A Lesson [Damien]

[femalefred]

Damien leant down to get a better view when Daniel lifted up the mare's hindleg and looked, with some degree of fascination, at the underside of her hoof. He'd never really thought about hooves before, and it was actually pretty interesting. He hadn't even thought that a horse's hooves were alive, let alone have any sensitive bit. He'd just thought of them as sort of big fingernails. The boy hadn't even considered that getting a rock stuck in there could cause a horse to go lame.

"Ok, I'll try," he replied, taking the pick from Daniel and moving toward the mare's front legs. "Be good, Nell," he murmured, stroking her leg gently before he leant down and tried to lift her foot. He barely even had to try. The mare, though nervous of strangers, was well enough trained to lift up her feet when they were touched, and as the boy gently scraped the small amount of mud in her hoof out she looked like she was actually relaxed. "Was that right?"

[D E M O N //]

"Yes, it was." said Daniel a small smile twitched on his face for just a moment. For someone who seemed to have no experiance, he seemed to be catching on pretty darn quickly. Ducking into the tack room Daniel returned with the school saddle and briddle, one in each hand. Well, not really hand as the saddle was over his arn and the bridle slun on his shoulder, but close enough. Placing the saddle on the stall door Daniel detangled the reins and put them over the mare's neuck unclipping her from the cross ties.

"First you put the reins over the horse's head." He said directly after doing this. "Then place your hand around their head and the bit in their mouth and then put this strap over their ears." he said demonstrating as he did so going slower then he usually did. Fastening the throat and chin straps he said, "Four,and two fingers, got it?" Daniel knew that it would be better for him to see it done first, and that way, next time he rode, he should be able to do it easily. His first time he might nee some assistance and Daniel wouldn't send him off to do it alone, but he was sure that he could manage.

[femalefred]

Damien smiled at the minor note of praise and gently patted Nell on the shoulder. She didn't object to this, and stood quite happily at the cross ties with the teenager while Daniel went off, somewhere. Damien had assumed it was probably to get the tack, and he seemed to be right. Stepping away from the horse again, to allow Daniel to get in close enough to tack her up. The bridle was obviously more complex, and he watched carefully, nodding quietly whenever the instructor said anything.

"Four fingers on her cheek and two on her nose," he repeated quietly to himself. It looked like a fairly complicated process, but he was pretty certain that he'd be able to do it himself at a later time. It wasn't as if all of the various buckles were unstrapped before you actually put the bridle on.

[D E M O N //]

"Good," he said again before taking the saddle pad out from underneath the saddle and placing it on Nell's withers. the Saddle rests on their withers and the girth should come around right behind their front legs." he said while placing the saddle on top of the pad and doing up the girth one hole as a time, pausing inbetween, util it was just tight enough to hold the saddle in place. "Never tighten the girth all at once, do it slowly."

Pulling the reins over the horses head Daniel handed them to Damien before walking out infront of him heading for the indoor area. Usuall he preffered it outside, but he didn't want Nell to spook, particularly not with a new rider so he decided that this would probably be a safer bet.