Just Another Manic Monday ((OPEN))

[Delilah Wren Cellos]

The temporary barn manager brushed her hands over her tan riding pants, stepping back to admire her work. No one had come in the barn today needing her, and no phone calls were to be made, so she had the morning to herself. By now, mid afternoon, she had mucked out all the Academy horse stalls and just finished her latest project, cleaning the tack room. On the surface, the job didn't sound so hard. But it seemed as though the dust had accumulated over night and the organization just wasn't there. But now, two and a half hours later, the tack room had been swept, dusted, and reorganized. She had even taken liberty to brush off all the cob webs and cleaned the small window that looked out to the barn isle.

Gathering up the cleaning supplies, she left her newest achievement and put everything back where it belonged. It wasn't often she had such a not busy day, but she certainly wouldn't complain. Her eyes scanned down the stalls, grinning as she spotted a small nose peeking over the stall door. "Hello, Tonka Toy," she cooed, walking over to plant a gently kiss on his nose. The little pony was absolutely adorable, and she'd grown very fond of one of the oldest members of the BRRA team.

The sound of shuffling hooves in a stall nearby caught her attention. "I'll see you later, cutie," she told the small pony, walking off down the aisle to see one of the largest horses in the barn circling in his stall. She smiled, leaning on the stall door. "Hello, Wishful. Are you bored?" She tilted her head, watching the handsome black Gelderlander. She grabbed the sky blue halter and lead rope, latching the lead rope over his large head and leading him to the cross ties. "C'mon, let's brush some of that dirt off of you, pretty boy."

[Monique//Aurora Chambers]

Aurora had finished her home-schooling lessons for that day, and she was leaving her reading until later. She was starting on reading Little Woman, but that could wait until tonight. She was in the novice riding class, and that wasn't being held today so she had the afternoon to herself.

Wearing jeans and a thick jacket, she headed into Red Willow and made her way down to her favourite pony's stall. "Hey Tonka." She greeted the skewbald gelding softly as she let herself into the gelding's stall and sank down onto her knees in the soft bedding of the gelding's stall.

Even though she had her own horse, this little guy would always hold a special place in her heart as she had learned everything she knew about riding on Tonka. She had boundless respect for the gelding as he had looked after her while she learned. She wrapped her arms around the little gelding's neck and rested her forehead against his shoulder, smiling as the Shetland Pony nudged her gently in the back.

In a couple of years, she would become a student here, and she could try and get onto the equestrian team, but she needed a lot more time in the saddle between now and then. She sighed softly. Globe was an awesome horse, but she knew that she needed another one. For Christmas, her grandparents had sent her quite a bit of money, enough to purchase another horse of her own. There was only one problem, she needed help to find one.

[Delilah Wren Cellos]

Delilah rubbed the black gelding's nose gently, smiling as he let out a soft breath. She had a soft spot for all large horses, though nearly none of the horses here were as tall as her stallion. Another grin tugged on her lips as she thought about the gorgeous cremello who was probably waiting impatiently for her attention at this very moment. He wasn't a typical stallion. He was gentle, well, more than most anyways. And he could soar over a jump like no other horse. She had contemplated gelding him for years, but between his rare coloring, nearly flawless conformation, and unlimited talent, she was still leaning towards the idea of studding him out.

"Wait right here and I'll go get a brush, sweetheart," she cooed, giving him a soft kiss on the nose. Wishful had quickly become one of her favorite horses in the barn. If she had free time, it wasn't unusual to find her brushing the lovely Gelderlander. She turned on her heel, crossing the barn aisle and walking down a few stalls, disappearing into the tack room that housed all the grooming equipment. Finding an Academy owned grooming box, her fingers danced over the different brushes, selecting a rubber curry comb, a hoof pick, and a soft brush.

As she exited the room, balancing the brushes carefully in her arms, she heard a quiet voice greet the pony she'd just said hello to. She grinned, going back to Wishful and putting down the brushes near the cross ties. She glanced over at the patient gelding. "Give me one more second, sweet boy."

Delilah walked over to Tonka's stall, leaving it close but placing her forearms on the top of the stall door, leaning over it to look in and see a young girl stroking the pony. She grinned, watching her for a moment. "He's one of my favorites, too," she commented in a warm tone. "I think I have a tread in my pocket, if you'd like one for him," she added, wriggling her fingers into the pocket of her jeans to find the treat for her.

[Monique//Aurora Chambers]

Aurora jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder at the sound of a voice. "Hi Ms Cellos." She said politely. She gave a smile as she looked back at Tonka. "I learned to ride on this guy. Even though I have Globe, this little man is so much easier to talk to." She reached out and ruffled the gelding's forelock and laughed gently as he closed his eyes.

She shook her head at the offer for a treat. "No thank you." She replied. "If I gave him a treat, I'd feel like I was bribing him into letting me spill my heart out." She shook her head again, this time at herself, as she wasn't really pouring her heart out. "I was just wondering if I should get myself another horse. Don't get me wrong, I love Globe. It's just I'm wondering how much I'm going to learn from him. Like Tonka here, Globe is a wonderful teacher, but I am thinking that I should get a horse where we can learn together." She shrugged. "Sorry, you probably have heaps of stuff to do and listening to me isn't one of them."

She pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling like she was betraying her lovely gelding. Globe was an honest and reliable horse and he didn't deserve for her to sit here and talk about replacing him for a younger model, as though he were nothing but a machine.