Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy - Camp Campbell David x Reader

Trail

You walked hand-in-hand with your still blushing boyfriend over to the pasture where the horses were grazing. You had two halters on your shoulder with the lead ropes looped over. Once you reached them, you handed David a halter, assuming he remembered how to put it on the horse. "You take Lucy and I'll take Desi." You smiled at him. He smiled back and took the halter from you. It took him a moment to figure out which way he was supposed to turn it, but eventually he got it on her. "Alrightie, let's go saddle them up!" You smiled, walking to the ring with Desi by your side. He followed just behind you with Lucy beside him.

"Okay, so before we can even start getting ready, you have to have heels on your shoes. Not like stilettos or anything, but like this," you said, grabbing the bottom hem of your jeans and showing him the inch and a half heel you had on your boot. He looked at his own boot, which was pretty much flat on the bottom. "Do you have anything?" You asked, looking up at him. "Uhh... no... no, these are all I have," he shrugged, brows furrowed. You bit your cheek in thought. "Hold on, I'll be right back." 

You jogged to your truck, opening the doors and searching the floor of it. "Aha!" you yelled, loud enough for him to hear. You pulled a pair of dark brown dirty boots from your truck, shutting the doors behind you and running back to David. 

"Luckily I have a pair of my dad's old boots in here. They should fit you," you smiled. You knelt down, putting down a boot to the side of his foot to compare size. "Yeah, these should definitely fit you." He unlaced one of his boots, and tried on the one you gave him. "They fit pretty nicely!" he smiled. Eventually he set aside his own boots and had both of the ones you gave him on.

You guided him along the process of grooming and saddling Lucy, having to help him lift it and put it on the right spot on her back. He got a kick out of putting the bridle in her mouth, because as she opened her mouth she just barely licked his fingers, making him giggle. Once everything was on, you inspected his work, tightening the saddle a few notches because you knew Lucy liked to puff her belly full of air whenever someone put a saddle on her. You had Desi ready to go in no time and were about to get on, when you noticed David looked a bit stressed. "What's wrong, baby?" You asked. He bit his lip. "It's just, umm... I don't know how to get on," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. You smiled. "I think you can mount from the ground another day. I think I saw a boarding block in the tack room, let me get it for you." 

You returned with what looked like a three-step footstool. You set it down toward the edge of the fence, and beckoned David toward you. He obeyed, Lucy following behind. "Okay, bring her right up here, step to her right side," you guided him, lining Lucy up so the steps were on her left side and led up to the saddle. "Alrightie, climb up the stairs," you said, taking Lucy's reins from him. He obeyed, standing about two feet taller than he already was when he got on the top step.. He pinched his lips between his teeth, fiddling with his hands as he tried to figure out how to get on from here. "Alright, see that little handle looking thing there on the front of the saddle? That's called the horn. Grab onto it." He did as he was told. "Okay, put the ball of your left foot in that left stirrup there, and then swing your right foot over." He nodded, repeating your instructions to himself silently. He hurled himself onto the saddle, landing in the seat with a soft thump. He looked around once he was up, then smiled brightly at you. "I'm on!" he squealed. You giggled. His pure joy was contagious. "Good job, hun," you smiled, putting the reins over Lucy's head and handing them to David. 

The first thing you noticed was that the stirrups were way too short for his long, spindly legs. "Lift your knee a little bit, sweetheart," you said, gently nudging his leg to the side to adjust the stirrup. You pulled it taut and then grabbed his ankle, guiding his foot into the stirrup. "Does that feel better?" You asked, looking up at him. He nodded with a smile. You highly doubted that he took issue with it in the first place, and was just happy to be on the horse. You did the same thing to the other stirrup, then walked over to the original side. He watched you the whole time. You grabbed his heel with your left hand and the toe of the boot, and very gently rotated his whole foot. "Okay, so when you're riding, it's really important that you keep your heels down, and have your feet flat, like they're parallel to the ground." He nodded, craning his next to the other side to make sure his other foot was just the same, then looked back to you. "Next, hold the reins kind of like you're holding an ice cream cone, like this," you said, positioning your hands. He carefully copied them. "Keep your hands in front of the saddle horn here, and just be aware of how much tension you have on her mouth." You reached up for his hands and positioned them carefully.