To ride the wind (Basic Equestrian--self mod)

[Adriana Sha'kaal]

Noon, Brightening 7 of Cryxatum
Spring of Era I of the Celestine Mandate (current Pattern),
Era XIII Post Fractum

And so she returned, a candlemark past high noon, in worn-in boots, sturdy jeans and a simple cream blouse with a leather vest. Adriana entered the Equestiran center once more, eager to begin her lesson. She spotted Restle and appraoched him with enthusiasm.

"Ah, there you are. You'll be training with Santael. She's in the training stables," Restle pointed across a large paddock to one of the sprawling wooden stables that horse-shoed around a large arena. "She's expecting you."

Adriana thanked Restle and turned, striding swiftly towards the indicated stable. When she got there, she entered the long hall that was lined on both sides with stalls, nearly every one occupied by a snorting, eating, or dozing horse. The stalls on the left led out to small paddocks, while the ones on the right did not, as they bordered the arena. Adriana moved on through the aisle until she reached the center of the horseshoe, where stones were laid for flooring. There was a tack and feed room on the left, and also several station where horses could be tied in the ailse to be groomed, tacked, or washed.

One such station was occupied by a huge horse. Or at least is seemed far larger than any other animal Adriana had ever seen. The horse had a large roman nosed face, a thick neck that fit into broad slanting shoulders, a slightly bowed back and huge hindquarters. One leg was lifted, held by a person who was cleaning the hoof--huge, huge hooves. Adriana stood still, awed by the beast. The person let the horse's leg down and straightened, coming around under the horse's neck with a hand to its shoulder, and proceeded to size Adriana up.

"Ah. So you must be the Sha'Kaal girl." The woman was tall, and crossed her arms with a look of discontent in the firm set of her mouth. "Well?" she asked.

"Oh... I am, Adriana Sha'Kaal."

"Well, don't stand there like a dumb muck-raker. I'm Santael Hamile, and this is Hesh, your first mount." As if in response, the horse turned his massive head and snorted, pale blue eyes not seeming to take any interest in Adriana at all.

Adriana quickly found herself becoming worried. "Uhh, that's my first mount? But, isn't he....umm...a bit, big?"

Santael snorted, much like Hesh, and shook her head. "Hesh may be big, but he'll do you just fine. He's one of our best lesson horses. Now come over here and say hello."

Obiediant, Adriana stepped forward, and tenatively held out her hand to Hesh's nose. "Hello," she said. He sniffed, ears mildly perked in expectance of a treat, but finding none he snorted again and turned away. A smile started on Adriana's face, and she moved up to pet his neck. "There now, we'll be friends, eh?" Hesh's coat was still thick from the winter months, a graying coat dappled with brown. His brown mane was cropped short, yet his forlock and tail were left long.

"So. How much do you know about horses, to start with?" Santael asked abruptly.

Turning, Adriana replied, "Well, I grew up on a farm, so I'm familiar with them, and I've done a little bit of traveling, mostly from Paxia to here. But, to be honest, I had help then. I can sit a horse, but I don't know much about their tack or care, and I've never learned much about riding past not falling off."

"That's what I usually work with. We'll start with the basics." Santael moved forward and held Hesh's head with a hand at his halter. "This is Hesh. He's a Mellan--"

"A Mellan? But he's huge! I mean, bigger than..." Adriana fell silent at Santael's reproving glare.

"He's a rather large Mellan, I know. Anyway, he's a gelding, wich means he's no longer able to impregnate a mare. It makes male horses much calmer and easier to work with. Geldings are almost always the best horses to work with, especially for beginners. An ungelded horse is a stallion. Stallions require much more skill to handle, as they are far more energetic and headstrong, but they often make better performance horses than geldings. Mares are the female of the species, and their temperments vary. Of course, any horse can be an excellent companion with the right skills. Not to say some aren't nearly impossible, but you'll learn. Horses are like people; they're all different, and while most are willing to work with you, some are just lost causes.

"Hesh here is a good horse; he's easy going, likes to work, and will do nigh on anything for a treat. And he's not spooky, or likely to blow up under you if a cat wanders by. So. You can start by brushing him."

Adriana had been listening intently, but found it hard to follow Santael's words. She was pretty confused as to what she was learning, but decided the tall woman must know what she was doing, and picked up a brush from the bucket Santael had indicated, and moved over to Hesh's side. She reached up and started brushing his neck, and the bulky horse leaned into her a bit, enjoying the attention.

"That's a good brush to use for normal brushing. Use one with stiffer bristles if the horse is especialy muddy after a good roll, and a softer brush for his face, since horses are more sensitive there." She bent down and picked up various tools as she continued explaining what each one was. "This is a comb for thier mane-don't have to worry about that on Hesh, of course, but make sure to get his forlock. That's a horse's bangs, so to speak. This is a shedder," she held up a metal brush with a leather handle, that had tiny teeth. "Use it to get the loose hair off the horse when they're shedding their winter coat, like now. Don't worry about hurting them, the metal's not sharp. It's good to go over them once with it every time you brush them, just to keep their coat clean and slick. This is hoofpick, used to clean out their feet-which are called hooves, by the way. Here, I'll show you."

Santael moved forward and stood by Hesh's right front leg. "You stand here, facing down the horse's body. Run your right hand down his leg, and squeaze gently right here, on the back of his fetlock." Hesh had already picked up his leg and held it suspended. "Of course, with a well-trained horse, it doesn't take much. Hold the hoof with your left hand and take the pick and clean the mud out. Be sure to get these two grooves, here," she pointed at the indentions in the bottom of the hoof. "This area here is called the frog of the hoof-be careful, as it's a bit softer than the sole. Be sure to get all the mud out of the grooves, and around the horseshoe." Santael set Hesh's hoof down and handed the pick to Adriana. "You do it."

With a look of aprehension, Adriana moved close to Hesh's side, and began to run her hand down his leg, startled when he immiediately lifted his leg. "You don't have to worry about Hesh kicking you, but with younger or more unruly horses, you should be careful. Standing close to the horse will give him less of a chance to kick you. And, if a horse won't lift his feet, you can try leaning against his shoulder and clucking to him. Somtimes you just have to wake them up and make them realize you're telling them something." Adriana clumsily tried to transfer Hesh's hoof into her left hand, so she could use the pick in her right, but Hesh stood complacently until she had picked his feet and set the hoof back down. "Good," Santael said with a nod. "Do his other feet. On the back legs, squeaze on the back of his hock," she pointed out where, "if he won't lift." Adriana managed to pick out all four feet without incident, and Santael nodded her approval.

"Now, come with me, and we'll work with tack. I know some people might just spend the first lesson preaching to you about technicalities, but I prefer you to learn as you go." The tall woman turned and started for the tack room, Adriana on her heels. Entering, she gazed at the jungle of saddles, bridles, and other equipment she didn't recognize. Santael reached for a simple brown saddle. "This is a saddle, of course. We use this one for Hesh and a few other horses, it's the biggest one we have. Here-take it." Adriana reached out and took the saddle, staggering a bit under its unexpected weight, but she could carry it easily enough. "Saddles have to fit the horse right, and it depends on how wide they are. The 'tree' of the saddle is a certain width to fit the horse. Most tack makers or sellers can tell you if a saddle fits. You don't want it too tight, or it'll make them sore, but too big and it will slide around, and won't sit on the horse's back at the right spots. A horse can usually tell you themselves if their uncomfortable. Always get a saddlepad, to cushion the horse's back, and you can use two if a saddle is just a hair too big." She tossed a simple black rectangular saddlepad on top of the saddle in Adriana's arms.

"This is Hesh's bridle--see this white noseband? That's his. This one is only used on Hesh. Most of the tack in here is arranged by size. We can't have a seperate set for every horse, so they share. But for most horses, there are just a few different pieces used for them. You can, of course, buy your own equipment, but until you get your own horse, you'll probably just want to use ours." Santael led a nodding Adriana back out to where Hesh was tied. She lifted the saddlepad and placed it on Hesh's back.

"Put the saddlepad on his back like this, a little far onto his shoulders, then slide it back to where it's sitting just behind the neck, over the withers-that's this ridge here-and that way, you make sure the hair is smoothed down and not sticking up under the pad. Then take the saddle and put it on his back-you want the saddle to rest on his withers, like so. The front of the saddle should be right where his shoulder ends. Then take this strap, called a girth, and fasten it onto these long straps on either side." Santael was demonstrating everything as she talked, a running monolouge, and didn't seem to notice Adriana, just assuming she was watching and listening. "Don't ever pull harshly on the girth when you tighten it. That teaches a horse to blow up-breath in and expand his lungs-so that he can then exhale and make the girth loose. Of course, some horses just do it anyway. Crafty buggers. Before you get on the horse, always check the girth again. You want to be able to slip your hand easily under it, but you shouldn't be able to pull it out any. On most horses, you'll want to check the girth several times, tightening it just a little each time, before you get on. And see, the girth should rest just behind his front legs. If it's back farther, your saddle is probably too far back as well."

"When putting on the bridle, be sure to loop his halter or leadrope around his neck, so he doesn't just wander off. Take the top of the bridle in your hand, and bring you hand up by his ears. Guide the bit to his mouth, make sure the noseband is out of the way, and if the horse doesn't take the bit on his own, slip your finger into his mouth right here, at the corner, and press down lightly." She demonstrated, and Hesh opened his mouth. "There, see, then just slip the bit into his mouth and get the top over his ears. Be sure not to get the ear caught under the straps. The throath latch, here, is fastened to sit pretty loosely under the horse's cheek. It's purpose is mainly to keep the bridle in place, so it doesn't need to be tight. Some bridles even omit this piece entirely. The noseband is fastened under the chin, and you should be able to slip two fingers under the band here." She put two finger under the band on the front of Hesh's nose. "The noseband's purpose is just to keep the bit in place, and a drop noseband has two straps to go on either side of the bit. Sometimes people will keep the straps tighter to keep a horse from chewing on the bit, but you should never let it get too tight. The horse should be able to open his mouth enough to accept a treat or get a drink of water. The bit," Santael pointed, "should rest like this in the mouth, without pulling the corners of his mouth up into creases, or hanging too low. You adjust where the bit is by these cheekstraps. Have you been paying attention?" she asked suddenly.

"Y-yes," Adriana replied, nodding.

"Good." Santael quickly untacked Hesh, and looked at Adriana. "Now you do it."

Adriana moaned a bit to herself, quite unsure she liked how this woman taught. Yet, she got to it, and placed the saddlepad, saddle and bridle on Hesh without much trouble, though she kept glancing to Santael for assurance that she was doing it correctly, which Santael gave with a silent nod each time.

As the candlemarks went by, Adriana retacked Hesh several times until she could do it without fuss and guidance. Santael showed her how to groom Hesh after riding, to make sure he was cooled off enough to put up, and explained that it was best to give the tack a quick wipe with a piece of cloth to keep it from getting too dirty in between cleanings. To Adrian's slight dismay, she wasn't allowed to ride today, but there was enough to learn anyway.

When they were done, Santael showed Adriana how to lead a horse properly, keeping his neck next to her shoulder. Hesh was very easy to work with. She put him in his stall, and Santael showed her where the feed was, and told her to give Hesh one scoop of grain and two flakes of hay.

"Here." Santael tossed a worn book to Adriana. "That has diagrams of the bodyparts of a horse, as well as the name of tack. I expect you to study that enough to gain a working knowledge, so when I talk to you about things, you're not lost. Tomorrow we'll work on leading and maybe get you up on Hesh. You did pretty good today. I think Hesh likes you." Adriana was surprised to see a ghost of a smile on Santael's face.

"Well, thank you very much. I'll see you next brightening."

"Serale," was Santael's short goodbye as she turned and retreated back into the stables.

Adriana went home, her mind buzzing a bit from everything Santael had shown her, and wondering if it would be as simple as she had imagined to learn horseriding. But, she was willing to do what it took. With her enthusiasm returning, Adriana headed back to the manor.

[Adriana Sha'kaal]

Brightening 8 of Cryxatum
Spring of Era I of the Celestine Mandate (current Pattern),
Era XIII Post Fractum

Adriana rose early and headed to the stables. There was still the faint clinging of fog around the corners of building, and slunk low int he grass, when she reached the Equestrain Centre. She made her way to the training stable and Spent a little time just taking in the atmosphere. The smell of horses and hay mingled in her nostrils, comforting and warm. She stepped into the feed room and rooted up a carrot. Walking towards Hesh's stall, she responded to the gentle snorting of the horses with a small piece of carrot. Hesh blew gently on her hand when she reached him, and took up the carrot eagerly.

"I saved the biggest piece for you, see?" Adriana said with a smile. She patted his nose through the feed hole, then cracked the door and slipped inside the stall. Hesh's big form turned, and his face butted her hand, searching for another treat. "Hey now, none of that." She stroked his neck, reveling in the warmth from his body.

"Might as well take this and get to work," a voice said from behind her, and Adriana turned to see Santael standing there, brush in hand.

"Serale Santael. I was just saying hi to Hesh."

"Well, I'm sure he appreciates it. But go ahead and start grooming him. I've got to feed some of the horses, so I'll be back when I'm done."

Adriana took the brush and Santael went on her way, horses calling to her, knowing what her presence heralded. Hesh snorted, displeased perhaps that he would not be fed on this round. Smiling, Adriana began brushing down Hesh's neck and shoulders. The methodical, reapeated rythym was soothing to both of them. Hesh's head lowered, his ears drooping lazily. It didn't take long for his coat to be free of dirt and clinging straw. Adriana went to the tack room to get a hoofpick and comb, and came back to clean Hesh's hooves, then carefully worked through his long tail.

"He looks good." Santael was back, leaning against the door to the stall and holding Hesh's halter. "Let's take him out."

Adriana slipped the halter over Hesh's head, glad that he obliged to lower it while she did. Leading him out, they went to the center of the stable and she moved to tie him up.

"Do you know how to tie a slip knot for a horse?" Santael asked. At Adriana's negative reply, she took the rop in hand and demonstrated. "You never want to tie a horse with a knot, and never by the reins. If a horse tries to get away, the reins can break. And if you need to untie them quickly, you want to be able to. This knot, see can be undone by simply pulling the end of the rope. But be careful-sometimes horses figure that out as well."

Adriana laughed and nodded, redoing the knot when Santael asked her too. It took a couple tries, but she got the method down. At Santael's urging, she went into the tack room and collected a saddlepad and Hesh's saddle. Bringing them out, she settled the blanket one-handed on his back, then hefted the saddle up-incredibly hard, considering how tall Hesh was. A little shifting and she was confident she had it right, but asked Santael all the same. Then she tightened the girth, not too much, for she felt Hesh breath in already. "Clever bugger," she whispered to him. Fetching the bridel, she got that on him with minimal trouble.

"Nicely done. Did you look over that book I gave you?"

"Yes."

"So. Tell me where Hesh's withers are." Adriana pointed to the ridge at the base of Hesh's neck, right where the saddle rested. "His haunches?" A gesture to the end of his braod back. "Fetlock." The bottom of his front leg. "Pastern." Front of the bottom of the front leg. "Poll." Right between his ears. "Good, good. I'll expect you to know what I mean if I reference some part of the horse. We'll start today with you leading him."

Santael clipped a leadrope to Hesh's bridle, on a ring under the noseband. She handed it to Adriana. "Now Hesh is a good leader. Most often, you'll lead a horse from the left, with the leadrope in your left hand, and maybe your right hand on it as well if you need more control. A horse's neck should be even with you as you lead, and they should pay attention to where you want them to go. They will listen to your body language for when you move forward or back. Be sure and expect them to do what you want. Don't let the horse get away with lagging behind, pushing ahead, or looking off. A little twitch at the rope is enough for Hesh. Go ahead, lead him up and down here."

Adriana held the rope in her hands, and started forward. Hesh obligingly stepped forward as well, his head bobbing slightly in front of Adriana's shoulder. The girl stopped, and Hesh came still a step after. "Turn him to the right," called Santael, and Adriana uncertainly moved her right hand over, pushing gently on the leadrope, the big horse knowingly pivoting to the right. They continued up and down the aisle till Adriana was more confident, and Santael had her switch to leading Hesh from the right, explaing that it was best to always do thing on both sides of a horse, so they didn't start thinking they only had to listen to you when you're doing it the 'usual' way.

"Good-good for today. You'll learn to lead them at a trot as well. Now, come out to the arena." Adriana followed the tall form of Santael out the large double doors into the arena that the stable surrounded. The teacher grabbed a roughly two-foot-high stool and positioned it next to Hesh when he stopped. "The proper way to mount, is to stand slightly behind where the stirrup hangs. Put you left foot in the stirrup, bring you hand up to the pommel of the saddle-never drop the reins as you mount, you never want to relinquish control of your horse. Then, push off the ground, pull with your arms a bit if you need, and slide smoothly into the saddle, swinging you right leg up and over. But be careful not to pull the saddle over. That's why you always must check your girth before mounting, and that would likely be a good idea right now."

Adriana slipped her hand under the girth, and laughed when she found it quite loose. She grabbed the straps, pulled the girth a couple holes tighter, and checked the girth again. Hesh turned and looked balefully at her.

"Good. Now go ahead and and mount. Of course, with Hesh you'll need the mounting block. If a block isn't around, a fence wroks as well."

Adriana stepped up on the block, and lifted her left leg, holding the stirrup while she slipped her foot in it. Holding the reins in her left hand at the pommel of the saddle, she took a breath. With a little jump, she pushed off, pulling her self up and getting her right leg over Hesh's back-just barely-and into its stirrup.

Santael nodded. "Always make sure your leg clears the horse's back. If you hit his haunches while you mount, he might decide that means it's time to go, and leave you standing. That was good. Now, to dismount-"

"But I just got up here!" Adriana said with a grin. Hers faded when she saw Santael's slight frown.

"To dismount, keep you left foot in the stirrup, swing your right over, carefully take your left out of the stirrup, then slide down. Careful-it's a long drop."

Adriana did as she was told, but when she hit the ground her teeth jarred against eachother. "Ow.." she said quietly.

"Now go ahead and mount up from the right. Same procedure, different leg. Again, it's best to do everything on both sides of the horse." This time, when Adriana was up, Santael nodded and let her stay there. "I see we need to work on your posture..."

ooc: I cannot concentrate for this long.... end part 1