Where Will You Go? [Xantoxu II]

[Xantoxu]

The petals fall, giving life to the river,
Swaying from side to side,
where will you go?

A swirl of colors could be used as a description for the current hustle and bustle of the auction stadium. Horses and ponies of every shape, color, and condition were inched carefully through the horde of human bodies, some sold, some heading to the ring, some just arriving. The aisle ways further away from the ring had little to no traffic at all, the only sound being the wind whistling through, equine-related sound, and the quite murmuring of the far off crowd and the few who shuffled through these quiet halls. A specific woman leaned against the door of the stalls, on the phone and clad in tall boots, breeches, and a blue windbreaker. Sweat beaded on her sandy blonde head, wiped off by a quick swipe of her sleeve. Her face showed clear signs of disappointment and exasperation, a look well known by most of the sellers here. The horse was not sold yet, and not a soul had seemed interested all day after inquiring about him. In her case, her asking price was too high. The woman snorted, knowing how lucky someone would be to only have to pay $5000 for this horse, since the price used to be $26,500 before the farm he was from became desperate. She was the exercise rider for that farm, which was why she was sent here with the stallion in the stall behind her.

After hanging up with the owners of the horse, she turned and pinned the paper information to the front of the stall door, slipping into the stall afterward. Sighing, she moved for the stallion’s head slowly, stroking his wide cheek sympathetically. It was a sad that such a handsome creature was in this situation: unwanted and in desperate need for a new home. Personally, she would’ve happily snatched him up if she had the cash. His owner had just confirmed via phone call that she was allowed to negotiate a price if anyone was interested. The woman was praying that someone would stop by before the end of the day, because it was unknown what the next move would be to get rid of this unwanted horse.


It was a shame that this proud stallion was here. His breed, Knabstrup, was a dying one, and his leopard coat, spots a rich bay in color, was prized in the breeding program. The stallion’s training, athleticism, and experience was incredible. His amazing warmblood conformation and bone structure were appealing to the eye, his straight, chiseled skull complimented with passionate chestnut eyes, which were currently staring in a wide-eyed manner at the intruder in his quiet place. Flicking his plaited tail at the female, he shoved her gently, forcing her back to the opening of the door, ears twitching as she took the hint and left the stall. The woman locked the stall carefully before heading out to the small catering cart outside the building for a lunch break, the sun burning brightly against the clear blue sky, leaving the equine to be enveloped in utter silence. Striding quickly to the door, his speckled head thrust unceremoniously over the obstruction, white rimmed eyes sweeping over the aisle way in a panic, a baritone cry causing his body to quake. Xo retreated into the stall for a brief moment, pacing in a tight circle before repeating his previous actions, ears pricked as he heard a distant call. His straight profile contrasted stunningly against the dusty wood of the stall, the coloring and his calls catching the eye of a few passerbys, though they continued to hurry along to check out the other equines.



[Paper Information:
Bio
Price: $5,000 O.B.O. (scribbled in handwriting)

[Phantom]

Adam had never owned a horse, although he had cared for many equines, even saving many of their lives. Although that was his job, to help horses and cure their ailments. He never figured he would ever want to buy a horse. He had a dog, and she suited him just fine. The white german shepard gave him company all of the time, every day, every hour it was endless. But there was something missing. He enjoyed his job as the town vet, he enjoyed the company of his dog. But he felt as if he was missing the equine part of his life. He didn't have a place to keep it, no matter how strange that sounded but he could find a wonderful place to keep a horse.

He arrived at the sales barn a few moments later. He didn't quite know what kind of equine he was looking for. There were all kinds of horses, skittish horses, proud horses, abused horses, lame horses, pregnant horses, attention deprived horses, and the list goes on. He wasn't exactly looking for an expensive horse, but a spotted figure caught his eye and he had to do a double take to make sure he was looking at the right kind of equine. He was immediatly attached to the horse's build and conformation and his wonderful coloring but that wasn't what he was looking for in a horse. He was looking for a horse with a kind dispositon. He turned to the stall in which held the stallion and he got a closer look at him. He looked down at the paper and he was a bit taken aback. There was no way he could afford a horse for 5000$ He continued to look at the horse, he had the money but he still had very little money, he didn't get much money from being a vet afterall. Hey boy He spoke softly to the horse, he wondered where the horse's owners were and why they were selling him, he was a fine specimen, so who could sell such a magnificent animal?

[Xantoxu]

The petals fall, giving life to the river,
Swaying from side to side,
where will you go?

Xantoxu II was the poster child of the Knabstrup breed, an extraordinary specimen to boot. An excellent ride, mindful of other living creatures, but...well, he's a typical stallion after covering a few mares. Don't take it the wrong way, he still lives to impress, but...think of a raging hormonal teenage boy. Wait, no. Xo probably has more control than them. He isn't exactly the type of stallion that would spot a mare and instantly gallop after it. He's more the type to put on the charm, flash a quick, inviting nicker and prance in place. Xo is very focused on being the best of the best in his own way, so it would not do to disobey the humans completely. He was smart enough to know that they were the ones putting that delicious grain in the feeder. That's more or less why he instantly turned the charm on a human, just like he would to a mare. He ropes them in and snares them in his potential and excellence, worming his way into their favor.


So, naturally, when he spotted a figure meandering toward his stall, his reaction was instantaneous. Thick neck arced into a broad curve, ears pricked curiously forward, chin tucked in neatly, dark eyes blinking intriguingly as nostrils puffed warm carbon dioxide noisily. Though this was quite the strange place to him, for he had never had the...pleasure of being sold publicly, Xo had the inkling that this odd man looking at that terribly horrifying looking white piece of paper was important. Hearing the language spoken by humans coming softly from the male, the stallion lifted a foreleg and clipped the stall door with the hoof, producing a loud percussion. Snorting in success at making the noise, Xo began to watch the man once more, extending his neck and sniffing the human's shoulder.

His handler thankfully returned just at that moment, after having a difficult time ordering her lunch due to the language barrier between the caterers and herself. "Xo! Quit that!" She scolded sternly as he banged the door, scowling at the sport horse before turning toward the man. A good-natured grin came to her face as she looked at him, thanking the lord that someone was actually somewhat interested in the equine. "Hello! Are you interested in this stud?" She inquired as she politely slid past him, grabbed the leather halter on the hook, and slid into the stall. Quickly slipping the Knabstrup's head into it and adjusting the straps nimbly, the blonde wound the chain lead through the noseband and clipped it. Pushing open the door, she maneuvered the stud out into the aisle, tugging gently when Xo began prancing excitedly. “Easy, Xo.” She murmured quietly, stroking his neck and pushing gently on his chest, backing him up a few steps so the man could look over him better.


“Don’t get scared of the price, by the way. It’s negotiable. And feel free to ask any questions.”

[Phantom]

He took a liking to the spotted equine as he moved around in his stall. He took a step back as we watched the equine lift his hoof and hit it against the wood. He wondered if the equine was excited or something but he didn't know. He wondered about the background to the stallion, but from where he was standing, the equine looked fairly healthy, and that was what truly mattered to him. He could immediatly tell the horse was of a good breeding...perhaps of the Knabstrup breed? He smiled as the handler of the horse appeared and took him out of the stall. Now he could get a better look at this equine. Just because he had never owned a horse didn't mean he could pick out the best of the best. He had a couple of questions but he would save until he had finished looking at the equine. He admired the way his frame was built and the slope of his muscular shoulders. He had a large head but it seemed to match his frame perfectly. He wasn't exactly sure what he could use the horse for, but of course he would find something that the horse enjoyed, for he was going to purchase this fine animal.

He walked around the equine but kept a good distance away in case the horse decided to kick or something of the sort. It seemed as if the stallion was muscular throughout his entire frame which proved that the horse was healthier than he had thought. There was an equal amount of muscle and fat on the horse which made him balance out. He looked towards the handler What is the background of this stallion, and why is he for sale? He began, he only had a few questions for he could figure the rest out himself What is his discipline? He asked shortly after before finishing with his last question I can see that he's for sale for $5,000 however I was wondering what is the lowest price you would take for him? He could tell this stallion was worth much more than what was being asked for him, but he didn't want to dig a hole of questions, at least not right now

[Xantoxu]

The petals fall, giving life to the river,
Swaying from side to side,
where will you go?

Xo shook his head haughtily, holding it just out of reach of his exercise rider, ears trained forward. The stallion calmly assessed the breezeway, declaring it free of any mares, therefore it was okay to let the humans distract him. Lowering his large skull, tail flicked at his flank, mercilessly lashing upon a horsefly that irritated him with it's sharp, painful nip. Coat shuddered to further rid of any flies that didn't have a good grip on his bold hide. Sidestepping toward the male, he smacked his lips noisily as he inhaled his scent, pulling away with a snort. As soon as the human orbited around him, the stud regained an intense interest at to what he was doing, neck straining as he attempted to keep the male in sight.

The blonde smooched lovingly at the young horse, thumb caressing his wide cheek in order to sooth him. Pausing a moment at the first question, she recalled the information that she had been told and had discovered herself over the year that he was stationed at the farm she rode at. "He is registered under the name Xantoxu II and is a part of the Knabstrup breeding program. His stable name that he earned is Xo, which he responds rather well to. He was foaled in '03 in Denmark, and imported for my stable's breeding program in early '09." She adjusted the chain around his name in order to loosen in, finding that he was mellowed out for the moment.

"He has Dressage, Hunter, Cross Country, and Jumping training. Xo has reportedly done light carriage work, but we've never tried him with it. He's been shown, and places generously. One of his only problems that he has is that he has covered a few mares, therefore he gets a bit rowdy near them, but we've never had a mishap with him. He's only for sale because the owners are in desperate need of money and cannot afford to keep him, as well as a few other horses." The woman glanced at the man, smirking a bit. "You're a lucky duck if you get this guy, they bought him for $30,000, and his original pricing a few weeks ago had been almost $22,000." Contemplating his last question, she leaned on his withers carelessly, though the horses did not react. "Well, I could probably slice off a hefty chunk and give him to you for $2,000, including his tack." She smiled pitifully at the possible buyer as she straightened up, gesturing to the stallion, who was dozing off. "He is a very picky stud, so he has a lot of custom fitted tack that cost a hefty price themselves, but I don't think his owners really care if I give them to you, since I doubt it'll fit on any of their horses."

[Phantom]

He noticed that the stud was interesting in what he was doing. He immediatly liked the equine's interest in things, but he knew that this stallion probably knew alot already, so what more was there for him to learn? He finished his observations of the horse, finally satisfied of the horse's quality, stature, conformation and disposition. He came back to the front of the horse and looked at him from that position, so he was entirely balanced out, it didn't look as if he would not have any problems in movement or breathing or anything of the such.

He listened as the handler of the horse explained his background, this equine sure did have a popular background. Denmark eh? Perhaps he had seen the horse before, who knows. He traveled alot when he lived in that part of the world, after all he took a liking to non American breed horses. Sounds like a really talented horses After the handler had finished telling the background of the beautiful spotted equine

"He also has very good experience doesn't he?" He spoke in response to what the stallion was trained in. He listened to the the prices that the handler listed out. The horse's price had gone down a good bit, and somehow he felt a bit saddened by that. The handler was right, he sure was lucky to find this horse at and affordable price "I will give you $3,900 for him" He spoke soon after. He truly didn't want to pay five grand, but he didn't want to pay two grand either. He wanted to give the horse's old folks a little more money, just to help them out a bit. He didn't want any horses to end up homeless, or on the market like the big stallion that stood before him

[Xantoxu]

The petals fall, giving life to the river,
Swaying from side to side,
where will you go?

"Yes, yes he does. It would do him good to continue learning, though. He's the kind of horse who needs something to do...I wonder what he'd look like in a western saddle." It greatly surprised the woman that he would add to the price she offered, but it gave her since of respect toward him. The money would compensate the costs of a few lucky horses at the stables, for which she was glad. She did not want to see the other horses sharing the same fate as Xo-or an even worse one. Smiling at the man's generousity, the woman regained the horse's attention, leading him back into the stall. Undoing the chain around his nose, it chingling as it was pulled from the halter. Patting him in a bittersweet goodbye, she kissed his nose lightly, earning a hearty nuzzling. Xo obviously didn't particularly understand the situation, and he didn't know this would be the last time he'd see his handler of a year. Granted, it probably wouldn't bother him too much once he was taken to his new home, where ever that may be.

Bolting the stall door shut, the handler removed the papers and flipped to the last sheet-a buyer's agreement contract. It went over the basics, that they couldn't return the horse or ask for a refund, yadda yadda. Pulling a pen from the pocket of her windbreaker, she held it out to the man. "If you could just sign here, then take the information up to the main office to pay, then the transaction will be complete. Good luck with him, sir!" Throwing a quick glance at the stallion, she started to move down the aisle, waving at the man. "Sorry, I have to help another seller with her horses. The tack is in the stall next to him for safekeeping, along with his shipping equipment. Nice meeting you!"


And so, Xantoxu II was to move on to a new chapter of his life.

[Closed Thread]