(Day 4, EA) Back In The Saddle Again

[Matsu Kogo]

"This is the canter," he says as he pushes Meushi a bit faster. There's a definite increase in bounce and speed and the timing of the bounce is different. "It is a bit different in timing because of how the feet move. Her feet are now spending more time off the ground than on, and her body shifts forward and backward as weight transfers. The movement of her feet between this and a gallop is very similar, but when she's at a gallop she'll be doing so much faster and her weight will be a bit lower leading to a bit less up and down motion."

Kogo focuses on the motion of her body, seeking to find balance in this odd place. Her hands grip tighter around his waist and she leans forward slightly more to aid her balance. She grits her teeth, determined to not show herself a fool in this.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

They've been traveling in a straight line so far, and are a decent distance from the village out into the fields.

"Alright. So when you go into the gallop your going to lower down a bit." He leans forward gently, pulling her with him.

"Then you keep your hands low." He rests his hands holding the reigns on Meushi's neck.

"And finally you start squeezing to get her to increase speed." And with a few squeezes they pick up pace and the wind flows through their hair and by their ears. He has to speak a bit louder to make sure he's heard.

[Matsu Kogo]

They've been traveling in a straight line so far, and are a decent distance from the village out into the fields.

"Alright. So when you go into the gallop your going to lower down a bit." He leans forward gently, pulling her with him.

"Then you keep your hands low." He rests his hands holding the reigns on Meushi's neck.

"And finally you start squeezing to get her to increase speed." And with a few squeezes they pick up pace and the wind flows through their hair and by their ears. He has to speak a bit louder to make sure he's heard.

She follows his body posture, though the motion brings more red to her ears and cheeks. Hopefully it can be blamed on the wind. With the speed, suddenly an intense feeling of exhilaration filled her. It seemed to expand through her chest and she couldn't seem to stop herself from yelling in sheer joy. "This is amazing!"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

Monkhbaatar felt no embarrassment or shyness at being this close. This wasn't the first time nor would it be the last that he's ridden with someone. At her yelling he laughed happily, the reverberation through his body easily being felt by Kogo. He kept up speed for a bit under a minute before he gradually started bringing Meushi back down to a trot. He was breathing slightly heavier from the excitement. Peeking back they were probably a good mile or more from the edge of the village into the fields.

"And how was that?"

[Matsu Kogo]

Monkhbaatar felt no embarrassment or shyness at being this close. This wasn't the first time nor would it be the last that he's ridden with someone. At her yelling he laughed happily, the reverberation through his body easily being felt by Kogo. He kept up speed for a bit under a minute before he gradually started bringing Meushi back down to a trot. He was breathing slightly heavier from the excitement. Peeking back they were probably a good mile or more from the edge of the village into the fields.

"And how was that?"

Kogo's blushes had started to decrease a little bit, but her face is still fairly flushed. Thankfully, she is behind Shinjo-san. "Incredible. Like nothing else I have ever done. " She seeks to calm her breath but she can't seem to stop smiling. "No wonder you don't want to stay in one place. Why would you, when travel means speed like that?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"It's not only that," he says with a smile. "It's also the fact that when you are traveling at speed, you wake up one morning with one view, and a new horizon when you go to bed. The world feels limitless and the opportunity to travel it is a gift."

He makes no mention of her arms still around him. For all her concern about propriety and his comfort with being doubled up on a horse, he wasn't going to lie to himself. It felt nice, especially with Kogo being a strong woman with a firm grip.

And then he got an idea. "Keep holding. I'll show you how it feels to make tight circles as well. Getting you balance right is key for this and if you can feel it with me that should help you remember just how much you need to compensate when turning."

[Matsu Kogo]

"It's not only that," he says with a smile. "It's also the fact that when you are traveling at speed, you wake up one morning with one view, and a new horizon when you go to bed. The world feels limitless and the opportunity to travel it is a gift."

He makes no mention of her arms still around him. For all her concern about propriety and his comfort with being doubled up on a horse, he wasn't going to lie to himself. It felt nice, especially with Kogo being a strong woman with a firm grip.

And then he got an idea. "Keep holding. I'll show you how it feels to make tight circles as well. Getting you balance right is key for this and if you can feel it with me that should help you remember just how much you need to compensate when turning."

She smiles, thinking about what that must be like "Endless possibility. I feel like those are the words I have thought the most since coming to the miai." She startles at her realization of her continued holding of him, but then listens to what he says. "All right Shinjo-san. You know best in this."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

He nods and then picks back up to a canter, before beginning a wide turning maneuver, shifting his weight slightly as part of it. Once he comes around full circle he turns the other way in a tighter circle and shifts his weight again, this time a bit more pronounced. The third circle is the tightest one with the most shifting, requiring that tight grasp to keep them together and prevent Kogo from falling off.

[Matsu Kogo]

He nods and then picks back up to a canter, before beginning a wide turning maneuver, shifting his weight slightly as part of it. Once he comes around full circle he turns the other way in a tighter circle and shifts his weight again, this time a bit more pronounced. The third circle is the tightest one with the most shifting, requiring that tight grasp to keep them together and prevent Kogo from falling off.

Kogo feels slightly less sure about these maneuvers. They are like nothing she has ever done before. She grips harder, but tries to remember not to use her full strength. However, by the third circle, she has returned to the grasping she had done on the gallop, focusing intently on just not falling off. Breathe, Kogo, breathe.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

Turning Meushi back towards the village, he puts her at a walk for now. "How was that? It's a bit of a different feel than just the wide circles that you've been doing so far."

[Matsu Kogo]

Turning Meushi back towards the village, he puts her at a walk for now. "How was that? It's a bit of a different feel than just the wide circles that you've been doing so far."

She unclenches her hands from his sides, flexing them a bit to get some more blood flow. "It was exhilarating but also very unusual. I don't know if I've ever moved like that before." She laughs a little. "That is the first time I've been truly concenred about falling off. The galloping was somehow easier. "

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Straight lines only require you to balance in the center. Turns require a bit more consideration. When you start practicing those you'll be making one large circle at first and steadily narrowing it," he explains. "Then after you get a feel for balance, with that move on to serpentines."

When he says that he picks up to a trot and starts doing a large serpentine maneuver with Meushi. "This is more for practicing shifting your weight back and forth after you've gotten use to where your weight should be during the turns."

[Matsu Kogo]

"Straight lines only require you to balance in the center. Turns require a bit more consideration. When you start practicing those you'll be making one large circle at first and steadily narrowing it," he explains. "Then after you get a feel for balance, with that move on to serpentines."

When he says that he picks up to a trot and starts doing a large serpentine maneuver with Meushi. "This is more for practicing shifting your weight back and forth after you've gotten use to where your weight should be during the turns."

She grips his sides again, holding on, but feeling the tension in muscles that are rarely used for this sort of activity. She shifts with Shinjo-san, but begins to suspect that this skill is going to require far longer to master than she had hoped. "And are all these maneuvers used in combat? I am trying to imagine trying to keep track of other samurai, holding a sword, not chopping off my horses's head and maneuvering." She shifts a little too far on one turn but manages to correct it just in time.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

Slowing back to a walk and straightening out once more, Meushi starts ambling towards the village at an easy pace again.

"The specific maneuvers are not. They're intended to teach you to react quickly and make the commands and balance second nature for when you are in combat. The most important part of the skill is to make sure you stay in the saddle. After that you focus on the details of controlling your mount in order to become one with her, so that you can be more precise in your positioning. Losing your mount is losing a distinct advantage. Better to stay in the saddle and wait for a better opportunity than fall off and lose that advantage," he explains.

[Matsu Kogo]

Slowing back to a walk and straightening out once more, Meushi starts ambling towards the village at an easy pace again.

"The specific maneuvers are not. They're intended to teach you to react quickly and make the commands and balance second nature for when you are in combat. The most important part of the skill is to make sure you stay in the saddle. After that you focus on the details of controlling your mount in order to become one with her, so that you can be more precise in your positioning. Losing your mount is losing a distinct advantage. Better to stay in the saddle and wait for a better opportunity than fall off and lose that advantage," he explains.

She nods, somewhat grateful for moving back to a straight line, though missing the excitement as well. "That makes a great deal of sense. Teach the body to stay on the horse first, then teach it to do other things while on the horse. Bottom line, stay on the horse." She laughs, letting her grip ease but still keeping a hold of him.