PM to join Riding Lessons 2 (Naiya)

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A continuation of this thread.

How do people do this all day long?! Seirei wondered as she struggled to lift her seat as she practiced riding.

Her muscles burned fiercely with the exertion despite the fact that she hadn't been riding for long. Was she doing something wrong? Seirei suspected that she had to be. Otherwise, how could everyone, young, and old alike manage to ride for bells at a time every day? Were they all just incredibly strong? It didn't seem likely.

As Seirei rode in small circles to practice turning her mount, Thunder followed close behind. He tossed his head, holding it high as he pranced around behind them. Seirei smiled at his antics. He looked much the way a young boy might after his first success at some big accomplishment. The colt was clearly enjoying himself, and it was probably good practice for him. Someday, when he was old enough to be ridden, she would be riding him in small circles like this, to get him used to the proper requests involved.

That was for another time, though. It would be a long time before Thunder was ready to be trained. And for that, Seirei was grateful. She hoped that when the time came, she would know enough to be the one to train him. Or at least, to help train him. As his bondmate, it was only fitting. Seirei felt another set of eyes on her as well, and this one was much more critical of her efforts.

Out of the corner of her eye, Seirei could see Kairi watching her from a distance. She seemed to be amused as well, but Seirei got the feeling that the mare's amusement came at her expense. It reinforced the feeling that she had to be doing something wrong. After a few more chimes, Seirei pressed her right calf firmly against Wildfire's side while turning her head to the left, and guided him back towards Naiya.

"What am I doing wrong?" she asked once she got close enough that she wouldn't have to raise her voice to be heard clearly.

"It has to be something."

If not, I'm too weak to ride.

Seirei hoped that she was doing something wrong. If not...then she was even more useless and pathetic than she'd feared.

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[Naiya]

Naiya watched Seirei as she rode, trying to figure out what was causing the extra motion in her ride. Her seat seemed to move beyond the motion of Wildfire's shoulders, and he had noticed as well, a hard shake of his head as he approached showing his discomfort. She watched closely as Seirei turned in towards her, applying all her cues at once.

Think "Too many cues at once. Some horses, more stubborn, need more work to make them listen." Not mine "Wildfire listens well, he only plays tricks sometimes," unusual, not common. "When you ride a horse like that, like him, only give one cue at a time, and start with the softest." She scrunched up her face, knowing both that her explanation might not have been very clear, and that it wasn't the biggest source of discomfort or trouble that she might be having.

"Turning the most gentle is turning your head, then light pressure on the sides, last is a hard push. Same for going, most gentle is asking through the seat, then soft kick, then a firm kick." She trailed off, eyes closing as she tried to recall the image of the girl riding.

"Can you circle close?" near me... something more she picked words carefully, clearly unsure in the slow signing of her hands.

When Seirei circled again, staying close, Naiya could clearly see that her motion was outside of the motion of the horse. Confusion shaped her hands, she plucked words from the air... "There is"... She pursed her lips searching for the right words "Extra movement in you, not following the horse." She searched the air for words, her hands seeking the proper shape but coming up blank. Doing something, different, not sure.

She frowned again, [color=#97BA45]moment, keep working. Vanya was watching with curiosity, so Naiya signed a greeting to her, the mare was doing much better with the horses, although she still tried to bite at times. She approached the mare with extra care, and when the mare was calm enough at her approach, she grabbed the combs and began to curry her. She took the quick route, currying circles along the line where a yvas fell, and following down the back across where a pad would lie.

The rough curry was followed with a short brushing with a stiff bristled brush, the flick of the end sending hair and dirt into the air, but off the horse, and that was the point. She slid the yvas pad into place, then put the yvas over the mare's head with extra care not to startle her. Biting wasn't only for other horses, and Naiya wanted to avoid the trouble.

She took a handful of yvas, placing a hand at the shoulder, she hopped into the seat. She urged the mare towards Seirei and Wildfire, the latter giving her a look as if to ask why she wasn't riding him. She gave him an affectionate apology, a short distance away, Naiya moved Vanya into place beside Seirei with a gentle turn of her head, asking the mare to move.

Her new position showed her what she was missing from the ground. Seirei was trying to lift herself up out of her seat. It was an impressive attempt, but a large misunderstanding.

"Seirei," apology, "Lift your seat, is different" She grinned at her, the mistake a well meant one. "You are rising all the way off his back, which is good for somethings, but not the same." Stop here, I show She sat back, lowering her weight into Vanya's back to ask her to stop. She slouched first, "This is heavy," she explained, "My whole bottom is touching heavily,", she straightened up, but kept her hips in full contact for a stop cue. "This is better, full contact, heavy, but asking for a stop." Watch, she rolled her hips forward, stretching upward through her torso making herself lighter and pulling herself out of Vanya's way. Vanya, for her part in the lesson, began to walk, her path cleared by Naiya's change. She lowered herself back down, becoming heavy once more. Vanya didn't like this as much as the cue to move forward, so she ignored her, and Naiya had to really drop, her head coming back until she was all the way straight from heel to hip.

That realization brought her to a better explanation, ram rod straight she spoke again, "See how straight, heels, hips, shoulders." She leaned slightly forward, rolling her hips so they were out of the way, her shoulders shifting back to keel in line, yet still lighter. Vanya moved forward again. "Now, I'm lighter, out of the way, body stretched up, but not lifted off the horse."

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant