Equestrian Training Part I

by **Phyolea** on November 7th, 2013, 5:49 am

Today’s lesson was one that had little Phyolea squirming with excitement. She would be riding a seahorse! Phyolea nearly glowed with giddiness as she swam to her first riding lesson. She was accompanied by one of her brothers that was born from the same pouch as she had been. Calling him a twin would have been inaccurate, since there were five living children from the pouch of approximately 100 eggs. Yet her brother was like an older brother.

“We’re here,” called Brother. The riding instructor was already waiting for them.

“Where’s the seahorse?” Phyolea asked, forgetting to introduce herself.

Brother nudged Phyolea. “Hey now. Mind your manners.”

“Sorry. It is nice to meet you. My name is Lea.”
“Well aren’t you the eager child! Come on, I’ll show you the stables.” With that, the instructor and Phyolea left Brother behind and set off to see the seahorse.

The two of them did not need to walk far. The seahorse that would be used for the lesson was corralled in the clearing. Phyolea swam up to the edge of the corral and waited impatiently as the instructor went on to open door to the enclosed area, and guide the seahorse out into the open. The instructor beckoned the young Charoda to come closer. Phyolea gladly did as instructed.

“This is Hymal. This piece on his head is called a bridle,” the instructor explained. “You will be learning how to secure him properly, how to select the right bit and bridle for him, how to properly groom him, and how to properly attach a saddle."

"Then I'll get to ride him?!"

"It depends on how well you do for this lesson."

"Aww." Phyolea didn't want to learn about the boring stuff. Didn't other people saddle the seahorses?

"Seahorses are living creatures that require proper care. It is best to develop a good rapport with them before attempting to ride. Respect him and he may respect you." The teacher tugged at the rope that hung from the bridle. Hymal followed her to a post. The instructor pulled the rope through a loop jutting out from the post, leaving some slack for Hymal to move around comfortably. "Now watch carefully." The teacher tied an intricate looking quick release knot. "It is important to learn to tie these properly in case you need to untie him quickly. When you pull on the end, it will unravel." Phyolea saw the complicated knot unravel and disappear. Now it looked similar to when the instructor had first pulled the rope through the loop. "Here, I'll show you again." The instructor went more slowly this time, tying the knot and unraveling it once more. "When it's tied right, no seahorse will break loose. As long as you use a sturdy post, this should effectively secure Hymal or any seahorse you ride." The instructor handed the end of the rope to Phyolea. "Now it's your turn."

Phyolea looked at the rope. Fine, she thought. I'll tie this stupid knot so we can do fun stuff. Phyolea let the rope dangle from her webbed fingers as the instructor had done. She tied a few loops as the instructor had done. It didn't take long for her to knot up the rope with the quick release knots. Well, that was easy. Phyolea smiled in satisfaction and tugged the end to unravel the rope. It did not come loose. She tugged a bit harder. The knots tightened, but they did not come loose. Frustrated, Phyolea held the end in both hands and prepared to yank hard.

"Stop!" The instructor took the rope from her hand. "This is not tied properly. If you yank on it, the rope will be harder to untangle. Let me fix this for you." The instructor carefully unraveled each knot and tangle and restored the rope to normal. "Here. I'll help you." The instructor placed her webbed hands onto the young Charoda's. "Bring this under like this... Reach underneath and grab here... Make a loop here..." They worked slowly, but it did not take long for the rope to be tied once again. Hymal stared at them disinterestedly. They tugged on it to check that it was correct. The rope unraveled. "Try again," said the instructor.

by **Phyolea** on December 8th, 2014, 7:16 am

Phyolea stared at Hymal as she fumed inwardly at the fun she was missing. Who cares about knots? Let's ride! "You can do it," the instructor prodded. Phyolea sighed and brought the rope up to the post. She tried her best to get it right this time. Maybe if she got this stupid knot tied she'd be rewarded with some actual riding time. A loop here... a pull there... Phyolea concentrated, paying extra attention to how the rope looked. It was fine... maybe? It took less time than she thought it would to finish. She glanced up at the instructor. "Now tug the end of the rope. Phyolea grabbed the end apprehensively. Will it work? Phyolea gave it a tug. To her great satisfaction, the rope unfurled. Phyolea beamed with pride in spite of herself.

"Excellent job! Now do it once more."

Phyolea grabbed the rope again. This time she remembered what she was doing. She tied the rope with confidence. Then she tugged the end and watched it unfurl from the knot. The instructor nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good. Now, Hymal has already been groomed. You will learn how to properly groom him with the cleaner shrimp and cleaner wrasse at another time. You will also learn how to properly feed him. For now, you will learn how to saddle him. This is another reason why it is to your benefit that you take the time to know your horse. Seahorses are not keen on strangers who try strapping things onto their bodies." The instructor grabbed the rope. "Come along," she instructed as she headed back toward the corral area.

When they reached the tack room, the instructor secured Hymal and beckoned for Phyolea to follow her. Phyolea wondered what was inside and eagerly followed. There were items lined on the walls that looked like the weird things Phyolea had seen on different seahorses that were ridden. The instructor pointed to one such item.

"This is a bridle," the instructor explained. "This is adjustable, so you don't need to worry about sizes for the adult bridles. Hymal is a young adult, so he gets this adult size." The instructor grabbed one and handed it to Phyolea. She took a few steps and pointed at another item. "This is a bit. The sizes vary based on the size of the snout. The seahorses have a pretty sturdy exoskeleton, but you don't want the bit to be too tight around the snout. It can cause discomfort and even injury. Let's see... here's Hymal's size." The instructor picked up a round object with about five hoops on it. "These two are where the reins go. This one is where the securing rope goes. These two are where the bridle gets fastened." She handed it to Lea. "You'll learn how to properly put on Hymal's bridal and bit. Let's go back outside." The instructor led the way while Phyolea carried the items in her tiny arms.

Hymal looked at them with what appeared to Phyolea as boredom as they approached. "Look at Hymal's bridal and bit. See how they're attached here? Pay close attention when I separate them." The instructor unfastened the rope from the bridle and refastened it around Hymal's neck. Then she motioned for Phyolea to come closer as she detached the bit from the bridle and slipped it off of the snout. "See how it sits high up on the snout? You want it to be as high as possible so that the snout can still be used for eating. Also it makes it easier to have control with the reins. Be careful not to place your hand near the tip of his snout when you put the bit on."

Hymal's bridle remained. "Now, his bridle has already been adjusted for his head. This here loosens or tightens the ring around the snout. This here is for length to keep the bit properly secured. And this is for the crown of his head. It should be snug here. All you have to do to remove it is pull it up and over." The instructor slid her webbed hand behind the bridle from the back of Hymal's head and moved her hand upward and over Hymal's head. When she freed the bridle from Hymal's head she pulled it out and off of his snout.

"Now let me show you how to adjust that bridle. First, you put it on him. Here, let me help you." The two of them put the bridle on in the opposite manner the bridle was taken off. "When you adjust the crown strap, it should make these two parallel like so... yes. Then you tighten these straps so the snout ring comes up to here. Good. Don't tighten the snout ring yet. You need to put the bit on... The rein hoops will come through these here. Make sure the bit is snug enough so it is secure, but not so tight that you must force it up. Excellent. See how the ring from the bridle helps to secure the bit? Now fasten it into these two hoops like so... Then you tighten the bridle here... You got it! That is how you put the bridle and bit on! See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Phyolea beamed at her handiwork. She was a real pro now. She was looking forward to bragging about this in school.

"Here, use these reins from this other harness. See how they are fastened here? They come unfastened like this. You have to make sure this part isn't worn. Otherwise your reins can snap. You do not want that to happen, trust me. Now see if you can fasten them to the bit here. Just like that... yes! Now the other... good job!" Hymal looked back and forth at the two without moving his head. Phyolea smiled. This lesson was much less frustrating than the knot tying one.