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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 9, 2015 7:34:38 GMT -5
To keep from making the girl feel as if she were peering over her shoulder, Zeph leaned casually against the stall door and watched. Raion really did pick up on it much faster than most. That was good. They had other things to focus on and if she could memorize movements this easily then it would make riding all the easier.
When Rai finished, Zeph walked around the beast, finding only one issue. A slender hand raised and waved the other redhead over.
"It really isn't so big of an issue, but it will throw off your balance and make you a little uncomfortable riding. When you cinched the belly strap you pulled the top of the saddle toward you just a bit. Next time, don't use both hands for the strap. Place one hand on the saddle and push a little. It'll keep it in place. Go ahead and fix it. The only way to learn is to fix your own mistakes, aye?"
The Gael moved back around the horse, checking the rest but found nothing else out of the ordinary. She wasn't sure how far the stirrups would need lifted, but she went ahead and unclasped the double strap and tugged them up a bit. At least when Raion was getting set her toes might reach the footholds.
"I'll adjust these more once you get in the saddle. Your foot holds are what will keep you safe with these horses. You don't want to squeeze with your knees. I've found most of the school's horses are knee trained. They'll go faster the harder you squeeze. And you can also tap them with either knee to make them turn, but we'll make sure you get reigning down first. So just don't squeeze. If you feel like you are losing your seat, grab here."
A finger lightly tapped the horn of the saddle that protruded from the from of the leather seat.
"Looks like everything is good to go. Let's get you in the saddle so I can make a few adjustments."
Zeph moved next to the mare and cupped her hands, linking her fingers together. This was for Raion to step into so she could boost her up into the saddle.
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Post by Raion Honoo on Nov 9, 2015 19:48:21 GMT -5
Told you I'm a beast and you're the bottom of my food chain Showed you I'm the chief and leave you rotting on my crusade Hope you brought at least another option to amuse me Quote me, I will feast upon your heart before you move meR A I O N ╜───────╓
Ah, nobody was perfect after all. Raion took the criticism well, and made the necessary adjustments taking careful attention to watch her motions better at this stage. It seemed to make sense to her as well, since her eyes sparked with what could only be called realization. Things were an easy fix, and she agreed that it was best to fix one's own mistakes to improve. That's why she made no fuss about doing so nor the helping hand she was offered in the form of context. Better than leaving her clueless after all.
"That should do it." she nodded, and noted again that Zephyra was very knowledgeable and helpful for a rival. She was furthering her rival school's success in doing this, shouldn't she be more hesitant to assist a Spican? Ah, then again, not everyone saw the rivalry as something valuable like Raion did. But that didn't matter now. What was important was impressing her opponent-- Er, DEFEATING her opponent. Once that was accomplished, she could do anything.
"Thank you, very much." Raion followed the motions and took the aid, being assisted up and onto the saddle.
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 10, 2015 13:15:30 GMT -5
"You're welcome."
Zeph dusted the grain dust off her hands and looked up to Raion as she smirked.
"I need your feet in both stirrups. The way you place them is also part of how you ride. The arch of your foot with the heels pressed downward is for English and Western style. Though western is a bit more forgiving with all the racing and whatnot. But for jumping you put the ball of your foot against the strap. That way it is easy to stand when your mount jumps."
As she spoke, the Gael adjusted Raion's foot in the stirrup until it was satisfactory then went about cinching it higher so she could be more at ease in the saddle without having to stretch her legs for footholds.
"Just make sure your feet stay in there. They are your life line. Your feet slip out and you're likely going to end up on your rump. But if she starts to rear, take your feet out and slide down her back. Being pulled around by your ankle is not a very pleasing experience." Zeph said the words so matter of factly it must have happened to her a few times She reached out to pat the mare's side and nodded.
"Looks like you are good to go. Just need to get into the corral."
With just one more quick check to make sure her friend was settled and safe, Zeph untied both sets of reigns and led them to the fenced in area just outside. After closing the gate she released Cana's reigns knowing he wouldn't go far and passed the mare's to Raion.
"I know it may seem silly, but I'll lead you around the corral at a walk. When you get use to her gait, I'll let her trot. We'll see how it goes after that. If you take well to the saddle I'll show you the thrilling part." The redhead grinned over her shoulder as she looped a finger in the metal ring against the beasts cheek. "Remember, don't squeeze her. I don't want to be trampled today."
To be truthful, Zeph didn't care much about the rivalry between schools, especially right now. She had a deep set love for horses and she enjoyed passing on the knowledge she had gained over the years. Plus, Raion was a friend, so rivalry be damned.
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Post by Raion Honoo on Nov 11, 2015 11:34:56 GMT -5
Told you I'm a beast and you're the bottom of my food chain Showed you I'm the chief and leave you rotting on my crusade Hope you brought at least another option to amuse me Quote me, I will feast upon your heart before you move meR A I O N ╜───────╓
A brisk walk around the corral could be fun. Raion had never been on a horse before and had to admit, as much as she wasn't usually this kind of person, she felt like some kind of knight. Ah, this would be perfect with one of her male ensembles. She took heed of the warnings carefully and kept her feet where they were instructed to be, without hesitation and without question. She was a lot less scared of this than she probably would have been doing it by herself.
She was about to say yes sensei, and thought better of it. Give some people an inch and they take a mile. What was wrong with a lesson from a friend?
"I won't fail." she stated calmly, surprisingly so. "I promise."
Surely something had to go wrong though right? This was storybook levels of obvious drama setup. At any moment she felt that fate would take hold and destroy this ease of learning somehow. But she pressed on with it, or rather, didn't press anything. She didn't want to squeeze anything and get her friend hurt. It did take a lot of willpower not to try though, as it felt a bit too much like she was at the mercy of gravity than she was comfortable with.
She was convinced that Vincenness would never allow her to do this, and strangely that made her both enjoy it more and somewhat regret it. But the joy was the stronger emotion.
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 11, 2015 17:47:50 GMT -5
Now that they were all settled in the ring, Zeph led them around the large circle, checking over her shoulder a few times. She just wanted to make sure Raion was moving smoothly with the animal and not bouncing. She made no sound to Rai's announcement of achieving success, expecting nothing less from the girl. Since they made it around just fine, it was just at a walk afterall, she turned, walking backwards as she lead the horse.
"Alright. That went well. So I'm going to trot with her. Try not to bounce in the saddle. It may take a few to get down the rythmn. A trick to it is to move your hips a bit. Try keeping your upper body still though."
Raion was a quick learner from her experience so far, so Zeph didn't wait for a response and turned back. She made a clicking sound with her tongue as she tugged gently against the ring. Her long legs made it rather easy to keep up with the mare and she only had to jog. If Raion made it through this smoothly she would release the horse and let her do a few laps on her own so she could watch from a distance. Then possibly join her to warm Cana up.
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Post by Raion Honoo on Nov 11, 2015 22:18:34 GMT -5
Told you I'm a beast and you're the bottom of my food chain Showed you I'm the chief and leave you rotting on my crusade Hope you brought at least another option to amuse me Quote me, I will feast upon your heart before you move meR A I O N ╜───────╓
So, this was riding a horse huh? not too bad. She did feel a bit uneasy due to her body trying to contradict the instructions she was given, but she was adjusting decently. There were a few hiccups during which she made a few surprised squeaks, very out of character. But on the whole she was grasping the concept decently enough. Even when the trot began, and she received further instruction, she didn't mess up badly enough to fall off. She did bounce a bit at first and that wasn't exactly comfortable, but she quickly found her posture again and found a balance to work with.
"This isn't so bad..." she confessed. "Definitely not something I'd be able to do alone, but I think if I have you around I could learn this in a quick pace."
She did, however, need something more to beat Tori, and the time was a bit short. She likely wouldn't catch her in horseback, but she would definitely give her a run for her money.
"After today's session, I'd like to officially enlist as your pupil." she mused, finding herself falling offbalance only slightly due to talking distraction. "If you'd have me."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 12, 2015 8:39:28 GMT -5
Zeph had to keep her gaze forward so Raion wouldn't see the grin she gave each time a cute little squeak parted her lips. Truth be told, she was having just as much fun as the girl on the horse. She even felt pride for the other girl. Never had she taught someone that caught on so quickly or held her seat so well. Soon she slowed them back to a walk then stopped completely as they came near Cana.
"I would enjoy teaching you more. I'm here often enough, a friendly face would be welcome."
The mare was released and she shifted slightly under the girl to get into a comfortable stance.
"I could even pick a horse from the Gable for you if you like. Once you get use to riding, of course."
As Cana moved closer and settled his head on her shoulder, Zeph reached up and patted his cheek.
"Perhaps one of this one's colts could work well with you."
Her head turned so she could kiss his muzzle which was replied to with a huff of breath from the beast.
"I'll let you ride around by yourself a few times, so I can watch. Then I will join you. Give her a little tap with your knees and she'll walk for you, another tap and she'll trot. Squeeze and she'll gallop. I wouldn't go any further than that though. An all out canter is smooth, but there isn't much space to do that here."
Her head nodded to the far end of the corral as she grinned and teasingly spoke. "Get to it, rookie."
As Raion rode off she watched for any little thing that could help her out, leaning with the horse would be one. It would make her center of balance easier to keep around the corners. On the second pass, Zeph moved back along her stallion's. One hand reached up to tangle in his mane as the other pressed just before the saddle. A little hop and she pulled herself up in the saddle. She settled for a moment and as Rai went to pass her again she touched Cana's sides so they kept up with the other two.
"Just one thing. You've riden a bike before, yes? A horse is a lot similar. If you lean with her your balance will stay with her. She leans around the corner at faster paces, so you should too."
Zeph sat straight in the saddle, her hips moving fluidly with each stride the tall beast made, one hand lazily holding the reigns against her thigh. This was obviously her comfort zone.
"Would you like to see some jumping? Cana is being frisky, so i think he wants to show off for your lady friend there."
As she spoke her mount tossed his head and began prancing on his toes, head held high. If she kept him at a trot she knew he would start his bouncing kick nonsense.
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Post by Raion Honoo on Nov 12, 2015 12:37:09 GMT -5
Told you I'm a beast and you're the bottom of my food chain Showed you I'm the chief and leave you rotting on my crusade Hope you brought at least another option to amuse me Quote me, I will feast upon your heart before you move meR A I O N ╜───────╓
Learning at such a fast pace was certainly not natural to most, and that included Raion. She was still terrible at math for example. But perhaps it was the sheer, oppressive willpower that refused to let her lose this contest that kept her from slipping up. When she was let loose on her own, she felt a little less comfortable and it probably showed, but she remained in control of the situation. She had followed the cues to accelerate and such, and did a few laps at a higher pace than the walk, but not quite faster than she was told to go. She wasn't dumb, after all.
Then came talk of the other horses.
"I assure you, I would be delighted to." she agreed. Admittedly she was having fun with this, but she was also quite new. She had no idea how to properly care for such an animal and would likely not make that great a friend to one, but she would learn over time, and perhaps buy a horse down the road if she felt she could continue this path.
"Riding bikes? Yeah... Aha..." She froze up then. Honestly, no, she hadn't. Not that Vincenness forbode it, but more so that she was so well off that her parents hired drivers to go everywhere. Even on campus everything was so close together that it wasn't required. She had never learned such a basic skill. One more task, she thought, that she would need to master.
Ha. Gamertags.
"Truth be told, I've never ridden a bike. But I'm sure I could learn the mechanics and apply them to learning that from this, instead of the reverse, right?"
Ah, and then came the real question.
"Absolutely. I'd love to see what you're made of."
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Post by Zephyra Dónall on Nov 12, 2015 16:28:39 GMT -5
"Of course. It's rather simple, when she takes the corner, just lean to the inside of it. She'll be able to pull around faster and it'll keep from straining her legs as well so she'll have more energy for later."
Zeph smirked and gave a nod at the girl before she leaned forward and patted Cana's neck.
"Alright, you stud. Let's go."
She laid the reigns against his neck to turn him away from the girl. Since there weren't any poles set up in the corral right now, the fence surrounding would have to do. It was a little higher than most recreational fences, but she and Cana had jumped higher than this. Once she led him to the far side of the corral, Zeph started murmuring to the stallion then all at once the beast seemed to bunch up all his muscles and his ears swiveled back to lay flat against his skull. A front hoof pawed at the ground twice before a gentle whip of the reigns sent him off at a ground eating canter. Zeph was bent low over his neck and her rear was out of the saddle so all of her weight was pressed into the stirrups. It made it much easier to keep from losing her seat this way. They flew by Raion and just when it looked like they were about to smash into the fence, Zeph called out, "Suas!" Beneath the girl the horse scrunched up, his rear tucked, making his back legs bend before he shot upward. They made a graceful arch and landed with a soft thud on the other side. Of course he couldn't stop on a dime so the galloped a bit before she turned him and gave another whip of the reigns. It would be easier to simply jump back over than climb down and open the gate so the example was repeated.
After clearing the fence once more the stallion pranced back over to Raion and her mare, he blew a soft breath against the mare's muzzle trying to get her attention. Sadly for the stately beast there was no response from the mare other than a flick of an ear. Zeph reached up to tug on his ear as she murmured, "Féin a iompar." She then grinned at Raion.
"You'll be able to try that soon if you keep up your pace. We have to get you cantering first though. That is something you have to choose to be ready for. I can't tell you when. You just have to have the confidence."
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