Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on Mar 25, 2006 19:41:17 GMT -5
Kirra led Hisokani, her white spotted grey horse, onto the training field. Hisokani was wearing a bridle, but no saddle, Kirra was riding bareback.
Mounting, she warmed Hisokani up, walking in circles just inside of the rough wooden fence. Kirra kicked Hisokani into a trot, and continued the circles. Hearing a noise behind her, Kirra snapped her head around, before thinking it was probably just another Rider.
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on Mar 28, 2006 18:06:34 GMT -5
Riana led her mount out into the practice field, uneasy about riding a horse for the first time in her life. Gingerly, she stroked the neck of her mare, whose name was Cinnamon. She was a chestnut-red color with a calm temperament and an easy-going attitude.
After taking several deep breaths, Riana clumsily swung her leg over the saddle and settled herself. The feeling of a saddle between her legs was a new feeling, and one so odd that she fidgeted to get comfortable. She spotted Kirra leading her mount through exercises and felt nervous--the other girl was much more experienced at this.
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Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on Mar 29, 2006 1:12:11 GMT -5
Seeing only Riana, Kirra's Yaman features brightened into a smile. It was good to see Riana. "Hey!" Kirra said cheerfully, slowing Hisokani down to a walk and leading her around to face Riana.
Looking down at the almost comforting gray hair of Hisokani, Kirra had always loved animals, especially horses, she smiled softly and looked back up to Riana, positioned between the mare's upright ears.
Seeing Riana fidget, looking uncomfortable on a horse, and on a saddle, looking as though she really was very nervous, Kirra offered, "Want any help? I mean, you look a bit uncomfortable in a saddle."
Not knowing what else to say after that, Kirra just shrugged slightly, as if to say that it didn't really matter, and bit her pink lips just slightly.
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on Apr 1, 2006 19:07:20 GMT -5
Riana forced a smile to her face as Kirra offered assistance with the horse-work. "If it's not too much trouble," she said, embarrassed a little, "I'd love some help." She tightened the reigns in her grip and made a silent prayer to the gods that she didn't fall off her mount today.
Her mount remained calm and steady beneath her as Riana tried to make her trot into the field. As the mare slowly made her way across the grass, Riana concentrated hard on keeping her balance, and then realized after a moment that it wasn't as hard as she first thought it to be.
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Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on Apr 3, 2006 22:50:48 GMT -5
Kirra smiled at Riana, "It's not a problem, if you don't mind. First, though, have you ever ridden before?" Kirra asked.
"To begin, though, be fairly relaxed. If you are stiff, it's just harder." Kirra's eyes held a glint of a smile, "And let your horse know that you are in charge, that she can't just go off and nibble some grass.
"Basically, don't be tense in the saddle, and keep your ears, shoulders, hips and heels aligned - it helps with balance." Kirra said simply, "To stop, just pull back on the reins gently. To start in a walk, I'll assume you know this, since you already did it, just squeeze your legs slightly and your horse should start." Kirra paused to nudge Hisokani into a slow walk, then stopped her. "This is all simple, it looks like you already know most of it."
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on Apr 8, 2006 16:41:55 GMT -5
Riana nodded as Kirra gave her advice for how to handle her mount. When Kirra finished talking, Riana tried to balance out her body in the saddle like she was told to, and she instantly realized that this made it easier to stay sitting upright. Next, she tried to relax in the saddle as Kirra had suggested, but this would be a little harder to master than sitting up straight.
"I've ridden only twice before," she told Kirra with a slight smile. "I guess I was just so afraid of falling off that I didn't want to learn how." She adjusted her grip on the reins and kicked her mare into a slow trot, trying to get used to feeling of a horse beneath her.
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Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on Apr 9, 2006 23:02:34 GMT -5
Watching with a slightly amused smile as Riana adjusted her balance, she nudged her own mare, Hisokani, into a walk, then into a slow trot, rising and sitting in the rhythm that Hisokani trotted in. Kirra was not as good at this as just relaxing into the trot. Noting that she was slightly off, Kirra adjusted her rhythm.
Replying to Riana, Kirra commented with a slight twinkle in her eye, "Yes, it seems to help in not falling off if you learn how to balance properly."
Seeing Riana kick her mare into a slow trot, Kirra slowed down to a walk and told her, "It helps if you relax in a trot, otherwise you end up bouncing all over the place. Or you can rise and sit, although that takes a bit more practise to master. I'm not really good at it."
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on Apr 12, 2006 17:00:09 GMT -5
Riana listened to what Kirra told hear and then tried to do as she advised. She made herself relax and fall into the rhythm of Cinnamon's gait, trying to get the hang of being in a saddle. She turned her head to watch Kirra and tried to imitate what the other girl was doing. It helped a little, but there were still improvements to be made. She tugged on the reins, making Cinnamon turn toward the left.
Riana focused her gaze on the ground ahead of her, watching for any obstacles that she would have to maneuver around. She concentrated on making her body relaxed, although she couldn't fully do it yet. She pulled back on the reins gently, making her mare come to a slow stop. She turned to Kirra with a half-smile on her face. "Why don't you use a saddle?" she asked her friend casually.
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Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on Apr 13, 2006 21:47:14 GMT -5
Once again, Kirra nudged Hisokani into a trot, screwing up her mouth as she concentrated on getting her rhythm right as she rose and sat. It still wasn't quite right. Pausing for a millisecond, she started again, grinning as the rhythm finally felt right. Kirra concentrated on keeping it up for a couple minutes, before relaxing and trotting around the ring.
This time, Kirra focused on manuevering Hisokani around, figure eights and tight corners. Next time she came out, she might go for a trail ride. She would see if Riana wanted to go. It would be good for both of them.
As Kirra slowed to a walk, and then to a stop, Riana asked her, smiling, "Why don't you use a saddle?"
Kirra turned around, smiling. "Sometimes I do, you know. However, I learned first without a saddle, so I like to practise without one now to keep that up. It also makes my riding with a saddle better."
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on Apr 24, 2006 20:58:54 GMT -5
Riana listened to Kirra, her face holding a forced smile. She was still trying to relax in the saddle and it wasn't proving to be easy.
"Sometimes I do, you know. However, I learned first without a saddle, so I like to practice without one now to keep that up. It also makes my riding with a saddle better."
Riana nodded and kicked her mare's sides to hopefully make her go faster. The mare obeyed willingly and was now cantering across the practice yard. Forcing herself to concentrate and to relax, she was able to move a little easier with Cinnamon. A genuine smile lit her face as she pulled on the reins to turn the mare gently to the left. She looked behind her shoulder to see if Kirra was following, and then returned her gaze to the ground in front of her. Thankfully, there were no large obstacles that the mare would have to maneuver around, and Riana could practice relaxing while in a canter.
With the mare moving faster, it was definitely harder to relax, and Riana found herself wishing to pull on the reins and stop the horse. She didn't, however, because she wanted to make herself comfortable with a speed faster than a trot or walk. She turned again to look at Kirra, and then regretted it. She lost her balance in the saddle and suddenly fell to one side of the mare's neck. She frantically yanked on the reins while clinging to her horse's mane. Cinnamon, startled, reared slightly and then came to a stop.
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Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on Apr 30, 2006 20:59:05 GMT -5
Seeing Riana nod, Kirra turned away and started at a walk, quickly speeding up to a trot, and finally to a canter. Focusing on relaxing, and keeping her balance, Kirra turned Hisokani around to face Riana.
Seeing Riana smile, Kirra grinned. Riana was doing very well. Smiling back at Riana when she looked back, Kirra turned again, in a full circle before slowing down to a trot again. Looking foward, Kirra relaxed into the trot.
Seeing Riana slide down on her horses neck after she looked back at Kirra, Kirra gasped, and urged Hisokani into a canter, stopping beside Riana. Riana's horse had reared, probably because Riana pulled on her reins when she slid. Going to help Riana back up Kirra asked urgently, "Are you all right?" her mouth was thin as she continued, "Should we stop for today?"
Kirra looked over Riana, trying to see if she was all right.
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on May 12, 2006 22:58:22 GMT -5
Riana saw Kirra's worried look and them felt her face go red. Her breathing was heavy as she gulped down air. She felt embarrassed that she had made such a mistake, but also relieved that she hadn't fallen off the horse. She looked up at her friend and forced a smile to her lips. "I'm all right," she told Kirra. "We don't need to stop just because I made a stupid mistake." She felt her breath starting to calm down, and then it was a little easier to smile.
"This just means that I need more practice," she continued, not really speaking to anyone in particular. After regaining her balance on the mare, she wiped her sweaty hands on the legs of her breeches so that she would not lose hold of the reins. Looking at Kirra with a face that was still pink with embarrassment, she urged Cinnamon into a slow walk and began going around the field again.
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Kirra
Noble
Kirra Okunote - Queen's Rider Nadia Konnors - Rogue, Spy
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
Posts: 116
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Post by Kirra on May 21, 2006 22:39:32 GMT -5
Kirra relaxed visibly, sitting back in a natural position on her horse at Riana's assurance that she was fine. "Well, if you're sure." Kirra said, seemingly not seeing Riana go red. "And it wasn't a stupid mistake. It's one anyone could make. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"It just meens I need more practise."
"Everyone needs practise, it doesn't matter if you are the best or not." Kirra shrugged slightly and smiled cheerfully before kicking her white spotted gray mare into a walk, and then into trot. Kirra started to try to lead Hisokani in a figure eight, trying to learn to manuveur her better.
The first one could be nicely described as "loopy," or "needs just a bit more practise." However, Kirra liked to think of herself as a fast learner and was soon doing better, and was more confident in them.
Pulling Hisokani to a stop at the end of one, Kirra looked up to see how Riana was making out now.
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Riana
Noble
Riana Pereira - Queen's Rider
Don't regret your mistakes...learn from them.
Posts: 70
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Post by Riana on May 27, 2006 11:39:06 GMT -5
"And it wasn't a stupid mistake. It's one anyone could make. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Riana bit her lip and nodded to Kirra, telling herself that her friend was right. She shouldn't be hard on herself; after all, she was only a beginner. It would take weeks--perhaps months--to become proficient at horseback riding. With a sigh, she kicked Cinnamon into a trot, copying Kirra's figure-eight pattern. Her friend's loops were good compared to Riana's, whose "loops" could be described as wide, irregular circles.
Concentrating harder, she began using her legs as well as the reins to steer the mare, and in doing this the loops became a little tighter, and shaped more like an eight. She looked over at Kirra, and saw that she was leaning into her turns. A good idea, she thought to herself. On her next turn, Riana tried leaning into it. It took a little more courage to do this, as it felt as if she was going to fall off her horse, but she made herself try it. While leaning, she found that it, too, helped sharpen the turns. They were still, however, wide turns with little definition.
Satisfied with the progress she had made, a grin lit her face. "I think I'm starting to get it," she told Kirra.
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sparrowhawk
Commoner
Kira Tamori - Queen's Rider Helen Troy - Shang Hawk, Unarmed Combat Master
Posts: 24
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Post by sparrowhawk on Jul 3, 2006 3:34:03 GMT -5
Kira rode inot the feild on her pony. She tried some jumps then some trick riding.
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