[Flashback]A needle and a horse (Bolden Denusk)

[Carsten]

Carsten watched as Bolden started arranging the objects. It looked like he was making a steeplechase track, which did not seem like a bad idea. To complete one he would need control of his horse, and his horse would need to listen. It looked like a good idea to him, a good way to learn how to ride better. The apple made him curious, however. If it was a reward, would it not be more logical to give it to the horse after the steeplechase? Maybe to see if he can remain concentrated, even with a treat available. Carsten had never tried it before, but he knew of some who trained dogs like that. There was no reason it should not work on horses as well, was there?

He waited until Diego was finished chewing before gently tugging the halter, and walked over to Bolden with his horse following obedient. ”What do we do now? Ride the track? he asked.

[Bolden Denusk]

Bolden finished laying down the objects and grinned over at Carsten, shaking his head.

"Nope. I haven't seen your seat yet. For all I know you could have the world's best trained horse and Diego would be doing the work while you sit like a bag of sand. Let's see how well you ride and go from there. You don't need a yvas because you're not hauling anything. Nature gave horses that curved back for a perfect place to rest your ass."

He walked to the opposite side of the ring and waited for Carsten to mount his horse and come over to him. Amber eyes scrutinized the pair closely, noting strengths and weaknesses of horse and rider. Bold gestured for them to do a couple circuits around while he tried to place what was off. The riding and the horse seemed fine, alright. Not bad, not great, just a middling in between. Diego's ears weren't fully forward or back. His head movement was limited, seeming almost lazy. The rider held his place but didn't do much else, or--wait-- his legs!

Carsten had his legs just a little too far forward, a little too rigid. His feet rested almost entirely against the horse's barrel. Diego in turn, seemed to be waiting for heavier aids to give direction. They looked to be mired in long habit, the same postures, the same well, everything. Neither horse or rider did anything unusual, which meant both were unprepared for emergencies or surprises.

"Alright, time to get sexy and put your hands on your hips Carsten!" Bolden called out, noting how the man's leg dropped into a better, more natural position behind the horse's shoulder. Instant improvement! The horse perked up his ears, feeling the immediate change of balance--the sweet spot!

'He has a good natural seat if I can help him remember it.'

"Relax your shoulders, but don't drop your elbows. Keep your hands on your hips and get that chin up; stop looking down at Diego. Now nudge him to a trot as you reach the turn, touching your left calf to the horse's side and then release out of the curve. Shift your weight to your left hip as you go--no space between your hind end and Diego's back!"

[Carsten]

Carsten mounted Diego with relative ease, as good as could be expected, but not at all perfect. He had trouble making it a flowing motion; it became more a step-by-step procedure. He started riding around, they had moved on to the most anticipated part of the training session for Carsten; the practice. He was riding in circles around Bolden, sometimes moving back and forth as well.

Then Bolden started listing instructions, and he did as the Drykas told him. He moved his hands on his hips, and noticed how Diego’s ears moved back. Then Bolden started throwing commands at him, which he tried to keep up with. It was easier said than done.
He had to watch everything; Bolden clearly wanted him out of his routine. It was like when he had practiced riding the first time. When he put his hands on his thighs his legs went back but his elbows dropped, and when he lifted them, he used his shoulder. When he tried to relax them, his entire composure fell apart. But he wasted no time, and immediately he lifted his chin, placed his hands on his hips, held his elbows up and relaxed his shoulders. Kicking the horse into a trot, he tried to remain in the same position. It did not go so well, as his legs slowly moved forwards again.

It took a few rounds before he seemed to be able to hold the uncomfortable posture. His nose in the air he no longer looked down on Diego, and his legs were placed correctly, though he still held his hands on his hips to keep them there. His nose was in the air, but he kept his shoulders were relaxed while his elbows were correctly held in place. His behind was firmly seated in the saddle, but he kept his hips almost rolling back and forth as he rode.

He completed another circle before riding up to Bolden and stopping the horse with his heels.

[Bolden Denusk]

Bolden nodded as if to himself and commented,

"I think you started out with a good natural seat, but somewhere along the way you picked up some sloppy habits. It's a good start. However, you're trying to coordinate your body separately from the horse's movement, so you both need something else to focus on so you can both let nature instead of habit take over."

Bold went to the edge of the fence where the sacks were stacked and picked one up. It wasn't super heavy, but at about twenty five pounds, it was enough to focus attention. He lifted the sand filled bag and handed it to Carsten to hold. It was wide enough to keep Cars' hands apart as if holding onto imaginary reins, forcing him to drop his shoulders and use his elbows and triceps to carry the weight. This in turn made the ideal posture the rider was struggling to maintain earlier.

"Hold onto this bag and don't rest it on Diego's back, okay? This is for you alone to carry. Just hold it at waist level nice and steady. I'm gonna give Diego something to think about too because he looks too bored to truly -see- what's going on around him."

The Drykas tied a loose circle in a rope and draped it around Diego's neck so it rested just touching on his chest. He looped an empty, rough burlap sack around the rope. Its stiff edges were just barely visible to the horse's peripheral vision and he nickered in curiosity. He patted the horse's shoulder, encouraging him to notice something new and different.

Diego arched his neck first and bobbed his head up and down. Almost instantly, he tucked in his chin, his lower lip trying to catch the mysterious object on his chest. He snuffled the object with his sensitive whiskers and mouth, giving a low pitched whinny.

'Perfect! Now the horse will have more stimulation focused on his chest which will make him pay more attention to the balance on his forehand. At the same time, Carsten will slide into a better posture as the width and weight of the sack will get him to concentrate on the same exact area.'

"When you reach the edges and get ready to turn at the end of the oval, shift the bag to your chest with the one corresponding hand. Turning left like that of course, means shift it to your left hand for the turn and then tell me how your lower back and hips are doing. Ok so two circuits trot, hold the bag posture and then canter for two circuits with the bag cradled to your chest for two more circuits after that. Carsten, you concentrate on your sand bag, and Diego, you concentrate on your empty bag."

He gave Diego an encouraging slap on the rump and sent out the pair back to work again. They were a good pair and quick to learn given the right stimulation at the correct time. Bold had a good feeling that horse and rider would improve noticeably before the lesson's end. Not to mention, he needed both of them well worked and relaxed before he threw the curve ball at them for the obstacle course to finish up.

[Carsten]

OOCI’m sorry for taking so long to reply.

Carsten nodded as Bolden spoke, it made sense to him, but he felt like he was overestimating his riding capabilities. He was not a good rider, or so he felt. Maybe he was better than he thought, or that at least he had potential for it.

He accepted the sack and spent some time trying to find the most comfortable way to hold it. In the end, he decided to put his palms under it and hold it up that way. He looked over at Bolden to see if he should make any adjustments, and made any corrections Bolden deemed necessary.

When Bolden sent Diego moving, the horse simply started walking; Carsten kicked him up into a trot. He was looking down on the sandbag between his hands the whole time, the only movement was his chest rising and falling and his body moving along with the horse. He felt like he did not have control of his horse, but he had not fallen off yet. He wondered if Diego was always this uninterested, but he had simply never noticed it. The horse did not even seem to care that he was on his back. Carsten shook his head, and simply concentrated on the bag.

It all went fine until he came on the third round and tried to shift the bag. It dropped the first time, but Bolden handed it to him again and he tried once more. It went better that time, and he managed to get a good position to hold it in, but it felt very strange. He did not notice this, but this caused him to completely forget his riding, and Diego was cantering around without being consciously steered by his master. He had entered a state of almost meditation, all he focused on was the bag and to hold it correctly.

He managed to complete the rest of the rounds without dropping the bag again, but did not feel like he had learned anything. Still, the riding had gone surprisingly well. Maybe he should start to try and meditate while riding, if Diego did not need to be constantly steered after all?

[Bolden Denusk]

Bolden nodded encouragement to Carsten and Diego, pleased with the natural progress that neither of them noticed.

"Did it feel like he didn't care you were riding him? Seem like he wasn't needing any steering?" Bold watched the guy's face and saw the affirmative as Carsten answered the questions.

"Good! Exactly right in feeling."

Bold's old leg injury was acting up and he needed his friend, his strider that was a useful prop and a leg saver. He held out his left arm up to shoulder height, gesturing to his horse. Nightwind, the seventeen hand stallion moved out from behind the unnoticed far end of the paddock. His chocolate colored coat stood in direct contrast to his flaxen mane and tail. The strider trotted confidently to his rider, his neck rising and falling with his animated stride.

He grabbed a sandbag and mounted Nightwind gratefully, the pressure now almost completely off his bum left leg.

"You actually -were- actively steering Diego and he responded perfectly!"

Bold held the bag with his left hand, a few inches from his chest. There were no discernible gestures from the rider as Nightwind transitioned into an extended trot. He shifted the burden to his left palm, causing the weight in his hips to lean left. The large stallion smoothly turned left and continued at a steady pace.

"You gave Diego the proper shift in weight to his center of balance. He responded instinctively to go left as you unconsciously steered him with your hip weight. Women carry their weight farther down from hip to thigh. Men carry their center of weight balance from abdomen to hip. So--"

The Drykas nodded to Carsten to fall in beside him with Diego at the same extended trot. He tossed the sandbag to the ground when they passed that part of the fence again. He put his arm and hand back in the same position as they neared the turn of the oval. The stallion seemed to gently bend around the man's leg, turning smoothly without interrupting the gait.

"Diego responds to the movement of your hips and the subtle shifts in weight. Now toss the sandbag, but repeat the hand and waist movements as we approach the end of the oval to turn again. You're doing well."

Amber eyes gleamed and Bolden nearly shouted in triumph as both horses and riders executed the move in tandem. He broke off the pairing and moved to the center of the ring to stand.

"How'd that feel? Do you have any questions?" He waited for him to respond and stood ready to answer.

"Now try three full circuits with Diego, keeping your hip movement and center of balance like you're always holding the sandbag. If you 'feel' your sandbag's balance slipping, head back to me like you're getting it back and start over again. Diego is smarter than you realize and I think he'll assume, he has to again concentrate harder on his forehand balance just like you are. I'm throwing in a twist though."

He grinned and something gleamed in his eyes as he continued.

"A go round for each now. One for walk, another for trot, then canter and then gallop. Turn at the height of the gallop to a complete reverse, shift proper leads and move down your gears. Gallop for a circuit, then canter, trot and finally walk."

Bolden knew it would be a challenge to take everything Carsten had just learned and apply it in the opposite way, but he felt in his gut that they were up to it.

[Carsten]

Carsten merely nodded to Bolden as he watched the Drykas mount his own horse. He had seen the likes of it several other places while in Endrykas, but he could not recall seeing them before. Perhaps once or twice in Syliras, he could not remember clearly. The horse was clearly more graceful than his own Kavinka, but it seemed more vicious as well. Perhaps it had a short temperament, or maybe it was just from living in a city that almost worshipped them. The horse did, however, seem to be more used to Bolden than Diego was to Carsten. That could be attributed to Bolden being a far superior rider, of course, but there was something else. Bolden looked more at ease on horseback, as if it was more natural to him than standing. The horse as well, it looked proud; but proud of what? Perhaps simply for existing, that was a common enough trait among humans at least. Carsten wondered how similar horses and humans were in personal traits. Quietly observing this behind eyes that gave away nothing, he followed Bolden as they started riding. He watched as Bolden threw the sack, and nodded. That certainly made sense, learning to steer him without using the reins, to achieve better control over the horse. Carsten repeated the movement, throwing the sack, and then repeating the movement when he reached the turn again. It worked, and he followed Bolden. It was almost amusing that Bolden seemed happier for his success than Carsten did, but it would not have taken anyone a long time to notice that Carsten did not express his emotions. ”No. I have no questions for now, I suggest we move on.” he simply said, and listened as Bolden explained the exercise. It sounded more difficult, in fact, it sounded very difficult. Was there any point in complaining, though? Not at all. And so Carsten tried to complete Bolden’s challenge. The walk was easy enough, and so was the trot and canter and he executed both without too much trouble. The gallop was tougher, and he had to do it twice to complete it. The turn, however, offered a problem. He failed the turn twice before finally he did it on the third. To Carsten, however, it did not feel like he did it, but rather more like Diego had understood what he had attempted to do, and then did it for him. Carsten wondered how Diego had done it without failing what he attempted to do. What was Diego even concentrating on? He had not understood that part, but brushed away the thoughts for now and completed the ride without any other problems.

[Bolden Denusk]

"Okay it looks like Diego relies on you more than you rely on him. He's picking up your intent through body language, and responding appropriately. Now that you two are standing still, why don't you lean down and forward for the sand sack that you dropped. Betcha he'll move there without any purposeful guidance on your part. Go ahead and just try out my theory."

Bolden reached out and down with his left arm toward the bag of sand. Nightwind took a few steps until he stood by the stacked bags and waited patiently. The young Drykas shifted to the right and leaned forward just a little. The strider walked away to the right and moved into a trot to the center of the ring and stopped.

He watched and waited, loving this moment of when a rider realized that how you acted when you merely thought of something, could get a horse to move. Forward, back, left or right didn't matter. If the horse was responsive and attentive, riding was as easy as breathing.

Carsten didn't show any emotion or expression with his face that Bold could see, however, his arms and shoulders had relaxed significantly and he was already riding better. Now it was up to Carsten to really -see- it for himself.

[Carsten]

Carsten doubted that Diego would move simply because he moved on his back, but he decided to try anyway. It was clear that Bolden’s knowledge of horses was far superior. As he leaned down, Diego suddenly took a step forward. Carsten slowly turned his head and straightened his back, looking at the horse. Had he just nudged him, perhaps? He tried again, and leaned down, and Diego moved forward again. Carsten did not move, and Diego walked forward until they were next to the sandbag and Carsten picked it up. Carsten rode back to Bolden, this time nudging the horse to walk forward. He felt positive he could move Diego there by leaning forward, but sitting like that would be uncomfortable, at least for him, and he doubted Diego felt comfortable. No, he now knew it worked, but he saw no reason to not ride properly. As he stopped Diego in front of Bolden, he dropped the sandsack and spoke: ”I must say, Bolden, that your knowledge of horses and training is remarkable.”. Even without emotions in Carsten’s voice it was clearly a compliment, something Carsten rarely gave out. He was not a man easily impressed. ”What do we do now?”