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They kissed, arms entwined, in a pool of morning
light that crept past the black, velvet curtains. Side
by side they cuddled warmly in her intricately carved,
Louis XIV bed. He slid the black brocaded duvet coverlet
down her body, exposing her milky fair skin, and his
tanned muscular body. Her utterly straight, waist-length,
blue-black hair spread in a rich sable mantle across
the crimson sheets and trailed down the bedside.
"Good morning my love," she whispered
between kisses. Her hands tangled in his thick black
waves and the single lock of brilliant silver at his
brow. His dark mane fell in a midnight curtain across
his cheek and down across her belly. She slid the long
waves through her fingers and brought handfuls to her
nose to breathe in the clean scent sandalwood and the
masculine sent of leather.
"And a good morning to you too, my love,"
he whispered back. He leaned across her while resting
the bulk of his weight on one shoulder, supported by
a colorful mass of brocaded pillows. Her soft, plump
lips sucked and nipped at his with gentle chuckles and
soft murmurs between them.
The skin of her breasts felt like warm, heavy silk
against his large callused palms as she pressed into
him. He cupped their ripe fullness together and brought
them to his lips. He could smell the delicious perfume
of milk and vanilla from last evening's bath water as
he licked his way across her breasts. He drew one velvety
nipple into his mouth and then the other. Her purring
sighs caressed his ears as he tugged the delicate flesh
with his teeth, gently then not so gently.
He slid a hand under to cup the muscular fullness
of her buttock, tilting her toward him and pulled her
closer. His strong, lightly furred calves caressed the
smooth length of hers as he slid his thigh over and
between her legs. In a sudden move, he rolled atop her.
He pressed his hips closer to her damp heat until the
swollen head of his shaft brushed against plump, tender
and shaven flesh. He released her nipples and rose higher
to take her mouth, already swollen and red with the
demands of his kisses.
She wrapped her strong thighs around his hips in
welcome. She writhed as she sought to take his heated
length into her moist passage. She felt the shift of
his hips moments before he thrust within, possessing
her to the root. Sound was forced from her throat, head
thrown back as she gasped her joy beneath him.
Slowly, he withdrew, heated inch by heated inch,
pausing at the very entrance of her body. She looked
down the length of her shuddering body as small whimpers
of need escaped from her lips. She could see his hard
length, shiny with her dew, stretched between them.
She watched as his back arched and his hips flexed a
moment before he buried his shaft within. She saw every
inch burrow into her tender depths until her back bowed
with the exquisite pleasure, a guttural moan escaping
her lips.
He pulled back to the brink of her body and arched
over her, his hair a mass of fragrant, black and silver-touched
waves sweeping her face and shoulders He thrust his
heavy shaft, slowly and deeply into her heat, to pull
away and thrust again, aching slowly. He kissed her,
his mouth hungry against hers, tongues exploring, thrusting
in time with his body's possession. She writhed beneath
him, begging him to hurry, hands clutching, fingers
clawing at his muscular back, scoring him with long
red lines.
He pulled away to her soft protest then arched above
her, his weight on his elbows as he covered her and
thrust, fucking her willing body hard and strong, quicker
and quicker, again, then again, his thighs and buttocks
straining. His hips pounded against hers and she met
his thrusts halfway, lifting herself to his possession.
The sound of wet flesh against wet flesh filled
the softly lit room with liquid hammering. Sweat formed,
pooled and dripped, staining the red silk and the black
brocade beneath them as their bodies strained in unison.
Her mouth opened in a soundless scream with the building
pleasure.
She cried out as lightning arcs of ecstasy blazed
through as her body tightened, squeezing around him.
She spasmed against the bed, shuddering beneath him,
screams of delight pouring from her throat as her pleasure
violently took her and took her.
His body shook violently, wracked with the exquisite
torture as her flesh hungrily took his in a velvet vise
and squeezed the pleasure from him. He thrust again
and howled, arching his back as her body gripped him,
pulling, drawing, sucking him into her screaming joy.
His wanton flesh pumped and emptied, spraying into her
depths as she writhed under him, scoring his back as
she sought to take him deeper.
He collapsed on top of her, slightly to one side,
moaning and spent, his arm flung over her damp breasts.
They lay exhausted and breathless, waiting for the pounding
of their hearts to slow. The rich smells of sex overpowering
the delicate vanilla scent of her sunlit boudoir.
"And you wonder why I took you for myself,
my dear Horse Master," she whispered, her voice
rich and low with satisfaction. Her lips bowed in a
sultry and satisfied smile.
"I had wondered, Madam," he replied, his
voice husky with spent passion. "Out of all the
titled gentlemen who visit your fine establishment,
why the 'Notorious Madam' would be interested in a tradesman,
a lowly stableman who wandered, all unknowing, into
the House of the Rod." His smile was gentle, teasing.
"At the time of my initial visit, I was very unaware
of the ah, interesting entertainment that the House
of the Rod specializes in."
"Do not forget, that I also, am in trade and
you are not so lowly a stableman," she chuckled,
her brow rising in cool assessment. "You are one
of the leading horse masters, a Master Whip, an Equerry
of Her Majesty's Royal Mews." She smoothed his
midnight hair from his rugged face. "However, I
did think it rather naive of you to follow your friend
into this particular den of iniquity."
"I had been told that a very fine master of
the whip could be found here." He rolled onto his
back and stretched his great length. "I had intended
to merely converse on technique." His cool and
piercing, blue eyes watched her brilliant cat green
eyes, framed in their sooty lashes.
"And did you find your Master of the Whip?"
She leaned over him and curled a finger into the distinguishing
lock of silver that arched from his brow.
"I did indeed." He leaned over, kissing
her gently. "And she is the most beautiful, enthralling
and skilled lady of my acquaintance. I was humbled that
night, by the expertise that I saw displayed on the
bottom of my erstwhile companion, dearest Madam."
"You are not without talent yourself."
She chuckled and kissed him for his compliment with
enthusiasm. "I have seen the way my girls fight
to be the one over your knee for a spanking."
He laughed out loud. "Your girls tumbled across
my lap, their bottoms begging to be pinked before I
knew what kind of entertainment your house served. I
had spanked three lusty bottoms before I discovered
that your gentlemen guests were there to have their
bottoms warmed by the birch rod, among other things."
He grinned. "Little did I know that the House of
the Rod's Madam also liked her bottom spanked."
"You have been an asset to my bottom and my
house, making everyone smile with every smack of your
strong hands." She snuggled against him.
"Lucky me," he said pressing his lips
to her brow, "I have the next two days to assist
you in keeping bottoms warmed."
"And I am very pleased to have your undivided
attention for those two days, even if you do not desire
your bottom warmed," she teased. He frowned playfully.
While he very much enjoyed spanking others, being spanked
was not something he took pleasure in.
"I have enjoyed the time spent in your house,
and in your arms ever since that first evening,"
he said with a heated smile then rolled out of the bed
and shrugged into a midnight blue, satin dressing robe
trimmed in black fur at collar and cuffs. "This
past year has been the best of my life."
"Marry me," the Madam said impulsively,
then bit her lip. Ladies did not ask gentlemen to marry
them. He turned and his indigo eyes were stark. He tied
the robe and came to her bedside then fell to one knee
in a gallant gesture.
"You know that I love you," he said. She
nodded and he took her hand. " But, I cannot marry
you until I can bring you the wealth you deserve. I
am not yet worthy of this honor."
"I have wealth, enough to share... More than
enough..." Her eyes were stricken.
He shook his head. "It wouldn't be right unless
I came to you with a respectable offer." He sighed.
"As of this moment, I have nothing to honor you
with, no money and no skill that you do not already
have. I have nothing that you need." He shook his
head. "I cannot consent to being merely your 'gentleman
of leisure'. He sighed heavily.
"You would put your pride between us."
It was a statement. "Do you not understand that
I want you, not what you bring me?"
"I am a man," he said simply. "I
will not have them say: There goes the Madam and her
kept stableman."
A gentle knock at the door came at the door.
"Enter," she called out and sat up, throwing
her legs over the side of the bed. An uncomfortable
silence stretched between the lovers.
A golden blonde chambermaid came into the room followed
by a dark brunette chambermaid, their eyes downcast
with basins of warm water and towels. They wore dark
tightly laced corsets, baring their breasts with tiny
chains looping between their nipples from tiny pinching
clamps. Their exposed, pouting, lower lips were plump
and clean-shaven. Leather manacles with steel rings
jingled above buttoned ankle-boots and at their wrists.
Tasteful silver chains with delicate locks embraced
their throats.
The Madam seated herself at her vanity and allowed
the fair maid to clean her intimate flesh. The darker
maid approached the Horse Master and knelt to clean
him of his spent passion.
"I had heard from the girls that you were going
to try something different for this year's Twelfth Night
ball," the Horse Master said, breaking the silence
with a change of subject. "How goes the training
on your newest project?" He rose and went to the
brandy decanter on a small table by the far bedside.
He poured two glasses.
"Actually, I have been meaning to ask for your
advice," said the Madam. The maid serving the Madam
put her basin to one side then brushed and dressed her
long blue-black hair into a flamboyant bun atop her
head set with ruby pins.
"My advice?" He approached, his dressing
gown whispering around him as he brought her a brandy.
With the dark maid's help, he began to dress, pulling
on his dark breeches and his cream, silk shirt.
"For Twelfth Night, I am holding a grand ball
with the usual orchestra and masquerade, but I also
want to do an extravagant exhibition," she said
as she sipped the brandy. The blonde maid smoothed dark
silk stocking up the Madam's thighs then applied the
frilly garters at her knees, to hold them.
"A business acquaintance of mine told me about
an event that she had attended while abroad in France,"
the Madam continued as the maid laced the Madam into
knee-high black boots. "One of the exhibitions
sounded so interesting, I thought I'd give it a try."
She stood and the maid helped her into a sheer chemise
of deepest crimson. "However, I'm beginning to
believe that this might be better handled in the way
of your line of work, my dear Horse Master, than mine."
"You intend to use horses?" The cuffs
of his billowing sleeves were fastened snugly at his
wrists with gold and sapphire cufflinks. The maid tied
his dove gray cravat expertly around his neck then pinned
it with a sapphire brooch.
"Of a sort," she said smiling. She rose
and her maid began the task of lacing the Madam into
a heavy black, velvet corset. "I wanted to put
on a ... I guess you could call it a 'Dog and Pony'
show." She grinned at him as she took hold of her
bedpost so the maid could tighten the laces without
being pulled off her feet. "I want to use my girls
and a few of my prettier boys as the animals."
"You're going to use your staff as dogs and
ponies?" He thought a moment as his white stockings
and tall Hessian boots were pulled on. Her staff parading
about as beasts? It sounded plausible, even... titillating.
"I've never heard of this."
She chuckled. "You'd never seen grown men being
spanked to climax until your first visit," she
teased. "The doggies and kitties are all doing
very well, as my staff is very familiar with collars
and running around on all fours. The special harnesses
and the tack for the human ponies have all been completed.
The chariot specifically for my grand entrance and some
of the other vehicles has already been delivered. However
the ponies themselves, especially the ones I wish to
use in driving teams, are another story."
"How may I be of assistance?" He shrugged
into his midnight indigo waistcoat, then belted and
knotted his burgundy sash.
"I have one pony successfully trained for something
very specific," she said turning as the maid finished
lacing and held up the sheer, crimson petticoats for
the Madam to step into. "However, the rest of the
pony-girls and boys don't know quite, what to do and
their handlers don't know how to tell them without just
whipping them into position or ordering them to do it,
out loud." The Madam stepped into the complicated,
cage-like crinoline that formed the frame for the bustle
of her gown. The maid fastened the tapes at her waist.
"You would like your ponies to respond more
like natural horses, to whip and rein, as opposed to
verbal commands is that it?" he asked as he slipped
his deep blue, tailed coat on and straightened the lapels.
"Precisely." She smiled. "I also
want to have a few trick ponies, for a circus exhibition,"
she said then allowed her maid to button her into a
sleeveless gown of rich, iridescent black with falls
of midnight lace and rows of glittering, jet beads.
"But again, the ponies and handlers don't quite
know what to do." The maid arranged and attached
the abundant, glowing folds of her skirts as they pooled
around her, into a bustle and a long elegant train.
"I know very little about your techniques with
discipline. I've never schooled humans."
"My style of discipline doesn't seem to be
achieving the proper result for the display I'm looking
for. I thought perhaps, if we applied a style of training
more suited to actual horses, the exhibition would look
more realistic." The maid presented the Madam with
her jewel case. She chose a simple ruby pendant on a
silver chain set with jet.
"I know that you worked with a circus at one
time, training horses to do jumps and leaps on command.
Do you think you could show my trainers a few techniques
that might work with my ponies?"
"By Twelfth Night? That's only weeks away."
He thought for a few moments. "After breakfast,
show me your ponies and let me see what you have accomplished
so far, perhaps I can find some way to be of assistance
to you."
Chapter
Two
~ Horse Behavior ~
"We're using the summer ballroom for our pony
training ring," said the Madam, her bustled, sleeveless
gown of rich, iridescent black with falls of midnight
lace and rows of glittering, jet beads, whispering as
she led the Horse Master through the glass double-doors.
The ruby pins in her upswept black hair glittered. "It's
the only room large enough to hold an exhibition without
compromising room for the orchestra and the dancing
that going to be in the winter ballroom."
Tall, leaded windows surrounded three sides of the
cavernous room, draped closed from floor to ceiling
in heavy velvet to hold the morning's winter chill at
bay. Slender marble pillars stretched up to the high
cathedral ceiling where four enormous leaded crystal
chandeliers lit the flourished and gilded ceiling. The
four marble fireplaces held roaring bonfires, attempting
to warm the vast room. Thick piled oriental carpets
were spread across the entire polished wood floor to
hold in the warmth. A miniature horse-fence, only a
foot tall and painted white made a huge ring in the
center.
A youthful, tow-headed footman in the Madam's livery
walked up to the Horse Master and bowed. "The carriage
whip and the lead you requested sir." He handed
over a long, leather leading-rein with a steel clasp
and a six-foot long, tapering, slender whip tipped with
a short supple leather thong.
Three of the Madam's staff stood at rigid attention
in the center of the ring; two young ladies of athletic
yet feminine build, matching blondes, and a slender
young man with broad shoulders and rich auburn red hair.
They all had their waist-length manes pulled into tails
that fell freely down their backs.
Bridles in red leather with silver buckles and leather
wrapped, snaffle bits clamped in their teeth decorated
their heads. As he requested, they wore no reins. Their
chins stiffly supported by wide collars that did not
allow their heads to turn, their wide, serious eyes
followed the long, six-foot carriage whip held by the
tall Horse Master.
They wore an intricate harness of red leather over
and across their nude chests. The girls wore heavy leather
corsets with steel rings and the young man a wide belt
similar in design. Their wrists were manacled and fastened
to the small of their backs. The young man sported an
imposing leather cock ring around his shaven privates
and the girls had a narrow leather strap bisecting their
shaven mounds. Long, silky tails matching their manes,
arched from their hindquarters and leather boots were
laced to their knees.
"Impressive display," murmured the Horse
Master. "You have only three ponies?" he asked
the Madam.
"Thank you and actually there are eight ponies,
with an additional draft pony and two zebras."
she said softly, "Of the ponies, these three are
the most promising They are my lead ponies, the rest
take their cues from them."
Four of the Madam's staff stood just outside the
ring with their feet comfortably shoulder-width apart
and their gloved hands clutched behind them. They were
dressed in something like men's formal riding apparel.
Their hair was pulled back into neat, tailed queues,
tied in large formal bows of black velvet at the base
of their necks. Completely shirtless, dark crimson cravats
were decoratively knotted around their naked throats.
Frock coats of purest black were buttoned at the waist
and supple, leather jodhpurs were tucked into tall,
black leather Hessian boots. Upon closer inspection,
the Horse Master realized that two were young women;
their nipples barely concealed by the coats.
"I'm assuming that the four in the riding dress
are the trainers?" The Madam nodded. "And
you'd like to have the trainers show and drive the ponies
as though they were actual horses?"
"Do you think it would be a more impressive
display?"
"If there are any accomplished horsemen in
your audience, they will recognize what is being done,"
said the Horse Master, warming to the idea. "It
would certainly catch my attention."
"Excellent!" she said with a brilliant
smile. "Then that is precisely what we will do.
What would you suggest first?"
"If you like, I can instruct the ponies in
natural horse behavior, then I can show the trainers
how to begin schooling them to rein and whip signals
as though they were natural horses."
"That sounds perfect. I shall leave all the
instructing in your capable hands; the staff has already
been told to follow your orders as though they were
mine."
"You may want to consider having the rest of
the ponies gathered to at least observe the three in
the ring as they learn horse behavior, rather that having
them learn second hand."
"You do have a valid point, and time is of
the essence." The Madam turned to a waiting footman
and he left with a short bow. "I have sent for
chairs as well as the five other ponies and the two
zebras." He nodded. "Observing you will be
very educational," she continued. "I can't
wait to see what you accomplish. Is there anything else
that you might need?"
"Actually, yes." The Horse Master considered
his charges. "When it comes time to teach the trainers
I will need to explain out loud, what I am doing. The
ponies that are being schooled may anticipate commands
rather than react to them. Is there a way to keep the
ponies being schooled from hearing what I say to the
trainers?"
"I believe I have just the thing," said
the Madam. "Ear plugs; they will keep the ponies
from hearing your instructions. I'll have them applied
when you are ready."
"That should do nicely and I see that the rest
of my audience has arrived." Four attractive young
women in pastel morning gowns and decoratively upswept
hair followed by three young men in leisurely, afternoon
walking apparel stepped into the room followed by servants
with chairs. The Horse Master noticed that two of the
young ladies were dark skinned, exotic Africans.
"This is the Horse Master, a Master Whip of
Her Majesty's Royal Mews," introduced the Madam.
"To improve the accuracy of our Twelfth Night performance,
the Horse Master has agreed to coach all our ponies
on natural horse behavior and your trainers on schooling
you as if you were actual horses." The gathered
ponies gazed at him with curiosity and heightened interest.
The young ladies pulled out fans and fluttered them
coyly.
"My dear Horse Master," said the Madam,
"may I present the rest of the ponies that you
will be working with." The three young men bowed
formally while two of the young ladies curtsied gracefully.
"And these two young ladies, recently from the
American colonies, are our zebras." The dark-skinned
beauties curtsied elegantly and smiled irresistibly.
"For the event they will be painted with white
stripes."
"Charmed," he murmured bowing in return.
"By your leave, my dear Madam, I shall begin."
"By all means," she said with a smile.
"Take your seats my darlings, I expect all of you
to pay close attention to his instructions." The
seven quickly took the chairs arranged to either side
with the Madam seated in their center.
With a final bow to the Madam, the Horse Master
stepped to one side then removed his coat, waistcoat,
sash and cufflinks. He handed them to a waiting servant
to hold. In his shirtsleeves, whip and leading rein
in hand, the Horse Master strode to the line of trainers.
They snapped their feet together sharply, squaring their
shoulders and bringing their hands to their sides in
sharp attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said softly
to the waiting trainers as he nodding in greeting while
rolling his sleeves up to the elbows. "As an experienced
Horse Master of Her Majesty's Royal Mews and a member
of the Horseman's League, the Madam has asked me to
assist you in guiding your charges. I will begin by
teaching the ponies how to act more like natural horses.
Please, pay close attention to what I tell them. These
will be the keys to how you will school them to perform
as though you handled actual horses." The trainers
gave him a startled look, then, as one they nodded.
"Good," he said. "After I have instructed
the ponies, we will work the ponies with earplugs so
that you can follow my instructions without the ponies
anticipating your needs. Any questions?"
"Sir," said a young man on the end. "What
form of discipline will you be employing?" The
young man eyed the long horsewhip the Horse Master held.
"As in punishment?" The Horse Master asked.
The young man nodded.
"None." The Horse Master smiled. "The
whip will be used as a guide and a signal, not a tool
for chastisement."
"Sir," said one of the young ladies to
his left. "With all due respect, this conflicts
with our traditional form of discipline."
"You are correct, this style of training is
very different from what you are used to," the
Horse Master said gently. "Contrary to your previous
training, your job will be to gain the trust of your
charges so that they trust you to make the decisions
for them, as opposed to frightening them into doing
as you wish."
"What about their movements, their gaits, the
way they trot or prance?" asked a tall male trainer
at the far right. "How precise or uniform can their
basic movements be?"
"Once I show your ponies basic horse-like movements,
such as the basic hackney trot and a simple canter,
you are more than welcome the to formalize what I teach
in any way you see fit." The trainers nodded then
looked at each other with a slight smile and a mischievous
gleam in their eyes. "Any other questions?"
The four shook their heads.
"Then I ask you to pay close attention, because
you will need to understand what they should do in any
given situation so as to guide them and encourage them
in acting as horses as well as obeying your signals."
The four trainers nodded. The Horse Master bowed then
turned from the trainers and entered the ring, his stride
long and confident, to stand before the ponies.
"Ladies and gentleman," he began. "I
will be teaching your trainers to respond to actual
horse behavior, so you must make your best effort to
respond to their commands like a natural horse."
The ponies' eyes were riveted to his, in complete attention.
"If you do not understand a command, that is perfectly
permissible. React as you think you are being instructed
to react. If you go in the wrong direction, then this
will be the fault of your driver not you." The
ponies glanced at each other with raised brows. The
Horse Master watched a sly look slip into the young
male pony's eyes.
"Your task for today is to learn to emulate
a natural horse." The ponies looked at him in some
surprise. "To act as a natural horse, think of
yourself in terms of Master Darwin's 'Fight or Flight'.
This is where being as a horse is very different from
human behavior. Humans normally defend or fight when
presented with danger.
"You, as a horse, are a 'flight' animal. Your
defense against danger is to run away. If something
surprises you, startle as a horse would. This means
moving away from any perceived sudden movement, a loud
sound, or even a bad smell.
"Unlike humans, a horse does not ever step
back or directly to the side, so always flee danger
facing forward. You can turn to the side, but you must
turn your entire body to face where you are fleeing.
Walking backwards or sideways is an unnatural movement
for a horse. Unless schooled with a specific signal,
you are always to move forward or diagonally, by turning
your whole body. To go in any other direction, including
reverse, you will need to turn all the way around. Your
necks are restrained so this should help you move as
a horse would, by using your entire body.
"Something very special to remember: Horses
move 'into' pressure, not against it. This is because
a horse's skin will tear if they try to run away from
a bite. Wild animals that prey on horses attack their
bellies hoping to tear them open." The ponies rolled
their eyes nervously.
"Yes, I know, disgusting but true. If you feel
pressure, move into it, especially if you feel it on
your flanks. Your handlers need to learn to react to
this, so remember to move 'into' pressure as a natural
horse does. Also, If you are frightened badly enough,
kicking or stomping, is a natural reaction. Once flight
is no longer a clear option, a natural horse will turn
and defend himself by kicking. Use this as a distress
signal, so if something is wrong I expect you to stop
whatever your doing and stomp to signal your driver
to come look.
"Also, pay close attention while anyone is
near you. Someone standing square to you, facing you
directly and staring, just as I am doing now, is an
aggressor. Any direct eye contact is an aggressive signal.
If it's another pony and you think you can dominate
them, square your shoulders to theirs, turning directly
to stare at them. Keeping your head eye-level, bare
your teeth and stomp in attack. I have seen fighting
stallions stretch out their necks, hiss and strike with
their teeth like a snake." The female ponies eyed
the male pony, smiling around their bits in anticipation.
The male pony suddenly looked worried.
"However, if it's someone dominant or frightening
to you, break direct eye contact and get out of the
way as quickly as you can, by taking whatever direction
is open. Remember not to back up, horses do not step
backwards without a trainer to signal them to do this."
"As to movement; I'm sure you can do a trot,
this is a one, two, one, two step and comes naturally
to most human. As ponies, remember when you lift, to
keep your knees up, marching level, tucking your feet
under as tight as you can, then when you step out, throw
out your feet and point your toes like a showy hackney."
The ponies experimented with lifting their knees and
throwing their feet out.
"Very nice," he encouraged. "A canter
is a one-two-three step that is impossible for a two-legged
animal to reproduce. A close approximation would be
similar to skipping, but always leading with the same
foot, in a one-two, one-two rhythm. The same way I'm
sure you played at riding as a child. This is a lazier
movement and meant to be faster so while you should
lift your knees, it won't need to be nearly as high
as a trot. Go ahead and try."
The ponies timidly stepped forward from their line.
At the Horse Master's nod, they skipped about the ring
shaking their heads, their manes and tails bouncing
as they lunged about the ring in a two legged canter.
One of the female ponies broke into a showy, bouncing
trot then stepped up into a quick canter. The rest followed
her lead and tried trotting then went into the more
relaxing canter.
"Lift your knees and point your toes, ladies
and gentleman," he called out. "Make these
movements graceful." One of the girls started giggling.
"Horses, do not giggle, try whinnying or neighing
instead." All three ponies began making vaguely
horse-like sounds. The Horse Master turned to the Madam
seated at the edge of the ring by the observing ponies.
"Practice will be needed," he said in a loud
aside, with a slight smile and a weighted look at the
ponies. "I would encourage them to practice often."
"It is vitally important to remember that horses
are herd animals," he continued to the circling
ponies. "Always move to join in a group unless
something physically gets in your way, such as a fence
or something frightening." The cantering ponies
moved together until they were circling the ring at
a slow canter in a bunch.
"Very good. Think in terms of: safety in numbers.
Being alone is a frightening thing for a horse,"
he continued. "If you are alone, you are defenseless,
you cannot eat or sleep for fear of predators. As a
group or even a pair, watching for danger can be shared.
Because of this, as a horse alone, you will always try
to join together with anyone that is not actively chasing
you, even if it's only your trainer." He called
them back into line and continued.
"To join someone else's herd, or join anyone
that you are alone with, drop your eyes below theirs
by dropping your head submissively. In those collars,
you may have to tilt your bodies to do this. Face the
herd you want to join with your head down. This tells
them that you are willing to follow them, that you are
willing to trust their decisions with your safety.
"Also, chew on your bit, showing them your
flat teeth." The ponies started jingling their
bits and curling their lips at each other. "You
are saying to the other herd: See my flat teeth? I am
a grass-eater not a meat-eater and I want to be part
of your family. Slowly walk over to them and see if
they will let you stand with them. This is how horses
ask to be part of a someone else's group."
The Horse Master squared his shoulders, beetling his
brows in an aggressive stare. The ponies fought to break
eye contact as far as their stiff collars would allow.
Suddenly, he lunged, stomping at the line of quivering
ponies. They shoved, bumping into each other, turned
completely around and scattered, bolting at a canter
to the fence. They herded together then slowed their
mad run to a lazy jogging trot around the ring.
"Excellent," he called out. "That
is exactly how I wanted you to react." The Horse
Master stepped to the center of the ring turning to
keep facing them aggressively, attempting to catch their
eyes in a hard stare. He raised his carriage whip and
extended it behind them. They quickened from a trot
to a canter.
He broke eye contact, still following them with
his body, but looking a bit ahead of them, not directly
at them. He pointed his shoulder to them keeping his
shoulder turned non-aggressively to the circling ponies
and dropped the whip. The ponies slowed to a trot then
slowed to a quick walk.
The Horse Master stopped in place and waited until
they circled all the way around, then he suddenly raised
his whip before them, stepped toward them with his shoulders
squared at them and staring. They abruptly came to a
jolting squealing halt then turned completely around
to canter quickly in the other direction.
The Horse Master kept them trotting and cantering
back and forth in reaction to his staring and whip signals.
Turning with them, he broke eye contact, turned his
shoulder toward them, whip down and waited.
They slowed to an exhausted, walk quickly. The Horse
Master kept his shoulder to them and his eyes forward.
The ponies were clearly sweating in their harness from
running and their breathing was labored. The ponies
slowed to a halt and faced him; their bodies tilted
awkwardly, submissively forward, their heads below his
eye level. He heard the jingling of the bits as they
chewed, their lips curled, showing their teeth.
The Horse Master glanced at them but kept his face
averted. One of the female ponies stepped gingerly forward.
Hesitantly, she took mincing steps toward his averted
shoulder until she stood within touching range. The
bit jingled. Her body tilted a little forward and eyes
below his; she gingerly touched her nose to his arm.
The Horse Master slowly raised his hand and scratched
under her chin.
"Good girl," he whispered. She pressed
her face closer and leaned a little against him. The
other ponies approached to be patted and praised. "Ladies
and gentleman," the Horse Master said softly, "our
lesson is concluded and you all did very well, very
well indeed."
"Bravo!" The Madam rose from her chair
and clapped enthusiastically from the sidelines. The
six ponies sitting with the Madam rose and clapped excitedly
with her. The staff that had gathered in the doorway
and scattered against the entire back wall joined in
thunderous applause.
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