To get Back Into the Saddle Again {COMPLETED}

Chapter 3: Riding Atlas

"Ouch!!" Madelyn said and stepped back and looked at the bruise. It was already purple, Atlas had gotten her on her shoulder. It wasn't the first time that had happened before, Fudge once broke her arm when a lesson kid went into her blind spot, and Madelyn was the one who ended up being hit. That lesson kid never came back, out of fear. Except for this time, it was not a human who made the horse buck. It was the horse who made the horse buck. "Okay, I think we are done for the day, I have to ice this before it starts to swell,"

 Atlas had now calmed down, and both the saddle and saddle pad were off his back. He looked terribly ashamed of himself and walked over calmly to Madelyn and lowered his head. "It's okay boy, I rushed you. But I have a feeling this is a happy accident." She picked up the tack and led Atlas out to the pasture. He walked off and rolled in the grass. Madelyn put the tack back in the tack room and walked into the house, followed Rocky. She got an ice pack from the freezer and sat down on the couch to watch a little TV. 

It's a good thing Justin is on a hunting trip right now, or else he would think that I broke my arm again. Madelyn thought to herself as she thumbed through the channels. Finally, she found Animal Planet and saw that Doctor Pol was on. She snuggled pack on the couch with Rocky, and after a while, she decided to start making a sandwich for supper. 

The next day, instead of training Atlas at around 1:00, she thought that they should start at 10:00 in the morning. That way, when they do have their afternoon session, they might be able to pop over some jumps. She caught Atlas from the pasture and put him in the round pin. She then went back to the tack room to grab the saddle pad and saddle. When she got back to the round pen, Atlas was rolling.

"Good thing you're a bay!! Okay now, I am still going to put the saddle on, but we are taking things slower," Madelyn said and put the saddle pad on. He was used to that at least. Then rubbed the saddle on his back while holding most of the weight. This way, Atlas could get used to the saddle slipping around and not being on properly. Seeing he didn't mind the saddle, Madelyn put the saddle down just a little bit lower. Then a little bit more. Finally, it was completely on his back.

Atlas just twitched his ear back and then forward again. Madelyn then put the girth on loose enough to the point where it was not snug, but not loose enough so it could not slip too much. She then took a couple of steps back. Atlas followed and noticing the weird thing on his back, he did a little crow-hop. Madelyn made Atlas trot around in a circle, change direction, and canter with the saddle on. He did some crow hopping, but not a lot. 

Finally, a sweat-dipped Atlas stopped and was used to the saddle. "Now, to just put the bridle and breast collar on," Madelyn said and took a deep breath. She grabbed the breast collar and clipped it on to the saddle. Atlas tried to grasp it with his teeth and pull it off and only succeeded in making him do more cantering and trotting. After doing that, she decided to grab some un-opened sacks of grain and put them on the saddle, and secure them with rope. 

Atlas let out a huge buck and then another crow hop. Again, Madelyn made Atlas canter and trot. That was the only way to help him get used to it fast, and at least it was helping. After 15 minutes or so of doing that, Atlas needed a good long rest. Madelyn led him to his pasture and gave him three treats. 

"You did such a good job today boy!! We will do the same tomorrow and the day after that, after that, I will take the guts to ride you," She said as she patted Atlas on the neck.

Over the next to days, Atlas got more and more used to the saddle and weight being on his back. Madelyn worked on getting a bit onto Atlas, and that took some getting used to. At the end of each session, Madelyn would hook on an extra-long long line to the bit, thread them through the sturrips, and stood six feet behind Atlas. She would tell him to walk and turn him in different directions. This way, Atlas could get used to the feeling of the reins and sturrips working together to get him to turn.

On the third day, March 1st, Madelyn put on a helmet and body protector. She grabbed the saddle, saddle pad, and bridle, and got Atlas. "Well, today is the day that I try to ride you. Please don't buck me off," She said and placed the saddle on him. Then, putting on his bridle, she closed her eyes and leaned her cheek on his cheek. "Please please please don't injure me."

She then led him to the mounting block took a deep breath and put her boot in the stirrup. She then stood up in the stirrup, putting all the weight on that stirrup. Atlas looked over at Madelyn with wide eyes as if to say, What on earth are you DOING?! Madelyn let out a little laugh and rubbed his rump and neck. Then swung her leg over and sat down. She could feel Atlas tense up under her. Please don't buck, please oh please don't buck.