Post by Faux on Feb 17, 2007 2:39:40 GMT -5
Name: Lin Chang
Horse's Name: Note To Self
Basic Overview: Went over basics (mounting; walking; trotting). Continuing next session with posting, cantering, and galloping. Hoping to throw in jumping lessons along the way; depends on progress.
Logs
Note To Self was standing quite still in the middle of the dressage ring, her tail idly swishing behind her well-muscled rump. Light grunts occasionally rumbled from her gut, both ears flickering to and fro as the dove peered around the ring. She'd already been tacked up accordingly; a polished black saddle set over a white saddle pad, her black bridle fitting perfectly over her dreambox. The metal bit that had been placed in her mouth was being shifted around now, which eventually caused drops of slobber to drip from the ebon mare's chin. Lovely.
Lin Chang had, of course gotten help in all of that fun stuff as she wouldn't have known which way to put the saddle on pathetically enough. A soft sigh escaped from Lin's lips, leaning up against the fencing around the dressage arena to wait for when exactly this lesson was supposed to start anyway. With the young people around she'd seen, she felt stupid being her for lessons when ten-year-olds were getting around the same thing. Glance was made towards Note, soft cooing noise made towards her before focusing attention back to the entrance of the arena. This was already beginning to loser her attention, perhaps a tiny bit ADD today.
Jesse Foster strode into the ring easily, fingers entwined with the empty belt loops of his jeans. Being winter, the day was the usual freezing cold, so the Aussie wasted no time in dressing apropriately. Today, he decided to teach without demenstration--with no horses, of course. That's obviously why he was walking, rather than riding, to the ring. When he halted before the black trakehner and her owner, he smiled warmly and stretched out his hand to the woman. "'Ello there, shiela. Th' name's Jesse Foster. I'll be yer trainer for however long ya' need the trainin'." He spoke fluidly and comfortably, a little social butterfly in his own right.
Note To Self eyeballed her owner for quite some time, both ears fluttering back every so often. Some would hope this mare wouldn't act up during the lesson, especially since the person who'd be riding her was somewhat of a beginner. Oh well, Note just liked being a little crafty sometimes. When another two-legged arrived in the ring, the Trakehner tossed her head up a bit, then took a few steps to the side. A little out of control? Nah. This wasn't even the start.
Lin Chang moved from the fence as Jesse wandered over, moving to take his hand with a small bit of a grin on her part. "Lin Chang, nice to meet you." She glanced towards the mare for a moment, a little uneasy with her shifting to the side. A bit paranoid sometimes, especially considering her beginner situation. "And hopefully she'll play along with this and not decide to kill me or something." It was more towards herself, but still a good voiced concern at that.
Jesse Foster grinned knowingly towards Lin, motioning his hand in the direction of the perturbed mare. "'lright, mate, first thing I wanna see is if ya' can get on her. If ya' need any help, just ask." He gave her a reassuring wink, and leaned his back against the white fence, watching with an intense gaze as the black horse shifted. Obviously enough, she would be a little difficult, but the Aussie was experienced with crazy horses. He owned several. ... Not to say he didn't love them, of course. Besides, Jesse was too stubborn to give in to anything, especially horses.
Note To Self continued to eye the two curiously, both ears continuously flickering back and forth. Now that it seemed nothing was about to happen, Note stood still and lowered her head some. She did keep a close eye on Lin and Jesse, though, and the fact that she was carrying a saddle on her back and the like didn't help her disbelief in not being ridden today.
Lin Chang nodded quietly, moving over to Note's side with a soft intake of breath. "Alright, how about you just stay still..." She'd seen people get on horses before so she had an idea of how to do this, one foot in the stirrup and try to get self over onto the back and foot into other stirrup. Well, it'd probably would have worked if she had figured out weight distribution. So, she stumbled back down to the ground, managing to not fall at least. "Grand." She grumbled, a tad annoyed already.
Jesse Foster chuckled, clearly amused, but silenced himself quickly to keep from insulting the girl. He cleared his throat and walked over, eyeing Note catiously as he turned to Lin. "'lright, you got the first step down. After ya' put yer foot in th' stirrup, ya' want to push off the ground and sling yer leg over th' other side. T' do that, ya' need to watch yer weight, and try t' place most of it on the saddle so y' don't fall to the side an' off yer horse." He instructed. "An' don' worry 'bout makin' a mistake an' fallin'. I'm here to spot you." He confirmed, removing his hands from his jeans' belt loops and having them at the ready.
Note To Self stood still pretty easily when the female attempted to mount her the first time. The moment she sensed something was going to go wrong, Note spooked off to the side and released a high-pitched whinny. Obviously that failed attempt annoyed the mare some, and caused her to prance on the spot and toss her head around like some wild animal. By the time she'd actually calmed down, her nostrils were flaring and heavy breaths were taken. ..Wow.
Lin Chang backed away a bit at the spooked actions, squeaking a bit to herself. She wasn't used to anything acting like that so she was quite taken aback by it all. "If she calms down I'll try again." She gently tried to reach a hand out to pat at Note's neck if she could manage it, kind of hoping that she'd calm down by that touch. She was very naiive on this subject, no?
Jesse Foster watched, unsurprised at the mare's loud reaction. The Trakehner seemed to be impatient and testy, and Jesse would probably have to help Lin along with that. Being a beginner, it would be nothing less than absolutely shocking if the girl managed to control and calm a horse with a temper. The idea had him questioning why she bothered buying the beautiful mare if she was intending on riding beginner's with lessons. Surely, she must have overlooked some of the faults, somehow? Nevertheless, Jesse attempted to reassure himself that she was a sound horse, merely acting out at being spooked or unused to such a long wait.
Note To Self easily calmed down with some reassurance, then stood perfectly still afterwards. Her head was occasionally turned to the side so that she could get a better look at the two-leggeds, but then the mare would just easily lose interest and shifted her gaze onto a nearby tree of some sort. Ah yes, she was just easily distracted!
Lin Chang smiled a bit to herself as she calmed down again, the fact she wasn't shifting around making Lin feel a lot better about everything. Quietly she tried to get up there again, managing it with a bit of a wobble to it. This would apparently be something she'd have to get used to but at least she was up in the saddle if not keeping herself somewhat balanced.
Jesse Foster smiled widely. "There ya' go, shiela!" He congradulated, nodding his head curtly towards the reins. "Now, go 'head and grab those. Make sure, since yer jus' standin' still, that she has enough rein, so don' tug too tight or hol' too much back. But, at the same time, ya' wanna ensure you have 'nough to pull back if she spooks." He paused a moment, looking Note over and staring at Lin's position. He moved closer to the saddle, aiming to tighten the stirrup straps a little more and pull the items up, so he foot rested more comfortable. "Ya' want the ball of yer foot to be touchin' the metal, mate." He briefly claimed.
Note To Self flicked her ears back when the female made another attempt at mounting, but didn't spook this time. No, Note stayed absolutely still, just like a good mare would. She simply shifted a little once the human was settled on her back, and her neck was stretched out some, but other than that she continued standing still.
Lin Chang watched the other a bit as he adjusted the stirrups, nodding quietly to his words before gently taking the reins with a bit of curiousity about all of it for the moment. She tried adjusting it a bit, perhaps a bit too tight to be holding them. Though, she wasn't sure how to figure that one out yet anyway.
Jesse Foster squinted his gaze when he finished with the stirrups, smirking in triumph. He glanced up at Lin, then grinned uneasily. "A bit less pressure on the reins there, shiela." He smiled encouragingly, pausing as he eyed the dressage ring. "'lright, ya' wanna jus' learn how to get on the horse today, or are ya' willin' to start some ridin'?" He grinned in excitement, like a little school-boy about to go on a fieldtrip to the zoo. Yeah, the Aussie was a complete child at heart.
Note To Self continued standing still, her eyes lazily drawing to a close when it seemed she could just stand there and do nothing at all. When there was some pressure added to her mouth, Note opened her eyes and grunted some, quietly taking several steps in reverse. Yes, she'd been trained to back up when excessive pressure was added to her mouth. Hehe.
Lin Chang squeaked sharply as she started backing up, losing a bit of grip on the reins to see if that would stop her. "What'd I do?" Her voice kept up with a squeak, trying to get Note to stop, but really having no idea how to do such a thing to which she knew. Grand, first day and she was already screwing up.
Jesse Foster laughed heartfully. Had Lin not been on a horse, he'd probably have patted her on the back in amusement. "No worries, shiela." He smirked, winking. "She's jus' well trained, is all. If ya' pull back on the reins too much, the horse will back up. Pullin' any harder than that may only cause them to rear, which ain't good for anythin' but movies." He waved his hand to the reins. "Jus' give her more rein an' she'll halt." He hesitated a moment, waiting to see if the mare did indeed comply.
Note To Self continued backing up for quite some time, but eventually she just got to the point where she halted. Yeah, Note was quite the lazy ass, so that was also good news for Lin. When she'd finally halted, Note lowered her head a little, then quickly jerked it up in some sort of attempt to steal the reins back from the female.
Lin Chang was quite happy she stopped at least, but refused to let go of the reins as they were attempted to be jerked away from her. "Nope! You aren't getting them!" Her voice was sing-song, odd and all of that fun stuff. "She's a bit odd, you know?"
Jesse Foster smiled knowingly. "Ya', I own three oddballs m'self. Well, two oddballs and a stallion I have yet to really spend time with." He snorted, before clearing his thoughts of personal problems and hardening his gaze for more professional deals. "'lright, shiela, I wan' ya' to kick her <I>lightly</I> in th' sides. If at any time ya' find it hard to kick her successfully an' command her that way, try clickin' yer tongue. Usually, horses will think it like the sound of a crackin' whip, and respond by speedin' up." He turned to point around the ring. "Jus' start by takin' her for a nice, slow walk 'round the ring, mate."
Note To Self snorted loudly when she failed at trying to snatch the reins from her rider. The mare pinned her ears back slightly, then gave her head another toss. In the end, though, she perked her ears forward and stopped being a little noodge for the time being. Heeee, mood swings.
Lin Chang kept a firm grip to the reins, growling quietly at the last snatching attempt, she sure as hell wasn't going to put up with that. "I'll try then." She kept her voice soft, gently giving a small kick to go around the outside of the arena. Or, more like, try to go around the outside of the arena given however Note would feel like going.
Jesse Foster watched intently, throwing out some words of encouragement along the way, so long as the mare cooperated. He grinned to himself, pleased with the progress. Lin seemed to be catching on rather quick, compared to many students he had dealt with back in Australia. Her age did not deter him--he had taught people well in their forties and fifties how to get on a horse and ride. Hell, his friend, the trail leader back at his first ranch job had often assisted adults on getting on the horse, then had to explain how to make the horse go and stop. The Aussie, at the time, both pitied the man, and felt amused. Of course, it was natural, and he no longer felt compelled to lauggh at anyone for it.
Note To Self was a little bit unwilling at first, but eventually got the hint that she'd have to walk forward sooner or later. So, she sluggishly moved her hooves forward and plodded across the ring at a walk. Her ears rotated atop her dreambox attentively, and soon wound up remaining twisted back so that she could catch any directions from her rider. Since it was just simple walking, Note lowered her head a bit and started to boredly play around with the bit.
Lin Chang wasn't really thinking about the age thing either, before now she really had no chance to be around anything that weren't dogs. But with the added money she'd managed to earn it was all a cake walk then. At least Note seemed to understand what she was doing, trying to keep up her guiding and not giving too much slack or too little at that. It was a balancing game, something she'd been through in a different situation.
Jesse Foster clapped his hands proudly, whistling in appreciation to Lin. "'ey, shiela, ya' ready t' take it up a notch? Whenever ya' want, kick her a lil' more 'till she enters a trot. Tha's as far as we're goin' tonight, since canterin' and gallopin' take more control, an' yer still learnin' that." He inhaled deeply, still standing straight and at attention in case she needed his immediate assistance. "I wanna see how ya' do with control in a trot before I decide whether ya' should learn t' post. If trottin' feels like too much for ya' tonight, just pull back on the reins 'till she stops. Remember not t' pull back too hard, shiela."
Note To Self continued to walk at a steady pace, her ears now flicking forward momentarily before returning to their earlier position. Each time the man that was standing on the ground spoke, Note flicked one ear toward him and grunted, then resumed to focus on walking in a straight line.
Lin Chang nodded quietly, putting a bit more pressure to Note to hopefully get her into a trot. She was kind of expecting a good bit of a change between a walk and a trot so she'd be ready for that change but probably not comfortable with it she figured anyway.
Jesse Foster relaxed a bit, his tense muscles unwiring and his position slackening. He watched with an uneasy gaze as Lin prepared to move into a trot, wondering just how she would take the transition. As a child, when first told to trot, Jesse had nearly fallen off the saddle from the rough ride. He spent a week terrified of getting on a horse, until his boss set him straight and told him it was required to keep his job. Of course, he followed her orders and gradually became skilled in the art of posting. He expected similar of Lin, though she did not fail to impress him with how quickly she picked up on everything he instructed her.
Note To Self flicked her ears back again when she felt the nudge on her sides. The mare easily picked up her feet and transitioned into a fluid trot, probably almost as smooth as that of a Tennessee Walking Horse, which is quite amazing itself. She arched her neck some, her chin tucking in toward her chest as she turned her first corner. A loud snort bellowed from her already flared nostrils, whipchord pendulating within the air behind her.
Lin Chang hadn't quite expected it to be that smooth, sure there was more speed but not something that threw her off as much as she would have thought. "Huh. Didn't expect that." She was talking to herself now, but it wasn't an unusual event what-so-ever. "Good girl." She gently cooed towards her, but didn't take her hands off the reins at all.
Jesse Foster clapped appreciatively. "Perfect, shiela!" He praised, grinning in apparent delight. "Yer catchin' on quicker than I imagined, eh? Yer an absolute natural, I mus' admit." He beamed with pride, finding it at least partially his assistance that brought her to be so good at riding. ... Okay, so that was a little conceited, but. Eh. He hadn't had a student in a while, and having one who learned so easily made teaching all the more enjoyable. "Now, if ya' wanna' post--which is necessary in english shows, mate--ya' gotta stand up in th' stirrups every time th' inside foot goes forward. Give it a shot."
Horse's Name: Note To Self
Basic Overview: Went over basics (mounting; walking; trotting). Continuing next session with posting, cantering, and galloping. Hoping to throw in jumping lessons along the way; depends on progress.
Logs
Note To Self was standing quite still in the middle of the dressage ring, her tail idly swishing behind her well-muscled rump. Light grunts occasionally rumbled from her gut, both ears flickering to and fro as the dove peered around the ring. She'd already been tacked up accordingly; a polished black saddle set over a white saddle pad, her black bridle fitting perfectly over her dreambox. The metal bit that had been placed in her mouth was being shifted around now, which eventually caused drops of slobber to drip from the ebon mare's chin. Lovely.
Lin Chang had, of course gotten help in all of that fun stuff as she wouldn't have known which way to put the saddle on pathetically enough. A soft sigh escaped from Lin's lips, leaning up against the fencing around the dressage arena to wait for when exactly this lesson was supposed to start anyway. With the young people around she'd seen, she felt stupid being her for lessons when ten-year-olds were getting around the same thing. Glance was made towards Note, soft cooing noise made towards her before focusing attention back to the entrance of the arena. This was already beginning to loser her attention, perhaps a tiny bit ADD today.
Jesse Foster strode into the ring easily, fingers entwined with the empty belt loops of his jeans. Being winter, the day was the usual freezing cold, so the Aussie wasted no time in dressing apropriately. Today, he decided to teach without demenstration--with no horses, of course. That's obviously why he was walking, rather than riding, to the ring. When he halted before the black trakehner and her owner, he smiled warmly and stretched out his hand to the woman. "'Ello there, shiela. Th' name's Jesse Foster. I'll be yer trainer for however long ya' need the trainin'." He spoke fluidly and comfortably, a little social butterfly in his own right.
Note To Self eyeballed her owner for quite some time, both ears fluttering back every so often. Some would hope this mare wouldn't act up during the lesson, especially since the person who'd be riding her was somewhat of a beginner. Oh well, Note just liked being a little crafty sometimes. When another two-legged arrived in the ring, the Trakehner tossed her head up a bit, then took a few steps to the side. A little out of control? Nah. This wasn't even the start.
Lin Chang moved from the fence as Jesse wandered over, moving to take his hand with a small bit of a grin on her part. "Lin Chang, nice to meet you." She glanced towards the mare for a moment, a little uneasy with her shifting to the side. A bit paranoid sometimes, especially considering her beginner situation. "And hopefully she'll play along with this and not decide to kill me or something." It was more towards herself, but still a good voiced concern at that.
Jesse Foster grinned knowingly towards Lin, motioning his hand in the direction of the perturbed mare. "'lright, mate, first thing I wanna see is if ya' can get on her. If ya' need any help, just ask." He gave her a reassuring wink, and leaned his back against the white fence, watching with an intense gaze as the black horse shifted. Obviously enough, she would be a little difficult, but the Aussie was experienced with crazy horses. He owned several. ... Not to say he didn't love them, of course. Besides, Jesse was too stubborn to give in to anything, especially horses.
Note To Self continued to eye the two curiously, both ears continuously flickering back and forth. Now that it seemed nothing was about to happen, Note stood still and lowered her head some. She did keep a close eye on Lin and Jesse, though, and the fact that she was carrying a saddle on her back and the like didn't help her disbelief in not being ridden today.
Lin Chang nodded quietly, moving over to Note's side with a soft intake of breath. "Alright, how about you just stay still..." She'd seen people get on horses before so she had an idea of how to do this, one foot in the stirrup and try to get self over onto the back and foot into other stirrup. Well, it'd probably would have worked if she had figured out weight distribution. So, she stumbled back down to the ground, managing to not fall at least. "Grand." She grumbled, a tad annoyed already.
Jesse Foster chuckled, clearly amused, but silenced himself quickly to keep from insulting the girl. He cleared his throat and walked over, eyeing Note catiously as he turned to Lin. "'lright, you got the first step down. After ya' put yer foot in th' stirrup, ya' want to push off the ground and sling yer leg over th' other side. T' do that, ya' need to watch yer weight, and try t' place most of it on the saddle so y' don't fall to the side an' off yer horse." He instructed. "An' don' worry 'bout makin' a mistake an' fallin'. I'm here to spot you." He confirmed, removing his hands from his jeans' belt loops and having them at the ready.
Note To Self stood still pretty easily when the female attempted to mount her the first time. The moment she sensed something was going to go wrong, Note spooked off to the side and released a high-pitched whinny. Obviously that failed attempt annoyed the mare some, and caused her to prance on the spot and toss her head around like some wild animal. By the time she'd actually calmed down, her nostrils were flaring and heavy breaths were taken. ..Wow.
Lin Chang backed away a bit at the spooked actions, squeaking a bit to herself. She wasn't used to anything acting like that so she was quite taken aback by it all. "If she calms down I'll try again." She gently tried to reach a hand out to pat at Note's neck if she could manage it, kind of hoping that she'd calm down by that touch. She was very naiive on this subject, no?
Jesse Foster watched, unsurprised at the mare's loud reaction. The Trakehner seemed to be impatient and testy, and Jesse would probably have to help Lin along with that. Being a beginner, it would be nothing less than absolutely shocking if the girl managed to control and calm a horse with a temper. The idea had him questioning why she bothered buying the beautiful mare if she was intending on riding beginner's with lessons. Surely, she must have overlooked some of the faults, somehow? Nevertheless, Jesse attempted to reassure himself that she was a sound horse, merely acting out at being spooked or unused to such a long wait.
Note To Self easily calmed down with some reassurance, then stood perfectly still afterwards. Her head was occasionally turned to the side so that she could get a better look at the two-leggeds, but then the mare would just easily lose interest and shifted her gaze onto a nearby tree of some sort. Ah yes, she was just easily distracted!
Lin Chang smiled a bit to herself as she calmed down again, the fact she wasn't shifting around making Lin feel a lot better about everything. Quietly she tried to get up there again, managing it with a bit of a wobble to it. This would apparently be something she'd have to get used to but at least she was up in the saddle if not keeping herself somewhat balanced.
Jesse Foster smiled widely. "There ya' go, shiela!" He congradulated, nodding his head curtly towards the reins. "Now, go 'head and grab those. Make sure, since yer jus' standin' still, that she has enough rein, so don' tug too tight or hol' too much back. But, at the same time, ya' wanna ensure you have 'nough to pull back if she spooks." He paused a moment, looking Note over and staring at Lin's position. He moved closer to the saddle, aiming to tighten the stirrup straps a little more and pull the items up, so he foot rested more comfortable. "Ya' want the ball of yer foot to be touchin' the metal, mate." He briefly claimed.
Note To Self flicked her ears back when the female made another attempt at mounting, but didn't spook this time. No, Note stayed absolutely still, just like a good mare would. She simply shifted a little once the human was settled on her back, and her neck was stretched out some, but other than that she continued standing still.
Lin Chang watched the other a bit as he adjusted the stirrups, nodding quietly to his words before gently taking the reins with a bit of curiousity about all of it for the moment. She tried adjusting it a bit, perhaps a bit too tight to be holding them. Though, she wasn't sure how to figure that one out yet anyway.
Jesse Foster squinted his gaze when he finished with the stirrups, smirking in triumph. He glanced up at Lin, then grinned uneasily. "A bit less pressure on the reins there, shiela." He smiled encouragingly, pausing as he eyed the dressage ring. "'lright, ya' wanna jus' learn how to get on the horse today, or are ya' willin' to start some ridin'?" He grinned in excitement, like a little school-boy about to go on a fieldtrip to the zoo. Yeah, the Aussie was a complete child at heart.
Note To Self continued standing still, her eyes lazily drawing to a close when it seemed she could just stand there and do nothing at all. When there was some pressure added to her mouth, Note opened her eyes and grunted some, quietly taking several steps in reverse. Yes, she'd been trained to back up when excessive pressure was added to her mouth. Hehe.
Lin Chang squeaked sharply as she started backing up, losing a bit of grip on the reins to see if that would stop her. "What'd I do?" Her voice kept up with a squeak, trying to get Note to stop, but really having no idea how to do such a thing to which she knew. Grand, first day and she was already screwing up.
Jesse Foster laughed heartfully. Had Lin not been on a horse, he'd probably have patted her on the back in amusement. "No worries, shiela." He smirked, winking. "She's jus' well trained, is all. If ya' pull back on the reins too much, the horse will back up. Pullin' any harder than that may only cause them to rear, which ain't good for anythin' but movies." He waved his hand to the reins. "Jus' give her more rein an' she'll halt." He hesitated a moment, waiting to see if the mare did indeed comply.
Note To Self continued backing up for quite some time, but eventually she just got to the point where she halted. Yeah, Note was quite the lazy ass, so that was also good news for Lin. When she'd finally halted, Note lowered her head a little, then quickly jerked it up in some sort of attempt to steal the reins back from the female.
Lin Chang was quite happy she stopped at least, but refused to let go of the reins as they were attempted to be jerked away from her. "Nope! You aren't getting them!" Her voice was sing-song, odd and all of that fun stuff. "She's a bit odd, you know?"
Jesse Foster smiled knowingly. "Ya', I own three oddballs m'self. Well, two oddballs and a stallion I have yet to really spend time with." He snorted, before clearing his thoughts of personal problems and hardening his gaze for more professional deals. "'lright, shiela, I wan' ya' to kick her <I>lightly</I> in th' sides. If at any time ya' find it hard to kick her successfully an' command her that way, try clickin' yer tongue. Usually, horses will think it like the sound of a crackin' whip, and respond by speedin' up." He turned to point around the ring. "Jus' start by takin' her for a nice, slow walk 'round the ring, mate."
Note To Self snorted loudly when she failed at trying to snatch the reins from her rider. The mare pinned her ears back slightly, then gave her head another toss. In the end, though, she perked her ears forward and stopped being a little noodge for the time being. Heeee, mood swings.
Lin Chang kept a firm grip to the reins, growling quietly at the last snatching attempt, she sure as hell wasn't going to put up with that. "I'll try then." She kept her voice soft, gently giving a small kick to go around the outside of the arena. Or, more like, try to go around the outside of the arena given however Note would feel like going.
Jesse Foster watched intently, throwing out some words of encouragement along the way, so long as the mare cooperated. He grinned to himself, pleased with the progress. Lin seemed to be catching on rather quick, compared to many students he had dealt with back in Australia. Her age did not deter him--he had taught people well in their forties and fifties how to get on a horse and ride. Hell, his friend, the trail leader back at his first ranch job had often assisted adults on getting on the horse, then had to explain how to make the horse go and stop. The Aussie, at the time, both pitied the man, and felt amused. Of course, it was natural, and he no longer felt compelled to lauggh at anyone for it.
Note To Self was a little bit unwilling at first, but eventually got the hint that she'd have to walk forward sooner or later. So, she sluggishly moved her hooves forward and plodded across the ring at a walk. Her ears rotated atop her dreambox attentively, and soon wound up remaining twisted back so that she could catch any directions from her rider. Since it was just simple walking, Note lowered her head a bit and started to boredly play around with the bit.
Lin Chang wasn't really thinking about the age thing either, before now she really had no chance to be around anything that weren't dogs. But with the added money she'd managed to earn it was all a cake walk then. At least Note seemed to understand what she was doing, trying to keep up her guiding and not giving too much slack or too little at that. It was a balancing game, something she'd been through in a different situation.
Jesse Foster clapped his hands proudly, whistling in appreciation to Lin. "'ey, shiela, ya' ready t' take it up a notch? Whenever ya' want, kick her a lil' more 'till she enters a trot. Tha's as far as we're goin' tonight, since canterin' and gallopin' take more control, an' yer still learnin' that." He inhaled deeply, still standing straight and at attention in case she needed his immediate assistance. "I wanna see how ya' do with control in a trot before I decide whether ya' should learn t' post. If trottin' feels like too much for ya' tonight, just pull back on the reins 'till she stops. Remember not t' pull back too hard, shiela."
Note To Self continued to walk at a steady pace, her ears now flicking forward momentarily before returning to their earlier position. Each time the man that was standing on the ground spoke, Note flicked one ear toward him and grunted, then resumed to focus on walking in a straight line.
Lin Chang nodded quietly, putting a bit more pressure to Note to hopefully get her into a trot. She was kind of expecting a good bit of a change between a walk and a trot so she'd be ready for that change but probably not comfortable with it she figured anyway.
Jesse Foster relaxed a bit, his tense muscles unwiring and his position slackening. He watched with an uneasy gaze as Lin prepared to move into a trot, wondering just how she would take the transition. As a child, when first told to trot, Jesse had nearly fallen off the saddle from the rough ride. He spent a week terrified of getting on a horse, until his boss set him straight and told him it was required to keep his job. Of course, he followed her orders and gradually became skilled in the art of posting. He expected similar of Lin, though she did not fail to impress him with how quickly she picked up on everything he instructed her.
Note To Self flicked her ears back again when she felt the nudge on her sides. The mare easily picked up her feet and transitioned into a fluid trot, probably almost as smooth as that of a Tennessee Walking Horse, which is quite amazing itself. She arched her neck some, her chin tucking in toward her chest as she turned her first corner. A loud snort bellowed from her already flared nostrils, whipchord pendulating within the air behind her.
Lin Chang hadn't quite expected it to be that smooth, sure there was more speed but not something that threw her off as much as she would have thought. "Huh. Didn't expect that." She was talking to herself now, but it wasn't an unusual event what-so-ever. "Good girl." She gently cooed towards her, but didn't take her hands off the reins at all.
Jesse Foster clapped appreciatively. "Perfect, shiela!" He praised, grinning in apparent delight. "Yer catchin' on quicker than I imagined, eh? Yer an absolute natural, I mus' admit." He beamed with pride, finding it at least partially his assistance that brought her to be so good at riding. ... Okay, so that was a little conceited, but. Eh. He hadn't had a student in a while, and having one who learned so easily made teaching all the more enjoyable. "Now, if ya' wanna' post--which is necessary in english shows, mate--ya' gotta stand up in th' stirrups every time th' inside foot goes forward. Give it a shot."