Hay is for Horses
#21
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OOC here!



The inquisitive question set Hadley thinking. He'd never had an occasion to ride before, but it seemed like a good idea. Maybe it would help him bond with a horse. Then again, he didn't really have a horse to bond with. Since he was a slave, Hadley didn't have anything that he could call his own. He might be charged with caring for an animal, but that didn't make it his. The offer from Wayne was very kind through all of this though.


Deciding to trust Wayne to help him learn how to ride Hadley managed a brief nod. He looked over at Fern, the sweet horse that had befriended him when he'd been shaking with fear. The first horse he'd come in contact with inside the group. It would be nice. The horse eating from the sack bumped him gently, and Hadley realized that the sack had been emptied while he'd been thinking. Flushing he hurriedly returned the sack to the side to be refilled later, hoping Wayne hadn't been bothered by his lapse.


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#22
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Wayne McCoy
The moment that Hadley nodded, Wayne moved quickly to the side of the corral where the tack was kept just on the other side of the fence. He’d done his best to keep the leather saddles and bridles and other equipment out of the rain and snow, but for the most part it lay just out of reach of the horses. He couldn’t wait for the barn to be constructed so that there would be a set place for all of the tack and dried grasses and grooming tools.


He called Fern to him, watching the wolfdog get rid of the sack and hiding a smile at Tupelo’s plaintive whinny. The paint managed to leave the men alone, however, as Wayne put Fern’s tack on, adjusting the girth and making sure the saddle and blanket wouldn’t slip. Once he’d gotten everything ready, he led her by the reins to Hadley and grinned at him.


“First part’s getting’ on,” the Labrador mix said. He led Fern around so that Hadley could step up from her left side. “Put a foot in that stirrup ’n’ swing on. Use the saddle horn if ya need to.” He grinned.




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#23
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OOC here!



Hadley watched with curiosity as gear was placed upon the horse. When Selene had taken him to the springs there hadn't been any such thing, just him clinging to Selene and hoping that the horse didn't decide it didn't like them. It seemed foolish for him to think in such a way, considering how much he cared for the creatures, but it seemed a little frightening to actually climb on top of them. It took a lot of fidgeting around before Wayne decided that the horse was ready, Hadley having lost track of what was being done after the saddle had been placed on the back.


Fern was lead over to where the large male stood, shifting nervously from foot to foot. It looked like he was actually going to do this. Out of habit he remained submissive, actually submitting to the horse as well as the male leading her by accident. The horse was lead around to the side, and Hadley glanced at the horse's back. The stirrup was there before him, and keeping a careful grip on the saddle Hadley stuck his foot in and pulled himself up. Sitting on top he fidgeted around until he managed to stick his foot in the other one. Nervously he glanced down, realizing that he'd taken a more dominant position by going up higher. Immediately he flattened his body, curling up. That didn't work well on a horse, sending him scrambling to regain his balance.


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#24
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Wayne McCoy
Pretend I know what I'm doing!
Also, wrap up soon? +3
Wayne had grown up riding horses the conventional way. Others spoke to their steeds in the equine tongue and galloped free of anything more than a blanket on their horse’s back, fingers knotted into their mane for lack of reins and bridle. It was perhaps the more natural way, the way horses would be tamed and ridden in the earliest years of domestication, if domestication could be considered natural. However, although he respected that way of riding and occasionally went without a saddle underneath him or Western-tied reins in his hands, he had grown up where tack was normal and low speech not and had learned that way. He’d carried a saddle around in his arms since his first shift, had sat draped across a bay’s withers as his father drove cattle. It was the easiest thing in the world for him.


He recognized that not everyone learned the same way or used the same techniques for doing things, and it was why he kept a careful eye on Hadley, especially with how timid the male was. He wouldn’t trust any other horse than Fern for this lesson. Greener mounts would have captured his nervous energy and become skittish and unruly, while a mare like Gypsy would take full advantage of his submission and use it to get her own way. Fern, however, was used to new riders and had the perfect temperament for it—calm, understanding, and forgiving of minor transgressions a nervous rider might commit.


Protective of both his pack mate and the horse he’d come to adore, Wayne watched the male pull himself up into the saddle. It looked good, at least until he started hunching as if under the gaze of an alpha, and the Labrador suppressed a snort as he came near to give a gentle correction.


“You’ll need good posture if you don’t wanna fall off,” the dog hybrid said. “Sit square an’ tall, not too stiff.” He bent momentarily to make sure the stirrups didn’t need adjusting. Everything seemed fine, and he kept an eye on Hadley to make sure he was at least attempting to relax.


“All right.” He stood back. “Don’t worry ’bout steerin’ right now,” he said, glancing around at the pen. “Just give her a lil’ squeeze with your legs, and she’ll start walkin’. If you wanna stop, pull back on the reins—pull, don’t jerk. I’ll let ya do whatever ya want to now.” He grinned.




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#25
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OOC sure. hadley will probably lose courage and ask to leave soon anyways XD



Hadley ducked his head, embarrassed at being corrected about such a thing. He was supposed to be submissive. Somehow that and standing tall didn't click in his mind. Slowly he brought himself out of the curl, holding onto the saddle for dear life the entire time. He was stiff as a board while doing this, nervous that he would be doing something wrong. Wayne's instructions to relax and not be so stiff was difficult for him to follow, usually being a bundle of nerves no matter what he was doing.


Taking a deep breath Hadley tried to force himself to relax, molding his body to the horse. If he could he would have dissolved into her, just for the sake of feeling more comfortable. Hearing to squeeze the horse's side Hadley pushed his legs in very softly, not wanting to hurt the horse by being too rough. Wayne's words about stopping giving instructions was enough to get Hadley to tense up again, his legs squeezing more tightly into the horse with that.


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#26
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Wayne McCoy
After this thread is done, I can start their next thread we discussed. :3
Hadley didn’t attain perfect posture, but Wayne wouldn’t chew him out for making an improvement—at least not until the next time they rode. That was considering they would ever ride again, however, and the mongrel wondered if Hadley would simply steer clear of him from now on. He was doing his best to mix kindness and firmness, as was his tendency with the horses, but he was aware of how intimidating he could be to those who didn’t know him, or those who simply had a timid disposition such as the former slave. The thought, once again, bothered him, and he looked away and suppressed a sigh before hearing the shift of leather and skin and the clop of a horse’s first step.


The Labrador swung back around to look at the other wolfdog, grinning broadly in encouragement. The man was still tense, but Fern was used to filtering through the confused cues of new riders to at least opt for the least dangerous response. She plodded forward obediently, and it was almost as if she threw Wayne an amused look. Her head shook the reins as she moved, her large body swaying naturally, the saddle Hadley had such a death grip on creaking.


“Good job!” Wayne praised both horse and rider, looking around the snow-dusted pasture. He couldn’t wait to ride the horses among more vernal paths once the white stuff melted away and the grass started growing green again. It would probably be more relaxing that way, too. “Y’know you can stop any time though,” he reminded quickly, as he didn’t want to make the man quit if he was enjoying this.


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#27
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OOC here!



Fern moved beneath him, a gentle swaying that felt nice. Nervously he clutched on, the horse's head bobbing as she moved along. It was simple enough, and Hadley didn't feel like he would fall off any time soon. He glanced up at Wayne, finding the dog watching him with a wide grin. The praise brought a sheepish smile to Hadley's face. This was actually quite nice. Relaxing slightly he looked around, letting the horse choose the direction they would wander in.


Just enjoying the feel he nodded his head briefly in acknowledgement of what Wayne said. Other horses milled around, curious to why Hadley was on Fern's back in the paddock with them. Softly he reached out, touching their heads to pet lightly, enjoying the small trip. Time passed with him up there, his posture growing better as he grew more relaxed, though the submission never entirely faded. At last he picked up the reins of the horse, tugging on it hesitantly. Obediently she stopped, and Hadley slid off. Th-thank you. He didn't meet Wayne's eyes, but if he had the cowboy would have seen a bright glow inside, happy from what had happened.


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#28
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Wayne McCoy
<3 Go ahead and archive when you've read/posted if you want a last post.
The change in demeanor in the brownish wolfdog was obvious. He smiled faintly, which warmed the yellowish man’s spirits, and his posture improved as he became less stressed about the whole thing. He looked like he was enjoying himself—like the horse ride was therapeutic, which was the whole point since Wayne first asked him to help out. He made as if to scratch at his muzzle, but in reality, the cowboy was hiding a smile. Hadley looked like a king of horses greeting his subjects, or maybe the hollow shell of a once-king. He touched those who approached, letting Fern meander around the paddock, and finally he dropped down from the chestnut mare’s back.


The thanks had the cowboy grinning again with gentle satisfaction. “You’re welcome, Hadley,” Wayne replied, going to remove the tack from Fern. “Come back anytime, to help or to ride or to just say howdy to me or the horses.” His voice held nothing more than friendly suggestion behind it. He hoped to see the man again, but it didn’t matter if Hadley was more comfortable elsewhere. After the show with the short ride around the temporary corral, though, he knew this might be the best place for the former slave to work if he felt the need.


“I need to go see what Dixie’s doin’,” the man lied after a moment, smoothly looking over his shoulder. It would be nice to go see her now, but mainly he didn’t want Hadley to feel obligated to hang around if he wanted to go eat or rest. “I’ll see ya later, bud,” he said, tipping his hat, and vaulted over the fence to walk through Casa territory.


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