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School is fun, and exciting; but I had already been expecting it, even if I could not have foreseen just how fun it is here. It is not just all the new things I see and learn, of course.
This school even have a blue Unicorn, a Pony I can ride. How cool is that? Just wait until I can tell my friends.
Maybe I should hold back on my excitement; not mentioning the Pony is blue, or a Unicorn. This is already fantastic enough, as it is. Don't stretch the limit beyond what they can believe.
I had just put the halter onto her, before I had been instructed to take her out of the stall.
She is eagerly following me out of her stall and towards the classroom. Whatever manner of classroom, prepared to hold Ponies and riding.
Even if I struggle to understand her, not really making out anything of what she says; but at least I can follow her body language, interpreting her based on the instructions I had been given before I entered the stable. I had been told what to wear, for the sake of my safety. Then I had been given further instructions on what to look out for, how and why it is important.
I had been told, not to surprise or startle the Pony I am leading out towards the new classroom. Ponies react poorly on these things they had told me. I do not question these instructions.
The clothes I had been handed are quite comfortable to wear, so I can only picture them comfortable to wear as I am riding my Pony too. Why shouldn't it be?
This pony had been instructed in what to expect and how to react on me as I enter her stall. She is privy to the class I am going to have. Well, she is my teacher, of sorts. Just curious, to have a Pony as teacher. Isn't it? Though I guess it is no stranger, than to have a dog lead a blind person.
As I am reaching the door, to what is to be the classroom for this class; I am abruptly pulled out of my ponderings, as I need to react upon the door before me. While she could have opened the door, engaging her magic; but I am supposed to open the door for the Pony I am leading, not the other way around.
Examining the wooden door, I find two bars on the twin sliding doors before me; I pull at these handles, making the doors slide apart in order to grant me entrance.
I let go of the handles and lead the Pony into the room. She stands still, sniffing the air and snorts a few times; before she promptly follows me into the room, guiding me towards the center of the room.
This room seems to have the same peat litter as the stall she had been waiting for me in. Just that it had been covered with the same inch thick, crystal-clear squishy silicon for the comfort of her hooves too.
It is a curious sensation, walking over this squishy floor; hearing her hooves squeak with each step, accompanied with the squeaks of my foot-falls as I walk by her side. However, I now realize my steps sound almost identical to her hooves hitting the floor. Just a different cadence, on the account of her trotting on four hooves where I have only two. I could not even picture myself moving on four legs, stepping over the floor with four hooves. How? Why? I just can not stretch my imagination to the point.
While it is true, I am a little girl; my imagination is quite vivid, but even my imagination has its limits. I am aware of it, and have accepted this as a fact. No point in struggling against it. Why? Why bother? What is to gain from it? Nothing. That's what.
Having a blue Pony isn't a problem, I can see her and feel her stopping beside me as I am reaching the given position at the center of this large room.
The room is large, obviously; but it had to be, for the pony to trot freely and comfortably in the room. A smaller room would merely be a pointless obstacle.
She nods at me, indicating for me to take the leach off of her halter and I do as I am instructed. Even if I can't understand the words she had spoken in Ponish. I have not reached the level of proficiency in Ponish yet. However, I will learn; given time, if I am permitted to stay with the class long enough. I hope I will; because I enjoy this school; hoping I can learn, all they have to teach me. Well, why not? I am a little girl. I am curious, eager to learn.
My teachers are nice, to me. I love them all to bits.
Sounds funny, when you stop to think if it; but it is how I feel, and I love my teachers very dearly. What's so strange about that? I am a very curious little girl, loving to learn and explore; my teachers are very kind and helpful, guiding me to learn and experience.
Should I suspect something? Should I suspect them of having ulterior motives to my detriment? I just could not make myself, even if I had tried. I am just too young and innocent for this? I guess I am a bit too trusting.
Only now, I had been offered a Pony of my own, a Unicorn for me to ride. She is such a nice Pony I could not resist her.
Maybe she is a bit too smart for a Pony, following my lead a bit too close even for my most enthusiastic expectations. Should I be bothered, should I fear her for that?
How old is she? I can't recall them mentioning her age, or what training she had been submitted to in order to teach me to ride. Either way, she had agreed to teach me how to ride. I had accepted her offer.
Okay, so my teacher is a Horse. Okay, technically she is a Pony. Though they never explained the distinctions.
I had opened the door to the room, where I was to ride her: Sassy Saddle today. Curious name, but all these Equestrian Ponies have these strange and curious names.
While she was already wearing her saddle, as I entered the stable and walked into her box. She is a fairly dainty Pony, with a sassy personality from what I could see.
Only once I had opened the door, leading her in; closing the door behind us, I follow the instructions I had been given as I am leading her to the center of the large and very open space. She follows me, by my side; only stopping as we reach the center, facing the wall the instructions dictates for me to face.
I am standing by her right side, facing the wall; standing on the right and left side of the center of the room.
I hear her snicker, then she is neighing at me, indicating for me to mount her, as she nods knowingly towards me.
Turning towards her, I am lifting my foot up; placing the tip of the foot in the stirrup, before I lift my other foot up and soon find myself sitting up in her saddle.
Now I find myself sitting up comfortably, my feet on the right and left side of her belly in a very comfortable position; gripping the reins, pulling them in to leave just enough slack for her comfort before I give her a sign for her to start moving forwards.
I notice how Sassy expectantly starts to look to the right; “We are supposed to go in this direction!” I hear her neighing, even if I don't understand her words or even make them out as speech.
As we approach the wall; I lightly pull at the rein, indicating for her to turn to the right. A moment later, she slowly turns in the indicated direction. With that, we are heading in the correct direction.
I direct her to turn, as we reach the corner. Even if I know she should be turning, rather than just going into the wall; which I would not want her to do. The lesson is for me to direct her in the correct direction, for a comfortable right.
If I want her to turn off earlier, or prefer a softer bend in the path; I could always give the signal earlier, than I would have done otherwise.
The short wall comes to an end, and I indicate for her to turn once more. Once we are on the long side, I make her stop.
I count; “One, two, and three!” before I urge her to continue. I stop on the middle, and just before I was intending to turn to the right once more.
Just after the turn, I urge her to speed up a bit; only to have her slow down, just before the bend. The short wall was perfect for speeding up, or so I had been told earlier.
“Good girl, good girl..” I exclaim, as she slow down at the end of the short wall.
“I want her to know, how much I am appreciating her attention; just as I would have done, had she been a regular Horse. While it feels a bit silly, to say it; but I had been told by the instructor, this is how to handle a Horse.
She had gone into some detail, as she was explaining the particulars; I had listened attentively, nodding my understanding at the time. While some of the details may sound silly, but this is how I had been told to handle Horses. She had said it in a way, making utterly clear she has long and extensive experience handling these majestic Equines. While they may look different, they largely react in the same manner. One may be stubborn, another bright and quite intelligent; but deep down, they still follow the patterns of their equine nature.
If one fail to realize this, taking it into account; one is prone to suffer greatly, never realizing how or why they do what they do.
Every twenty minutes or five laps, I have her crossing the room from the beginning of the long wall; to the end of the long wall on the other side, in order to make sure neither she nor I got dizzy. Maybe I have her move slowly today, but in the future, she will be trotting and galloping much faster. Even if this may be months and years in the future. It is just good practice, to start this particular habit from the beginning. Lest one may forget one's-self and go the entire class in the same direction and suffer the uncomfortable consequences.
I notice a large clock on the short wall, indicating the time of the class. As it is just two minutes left, I indicate for her to turn back to the middle of the large space. Once she had stopped, I pull my feet out of the stirrups; before I lift my foot up and jump off of her.
Once I once more am standing on her right side, I attach the leach to her halter; before I lead her out; only stopping by the door, sliding the door up to permit us to exit. From there, I walk her back to the stable; leading her back to her box.
Only once I am inside her box, I stop; removing the leach; before I pull the halter off of her head, leaving her to rest up before the next class. Naturally, I had to unfasten the halter, before I could pull it off of her head. Before I leave, I hand up the halter outside her box.
As a beginner, I had been instructed to leave the complicated actions to someone else. A girl appeared by the side of the box, just as I had walked out.
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