Roleplaying

Spring in Kentucky has come, and this means new foals are being born. There are always young charges to be trained for the track. The first race of the season seems far away yet, but it is known to those in the buisiness that time flies as fast as a horses's hooves on full charge.

Jourdan dropped his pocket calendar in the top drawer of his desk and leaned back in his chair. His office was comfortably airconditioned of the southern heat, but regardless JD was still antsy and on edge. He was not the type of person to lounge around in indoor, climate controled confort. He preferred to be out walking the Stables property. He was not comfortable unless he was choked in the heat, his face covered in dust, and his leg aching from the activity. He liked to micromanage and oversee like a Big Brother. That was the way he did things around this place; his way or no way.

 

He leaned forward in his chair, heaved himself to his feet, and shuffled out of his central office. He was sure he had new clients to meet today. There were definitely horses to be trained and exercised. And let us not forget about the lazy staffers who had to be checked on to make sure they were doing their jobs...

Caelenn was finishing her second to last stall for the morning and already the temperatures inside and out of the stable were near sweltering- both warm and humid. The stable was abuzz with activity despite it, horses being led in and out from the exercise track, stable hands rushing to complete their chores, jockeys swaggering towards their mounts...

She loved the fast pace of Blu Mont, but she never paused to think about it for more than a second or two. There would always be time for that later- until then, there was work to be done. She still had another stall to clean, plus workouts and whatever else Jourdan assigned her before the day was over. 

Cae swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, her fair skin already well on its way to burning just from the few minutes of in and out sun exposure she'd already had.
Note to self, she thought. Buy sunscreen. Soon- preferably before you turn into a tomato. 

She was just finishing the fresh layer of bedding when she heard a faint shuffling gait drawing closer...

  "Come on Flyn!" Sarah begged half-heartedly. "Eat the carrot- it's a good treat!" Her handsome horse was hiding at the back of his stall, snorting in disgust. "Flyn!" She raised her voice, "Come here!" He snorted as a horse-like scoff and stomped his front hooves. He raised his muzzle in the air and denied to come any closer. Sarah sighed heavily and threw the carrot into the stall."Eat it when you want to," she muttered, giving up on her stubborn horse.

   She walked through the horse stalls, staring at all of the beautiful horses, wondering if their trainers and owners had to deal with any stubbornness....

Jourdan moved down the barn aisle, glancing in the various stalls as he passed. Many were empty, their occupants taken out for their daily exercise or training. Jockies and grooms sped passed. Each one giving JD a small salute or 'hello sir' as they continued on whatever task they were currently at. Jourdan's current task was to check on the new groom he had hired, Caelenn Rose. He did admit that the uniqueness of her name was what initially caught his eye. Her skills with horses was admireable, but that did not mean anything to him if she could not work under pressure. He purposely assigned a longer list of tasks than normal to the new grooms. He didn't want them to think he would go easy on them, even on their first day. And he wanted to see how they handled their workload. If they performed well, he might relieve them of a few of their tasks. Keyword: MIGHT. JD smiled to himself. You are are such a jerk...

He found Cae hard at work mucking a stall, her face drenched in sweat. Heat stroke is the number one killer of young people around here, JD said, as he leaned in the stall doorway, a cold water bottle in one hand, held out to Cae. Well, actually, I don't know if that's true or not, but at the rate you're working it might as well be...

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Carrying on his daily check of the property, Jourdan moved on down through the barn. He found another of his staff stuggling with a stubborn horse. He stopped her as she stalked down the aisle.

Horses can sense your negativity, you know. He's only going to be more mad at you for being mad at him. Jourdan hoped his little grain of advice would not be lost on her. He could tell she was a stubborn creature in her own right. He knew how young jockies could be...

  Sarah looked at him, and nodded. She took his advice to mind, but how can she ever act positive around Flyn? He barely even noticed her anymore, probably only worrying about himself. The only times she could get him out of the stable is when she could bribe him out with a sugarcube or getting him out by force. She sighed heavily and walked outside, just wanting to be on her own. To think, and maybe just get her mind straight before she went insane.  She looked at the sky, I want to go home. Where I don't have to deal with stubborn horses or worry about heat stroke, or my parents will welcome me with open arms. I just feel so out of place here sometimes. Maybe that's what I get for letting money pamper me.

Cae glanced up briefly to find her boss speaking, somewhat teasingly of heat stroke? She blinked. Huh. Where was the fire-breathing dragon other stable hands had warned her of? I suppose that'll teach me to listen to scuttlebutt. 

Aye sir, I have heard that. I daresay my mum would have some sort of fit if she could see me now, she answered, a small grin inching its way across her face at the thought. In truth, Maureen O'Connor would probably be well on her way to a conniption of epic proportions, and Cae had to admit that it would almost be worth the price of admission. Almost. She wasn't quite ready for that level of drama.

Accepting the water gratefully, she took a few long gulps and perched the bottle on the railing between stalls.

Thanks for the water, she added, finishing the stall and returning the hay net to its place in the corner.

Jourdan watched Sarah walked passed him. He was not going to have his staff pouting in such a way just because they did not know how to control their own horse. Sarah, wait! JD called out. Come back here. You can't just walk out when you don't get your way. I won't have it here. And here he was trying to be nice today... The authority in his voice was sharp, not too loud to scare the horses, but loud enough that he demanded the attention from whoever it was directed at. He was not going to let her get it in her head that she could act like that everyday, and so he decided he was going to have to be firm with this one.

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Jourdan couldn't help but laugh at this girl's quick wit. He waited while she gulped the water. While she drank, he glanced around the stall. Even though she was only halfway through with it, it was cleaned out better than when some staff were fully done with it. He had to admit he thought she had some potential. When you're finished with the stalls, you think you would be up for another job? JD said with a slight smile on his face.

Blu Mont, a quaint town located in the flowing prairie of Kentucky.

Blu Mont Stables is located a short distance from the center of town, and it's fame has brought large amounts of permanent business and tourism into Blu Mont.

Blu Mont Stables is large, with room for almost one hundred horses, plus a Derby quality race track, several training arenas, and miles of trails surrounding the property.

Ahhh, the beautiful blue-grass prairies of the Kentucky countryside. Huge pastures contain only a few horses to roam about as they please. Passer-by do not usually notice the sleek body and thin legs of the animals as they peacefully graze. Little do they know these animals are born and raised to do one thing and one thing only.... RUN.

The sport of horse racing is what the little suburb of Blu Mont was founded on. It eventually grew into a great town of a great reputation; the reputation of a dog-eat-dog world that exists not only on the track but off as well.
Seemingly out of nowhere a young horse trainer and jockey emerged into the wild of Blu Mont. Jourdan Davis was the top jockey in the whole mid-west until a tragic accident ended his career early. He suffered a shattered leg as well as several broken ribs. The leg was so badly shattered that never quite healed correctly.

Being unable to be a jockey he turned to the stable. Slowly he managed to build the best stable in the country in terms of general fame, money, and quality of facilities available to the general public who can afford it. Many famous racehorses and jockeys alike have come from his facility.
The rough world of the sport has turned JD into an arrogant, cruel and spiteful man. He is one of the few people that have been able to make it in Blu Mont.

Do you think you have what it takes?

Blu Mont Stables was founded by Jourdan Davis, an ex-jockey. It started as a small training facility run out of Jourdan's backyard, but overtime, with Jourdan's renouned horse and racing expertise, it grew into the fame it is today. Jourdan is strict in nature and enjoys micromanaging his facility, even at its current size. He is often seen touring around the buildings and constantly looking over the shoulders of his staff.

All EX forum rules apply.

Human characters can ride, train, and race horse characters.

Human characters can be professional jockies, trainers, or stable staff.

Horse characters must be owned by human characters, they may not be wild.

All horses must be of racing breed (Thoroughbred, Standardbred, American Quarter Horse, American Paint Horse, Arabian, American Warmblood, Oldenburg, Trakehner, or any crosses of the type)

Please keep any personal qualms about real life horse racing to yourself.

Races will be held periodically, and once a race is started all other storylines must be put on hold until the race is finished.

Each race will last three real time days, and in that time, the winner must be determined in the RP.

Once the race is finished, the halted storylines may continue where they left off, or new storylines may start with the results of the race.

You will be given ample notice before a race starts, so you can finish up a storyline if you would like.