- Jan 29, 2011
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(Banner courtesy of DuckLover2399!)
Every three days is a month in SkyHerd time (this will help you determine the age of your foal and/or horse).
SkyHerd is simply a herd of wild horses that roams the prairie. They occasional encounter other herds, such as TwilightHerd and a few nomads. The stallions are fierce and will do anything to protect their mares.
Plot: A new herd, TwilightHerd, has settled into the area after a fire blazed through their old territory. They and SkyHerd have been fighting over whose mares are whose, after TwilightHerd began to tresspass and steal mares for themselves. If this isn't to settle down soon, it may very well evolve into a full blown war of the two herds. Several nomads of the area are taking sides with the two larger groups of horses if a battle should happen. Along with this, there has been a great amount of rain. Though rain is not unusual in the area, there has still been much more than usual. This has caused the main source of water, the river, to flood and fill with mud. Now, clean water has been increasingly difficult to find.
Herd Antics:
It all starts when a mare goes into estrus in spring. If they are in a herd, the lead stallion will breed with them and keep them protected from other stallions. If they happen to be rogues, they will often be herded away by bachelor stallions. Bachelor stallions may also come into herds to snake mares for themselves. Even lead stallions will take mares from other herds. This time of the year is that important; stallions want to spread their genes and collect their 'trophies', they feel as if that's their purpose. Eleven to twelve months later, next spring, the mares will give birth and the whole cycle starts over again, as mares go into heat several days after foaling. Once a foal is born, its mother will begin to lick it off, and the foal will try to stand. Foals need to be able to stand quickly in order to run from predators. If a foal is weak stallions will usually try to put it out of its misery. Around six months of age, foals are weaned from their mothers, and at two they are able to reproduce. The colts, and usually some fillies, are driven out of the herd to decrease the chance of inbreeding and to keep the colts away from the mares. The colts either join with other lone stallions to create bachelor herds, snake mares with these bachelor herds or alone, create herds, or live a lonely life of mischief. Fillies are usually taken away by stallions.
Terms to Recognize:
Stallion - An uncastrated male horse.
Mare - A female horse.
Foal - A horse between the ages of a minute to 12 months.
Colt - A male horse under the age of four.
Filly - A female horse under the age of four.
Yearling - A horse of either gender between the ages of one and three.
Lead stallion - The leading stallion of the herd. He is usually the only male in the herd and is the protector of the mares.
Lead mare - The leading mare of the herd. She is the most dominant mare and/or the stallion's favorite mare. She is in charge of moving the herd to new bodies of water, areas abundant with food, safer strips of land, and many more; as well as watching over the others. It has been suggested that she has more rule over the herd than the lead stallion.
Snaking - When a stallion herds away a mare. He lowers his head, pins back his ears, occasionally bites or kicks at her, and chases her where he wants her to go. This is usually used when a stallion steals a mare who already is a part of a herd. They can be gentler, however. Some start by flirting with the mares. They arch their necks and nudge them where they would like to have them go to.
Nomads - Horses who do not have permanent territory. They move place to place, anywhere from by the seasons to each day. Some live alone and are considered rogues while others are in nomadic herds.
RULES
*All BYC rules apply
*This thread is rated PG-13 at the very most. There is some gore and violence, and horses do breed. Just don't go into detail. Say something along the lines of "he mounted her", and you'll be good.
*Be realistic; herds do not usually contain stallions other than the lead stallion, no instant killing, most stallions are dominant & do not have just a single mate, etc.
*Only one blow is allowed per post one fighting.
*Your character will be deleted if you are not active.
*Have fun!
To join, fill out the form below, write a sentence summarizing it, and PM them both to me!
Name of horse:
Gender:
Herd:
Appearance (markings, etc. Must be a true color.):
Personality:
Breed (optional):
History:
Family:
Sentence:
BYC username:
A very basic map of the area:
SKYHERD
Lead Stallion:
Elkirr - A very handsome grulla Mustang stallion, with a long black mane and tail, and a forelock that shrouds most of his face. All four of his legs possess a black stocking, and he is very well muscled. Elkirr treats his mares right and is very protective of them, and always is the first to come to them if in heat. Though he can be a bit strict, it is to be understood it is only out of love or for the safety of the herd. He was born in SkyHerd as one of the leader's sons, and took over after his death. He fought for his rank, which left a large scar on his right shoulder. (Zinnia-Hen)
Lead Mare:
Whisper - Pale gray with a glossy white mane, Whisper is a gorgeous mare. She is sweet and kind, as well as a rolemodel for foals. (meringuehasahat)
Mares (All mares are broodmares who may have foals at any time):
Nova - A mature and motherly broodmare in Skyherd. Her coat is glossy and white, with dark bay patches. She has always been a free mare, but one day, when traveling with her daughter, she happened upon Skyherd and decided to join. (chickendiva25)
Olivia - A quiet, gentle, and loving mare. She is a petite pinto mare, who is very easily overcome. She is the mother to Serenity. (chickendiva25)
Rain- A sweet, smart young mare. She is extremely intelligent and catches on fast. She has a beautiful personality and she can't seem to hold a grudge against any horse or not love everyone all the time. She catches on very fast and loves to use metaphors. Silence for her is never just not talking, it's listening to what others around her have to say first and thinking on it. She is a pale blue dun, with a light cloud-gray coat, a black-blue dorsal stripe, faded blue-black stripes around the tops of her legs, and a blue-black mane and tail lightly streaked with white. She was born in Oregon in a large herd of Kiger Mustangs until the BLM decided the herd was a little too large and decided to catch and sell off most of the horses, leaving she and her mother, Sun, along with a few others who scattered. She never knew her father and her only family is her mother, Sun, and her half sister, Dawn. (horsecrazychicklovingkid)
Sapphire - A mare of mostly Friesian heritage. She is very kind and quiet. She grew up in the wild not knowing who her father was, as her mother never enjoyed speaking of him. (LittleLady98)
Vega -
Tiki -
Winema - A tomboyish mare with a coat of strawberry roan. Her features are curved and well muscled, and she stands at 15 hands and is of three years of age. A quick runner, as well as headstrong and fairly dominant with others. Can be a bit rude at times. Winema was born a wanderer and decided to join SkyHerd after she fell in love with Elkirr as a yearling. Unfortunately, the foal she was impregnated with was a weak, sickly colt. He died after collapsing into the river's strong currents not long after birth. This devastated Winema to the point she refused to breed anymore. (Zinnia-Hen)
Chanelle - She is a palomino and white mare with mystical green eyes. Shy in attitude, as well as true and kind at heart. She used to be a breeding mare in a rogue band of stallions who would steal mares from the local herds. Chanelle is currently pregnant with the foal of a stallion who had snaked her. (Pekinduck<3er)
Daine - A dark chestnut mare with a white face that covers her right eye and extends over her left nostril. She has two tall white stockings on her front legs and 2 white socks on her hinds. In addition, she has a white speckle on her belly. Daine is 15.1 hh, and somewhat stocky, although very athletic. Her eyes are a deep, warm brown. She is only 3, so she has a little growing left. Daine's personality matches her appearance; she is fiery and spirited, with a will that is completely her own. She doesn't usually take actions to please other, only doing things because she wants to. However, she is not selfish and will help those that need/deserve help. (Quinn4321)
Aspen - A fun, bubbly mare who enjoys being around foals, including her own, Clancy. However, she can become quite the witty one when need be. (Broken/DuckLover2399)
Shadow - She migrated to Skyherd when she and her sisters, Moon and Rain, were forced to leave their herd when the BLM split it to keep the population under control. She is blue grulla, no white markings, slight roman nose, 14.2 hands high. She is short-tempered and likes to get straight to the point. She doesn't like children and detests stallions. Spanish/Sorraia Mustang. (horsecrazychicklovingkid)
Moon - She migrated to Skyherd when she and her sisters, Shadow and Rain, were forced to leave their herd when the BLM split it to keep the population under control. She is light silvery dappled grey with dark joints and a grey-blonde mane and tail. 15.3 hand high. She is very agreeable, and extremely protective. American Mustang. (horsecrazychicklovingkid)
Foals (Colts are usually booted out once they are mature enough to breed.):
Awentia - A bubbly, red roan foal. She loves to play. Before joining Skyherd, she usedto travel the countryside with her mother. (chickendiva25)
Serenity - A quiet and very shy pinto foal. Just like her Mother, Serenity is petite and a little smaller than the other foals. (chickendiva25)
Yuvonno - A dainty grullo blanket Appaloosa colt, his attitude carefree. Yuvonno's mother is Vega, and his father is Elkirr. (Zinnia-Hen)
Clancy - Clancy is spirited and fiery just like his blood red coat, he leads the tiny band of foals like Elkirr does the whole herd. When he is grown he will become a very good candidate for lead stallion, that is if he is allowed to stay even after he hits breeding age. (Broken/DuckLover2399)
Pride - He is a Knabstrupper-mix colt. He has a black mane and tail, with splotchy black stockings except for his left foot, which happens to be white. His head is a mixture of silvery gray and black, and his forehead has a white star. A bit big for his age. He is stunningly smart, and somtimes hostile. He loves and protects his mother and all the little fillies in the herd. But colts can agitate him. His mother is Chanelle and his father is unknown to him, but he is a bachelor stallion who steals mares to breed with. (Pekinduck<3er)
Stallions (Elkirr allows very few of these):
Owl - Owl is a calm, level-headed stallion, doing what's best for the herd all while being loyal to Elkirr. He is stout and muscular a good fit for a fighter.
(Broken/DuckLover2399)
TWILIGHTHERD
Lead Stallion:
Cormack - A dark roan Irish Hunter cross. Very connected to his herd, he is incredibly protective of it as well. He believes strongly in rules and order. His mother died when he was quite young. He had always dreamed of owning his own herd. His mother was a show horse, and his father is a wild horse. His mother is dead, but his father still lives as a nomad. Almost all TH foals are his sons and daughters. (NixNoodleNumbat)
Lead Mare:
OPEN
Mares (All mares are broodmares that may have foals at any time.):
Sheker - Sheker is a lean, long, and elegantly built Akhal Teke mare; a Greyhound amongst horses. Her coat is buckskin with heavy dappling on her shoulder, a white ankle on her front right hoof, and a stocking on her rear left hoof. Her pelt, like most healthy individuals of her breed, is sleek like satin and accentuates her powerful muscles. She is friendly once familiar with you, with just a touch of haughtiness and vanity, but is not immediately outgoing, giving off the illusion of a stuck-up mare to some, which doesn't exactly help her in her crusade to establish a higher rank in her herd. She has become a budding socialite with age and aims to please her superiors. Sheker was born unto the lead stallion and mare, a priviledged position; in a herd that was torn apart by the stallions who betrayed against their own kin. They threatened to kill her mother if her father did not surrender the herd to them, and when he decided that he wanted to surrender neither and fought back, her mother only had the chance to cry out to her defenseless filly to flee. Sheker fled for the fields without looking back, and eventually stumbled into Twilightherd, where she grew up. (BirdNut)
Victoria - A very beautiful, but very deceptive mare. Her coat is a perfect black, save for the star on her forehead. Victoria, at times, seems to be sweet, but to enemies she is an evil and sadistic mare. (chickendiva25)
Rich - She has a long, light mane and deep chocolate coat, she has a blaze down her forehead. Shes sweet and bubbly, its very rare to see her calm. (CBL)
Esmerelda - A dun and black skewbald, mainly of Gypsy Vanner heritage. Sassy and feisty, but she has a good heart. She was born to a large herd of wild impure gypsy vanners, but she decided to leave and meet others. She doesn’t really remember who her parents are, they never had much significance to her. She has no foals. (NixNoodleNumbat)
Primrose -
Ivory - She is a Appaloosa/Arabian Mix, with black and white spots on her rump. She is a strong minded mare, who was left as a filly. Her mother was killed by a rogue band of stallions and she was left to die. Because of that event in her life, she is wise and kind, yet short tempered and cruel at times. (Pekinduck<3er)
Foals (Colts are normally booted out once mature enough to breed.):
Abra - She sticks near her mother a lot, and tries to have friends but they think she's too small. She doesn't know who her dad was except that he wasn't in Sky or TwilightHerd. (CBL)
Dakota -
Stallions (Very few of these are allowed):
NONE
NOMADS
Falconne -
Valentino - A three year old bay pinto, his coat covered in dapples. Considering his age, he is fairly slim, although this is an advantage to him as it makes him much more agile. It almost appears as if he hasn't grown into his large lower legs, and his head is quite bulky as well. Valentino is a huge flirt, which often gets him into trouble with older stallions who have herds and mares of their own. He has a mischievous streak to him, too. Growing up with his single mother who had to dodge advances from stallions and herds, he learned to be alert at a young age. (Zinnia-Hen)
Elisabeta -
Ava - A spunky bay medicine hat filly. Her dam is Elisabeta, and her sire is Valentino. (Zinnia-Hen)
PICTURES OF ZINNIA-HEN'S HORSES
Elkirr -
Winema -
Tiki -
Vega -
Primrose & Dakota -
Yuvonno -
Valentino -
Falconne -
Elisabeta -
Ava -
Juniper -
Jervain -
Edith -
PICTURES AND INFORMATION OF THE AREA
The herd is based in the rugged plains and light forests of southeastern-central Oregon, where wild horses do happen to exist. The winter brings snow and freezing temperatures, while the summers can go from being mild to suffering from heatwaves. Massive amounts of rain fall year round, leaving the land lush and fertile. Carpets of colourful wildflowers coat the lowlands during late spring and summer. There is an occasional wildfire during the summer. While most believe these fires are awful considering they burn acres of land and take homes from animals; these occurrences are natural and make it so the land can be even more fertile. Aside from feral horses, animals that live in the area include coyotes, mountain lions, bears, ground squirrels, birds of prey, songbirds, deer, and so forth. Two-legs enjoy camping and hiking around the area.
The BLM owns the land, including the feral horses among it. Every so often, herds are rounded up by the two-legs to maintain the health and population of mustangs. The horses are captured, given vet check-ups, put down if sickly, and then released. Yearlings, however, are taken to be adopted. Some foals are tagged and claimed so when they are rounded up next they can be adopted.
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Nova's first daughter)
