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Mandatory Training: First Saddle

The wound on the young black stallion's hindquarters had healed nicely as they kept him exercised but under a less stressful regime. They'd gotten him used to the sound of a large truck passing by, but anything involving a motorcycle still freaked him out. Just hearing the bike had him sweating bullets, and he could easily tell the difference between a bike and a sports car by sound. Seeing the bike had him shifting rapidly on his feet and sometimes striking out at the bike. The trespassing boys who'd messed up her fence had been brought over by the sincerely apologetic parents and put to work fixing the fence and following them as they checked the rest of the fence on the large property. It had taken all day to do so, but she was certain by the end of the day they would never trespass again.

Coriolanus had a small growth spurt, when they'd gotten him he was a little under 16.2hh and he'd grown into 17.1 by the time the next spring had come around. It was then that Mikayla had begun prepping him to take on a saddle. He'd become accustomed to having light things press on his back, slowly getting a bit weightier, even so much as someone pressing their weight by leaning a bit over him. The worst injuries anyone had sustained when applying pressure was a sore bottom from leaning a bit too much and falling over when he'd moved out of the way. He'd taken to avoiding people that hadn't worked with him, instead of greeting them like the two roans in the pastures beside his. When they walked by his pasture, he would follow them ears pinned while he trotted. If it was someone he recognized, like Mikayla, Leona, Aunt D, or even Greg he was all perked ears and a nicker. Another thing to work on.

Mikayla had him out in the white square arena they often used for jumping, doing their usual routine. She practiced rubbing a blanket over him and setting it on his back, and then came the saddle. She'd carefully laid it on his back and he'd turned his head and lipped at it but showed no signs of stressing over it, just acknowledged it was a new odd thing. It all changed once she'd fixed the straps and tightened the girth. He didn't know to push out his stomach like some of the older horses enjoyed trying to do, but once she stepped back he leapt into the air. He bucked and whirled like a trained bronco. He would jump into the air, and the minute his front hooves touched the ground he would leap into the air veering in a separate direction.

It only lasted but a few minutes before he settled down and looked to Mikayla as if saying 'Okay, you put this thing on me and I couldn't get it off. It hasn't killed me yet, so what do you do with it?' He snorted nodding his head slightly before walking back over to her.

"Just had to try huh?" Mikayla scratched behind the black stallion's ears, said horse yawning as she did so.

Word Count: 514

I'm attempting to not spend all day on the computer while I still have internet. Trying. I think within the next week we'll be on our own in a new house. I think. Still sleeping on the floor.

Art copyright ~Rosela
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