Free The Fillies of Three Ferns Farm by Andrea Forsythe Page B

correct she tied the reigns securely behind the mare’s back and hooked a long lunge line to her bridle. She would need to make sure the ponygirl was used to moving in the saddle before she put a heavy rider in that saddle. She moved back to the center of the round pen and used the end of the long lung to flick at the mare’s feet. Tiger started to walk, her movement a little uncertain at first as the saddle jostled and settled into place. After only two passes Sally stopped the mare and went back to her adjustments, lengthening and shortening the straps where needed now that the saddle had settled to the movement of the mare’s natural gait. She turned the mare and started her off in easy circles in the opposite direction. Once she was satisfied she brought the mare up to a trot. She would not be bringing her two legged pony to a canter while riding her, so she did not take her beyond that, but she spent several moments watching the movement of the mare and saddle carefully. Finally she nodded and brought the mare to a stop.
    “ Well, girl,” she said, patting her affectionately. “It’s the moment of truth.” She unhooked the lunge line and brought the reigns back around, leading the mare over to the mounting block. The ponygirl stood placidly by the block and Sally took a deep breath before gently easing herself onto the saddle. She did not throw a foot into the stirrups and drag herself up because that would unbalance a two legged pony. Instead she gently lowered herself as close to the center as she could. She willed herself to relax, letting her body form to the saddle and resting with her feet dangling before even trying to get them into the stirrups.
    Of course, the mare wasn’t going to (or at least was unlikely to) actually buck her off like a bio-horse, but if Sally had failed to prepare her and get her into the proper mindset for the experience, it was perfectly possible that the mare would use her safeword and end the training session. That would a blow to the trainer’s confidence, and the failure of her first solo-training day would follow her forever. After a tense moment or two, however, the mare seemed to settle under her. Tiger whickered a little in an interested and curious way. Sally managed to ease her feet into the stirrups and then took the reins, gently easing them to one side to encourage the mare to turn away from the block. She squeezed with her legs, noticing how natural it seemed to ride her mare in this way. Tiger started to walk, and Sally realized with a jolt that she wasn’t used to the gait of a two legged pony. They bounced painfully against each other for a few more steps until Sally finally managed to match her movement to the sway of Tiger’s hips. “I guess I have a few things to learn, too,” Sally said, sheepishly. Tiger would never break character enough to answer her directly, but she let out a little whinny that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Sally filled with warmth as she felt herself bonding with her ponygirl and eased her around in a broad circle around the arena. She considered trotting with her, but decided that they needed to build up to that and contented herself with several easy circuits of the training arena before bringing the mare back to the block and carefully pulling herself out of the saddle. An idea had been germinating in her mind. She let the mare rest and stretch as she gathered up her training equipment and the few pieces of tack scattered about and brought it together into a neat pile in the corner. She would come back for it later. From a bag, she pulled two jingling bits of metal. She brought them over to the mare and grasped the reins firmly as she gingerly applied the sleigh bell nipple clamps. “Folks usually use these for drafting ponies, but these will help acclimate you to noise and stimulation during street riding,” she said brightly as she put them on. She had tried them on herself and knew that they didn’t pinch badly when