Seasouls | Icon | Care

As an apology for being so late yesterday (stupid conformation...) You can have this one a bit early again...and if all goes to plan...a second should follow.

Two in one night. You're all spoiled Gotta go to badminton now, though!

---

For the breedsheet (which has a lot of information to fit in, so will be arranged in a set of sheets), I'm illustrating various key aspects. Both because I think it helps to have a visual guide, and because I like the idea of something more interactive, and this means I get to put my mental images of various scenes to good use

The illustrations will be posted over the next week or so as numbered icons, with the proper information to come.

---

I realise a few of you could be disappointed at the lack of living volunteers. In the end, this image is a compilation of a couple of chapters, but they're all focused on care, and I didn't want the Feeding icon to be the ontly one without a horse. So this includes general/stabling/swimming care, coat care, mane and tail care and hoof care.

This chapter will explain the maintenance.

ATTENTION: now has a numbered version, to more easily see what's what - Seasoul Icons - Care Labelled

So, facts mixed up with a list of what's what: (working from the back forwards this time)

1. A wooden tap stand. There's a few of these around the yards on the Island. Its best to have easy, ready access to water at all times, and the stands are useful for all sorts of things. The posts are rouned off at the top to more easily hold bridles or headcollars when needed. Similarly, the rails are rounded to better hold saddles and such.
2. A Swim Line. These will be for sale in the online shop . They're a lightweight long line with a clip at one end and a rubber handle at the other. There's tiny air pockets all through it, and round floats sewn in at intervals. It means the line doesn't interfere or weigh the horse down, as well as being easy to spot in the water. Used for young horses on early trips to the sea.
3. A sand bag. Keeper's Island has plenty of beaches, and plenty of sand; fine, powdery stuff. This is their own 'brand' of stable bedding. SeaSouls live best on sand (literal sand) or peat as it feels more like home, though there's no issue keeping them on straw or shavings if you prefer. Island sand can be bought in bulk if you want, but it costs to have it shipped, or you can shovel up some sand from your nearest beach. They especially like it if you leave seashells in the sand in their stables, too.
4. seaweed threads. Seaweed is the only thing that can even partially 'tie back' a mane or tail. Normal bands or ties just don't hold and go straight through. If you need the water temporarily out of the way and don't want to cut it, you can (carefully) scoop the weed around it and knot it back.
5. Shampoo! You can't really use it on the manes - it just runs straight out - but its good for the coats, to keep them clean in the same way it would a normal horse. This is a very generic, cheap-ass brand that the Keeper's make in one of the towns.
6. A typical Island bucket. These have the metal rims, to help them withstand all the puddles usually about, and they're low and wide, to better accomodate tails and manes being dunked in. They're really solid things, and can be upturned as stools, too.
7. A hose. This one is a bog standard garden hose...though one of the students has gone and stabbed it. This is actually a neat trick to better keep SeaSouls happy during dry or hot weather. There's tons of hoses and attached sprinkler systems (again, bog standard ones you can get anywhere) all over the Island. When its dry, they're run from the taps through the yard and fields, even the schools, with punctures all down them so they can spray water as much as possible. It moistens the air at the very least. Its not uncommon to find herds of horses, especially youngsters, gathered around and playing with the sprinklers in summer if they can't get to the beaches.
8. A sponge. A staple of any yard. Good for cleaning both horses and equipment. And some SeaSouls love to suck on them if they're full of water. Bored horses or ones that windsuck (a vice seen in natural horses) can be given a sponge in their water bowls - hours of entertainment, sucking it up, dropping it back in, then going again
9. A loofah. One of the kids probably left that behind on a field trip Not your usual thing, but they do scrub in shampoo well
10. A body brush. This one happens to be goat hair (incredibly soft) but any normal brush can be used. Dandy brushes are also used for dried on mud, but they seem to wash it off themselves where possible.
11. That spiny looking thing is a Venus comb shell. These are the only things able to make a mane grow. More on that later. It will be available in the shop so you can all customise manes
12. Horse shoes. They're shown here, but really...you should probably avoid them. SeaSouls can wear them well enough, but they do weigh, and with horses loving to swim...they don't often like the extra weight. And it's no good if you're racing, anyway. Horses with ShellHooves can't wear them at all because the walls will shatter.
13. Hoof Moisturiser. This is a brand made on the Island with seasalt components but any normal brand works too. Like most things aquatic, oil doesn't mix too well, so you should avoid oiling the hooves, but you can work up a shine and keep them strong with moisturiser.
14. A hoof pick. Like all horses, their hooves need picking out to stop stones, bits of coral or mud getting stuck and causing problems.
15. A coral knife. It doesn't look too sharp, but it's deceiving. You can't just use any coral; its specially prepared to be able to cut through the water manes and tails. Its the only thing you can use that will do it. This is also going to be available in the online shop. They start off very pink and over time and use will bleach out. It loses its sharpness as it goes and when it's bone white, you need a new one.
16. A rubber curry comb. Better to use rubber or plastic than metal, as they may rust or get bent out of shape over time. This is used like you would use any curry comb, though plastic ones are also good for cleaning out the body brush.

Wow...that's a lot!

Sorry for the text wall, guys!

And briefly, about the online shop:

This will be a folder in the breed group. icons of various things will be shown there and each item will cost a certain amount of 'money'. NOTHING ACTUALLY COSTS YOU REAL CURRENCY. You earn Island coins by drawing your horse, and the more you draw, the more money you earn, enabling you to 'purchase' more items. Shop items will be things specific to the Island or the breed. Things you can get anwhere, like a hose, sponges and such will not be for sale. All this will be explained more soon

---

So far: (and having to switch to links, as there's now too many thumbs! We've reached a milestone!
SeaSoul Horses - Icon 1
Seasoul Horses - Icon 2

---

For the art...This was fiddly because of all the parts, but it was actually straightforward to do. Thankfully

It turned out having more there than first intended, as I realised other bits were relevant, but hopefully it's not too much of an overload. I've had to drag in four separate subchapters under care, so I did what I could. I'm oddly pleased with most of it, now, considering its just a bunch of random items

---

Time - a handful of hours throughout the day. 5/6 ish, maybe?
No refs.
Art, breed and concept copyright to Tattered-Dreams
Do not take copy, edit, redistribute or manipulate.
Please respect me and my efforts here and don't utilise aspects of the concept or artwork without permission.