Equestrian (PG)

[horsesrule3]

Do you have what it takes?
Find out.

Goal:
Be named the champion in your division of competition.

How You Get There:
Compete at a variety of shows across the East Coast. (See below for shows that WEC attends each year)

A Little about Welton and the WEC:
The Welton Equestrian Center (WEC) is located in the town of Welton, PA. Welton is an unusual town in that almost all of the inhabitants are wealthy businessmen/women. Part of this unusual occurrence is due to the expensiveness of real estate in the area and the large concentration of equestrians (horses are not cheap). WEC caters to some of the most talented junior riders in the nation. The state of the art facility is run by the town and brings much prestige to the area. In order to insure that the riders receive the best instruction, WEC has three resident trainers. These three trainers travel with the riders to competitions. WEC spends the winter competition months in Ocala, Florida competing on the circuit. The summer months are spent competing on the Northeast circuits.

Competitions:
So how will this work? Glad you asked, As long as there are not 2 characters played by 2 different people competing against one another, then there is no problem, the player of the character will decide what the character wins at each show (excluding season finals). If there are multiple characters controlled by multiple people competing in the same division, then the players will have to decide (in the OOC chat section) who places were in the competition (excluding season finals). The placing for season finals will be determined by a poll. Throughout the year characters will earn points toward qualifying for finals. The characters who do qualify will be placed in a poll to determine who the champion, reserve champion, etc. is. A list of each rider's current points and the number required to qualify for finals can be found in the OOC chat.

Competition Divisions:
Here is a list and basic description of each division the competitors can compete in:

Hunter Divisions

Small Junior Pony Hunters: Open to junior (age 17 and under) competitors who ride a small pony (under 12.2 hh). A hunter is judged on how the horse looks. The horse should be calm, collected, appear easy to ride, and suit the rider. Jumps are made to look like natural obstacles that would be encountered on a trail ride. (2 feet)

Large Junior Pony Hunters: Open to junior (age 17 and under) competitors who ride a large pony (13.2 to 14.2 hh). A hunter is judged on how the horse looks. The horse should be calm, collected, appear easy to ride, and suit the rider. Jumps are made to look like natural obstacles that would be encountered on a trail ride. (2’9”)

Small Junior Hunters: Open to junior (age 17 and under) competitors who ride a small horse (14.3 to 16 hh). A hunter is judged on how the horse looks. The horse should be calm, collected, appear easy to ride, and suit the rider. Jumps are made to look like natural obstacles that would be encountered on a trail ride. (3’6”)

Large Junior Hunters: Open to junior (age 17 and under) competitors who ride a large horse (over 16.1 hh). A hunter is judged on how the horse looks. The horse should be calm, collected, appear easy to ride, and suit the rider. Jumps are made to look like natural obstacles that would be encountered on a trail ride. (3’6”)

Equitation Divisions

WIHS Equitation Medal: ] Open to junior riders (age 17 and under). Judged on overall position. Two phase class. First round over hunter style course, second round over jumper style course. Competitors must qualify for the division finals by competing in qualifiers. (3’6”)

ASPCA Maclay: Open to junior riders (age 17 and under). Judged on overall position. Competitors must qualify for the division finals by competing in qualifiers. (3’6”)

Jumper Divisions: no finals, no division champion

Open Jumpers: Open to anyone. Judged on speed and accuracy. Usually competitors compete for a large money purse. (Starting height 3'6": Jumpoffs have no specified height)

Junior Open Jumpers: Open to juniors (17 and under). Judged on speed and accuracy. Usually competitors compete for a large money purse. (Starting height 3'6": Jumpoffs have no specified height)

Pony Jumpers: Open to competitors who show ponies (under 14.2 hh). . Judged on speed and accuracy. Usually competitors compete for a large money purse. (Starting height 2’9": Jumpoffs have no specified height)


Competition Schedule:
Ocala Premiere: Ocala, FL – 31 Jan to 5 Feb
Ocala Winter Classic: Ocala, FL – 7 Feb to 12 Feb
Ocala Winter Festival: Ocala, FL – 14 Feb to 19 Feb
Ocala Masters: Ocala, FL – 21 Feb to 26 Feb
Ocala Tournament: Ocala, FL – 28 Feb to 4 Mar
Ocala Winter Finals: Ocala, FL – 6 Mar to 11 Mar
Ocala Winter Celebration: Ocala, FL – 13 Mar to 18 Mar
Hunter Farms Spring Classic: Princeton, NJ – 25 Apr to 29 Apr
Garden State: Augusta, NJ – 2 May to 6 May
St. Christopher’s Hunter/Jumper: Quentin, PA – 9 May to 13 May
Blue Rock: Quentin, PA – 16 May to 19 May
Devon Horse Show: Devon, PA – 24 May to 3 June
The Skidmore College Saratoga Classic I: Saratoga Springs, NY – 12 Jun to 17 Jun
The Skidmore College Saratoga Classic II: Saratoga Springs, NY – 19 Jun to 24 Jun
Brandywine Valley Summer Series: Devon, PA – 4 Jul to 8 Jul
Briarwood Farm: Flemington, NJ – Jul 10
Sea Coast Classic II: Marshfield, MA – 18 Jul to 22 Jul
Hits on the Hudson VII: Saugerties, NY – 29 Aug to 2 Sep
Hits on the Hudson VIII: Saugerties, NY – 5 Sep to 9 Sep
Washington International: Washington, DC – 23 Oct to 28 Oct
Alltech National Horse Show: New York City, NY – 2 Nov to 6 Nov

Competitors do not have to compete in all the shows listed. But there are certain groups of shows that you have to ride in together. These groups are all highlighted in the same color. *Disclaimer:*I am calling all of the above shows ‘A’ rated; I know that some of them in real life might not be, but this ain’t real life.


Layout:

Barn:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Center:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Horses for Sale/Filler Horses:
There will be horses for sale in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] section. in order to insure that the barn is mostly full there will be filler horses (specified in the OOC chat). These horses will not play major parts in the RP and will be removed to create space for other player's horses. All filler horses will be for sale in the[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] section.

Help:
Horses come with lots of odd terminology and funny quirks. Should you find that you don't understand something that is going on because you are unfamiliar with horses, please:
a. Ask! Someone here knows the answer and would be happy to enlighten you.
b. In your spare time, check out my help section [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Please try to be as accurate as possible.

Rules:
- No controlling other people’s characters *unless you have permission*
- No swearing
- Horses can breed but no descriptions
- No all ooc posts *unless you’ve been gone for forever and need a summary*
- People can date but remember:
a. they’re kids with very little free time
b. keep it PG
- Try to post at least one sentence, more is better, be descriptive!
- I know there are a lot of people here who like color their dialogue. Please try to aviod the dark colors. Respect my eyes.
- Try to avoid posting back to back between 2 people for extended periods of time. If you do, please provide a summary for those not involved.

Profiles:

Send profiles titled 'Yes' to me with a in it. Please include a coded version of your profiles.

Trainer: They run the team and what they say goes. Aside from the barn manager they run the show and must deal well with stressed out kids and paper work. Sometimes very off-colored people trainers are definitely unique. (Only 3)

Code:

[size=18][b]Name[/b][/size]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Highest Level of Competition:[/b]
[b]Looks:[/b]
[b]Eye color:[/b]
[b]Hair color:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Bio/Credentials[/b]:

Competitor: They win the ribbons and earn the titles. They’re the pop stars of this show and have to have a desire to win. Faint hearted competitors don’t exist, it’s all or nothing in this fast paced sport. Coming from a well off family helps in this area, but it is not a must, plenty of top riders are not from wealthy families.(Only 10)

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[size=18][b]Name[/b][/size]
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[b]Level of Competition:[/b]
[b]Looks:[/b]
[b]Eye color:[/b]
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[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Bio:[/b]

Stable Hand/Groom**: They are the back stage crew of the team. These guys (girls) have to be okay with hard work and long hours. Dealing with frazzled riders is a routine task for them. Each groom is assigned 6 horses to take care of specifically (feed, groom, muck stalls for, etc.) but everyone helps each other out. (Stall numbers refers to stalls they are responsible for) (Only 4)

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[b]Stall Numbers[/b]

Exercise Rider**: These guys (girls) are assigned 6 horses to exercise in the morning before the team members arrive. Early mornings and late evenings are common, especially at shows. (Stall numbers refers to stalls they are responsible for) (Only 4)

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[b][size=18]Name[/size][/b]
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[b]Stall Numbers:[/b]

Border: An uncommon occurrence at WEC these quiet folks don’t compete, they just enjoy the company of a horse. (Only 15)

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[size=18][b]Name[/b][/size]
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Horses: You can’t have a horse RP without the horses! I will assign stall numbers for horses to prevent any mix ups, but you can request a stall. There are also pasture spaces (5 mares and 5 geldings). Pasture horses do not have a stall and live outside. If you would like your horses to be pastured, please specify that in your message to me. Competitors' horses must be kept in a stall. While stallions are allowed I would prefer that there are their numbers are kept at or around 4. (Only 34)

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[b]Show Name (Barn Name)[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Breed:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Training:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]
[b]Owner:[/b]
[b]Stall:[/b]
[b]Picture[/b]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


**Stable hands/grooms can also be exercise riders but they must ride and take care of the same horses

[amelias-hart]

This RP is approved by the mod squad!

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[horsesrule3]

January 1 (30 days to the start of the season)

Lucy lowered her inside hand to rub Ed's neck as they cantered down the center line. The grey relaxed his muscles ever so slightly in response to her gentle touch. In between breaths Lucy counted the strides leading up to the lead change. This direction, changing from the left lead to the right, was their hard change and Bill's critical eyes didn't help.
"Remember to keep your eyes up! Looking at his leg will not make him change his lead!" Bill's voice echoed loudly in the indoor arena. I'm trying! was Lucy's unspoken response. In one bouncying stride Ed swapped his lead and continued smoothly along. "Fantastic. Walk a minute." Bill turned his attention to Philip who was trotting cirlcles in the other end. "Pick up a canter and jump the two stride. Remember to release a little. Lately you've looked like your trying to keep his nose touching his neck." Rolling his eyes a little Phillip kicked Prince into a canter and swung around to the first jump. Prince gnashed at the bit and shook his head defiantly until the last second when he quickly rounded his neck and pulled his knees to the tip of his nose. Phillip ignored what Bill had said and kept a tight grip on the foaming chestnut's mouth. The duo landed the first fence and Prince took one of his trademark sixteen foot strides and then sprung over the second fence. A stride after the second fence Prince began bucking left and right, throwing his wieght every which way in an atempt to unseat Phillip. Never slow to punish, Phillip pulled short hunt bat from his side and gave Prince three stinging whacks before bringing the fiery gelding to a stop.
"What did I tell you about the release?" was Bill's first comment. Phillip didn't answer. "You need to give him one, especially through a combo like that. Or next time he will buck you off. walk him out and throw a cooler on. You two are done for the day." Bill turned his attention back to Lucy, "Same thing."

Arabella slipped the bit into Marty's mouth. The 'Big' Stallion (his affectionate nickname) stomped his foot in protest. "Oh come on now, we'll have fun. It's not everyday that I get to ride you." The pony's ears flicked toward her voice and he snorted. Arabella normally rode horses in stalls 13 through 18, but Bill had asked her to ride Marty and how could she say no. Slowly, as to not rial up the already tempermental stallion she finished fastening the buckles on the bridle and lead the Big Stallion to the arena.

[amelias-hart]

Cassie walked up beside Bill. She smiled a little, before asking, "Having one of those days again, are we?"

ooc: I have no idea what time it is

[horsesrule3]

ooc: you mean time of day? It's morning. Like 10.

Bill smiled, keeping his eyes on Lucy who was turning toward the two stride. "Keep your eyes up! Looking at his legs will not make him jump!". Then addressing Cassie, "Only with Phillip, but everyday is 'one of those days' with him."

[amelias-hart]

Cassie chuckled, replying, "Sooner or later, something needs to happen to make that boy wizen up. Though, I don't suppose one of those events are going to happen very soon unless it's arranged."

ooc: Thanks

[horsesrule3]

Bill chuckled and then turned to Lucy, "Nice job holding him together in the middle. You two might yet make a good pair." Lucy smiled and rubbed her hand across Ed's warm shoulder, "Thanks. Do you still have that 4 o'clock lesson open? A friend called and wants me to ride her horse." Bill nodded his yes and returned his focus to Cassie. "You never know. He hasn't done anything really bad for a long time, almost 18 months. It's freezing in here."

Arabella led Marty into the ring and quickly adjusted her girth ad stirrups. Not bothering with a mounting block she vaulted lightly into the saddle.

[amelias-hart]

Cassie shrugged, "True, but a personality is all it takes. If let to develop, well, just imagine Phillip as he is as an adult." She shook her head, then went on, "I was going to run by that coffee house on my way to the rescue while I was picking up that gelding. I could grab you something and stick in the microwave since it'll probably be closed by the time I get back."

ooc: Going to try and make that gelding

[horsesrule3]

Bill nodded, "And do you have a plan brewing? Or are you just speculating?"

Lucy put a heavy wool cooler on Ed and led him around the barn. She passed Prince, who was standing in the cross ties still tacked up, shivering from the cold. That... she couldn't think of an appropriate word, she was opposed to swearing. She led Ed one more lap before settling him back into his stall. On her way back to Prince she grabbed his wool cooler and a rag to rub him down with. When she got there though she found Andy already rubbing the wet chestnut down. Lucy responded in suprise, "You beat me to it!" She walked around to the other side of Prince and began rubbing his gleaming coat dry.

Marty lept into a trot before Arabella could even move her leg. His step was super springy and for the first few steps she bounced every which way.

[amelias-hart]

Cassie replied, "To answer your terrible coffee pun, Bill, no, at the time I was not planning anything. But if you would like me to create some mastermind plan I sure could try."

[horsesrule3]

"Coffee pun? Oh...brewing..huhuh I didn't even mean for that...Anyway, I would rather you try to live with him for another few months. I have 30 days until the start of the season. But I would love it if you would bring me some coffee." Bill glanced over toward Arabella and called, "Don't give him too much rein, unlike Q he will take advantage of you!"

Arabella smiled, you couldn't ride within a mile of Bill without him giving you advice. Heeding his warning she shortened her reins and asked Marty for a canter. For a stallion he was mighty calm, at least for the moment.

Andy smiled and bent down to un-velcro Prince's jumping boots. "I figured Phillip had "forgotten" about him." Lucy blew a sharp breath and rubbed Prince's side a little harder, "Yeah, what is this number three?" Andy shook his head, "Four, if you count Sunday."

[amelias-hart]

Cassie chuckled to herself, before waving and starting to walk off. She called over her shoulder, "Two coffees it is then and a stall in return."

[horsesrule3]

Bill waved back, "Thanks!" He looked over at Arabella, "Are you two ok if I leave? I have a phone call to make." Without looking over Arabella nodded, "We're fine." Marty tugged at the bit, eager to start jumping.

Lucy set her rag down, "I've gotta go, I promised I would do some school work before 10 PM today. I'll be back at 3 for a lesson. Are you hanging out all day?" Andy nodded, "Yeah, have fun." Lucy ran to the tack room to get her bag and then ran through the chilly parking lot to her bike.

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