Troubled Waters: Day 13

Word Count: 78,012

Summary of Events:

Hallbjörn lunged Nótt for a bit before deciding — seeing how Nótt was being consistently better behaved in recent days — to try riding Nótt, even if he didn't have a saddle; his attempt, admittedly, went better than he'd expected, as Nótt wasn't hostile at all. Bergljót had a private conversation with her father about her older sister, who was starting to give her more grief than usual. Hallbjörn, with the saddle that was finally completed, went to see how Nótt would receive the saddle . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Finally Hallbjörn settled the blanket neatly in place, albeit a little ahead of where it was supposed to sit, then he took up the saddle, making sure that the cinch was across the seat and the stirrup was hooked on the horn.

Hoisting it into a comfortable position, Hallbjörn then easily swung it onto Nótt’s back and slid both it and the blanket back into position.

Nótt stood completely calm and unbothered, waiting for Hallbjörn to keep going.

Satisfied that Nótt wasn’t going to make any trouble, Hallbjörn lifted the stirrup off the horn and let it drop against Nótt’s other side; he then pushed the cinch over to join it and lifted the stirrup on his side up onto the horn.

Reaching under Nótt’s belly, Hallbjörn took up the cinch and fed its strap into the buckle on his side, making sure the cinch was close to Nótt’s belly.

Hallbjörn then checked how centred it was by looking between Nótt’s forelegs from the front to see if the martingale ring was in the middle.

It wasn’t, so Hallbjörn made the adjustments necessary on both sides of the cinch to be sure that it was before tightening the cinch completely. He then did up the rear cinch not quite so tightly, tapping Nótt’s belly to be sure the stallion hadn’t held his breath.

Checking the saddle for wiggle, Hallbjörn was satisfied that it would hold him and swung aboard with ease.

He checked the stirrup lengths and adjusted them before dismounting and lunging Nótt with the empty saddle on his back just to warm him up a little bit more.

Hallbjörn then put on the bridle — equipped with a washed bit from one of the tanner’s bridles — and did some closer work with the reins, making sure that Nótt was softened and suppled enough to yield well.

Satisfied that Nótt was as ready as he’d ever be, Hallbjörn put on the spurs and swung up into the saddle. He sat still for a few moments even after he was settled and was holding his reins comfortably.

Once Hallbjörn was sure that Nótt was wondering why he’d gone through all that work if he wasn’t going to do anything, Hallbjörn asked Nótt for a walk in the track around the perimeter of the barn, which looked to have dried out and healed some in the weeks since he’d been able to hold the lead and lunge Nótt.

Before they’d even gotten halfway up the long side of the barn Hallbjörn asked Nótt for a trot and posted neatly for the whole circuit before asking Nótt for a canter, which he sat for two whole circuits before asking Nótt for a gallop.

He leaned in close to Nótt’s neck, not caring that the stallion’s mane was flapping wildly in his face, its coarse and tangled hairs stinging his cheeks, and let Nótt carry him around in a gallop for three complete circuits before he brought Nótt down to a canter for four circuits, and then down to a trot for three, then a walk again for part of one.