Reins Tied to a Tree: After a lengthy training session, I try to behave while my trainer puts equipment away. However, before long, I'm antsy to get untacked and start pulling on the reins to free myself. When that doesn't work out, I decide to approach the problem of the knotted reins more rationally. If the video isn't displaying properly, you can try the direct link.
Ponies aren't supposed to escape. Especially not when their hooves are bound behind their back and their reins are tied to a sturdy tree branch. But that is exactly what happened today. And I didn't even have to free my hands or remove the bit to make my escape. In retrospect, I'm amazed at how dexterous my lips are - I guess prehensile lips are not limited to bio-horses.
Now that I've given away the ending, let me go back to the beginning. I was tied to the tree not as punishment - I was actually rather productive and well behaved during the training session, if I don't say so myself - but merely to keep me wandering off while T put away some equipment.
After most of our sessions, especially the more involved ones, T will give me a cool down walk, then tie my reins off to a post (or in this case a tree branch) while she cleans up and puts away some of the training gear. Afterwards, she'll return to untack me and give me a wash down (if needed).
I'm usually pretty patient and don't mind the time to myself to zone out and mentally unwind from the session. However, sometimes, I'm still amped up a little from the workout, or, as was the case today, antsy to get out of the tack and sit down. Although I was restless, I tried my best - honestly, I did - to be patient.
But, I was really eager to be done. After a long session on a warm day, I was uncomfortably hot in my latex catsuit, and my legs were rubbery after being worked through the gaits in hoof boots. Although I wasn't stuck wearing a particularly uncomfortable bit (just a jointed metal Pelham - one of the perks of being well behaved during the session), it had been snugly in place for a few hours, and I was more than ready to be rid of it.
Predictably though, the bit was not loosened or removed just yet (since I was going to tied off by my reins, I was not surprised and figured a few more minutes wasn't going to kill me). Thankfully though, T did undo most of the bondage, but she did leave my hoof mitt clad hands clipped to the back of my harness (a nice change from their previous position much further up my back, but still annoying to have them restricted).
However, I was a most annoyed that she left only a small amount of slack in the reins. An overthought on her part (I can't believe she would be that evil), it still aggravated me because it left me precious little room to move my head and by extension, my whole body. Thus forcing me to be vigilant about balancing in the hoof boots, which, as much as I love them, were getting on my nerves at this point.
Nevertheless, I tried my best to bide my time by reliving some of the highlights of the day's training. I actually succeeded in being patient for a few minutes. Eventually though I began to fidget, which is fine in and of itself, but the fidgeting soon became pulling backwards with my head to loosen the reins a little (I was getting tired of shuffling my feet for balance to avoid breaking my jaw on the bit).
Gradually, the gentle pressure backwards yielded to moving my head from side to side, which yielded back to pulling backwards, though this time sans the "gentle". Pulling became yanking (after I did finally get untacked that evening, I discovered that I had bloodied my lip from bashing the metal bit against it during my struggles), and I kept that up for awhile.
Not quite 10 minutes into all this, T came over and interrupted me, saying that she had come back to untack me, but it looks like I could use a little more practice in standing patiently. This was an inevitability of course, but still I protested and struggled a bit to make my feelings on being left tied there longer known. She just smiled and said would be back later and hoped that by then I would be ready to be untacked.
I would like to say I weighed my options and decided that I could get away with a little more misbehavior, but I did not. I was upset about having to stand there, and even more upset at myself for not standing calmly earlier. Now I would be lucky if I got untied in an hour. So with that, I went back to the pulling, yanking and head tossing with renewed vigor.
The vigor didn't last too long, but the yanking and pulling went on for quite awhile (I edited it down in the above video since it's repetitive, but I was going at it for about 20 minutes), and when it was done, I was still in the same situation (perhaps I coaxed a few more inches out if the reins), but now I was really hot under the latex, my jaw was well beyond sore, and my previously rubbery legs were now closer to a soft jelly.
As I panted to catch my breath, it occurred to me that although the curb chain on my bit was tightened down too much for me to open my mouth and use my teeth or tongue to work the knot in the reins, I wasn't wearing a mask, so I could use my lips (just like a horse, I remember thinking with a laugh).
So, finally putting brains before brawn, I went at the simple knot using just my lips to push the leather of the reins gently this way and that. It was frustratingly slow going - if I had been able to open my mouth even a little and use my teeth, it would have taken me all of 5 seconds - BUT, it was going.
After only 3 minutes, I got the knot loosened and was home free...or so I thought. After eagerly pulling backwards, I earned myself a couple feet or so of slack in the reins before the knot was pulled back against the branch where it quickly re-tightened.
After another couple minutes (and a few more false starts), I finally did manage to get my reins completely untied and free of the branch. Feeling victorious, I half walked, half trotted off before realizing that I was still bound and bridled. Still, I was no longer forced to remain standing on my toes in the hot-looking (but now supremely uncomfortable) hooves.
With this silver lining foremost in my mind, I found a nice chair by the pool and, tail be damned, sat down to ease the ache in my legs.
When T came back out a little later and stood staring at the area around the tree (now minus one ponyboy), her expression was so comical that regardless of what punishment she dished out, I knew I would do it all again just to see that look on her face (as it turned out, she was so impressed (or perhaps dumbstruck) with my great escape, that she totally forgot to punish me. Instead, she simply untacked me while we both had a laugh. Nevertheless, I'm sure she'll be tying my reins a little more securely in the future).