice a bit but it would be enough to atleast be heard but she's still working on herself to just push her ownself out of her comfort zone. "Morning, Gwen. Morning, Ms. Stilwater." She said this, her southern accent would be noticeable but the tone of it would have a rather soothing affect to it.

Heather had walked pass them before disappearing into the feed room, putting the buckets back in their original spot before double checking everything, making sure that everything is clean in the room before leaving the room. She head towards the lounge to just check the board to see what is all happening today so she'll be prepared for it, the thoughts of trying out for the competition team one day had her a bit on edge while doubt started to settle in her mind set like a bird settling into it's newly built nest. Heather would just be second guessing herself while the what ifs started to roll on in. If I did decide to fully commit to trying out for the team...what if something happens throughout the whole ordeal? If I rode Eclipse...what if he starts acting so stubborn and just refuse to do anything? What if he gives a mischievous buck and I wouldn't be even ready for it and just fall right in front of everyone?.... If I rode Etria.....What if I accidentally cause her to get overly sensitive from me over doing it....what if she suddenly spooks from something and I fail to even notice it until it's to late and just get sent flying over her head from a sudden refusal..? She shook her head before giving an annoyed but quiet huff, followed with an also annoyed ugh that's directed to herself. She steps inside the lounge before walking over to the fridge to just get a nice cold bottle of water before heading over to the couch as she plops down on the cushion, hopefully to clear her head with the settling silence of the room.

Heather opened the water bottle before guzzling some of the cold water down, refreshing herself before closing it with the lid cap. She took her phone out and started to just scroll through some pictures to just look back on while her mind was no longer feeling crowded with her negative thoughts. She would be giving herself some time to just chill out for now before taking both of her horses out for turn out so she could clean out their stalls.

Heading in to the barn from the north pastures, Maggie was preoccupied with her phone - trying to sort through the various emails that needed her attention. The nagging tension headache was threatening to come back as it jabbed a sharp point between her eyes. The issue probably stemmed from staring at a tiny screen trying to read the text without her readers. Every step elicited another sigh of frustration as the barn manager puttered down the stable aisle, chicken pecking at the screen.

A sudden burst of bright energy appeared at her elbow, causing Maggie to stutter in her step. "Oh dear," She exclaimed with a chuckle. "Hello to you too." The barn manager smiled as she took the exhilarated young woman.

"Well of course your grades are stellar - you tell me about them every week!" Maggie teased. She was proud of Gwen's schooling. She enjoyed being part of Gwen's journey - watching her grow and learn, sharing and implementing the theories she's been taught. "I can't wait to see what you've created." The older woman commented, excited to see the scholar's next art piece.

Pleased to have a reason not to be answering emails, Maggie kept her pace wandering with Gwen as they passed the stalls. Her general direction was to the office. "Good luck with Grey. He's all business sometimes and definitely needs to be pulled out of his own head."

After subconsciously checking in with the horses inside as she passed; a quick assessment of are they alert and eating and acting normal; Maggie looked up to see a young woman in a grey graphic tank and matching breeches. She smiled in greeting as she recognized the rider - Heather. "Hello Heather! Glad to see you this afternoon." She called out before the ombre brunette disappeared through the feedroom door with her things.

"Let me know where you're going before hitting the trails - you know the rules." Maggie said casually to Gwen; safety was the number one priority of the stables and all the riders were expected to follow the rules. While she never had to worry about the collegiate equestrian, a reminder couldn't hurt. Glancing up, she saw the familiar silhouette of Julianna walking into the office. The older woman quickened her pace too catch up with her friend to check in about the morning and afternoon schedule.

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The phone call was brief but confirmed the plan. Scribbling a few notes on a yellow post-it, Julianna quickly calculated exactly what needed to happen over the next sixteen hours to get ready. Her thoughts were interrupted by the shuffling sounds of footsteps. "Glad you're here. Just got off the phone with Doc. We're heading to an auction in the morning. I need Kat to make sure the trailer is packed. I've got two spots in the truck if you want to come."

Her words came out as quickly as her thoughts; a woman of action. Her attention was back to her phone as she sorted the next piece of business.

"That was fast - I just saw the auction announcement today." Maggie commented, her words drawn out as if to pull the older woman's attention back. "I'll see if any of the girls would be interested. We've got a Team meeting tonight, and a couple lessons this afternoon."

"Mmhmm," Julianna murmured agreement, her concentration elsewhere. Unfortunately, the barn manager was used to the dark skinned woman's behaviors - especially when her head-space was occupied with important endeavors. A quiet thump landed near where her hip was resting against the desk - glancing down, Julianna noted a granola bar; a kind gesture from her friend. "Thanks, I need this. But then you know that." The trainer grinned as she slipped the snack into a pocket.

She stepped out into the aisle way on her way to find Kat, her head groom. She quickly glanced down the stall aisle before crossing to the wash and grooming stalls. She spotted the dark chestnut with a brilliant white star, Felix the jumper. Julianna remembered seeing a young woman schooling the gelding in the outdoor over a few fences; not a bad mover who needed a bit more discipline. Walking past, the trainer headed towards the breezeway between barn and indoor before swinging up the stairs. Taking two at a time, she quickly ascended the wooden steps and opened the door to the lounge. The spacious room had several leather couches and stuffed club chairs. She spotted a young woman sitting on the couch on her phone. The name was hazy, something like Hazel or Hadley or Esther; but she was the one who owned a stallion.

Julianna didn't like having multiple stallions on the property due to the liabilities, but Maggie had convinced her to allow it, for the moment. He needed to be on Doc's list for gelding. She could be harsh in her thinking - but the older trainer knew that a stallion had to have a purpose otherwise he was better off as a gelding. There were plenty of unwanted horses in the world - she was off to save a few more in the morning - and only responsible breeding should be considered.

She stood next to the massive window that bordered the indoor arena, offering those in the lounge an uninterrupted view of the covered ring. Phone in hand, she sent a quick text to Kat - Where are you?

Julianna made her way back to the main barn aisle in hopes to run into the young woman she pursued.