Sim_Spiration: Saddling a Horse
Title: Learning to Ride
Prompt: Saddling a Horse sim_spiration.
Rating: U
Summary: Ezra starts to teach Bethany how to ride
Notes: I'm not particularly happy with this: it feels a bit stilted and forced and repetitive, but I want to start getting back into the habit of writing (rebuild is nearly done, yay), so I'm going to put this here anyway. Also, I've never ridden a horse, let alone ridden one side-saddle, so I apologise for any inaccuracies in the description of posture etc.
Word Count: 1,386.
Bethany looked warily up at the horse in front of her, and as if sensing her unease, the beast snorted and bucked its head causing her to take an involuntary step backwards. Although she had always preferred the country, Bethany was a city girl, born and brought up in Simdon, and as such, she was used to horses being tethered to vehicles and controlled by expert coachmen and ruthless cab drivers. The closest she had been to a horse that hadn’t had a groom with it, was when she had been about eight and the nanny had taken her and her siblings down to the back yard when the grocer had made his delivery. Cook had given them all a lump of sugar to feed to his horse, but Sarah Jane had screamed as soon as she had gotten within ten feet of the animal, startling the poor creature who had backed the cart into the coal bunker and that had put paid to that. That was the last time Bethany had been the last time she had even thought about being near to a horse without a coachman, and she would have been content to leave it at that, if it hadn’t been for the fact that her husband loved to ride.
She licked her lips nervously and tugged at the burgundy velvet sleeve of her riding habit. That really was the only reason she was standing here: she would do anything if it meant spending time with Ezra, even follow him into the gates of Hell itself. Speaking of her husband …
She took her eyes off the horse to watch Ezra as he expertly fastened the girth round the belly of the animal before adjusting the stirrup. They employed a boy from the neighbouring farm to look after the horses, but Ezra was insistent that he would be the one to saddle the horse she was going to ride and make sure everything was secure; he would trust her safety to no one else. He must have felt her gaze on him, because he looked over and smiled at her. Her lips twitched into an answering smile, but it must have looked more like a grimace, because his face clouded slightly and with a few quick strides, he was by her side. Her smile was now genuine as she thought about how well his riding jacket suited his slender figure. He took her hand, and she could feel the warmth of his skin through her gloves. “Nervous?” he asked quietly.
“A little,” she admitted.
He started to rub the back of her hand with is thumb. “Don’t be. You will be fine.”
She shot him a look. “It is all very well you saying that Ezra. You spent much of your youth living on a landed estate in Simshire with your grandparents, probably spending all day, every day riding.” He bowed his head in acknowledgement as he remembered glorious days spent roaming the country side with Edward and their horses. “I however,” his wife continued, “lived nowhere other than Simdon until I attended the Acadamie. Even visiting Uncle Eddie here in Regalton, did not lend itself to contact with these animals, since he does not keep them.”
“If you do not want to learn to ride, you do not have to. I would never …”
“But I do want to!” she interjected. “I want to learn to ride very much. Wanting to though does not stop the fact that I feel apprehensive about it.”
He looked at her levelly for a moment before nodding. “If you are certain…”
“I am,” she responded with more confidence than she felt.
He squeezed her hand before taking the bridle of the horse and leading it to the mounting block. Still not letting go of Bethany’s hand, he helped her up the steps.
“Besides,” she said as she settled into the saddle and arranged her skirts around her legs, “if I do not learn to ride, you might run into some fine equestrian one day while out riding, and run off with her.” She had meant for it to sound like a joke, but her voice caught as she reached the end of the sentence.
Ezra gasped and once more reached for her hand. “Bethany Elise Howard,” he said quietly, “you are, and always will be, the only woman I will ever love. We are meant to be together, I feel it deep within my soul, and it will take more than the power of the Lord Wright himself to tear us apart, or make me look at another woman.”
“Oh Ezra.” She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes as she thought about how she really was the luckiest of women.
He kissed the back of her gloved hand before placing her hand on the reins. “Now, you hold the reins like this with your left hand, with the crop in your right hand.” he said as he showed her. “No, like this. That is right. Do not lean towards me. Sit so that you are not twisted. Your spine needs to be in line with the horse’s.” Satisfied she was sitting correctly, he reached towards her left foot and adjusted the stirrup so that it was in the right position. “Ready?”
She gave a tight smile and a nod. Ezra took hold of the bridle near where it met the bit and clicked his tongue. The mare started to walk forward and Bethany’ breath caught in her throat as she felt her equilibrium shift with the animal’s movement. Instinctively she moved slightly to keep her balance, and by the time they were at the gate that lead to the meadow beyond their garden she had started to get used to the rhythm of the animal’s gait. Ezra looked askance at her as he led the horse away from the gate and started back towards the stable. She smiled and nodded. “It is not as bad as I had feared,” she admitted.
His face lit up as he smiled at her. “I am glad. I will continue to lead the horse for today, and then tomorrow, if you feel confident enough, I will walk beside, but let you control the animal.”
Panic flared briefly in her breast, but she gave a sharp nod of agreement. She’d only ridden a few hundred feet and didn’t feel confident or safe enough for him to let go of the bridle just yet, but the mare was very placid beneath her and tomorrow perhaps she would.
For the next hour, Ezra led the horse round their grounds and out into the meadow beyond as Bethany started to enjoy herself. She felt a pang of disappointment when Ezra led the horse back into the stable yard and to the mounting block. He gripped her hand tightly as he helped her down before handing the horse over to the stable hand. “Well my dear?” he asked as the boy led the horse away. “Do you want to go out again tomorrow?”
“Oh very much so,” replied Bethany. “I had started to quite enjoy myself. It is something I think I will like.”
Ezra’s face split into a broad grin at the thought of being able to share something he loved with his wife. “I hope you will. Just think of the fun we could have traipsing round the country, just the two of us and the horses. We could take a picnic and find a secluded spot away from prying eyes to eat it.” Bethy felt her cheeks grow warm as she flushed with pleasure at the thought. A wicked look crossed Ezra’s face. “And of course, if your sister’s marriage does take place, then we can ride cross-country to Simbury House to visit her.”
Bethany let out a peel of laughter. “I can just imagine the look on her face as the butler announces us and we trot in, our riding habits mud splattered, and my hair a tangled mess despite its bun and my hat. She will be torn between disgust at our appearance and her good breeding insisting we sit and have tea with her.”
“Indeed,” he offered her his arm and they started to head back to the house, both amused and enthralled by the morning’s events.
Prompt: Saddling a Horse sim_spiration.
Rating: U
Summary: Ezra starts to teach Bethany how to ride
Notes: I'm not particularly happy with this: it feels a bit stilted and forced and repetitive, but I want to start getting back into the habit of writing (rebuild is nearly done, yay), so I'm going to put this here anyway. Also, I've never ridden a horse, let alone ridden one side-saddle, so I apologise for any inaccuracies in the description of posture etc.
Word Count: 1,386.
Bethany looked warily up at the horse in front of her, and as if sensing her unease, the beast snorted and bucked its head causing her to take an involuntary step backwards. Although she had always preferred the country, Bethany was a city girl, born and brought up in Simdon, and as such, she was used to horses being tethered to vehicles and controlled by expert coachmen and ruthless cab drivers. The closest she had been to a horse that hadn’t had a groom with it, was when she had been about eight and the nanny had taken her and her siblings down to the back yard when the grocer had made his delivery. Cook had given them all a lump of sugar to feed to his horse, but Sarah Jane had screamed as soon as she had gotten within ten feet of the animal, startling the poor creature who had backed the cart into the coal bunker and that had put paid to that. That was the last time Bethany had been the last time she had even thought about being near to a horse without a coachman, and she would have been content to leave it at that, if it hadn’t been for the fact that her husband loved to ride.
She licked her lips nervously and tugged at the burgundy velvet sleeve of her riding habit. That really was the only reason she was standing here: she would do anything if it meant spending time with Ezra, even follow him into the gates of Hell itself. Speaking of her husband …
She took her eyes off the horse to watch Ezra as he expertly fastened the girth round the belly of the animal before adjusting the stirrup. They employed a boy from the neighbouring farm to look after the horses, but Ezra was insistent that he would be the one to saddle the horse she was going to ride and make sure everything was secure; he would trust her safety to no one else. He must have felt her gaze on him, because he looked over and smiled at her. Her lips twitched into an answering smile, but it must have looked more like a grimace, because his face clouded slightly and with a few quick strides, he was by her side. Her smile was now genuine as she thought about how well his riding jacket suited his slender figure. He took her hand, and she could feel the warmth of his skin through her gloves. “Nervous?” he asked quietly.
“A little,” she admitted.
He started to rub the back of her hand with is thumb. “Don’t be. You will be fine.”
She shot him a look. “It is all very well you saying that Ezra. You spent much of your youth living on a landed estate in Simshire with your grandparents, probably spending all day, every day riding.” He bowed his head in acknowledgement as he remembered glorious days spent roaming the country side with Edward and their horses. “I however,” his wife continued, “lived nowhere other than Simdon until I attended the Acadamie. Even visiting Uncle Eddie here in Regalton, did not lend itself to contact with these animals, since he does not keep them.”
“If you do not want to learn to ride, you do not have to. I would never …”
“But I do want to!” she interjected. “I want to learn to ride very much. Wanting to though does not stop the fact that I feel apprehensive about it.”
He looked at her levelly for a moment before nodding. “If you are certain…”
“I am,” she responded with more confidence than she felt.
He squeezed her hand before taking the bridle of the horse and leading it to the mounting block. Still not letting go of Bethany’s hand, he helped her up the steps.
“Besides,” she said as she settled into the saddle and arranged her skirts around her legs, “if I do not learn to ride, you might run into some fine equestrian one day while out riding, and run off with her.” She had meant for it to sound like a joke, but her voice caught as she reached the end of the sentence.
Ezra gasped and once more reached for her hand. “Bethany Elise Howard,” he said quietly, “you are, and always will be, the only woman I will ever love. We are meant to be together, I feel it deep within my soul, and it will take more than the power of the Lord Wright himself to tear us apart, or make me look at another woman.”
“Oh Ezra.” She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes as she thought about how she really was the luckiest of women.
He kissed the back of her gloved hand before placing her hand on the reins. “Now, you hold the reins like this with your left hand, with the crop in your right hand.” he said as he showed her. “No, like this. That is right. Do not lean towards me. Sit so that you are not twisted. Your spine needs to be in line with the horse’s.” Satisfied she was sitting correctly, he reached towards her left foot and adjusted the stirrup so that it was in the right position. “Ready?”
She gave a tight smile and a nod. Ezra took hold of the bridle near where it met the bit and clicked his tongue. The mare started to walk forward and Bethany’ breath caught in her throat as she felt her equilibrium shift with the animal’s movement. Instinctively she moved slightly to keep her balance, and by the time they were at the gate that lead to the meadow beyond their garden she had started to get used to the rhythm of the animal’s gait. Ezra looked askance at her as he led the horse away from the gate and started back towards the stable. She smiled and nodded. “It is not as bad as I had feared,” she admitted.
His face lit up as he smiled at her. “I am glad. I will continue to lead the horse for today, and then tomorrow, if you feel confident enough, I will walk beside, but let you control the animal.”
Panic flared briefly in her breast, but she gave a sharp nod of agreement. She’d only ridden a few hundred feet and didn’t feel confident or safe enough for him to let go of the bridle just yet, but the mare was very placid beneath her and tomorrow perhaps she would.
For the next hour, Ezra led the horse round their grounds and out into the meadow beyond as Bethany started to enjoy herself. She felt a pang of disappointment when Ezra led the horse back into the stable yard and to the mounting block. He gripped her hand tightly as he helped her down before handing the horse over to the stable hand. “Well my dear?” he asked as the boy led the horse away. “Do you want to go out again tomorrow?”
“Oh very much so,” replied Bethany. “I had started to quite enjoy myself. It is something I think I will like.”
Ezra’s face split into a broad grin at the thought of being able to share something he loved with his wife. “I hope you will. Just think of the fun we could have traipsing round the country, just the two of us and the horses. We could take a picnic and find a secluded spot away from prying eyes to eat it.” Bethy felt her cheeks grow warm as she flushed with pleasure at the thought. A wicked look crossed Ezra’s face. “And of course, if your sister’s marriage does take place, then we can ride cross-country to Simbury House to visit her.”
Bethany let out a peel of laughter. “I can just imagine the look on her face as the butler announces us and we trot in, our riding habits mud splattered, and my hair a tangled mess despite its bun and my hat. She will be torn between disgust at our appearance and her good breeding insisting we sit and have tea with her.”
“Indeed,” he offered her his arm and they started to head back to the house, both amused and enthralled by the morning’s events.