A Modern Jack and Jill

She came out of the warm room, “Yess?”

“Time to go.”

“Is there something planned?”

“”Well no, it’s just that it’s 4 and we thought you’d want to go home.”

“Well since we have time, could we have your first lesson?”

Matt looked at the guys and shrugged, “they all went into the room and sat on the couches. Sandrine had the leather pieces she put on the horse, “ok guys, can anyone tell me what this is?” she held up the leather rope.

“Uh, something kinky?” Johnny guessed.

“Haha, Johnny. It’s a bridle. Something to put on the horse’s head so you can control the horse. Now its brother is a bouclé that is almost the same but without the metal mouth piece, aka the bit.”

Jimmy asked, “Uh, teacher Beech, why do they call it a bit.”

“Because the horse bites on it.”

“So if the bridle is like a bride, it has to be controlled and contained.”

“If you wanna look at it that way, sure.” She huffed, “This is a saddle.”

The saddle was on this metal holder and Sandrine swung her leg over. Sitting on it she said, “Thus you sit in it. The knob on top is the horn, just in case any you boys get scared, you can hold onto this. I advise you try to regain control of the horse. The feet holders are stirrups and the belt that goes across the ‘belly’ is called the girth. Well the exact placement is the withers but I’ll get to that later. For the first few times on a horse you all will be wearing helmets. Now any questions?”

Zacky raised his hand, “Yeah, why are you teaching us this?”

“Cause in a few days we’re going out on horses.” Matt interlude.

Brian asked, “So this girly sport has no danger in it I’m guessing.”

“Oh no, you can die if you fuck around and get thrown off hard enough. Or you could get paralyzed or break bones or… you know. But as long as you do what I do and don’t say you should be fine. Oh, and that lesson you learned from the bull riding, balance, you need it.”

“Great…” Jimmy said sarcastically. “Can we go now?”

Sandrine rolled her eyes and opened the door.

“I pity every teacher that had to deal with you five.”

“Why? We give you a hard time cause you’re hot.” Matt cooed.

“Plus you’re so cute when you get mad or frustrated.” Brian pinched her cheeks.

Johnny sand out, “Matt’s hot for teacha.”

Everyone filed out of the barn and went home.

For the next lesson, Sandrine took out horses and made the boys groom and saddle up their valiant steeds. Also she had them sought out helmets. At the end of tacking up the horses, they had to un-tack them. The final part of the lesson was to make the two vocal commands for a trot and canter. The trot was a clicking using one corner of the mouth, and the canter was kissing noises. Each did the task more or less gracefully. They went home after.

The next night, they all saddled up and went into the arena. What a sight it was,
five metal band guys dressed in their usual black on horses. Matt was the only one of the five, kind of normal because the horse he rode was black making them match. Zacky was on a chestnut, Brian a bay, Johnny a dark gray and Jimmy on a roan.

“OK, everyone at a walk then when you-”

One of the horses whinnied kicking their stalls.

“Coming!”

She turned back to the guys, “When you’ve gone around three times or are secure with your ride then go to a trot.” She disappeared around a corner.

She ran over to the horse kicking the wall, “Sunshine, calm down. I’m here I know you’re jealous. The boys are getting attention while you wais. Here I am.”

She took her horse out, tacked her up and they went into the arena. She mounted the horse and received a wolf whistle from one of the boys. She got Sunshine trotting around, watching the guys ride. She had them all come to the center so she could demonstrate how to canter. Each boy went their turn, only Zacky had a hard time.
Sandrine told everyone to put their horses away except for Zacky.

“Zacky, I want you to pick up a canter and go around the ring three times, no breaks. I’m gonna go grab something real quick. You’ll be fine.”

Zacky rolled his eyes, it’s not that he was afraid of horses, just didn’t like the height and the ways of controlling them. (like if you pull too hard they’ll stop or start backing up. If too loose they won’t listen or go crazy on you.)

She came back with this weird looking saddle. She took off the one on Sunshine and put this one on.

“I’m surprised the even had one of these.” Sandrine mumbled.

This saddle had only one stirrup and no horn but these leather hornish type things protruding off the top left. Sandrine secured the saddle then hopped on. She swung her right left over and rested it against the leather protruding pieces. She nudged her horse and they walked.

“Hey Sandrine.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a side saddle. Way back when this was now women would ride horses, never astride, that was too ‘manly’.”

“Oh…”

“Have you finished loping?”

“What?”

“Oh, sorry cantering. Loping is the technical term for western canter.”

“Same thing different word.”

“Yup.” Sandi clicked picking up a trot and going side to side at the pace. She dismounted as Zacky did and went out to put their horses away. They went home and hung out after everything was finished at the barn.

It went like that for the next few lessons. After one time, Matt asked, “So when would you like to go riding outside like you wanted?”

She shrugged, “How about the 15th.”

She thought for a second, and shrugged, “Sure.” It was June so the weather wasn’t so bad.

“Alright, we’ll go up to black rock and we’ll have a picnic and… what?”

Sandrine’s face dropped as mast said the word ‘picnic’. “Do you know what a picnic is?”

“Uh, eating food from a wicker basket.”

“NO! it’s when while white plantation owners and families go pick a nigger and watch him hang as they dine.”

“Well I mean the modern day picnic, as I said before.”

Sandrine smiled and hugged Matt.