Disclaimer - I own nothing of the characters from Friends or How I Met Your Mother. I do own my original characters and the plot. 'Nuff said.
Italics are thoughts and song lyrics
A/N: I got this idea while watching the Olympics, especially the equestrian portion. When I was younger, I went to Horse Camp, so this story is based on it, although it's been years since I've been. This is the sequel to The One At Theater Camp, but you don't need to read it to understand this story.
A/N 2: Each chapter will focus on a different character and their horse.
A/N 3: Each of these horse breeds are real, along with all the horse information.
Summary: AU: Takes place a year after The One at Theater Camp. Our friends are back again, only this time, they're at the Golden Saddle Horse Camp for a week to show their horses.
Genre: Humor/Drama
Rating: T
CHAPTER ONE
(Chapter title - Barney and Tuxedo Joe)
Barney yawned as his phone alarm went off at 4:30 in the morning. Grumbling, he turned off his alarm and got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a tuxedo pattern on it and put a pair of sneakers on. He then grabbed his red duffle bag that had clothes in it, along with his riding outfit for the final day of camp.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a banana, a bottle of water and the lunch he had packed the day before.
"Mom, I'm headed to pick up Rachel, Joey and Robin. I'll see you in a week. Love you!" Barney said into his mother's room.
"Bye honey. I'll see that James meets you there. Love you, too. Give Tuxedo Joe a pet for me" Mrs. Stenson said. She was getting up herself for her first shift at the local diner.
Barney smiled and went to his red pickup truck, making sure the four-horse trailer was securely attached to it.
He drove to Rachel's house first, since she lived closer to him than Robin and Joey did.
By the time Barney had picked up his three friends, the sun was beginning to come up over the horizon.
"We should get the horses settled in their stalls, then go sign up for classes" Barney said, taking a sip of his coffee he got from Starbucks.
"Uh huh" the others muttered sleepily from the truck.
The four of them got their horses - Tuxedo Joe, Thespian, Blue Jay & Matilda - out of the trailer.
As soon as he was out of the trailer, Tuxedo Joe, neighed loudly, flicking his ears back and forth.
Other horses answered Tuxedo Joe's whinny.
"You're a player just like me, aren't you buddy?" Barney told his horse, patting his shoulder. He went to find the barn where he and the other members from his 4-H group - Growing In Sync - were.
"We're in Barn ZZ" Robin said, holding tightly to Blue Jay's lead rope.
Barney nodded, "lead and we'll follow you."
Robin nodded and led the way to Barn ZZ, seeing her friends with their horses.
"Robin, Rachel, Barney and Joey, your horses are in stalls One, Sixteen, Seventeen and Twenty" a tall thin woman - Sara - said. Sara was their 4-H leader, along with her husband Derek. Sara and Derek also had a 4-year-old daughter named Natalie, who was horse-obsessed as her parents were.
"Is Derek coming, too?" Joey asked.
"No, he's staying home with Natalie, who has a cold, so you've got me" Sara said, putting her brown hair into a ponytail, "anyone need help bringing horses in their stalls?"
"I do, since she's as stubborn as a mule" Rachel said, holding the lead rope of a beautiful Friesian mare named Matilda.
Matilda snorted and put her head up as both Rachel and Sara tried to get the mare in the stall. After ten minutes, Matilda was in her stall and eating hay.
"Has anyone else shown up?" Robin asked, putting Blue Jay in his stall.
"Marshall is on his way and he'll be bringing James, Phoebe and Chandler" Sara said.
Lily poked her head out of a stall, "hey guys."
Rachel and Robin smiled at Lily and went to hug their friend.
Eventually, everyone showed up and everyone went to register for the classes they would take while at camp. They also registered for all the fun classes that would be held on the final day of camp, right after the last class concluded for the day.
"Since the fair is in town, there's wrist bands to get you guys into the fair the entire time its here. The wrist bands also get you into the Demolition Derby, Tractor Pull and the Rabbit Show that's going on" Sara said, indicating to several multicolored wrist bands on a picnic table.
"Can we go today?" Robin asked.
"The fair isn't open until after noon and you guys still need to get settled in your cabins. Guys are in the Stallion Cabin and the girls are in the Mare Cabin" Sara said.
Everyone gathered their luggage and went to the large cabins on the hill that overlooked the camp. The cabins were two stories and had all the bells and whistles - showers and WiFi were the most important to the campers. There was a large outdoor & indoor pool, a swim up bar and a game room that was in between the two cabins.
"Do we have classes today?" Barney asked Ted as they put their suitcases away after emptying them.
Ted looked at the schedule, "yeah - there's a Horse Care class, then I have a Dressage class."
Barney nodded, "how's Frank Lloyd Wright?"
"He's good - he was lame about a week ago, but according to the vet, he's doing a lot better" Ted said as he, Barney, Marshall, Joey, Chandler, James and Ross exited the Stallion Cabin.
"That's good" Barney said as he walked with his best friend.
"And how's Tuxedo Joe?" Ted asked.
"He's good. He's really excelling at jumping and barrel racing" Barney said.
The seven guys and five girls headed to their first class of the day - Horse Care in the B Barn.
They entered the barn and saw a huge draft horse in cross-ties in the middle of the aisle. The horse was chestnut with a broad blaze and four socks on each of its feet. The horse had one of its massive back feet cocked and head lowered - it was asleep.
"Hurry in and gather round" a cheerful man's voice said, "I'm Hector and this is our model today. His name is Chief and can anyone tell me what breed of horse he is?"
"He's a Clydesdale!" Rachel said.
"Very good. Can anyone tell me how we measure how tall a horse is?" Hector asked.
Marshall raised his hand and Hector nodded his head at him.
"You use your hand and go from the bottom of the horse's front leg to their withers" Marshall said.
Hector smiled, "would you like to demonstrate?"
"Is he friendly?" Marshall asked. Before he got Irish Whiskey, Marshall had been thrown from a horse named Molly and had suffered some serious injuries. Before he approached any horse, he always made sure to ask the owner if the horse was friendly before letting the horse sniff his hand.
"Very. You can give him a peppermint, if you wish" Hector said, handing Marshall some peppermints.
Chief raised his head, his ears pricked forward.
Marshall smiled as he laid his hand flat so Chief wouldn't get his fingers, "good boy, Chief." He squatted at Chief's front leg and began counting how tall Chief was.
"He's 16 hands tall" Marshall told Hector once he got to Chief's withers.
"Very good!" Hector said.
The class went on for another fifteen minutes before everyone went to get their horses ready for a group ride.
"Since some of you ride both English and Western, ride whatever you're comfortable with today, then let me know what you plan on riding on the final day of class" Sara said as everyone approached to get their horses ready.
Sara's horse - a beautiful mare named Rainy Day - whinnied as all her friends left the barn.
Tuxedo Joe, Thespian and Matilda answered Rainy Day's whinny.
"I'm gonna ride Western today" Barney said, getting Tuxedo Joe ready before following his friends to Arena A.
In Arena B, the people who were riding English entered, making sure to keep a horse length between them and the horse in front of them.
The instructor - a short woman named Stacey - watched over the English riders while Hector watched over the Western riders.
"Joey, heels down, toes up and we rise and fall with the leg on the wall" Stacey said, watching Joey riding Thespian, "there should be an invisible string keeping you straight on your horse, not sagging like a sack of potatoes."
Everyone rode for a couple hours before putting their horses in their stalls after giving them a bath, since it was hot that afternoon.
"Feel free to head down to the fair - don't forget a wrist band. There'll be food trucks for dinner - they'll be here around six" Sara said, sitting at the picnic table, "check the chart to see who has Barn Duty."
Phoebe checked the chart, "Ted, Monica, Ross and I have barn duty."
Ross and Monica, along with Ted and Phoebe, watched their friends head down the midway where the rides were set up.
"Let's get this over with. I'll muck stalls" Phoebe said.
"Two of us could muck stalls, one of us could fill water buckets and someone needs to sweep" Ted said. He got some blades of grass and held them in his hand, "the two people who get the short strands will muck the stalls, then the other two people can decide who sweeps and who fills water buckets."
The others agreed and each took a blade of grass - Monica and Ross got the short strands, which meant they mucked stalls.
Ted turned to Phoebe, "which would you rather do?"
"I'll sweep" Phoebe said.
Ted smiled a bit, "and I'll fill water buckets."
The four of them worked together, occasionally hearing screams and laughter coming from the midway.
"That'll be us tomorrow" Monica said from her horse Ratatouille's stall.
"I'll go on anything but the Tilt-A-Whirl, Gravatron and the Ferris Wheel" Ross said.
The others nodded and checked on each of the horses - Tuxedo Joe, Thespian, Blue Jay, Absolutely Certain, Smelly Cat, Badda Bing, Ratatouille, Frank Lloyd Wright, Matilda, Irish Whiskey, Triceratops, Two To Tango and Rainy Day.
There was a squeal and a loud snort coming towards the end of the row of stalls.
"Sounds like someone isn't getting along" Ted said, grabbing a couple lead ropes and halters from the tack room. He handed one to Ross.
"I don't think Irish Whiskey and Triceratops like each other" Ross said. He looked at Sara, "can we do some rearranging?"
"Of course. Do you need help?" Sara asked, looking up from her romance novel.
"Yeah" Ted and Ross said in unison.
"Okay. Phoebe and Monica, can you guys get a couple more halters and lead ropes, please?" Sara asked.
"Of course" Monica said, going to the tack room and got some halters and lead ropes.
The five of them worked together to move the horses, minus Matilda and Rainy Day, to different stalls.
The order was now - Ratatouille, Tuxedo Joe, Absolutely Certain, Smelly Cat, Blue Jay, Irish Whiskey, Frank Lloyd Wright, Badda Bing, Thespian, Triceratops, Matilda, Two To Tango and Rainy Day.
"There. Now everyone is happy" Ross said as he put Blue Jay in his new stall.
Blue Jay snorted and went to sniff noses with his stall mates - he had Smelly Cat on one side and Irish Whiskey on the other.
The five of them worked together to feed the horses and were just finishing up when a group of food trucks arrived a short distance away.
Rachel, James, Barney, Chandler, Joey, Marshall, Lily and Robin headed back to the barn, laughing and talking to themselves.
"FOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD!" Joey yelled as he saw the food trucks.
"Joey, you had 3 hot dogs, cotton candy, 5 deep fried Oreos, an elephant ear, a bear claw, and a corn dog. To drink, you had 4 glasses of lemonade and a bottle of Coke. How did you not puke when we went on The Scrambler?" Chandler asked, perplexed.
"I don't know, but there's more food!" Joey said, racing to the food trucks.
The others laughed and headed to the food trucks. After they got their food, they went to sit at the picnic table that was in front of the barn.
"After dinner, wanna go for a ride?" Chandler asked, taking a bite of his tacos.
"Actually, I was wanting to go for a swim" Rachel said.
"Same" Monica, Phoebe and Robin said in unison.
"I'll need help getting the horses ready for bed" Sara said, "then you guys can do what you want."
Once everyone was done with their dinners, they helped Sara get Rainy Day ready for bed, before getting their own horses ready.
Everyone headed to the cabins - the girls went for a swim; Barney, Ted, Marshall and Chandler played pool; James, Ross and Joey did their own things.
As the guys got ready for bed, Joey's stomach grumbled.
"I don't like the sound of that" Chandler said, looking at Joey, who was turning a sickly shade of green, "you okay, buddy?"
Joey shook his head and ran for the bathroom, puking his guts out.
"Poor guy" James said, putting his pajamas on.
"Yeah, if only someone had stopped him from eating all the food at the fair - oh wait. He did! It was me!" Chandler said sarcastically.
Everyone was in bed by the time Joey emerged from the bathroom, his face to its normal color.
Barney turned over on his side, wondering what the next day would bring for him and his friends.