Post by Natalie Lupei on Aug 26, 2012 11:04:20 GMT -5
NICKNAME • Nat, but usually just goes by Natalie
AGE/BIRTHDAY • 25 / August 23th, 1987
ZODIAC • Virgo
PLACE OF BIRTH • Bucharest, Romania
ETHNICITY/NATIONALITY • Romanian
HEIGHT/WEIGHT • 5'7 / 130
SEXUALITY • Straight
FAMILY • Sister - Camelia Lupei (21)
RELATIONSHIPS • None
EDUCATION • Grade school in Romania
RELIGION • Agnostic
LANGUAGES SPOKEN • English and Romanian
ECONOMIC STATUS • Upper Class
CRIMINAL RECORD • None
OCCUPATION • Owner of Ashwood Equestrian Centre
PETS • 6 Bavarian Warmbloods
TATTOOS/PIERCINGS • None / Pierced eyebrow
LIFETIME ASPIRATION • The Jockey
TRAITS • Equestrian, Lucky, Hopeless Romantic, Workaholic, Vegetarian
FAVORITE FOOD • Veggie Rolls
FAVORITE COLOR • Lime Green
FAVORITE MUSIC • Pop
HOBBIES • Training horses, swimming, Eventing, and reading a good book.
STRENGTHS • Riding ability, and high social skills
WEAKNESSES • Spiders and wasps
FUN FACT • Reina is Natalie's favorite horse, the two of them share a special bond.
PET PEEVES • People who think they know everything, two faced people, and rude people.
FAVORITE HANGOUTS • In the stall with a horse, or in the riding arena.
Natalie grew up in Romania with two loving parents and a younger sister. Her father was a political figure and her mother was a stay at home mom. Her younger sister was only 4 years younger than her, and they never fought. Natalie and her family were well off and lived in a higher class of the city. She went through school until she was 17, with high grades, and even finished a year early.
She always had a passion for horses but her parents never allowed her to explore that passion. So after she finished school at age 17, she packed her bags and traveled to Germany to attend a famous riding school, thinking she could get in with no prior riding experience to train with Olympians. Needless to say, the academy did not accept her.
Natalie was devastated. Not wanting to return home, she was able to find a waitressing job at a local tavern where she worked for a few months. She took riding lessons from a stable in the area. One night, while she was waitressing at the tavern, an older gentleman entered the bar. She took his order and he began to talk to her about horses and how he had a breeding facility to produce top quality Bavarian Warmbloods. Natalie asked if the older man needed any help at the facility, to which he replied that he did. She told him of her experience, the denial of the academy, her few short months at a local stable, and that her instructor told her she was a natural in the saddle. The older man was thrilled and told her to come visit the stables on her day off.
The following week, Natalie was finally able to obtain a day off. She quickly got a taxi to take her to the gentleman's facility. Once she arrived, she was welcomed immediately. The owner, Al, the gentleman who she had served, showed her around the facility. It blew Natalie away. He noticed her passion for horses and offered her a position as a stablehand but first asked to see her riding skill. She graciously accepted and a sleek liver chestnut mare was presented to her, all tacked up and ready to go. Without hesitation, Natalie mounted the flashy mare and followed drills called out by Al.
Al was impressed with her riding abilities. Even with a few months of training, she was riding drills better than most of his staff. He knew Natalie had a special talent with horses. Not everyone was made to be a rider, but this young girl was.
Through the years Natalie worked for Al she earned plenty of promotions. There was never a horse that Natalie bonded with at Al's, until a mare named Reign of Love was born. She was an ill-tempered and feisty filly, all characteristics that were frowned upon in the Bavarian Warmblood lineage. Natalie was never introduced to the filly until she was two years of age and ready to be trained. The first time someone was on her back, Reign of Love threw the rider off. Natalie was watching and was not agreeing with how the trainer was handling the horse. So, Natalie went to Al and asked if she could work with the filly. Al wasn’t so sure but agreed to it anyway, as he was about to send the horse off to anyone who would buy her because of her bad attitude.
Natalie nicknamed the filly Reina and began working with her from the ground up. She built up the filly’s trust and her bad attitude seemed to disappear. Natalie knew someone wasn’t treating the filly right. Why would a foal from very sweet and nice parents suddenly have an ill temper? She asked Al that nobody else work with the filly, and Al graciously agreed. In fact, after seeing how well Reina did with Natalie, he asked Natalie if she wanted to own Reina for herself. It was a gift from him for all her hard work and dedication over the years.
By the time she turned 23, she was head manager of his facility, and competing and bringing home all kinds of awards. She knew it was time to leave Al's and start her own stable. He gave her his blessing and offered her to buy a few of his Bavarian Warmbloods at a smaller fee than the average customer. He knew she loved the breed as much as he did.
