The blonde was approaching and Jacob was terrified that she would close his blinkers. He really didn’t want that to happen. He was relieved when she knelt down and locked his hobble back to his ankles then repeated the process with Reluctant Pony and walked away. She was headed toward a large tree by the stream where a blanket had been laid out and a man was apparently waiting for her. Jacob had notice the man and the blanket as they approached, but now he could not see them. But, he could see the pony in front of him. She was bitted, but seemed to be smiling at him.

The pony lowered her head and tried to touch him with her forehead. It could not quite get there, but the top of her spiked hair grazed his chin and upper chest. She moved her breasts back and forth as best she could in the confines of her restraints. Jacob could sense the closeness but they were just beyond his body. He wanted to touch those breasts. He tried to extend his chest forward and leaned toward her. As she repeated the movement they were able to bring their shoulders together. Her head to one side, his to the other they were able to nuzzle their cheeks. He could now feel her breasts touching his chest. They were firm yet soft at the same time. She moved them back and forth and the small bells tinkled with the contact with him. He felt them slide back and forth. He wanted to turn his head toward her but the damn posture collar was making that impossible. He pulled and twisted trying to get his mouth onto her neck but he could not get there. The best he could do was to rub his check along hers. Her mouth found his shoulder and although her tongue was held inside and her mouth was held open by the bit she was still able to work her lips on his flesh. He responded moving his mouth to her shoulder and trying to match the lip action. Even as terribly limited as it was, it was still highly erotic. He was helpless and she was helpless yet they had managed to make contact with each other. There was something very primal about what they were doing.

Jacob suddenly realized that he was responding to this contact. All it meant for her is that she would be horny and unfulfilled. For him it meant there would be pain. But the only contact he had had in the last week was from an occasional touch by a dominant female meant to make him realize his place. This was different. This was contact with a fellow who shared his plight. They were both prisoners. They were both ponies and there was great comfort in just the contact. His penis grew reaching the extent of its capability to expand within it confined circumstance but it did not hurt. He felt comfort and relief. They stood there leaning into each other resting their heads each on the other pony’s shoulder.

The raven haired pony tensed her body and Jacob could feel her forcing her body forward toward him. He looked at the wheel of the buggy and watched as it started to slide in the dirt. It could not turn because the brake was set, but she was pulling the entire buggy forward so that their bodies could meet. As Jacob watched the trail of the wheel in the dirt grow to 6” then 8” then to a foot he felt her breasts and then all of her body come into contact with his. They were now able to stand upright with full body contact. In fact, she had dragged the buggy to the point that the yokes on each of their hips pushed their hips together.

He was about four inches taller than her. She tipped her head up and nibbled with her lips around the bit and on his chin. She rubbed her breasts back and forth across his body. He could feel the bells on the nipple rings, but because they were pierced below the nipple he could also feel the hard bud of her nipples. Her breasts were gorgeous. He so wished he had the use of his hands to caress and fondle those wonderful globes. She was trying to lift herself into him, but in her pony boots she was already on her toes so she was not able to effectively make up the difference in height. That meant that her nipples were four or five inches below his. She was able to arch her back and gain an inch or two due to nothing more than the large size of her breasts. Jacob responded by bending forward making up the difference. He could not see because of the pressure of the posture collar on the bottom of his chin, but working from feel he managed to get his nipples down to the point that matched up with hers. Now as they rubbed back and forth their nipple rings clinked and the tips of their nipples touched. Jacob felt as if an electric charge had raced through his body. He legs felt weak. This was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life and here she was rubbing her body against his. Somehow the fact that they were both restrained with the arms locked behind their backs and that they had had to struggle to bring their bodies into contact made the sensation significantly more erotic. He could feel the pain in his penis, but he didn’t care.

His penis was pressed against her lower abdomen and he could feel her trying to stretch her body to bring her pussy (at least on top of its restraints) and his cock (again subject to its restraint) into contact. He pulled his legs apart until they were stopped by the hobble, then he bent his knees and rolled his hips until they made contact. Because of its bent condition, even though it was straining to become erect it was the middle of his shaft that he thrust forward against the rings and staple securing her sex. The devices employed on each of them would insure that sexual union would not occur. The best they could do was a dry hump like two high school students in the back seat of the car. She was now moaning and pushed her mouth forward onto his. Their lips met and their bits clinked. Jacob tried to work his tongue around the bit to get to her flesh but it was not possible. He did not know if she was trying to do the same. If she was she could not succeed either.

There was a painful swat on Jacob’s buttocks. The raven haired pony jumped and a half whimper half cry escaped her lips. “Bad ponies.” It was a man’s voice. “Let’s get these two separated before they are worthless.” The blonde walked back to the buggy that had been pulled forward and released the brake. The man grasped the side of the raven haired pony’s bridle and walked her back until the other team was five or six feet from Jacob and his team mate. The blonde locked the brake again. Jacob looked up and down the body of the creature he had just been pressed into. He wanted to be back in contact with her. He had been swatted for what they were doing, but he didn’t care. He needed to touch her again. She had been able to drag the buggy to get to him. He was sure when the riders went back to their picnic he and his new found love could figure out how to get together.

The man took something out of the back of the buggy and walked over to the pony Jacob had been enjoying such intimate contact with. It looked like he was carrying a mallet. It was. He knelt down and fed two four inch stables through the middle chain of the pony’s hobble then with the mallet he pounded them into the ground, each at a 45 degree angle front to back. He stood up and gave her a peck on the cheek. “That should keep you out of trouble.” Jacob thought that they were awfully concerned with keeping the ponies out of sexual trouble. “I know you can’t help yourself, you are just such a randy little thing.” Jacob noticed that the man had reached down and popped the cap covering the bud of her clitoris open. It was designed to seat over the bud of the clitoris so that when it was opened she was fully exposed. He was rubbing his finger over the most sensitive part of her body. She was squirming and moaning, throwing her head about as best she could in her restraints and trying to push her amble breasts into him. Her hips were rocking and thrusting against his touch rattling the chain from her yoke to that of her partner. It looked like she was getting very close to climax. Jacob watched in fascination. Any second now she would explode in pleasure. Maybe her owner wasn’t such a bad guy.

But then he stopped and snapped the cap closed. “You haven’t earned that. If anything you have earned some punishment for interrupting our picnic. Now you just stand here and think about that. We will think of something suitable when we get home tonight.” Jacob was wondering if he should try to pull his buggy over to her. Maybe he could just console her. It didn’t have to get out of hand. But the blonde was in front of him with the mallet. She drove two staples into the ground through the links of his hobble.

“You are not without blame in this pony so don’t you think Midnight will get all the punishment.” She stroked his balls as she spoke.

The blonde stood up and turned to the man. “I know the hormones we give them make them very horny and I have heard why it is supposed to be a good thing and make them better ponies. And I have seen how the sexual dependence on the trainer or owner helps make them want to please; in fact I am sure Midnight there will do anything she can to get back on your good side. But I wonder if the dose levels are just too high. I keep seeing incidents of uncontrolled behavior. Sex is such a strong need that it seems to push their fear away.”

“I know what you mean, but you have to admit we are getting wonderful development with the new drugs. Some ponies are overly receptive.” He glanced at Midnight. “I keep hoping they will come up with something to tone her urges down a bit. She has become so high maintenance. I can’t even leave her alone in her stall without her rubbing on everything. I have had to put her on a sleeping bar to curb the behavior. The first time I left her like that I thought she was going to go crazy. The next time I hooked her up she fought like crazy. After a night with the tormentor she at least obeys when I chain her. If she wasn’t so fast I would ship her to a dairy farm. Add the lactating stimulator to her current treatment and she can be a top producer.”

“Have you considered excision? Cut out the clitoris and you should get rid of the urges.” Jacob was listening but as he did he was staring into the eyes of Midnight – now he knew her name.

“But then I couldn’t sell her as a milk producer when she can’t run anymore. The drop in value is just too great so I will just have to keep working on training.” The man and woman had walked away, assumedly back to their blanket and their picnic and as they went the ability to hear their conversation faded. Jacob heard something about being kept in a state of “constant stimulation without satisfaction”. He did not like the sound of that at all.

Midnight was about 6 feet away from him. She was squirming and trying to move her legs against each other. Jacob saw her lift her hoof and try to pull the staples free. Jacob could see why they were driven in a pair on an angle. They worked together to hold and resist any upward motion. It would require working side to side in the direction of each staple to get them out, but because they were driven front and back there was no way for a hobbled and stapled pony to exert the right pressure. Jacob tried. He lifted a hoof until he felt the chain stop his upward pull. He tried to pull on it. It seemed solid. He wished he could look down and see it, but the collar prevented that. All he could do is judge from what he saw with Midnight. He tried to pull a hoof to the front and back to create pressure that would match the direction of the staple, but he could not generate enough pull and the staple going into the ground in the other direction prevented anything from coming loose. Neither he nor Midnight was going anywhere. There was not going to be any more touching. Midnight was still squirming, moving from leg to leg and swinging her breasts about. It was clear that she was still excited and very frustrated at not being able to do anything about it. Jacob watched her breasts sway back and forth. He imagined them sending Midnight off to some dairy farm to be a milk producer. He was not sure how it would work exactly, but he was sure of one thing, she would be restrained and unable to control anything. He doubted she would like it very much.

Jacob thought about the effect of the hormones they were being given. He had certainly felt hornier for the last few days. He had also started to feel like his muscles were developing and he was sure he was adding bulk to his body. Other than being horny what other affect would it have on his mind? Ponies didn’t need to be smart. They really didn’t want them to be smart, just strong and very obedient. So Sally had seen him as a pony. He was strong, but did she think from the beginning that he would be obedient? Was he? He had never thought of himself that way. But she had been able to completely subdue him. That still embarrassed him. One little girl, almost a third his size and she had managed to turn him into a bound and helpless pony who would do what he was told. He wanted to hang his head, but the posture collar did not allow that position.

Jacob did what ponies do when they are not in use. He stood and waited for his Mistress to finish what she was doing. He was a means of transportation and it was his job to be ready when needed and as little bother as possible when not. He wondered what the relationship between the man and women was. He had determined from what he had overheard that the man was named Paul and the woman Delores. They seemed more than just friends but how much more was hard to tell. Jacob was frustrated that he could not turn his head and watch them. It was frustrating that he could not at least catch a glimpse from the corner of his eye.

It was late afternoon before Paul and Delores returned to the ponies. They watered the ponies. Jacob thought about the hormones he knew were in the water squirted into his mouth, but he opened his mouth and accepted the liquid. It tasted good and he was thirsty. Besides, he really had no choice did he? Then they masters started to see to putting the ponies back into use. Jacob watched as Paul used a small hook shaped device to pull the staples securing Midnight’s hobble from the ground. Two simple quick jerks, almost no effort. It underscored the power differential. The ponies had no power the trainers/owners had all the power. Jacob felt his hobble being removed.

Midnight had settled down and stood very erect. Jacob had not been able to take his eyes off of her the entire time. Restrained as he was there was almost nowhere else for him to look, but this view was most pleasing to him. He felt a little uneasy about staring at the naked flesh of a beautiful woman. But then this wasn’t a woman she was a pony, so this is how she was to be dressed and it was ok to look at her. Livestock had no modesty. He enjoyed it none-the-less. Her legs were strong and well developed, the muscles were well sculpted. The same was true of her flat tight stomach, back, and shoulders all framing large magnificent breasts. Jacob had not been a big fan of women body builders but Midnight was different. While she was clearly strong there was something sleek and agile about her look. When she moved her muscles would ripple like a Jaguar. She exuded power mixed with grace and beauty. It was hard to even take his eyes off of her.

Having removed the security from his ponies, Paul climbed into the buggy. Midnight was looking straight ahead, her muscles were tense like coiled metal waiting only for the signal to move. It came with the snap of the whip. Jacob could not tell if it had connected with Midnight’s rear or popped in the air nearby. In either event Midnight did not flinch but instead, in almost perfect timing with her pony partner. stepped forward and began to walk, being reined to the left around Jacob and his buggy. Jacob only got to see her take a step or two before she moved past him. He longed to turn his head and watch her move, but that of course was impossible in his harness and collar. He continued to look straight forward, the view far less interesting now.

The pop of the whip behind him signaled that it was time to move. He stepped forward and felt a strong pressure on his right rein. The team turned to the right coming back onto the path that they had taken into the woods. Up ahead he could see the buggy being pulled by Midnight’s team. They were at a trot.

Delores snapped the reins across the back of her ponies and they moved into a trot. Jacob was anxious to pick up the pace. He wanted them to catch up with Midnight. Both teams continued the trot for about half a mile. Jacob’s team was about 50 yards behind. The buggy masked out most of Jacob’s view of Midnight except when the road would curve to the left bringing her momentarily into view. Her form was breathtaking. Her legs lifted with each step so that the upper leg was parallel to the ground then reached forward to come down on the hoof just as the other leg left the ground. Her back was straight and her head was high. Her breasts bobbed in time to the steps.

Jacob heard the sound of the whip up ahead and saw the team speed forward. They were coming out of the woods onto the meadow road and Paul had brought his team to a gallop. It was inspiring to Jacob. He had never galloped since becoming a pony. He was not sure he could. He didn’t think Delores would want him to until he had been trained. Wrong! The whip snapped and actually bit flesh. He broke the trot and started to run. It felt impossible in the pony boots. There was a lot of pitching and yawing of the buggy as he and Reluctant Pony tried to find something that resembled a pace. Jacob was sure one or both of them would be pulled over. He heard the whip snap and heard the yowl. He was glad it was not him. But then it snapped again and this time it was him. Damn she was good with that whip. Let her whip the other pony, not him. He pushed his legs out and tried to lengthen the stride. Paul’s team was now over 100 yards ahead. They moved smoothly with grace and speed. Jacob’s team jerked and bobbed wasting most of their effort. He was not sure they were moving any faster than they had at the trot.

Delores wanted them to try to catch the team ahead. She snapped the whip from one buttock to the other. Both ponies were now blinded with the pain. Jacob ran. In that part of the brain that runs on instinct he was trying to out run the whip. Even though the logical center of the brain knew that the whip traveled with him the logical part of the brain had no answer for the pain so it had taken a back seat to the reactive instinct part of the brain.

As the pace smoothed the whipping mercifully stopped. It was clear that they would never catch the other team. They would be lucky to keep them in sight, but at least they looked a little more professional. Jacob took some pleasure in the fact that he had galloped. Not only had he galloped in the pony boots, but he had galloped in tandem. He wasn’t so sure of Delores’ training methods. His buttocks and thighs burned in dozens of places. The skin was so raw he knew any more abuse would open it up. He was not convinced that there were not already open cuts. When this girl whipped you it hurt like nothing he had ever experienced. He prayed that he would get Sally back. His legs almost buckled with the sudden fear that Sally had sold him to Delores. He was Sally’s pony, he did not want to be Delores’ pony.

Jacob’s excitement at having learned to gallop began to grow thin as they were kept at a gallop for first a mile, then another mile. The other team had turned off at some point and was gone from view. Jacob assumed this was the same road they had arrived on. He didn’t know how far it was to the stable but it had to be at least another two miles. He scanned horizon ahead looking for the stable. He wanted to be at the stable. He wanted to be safe in his stall. How long did she think they could be made to run? But the residual burning on his flesh conveyed the message. They would run as long as she wanted them to run. Several times Jacob began to think he had gone as far as was humanly possible. But he was no longer a human. He was a pony now. Even though the speed and pace did not diminish he would start to lose his posture. There was the crack of the whip. Jacob learned that already whipped flesh was even more sensitive and that even though he thought the whip could not hurt any more than it had, when it is laid upon flesh tenderized by prior blows it did hurt more. In fact it hurt a lot more. He steeled his posture and tried to look like a proper pony as well as run like one.

Jacob knew this road was not the one they had taken to the woods. If they had been on that road they would have seen the house by now. He was sure they had run at least four miles. He didn’t think he could run four miles let alone run four miles pulling a buggy. He wasn’t even thinking about it anymore, his body and legs were just moving. His head was up and was a steering mechanism by means of the reins at the sides of his head.

As they came around a curve in the road that ran around a hillock Jacob saw a series of buildings up ahead. It was the stables. It was still over a half mile, but it could not have looked better. He didn’t even think about Delores stopping them or reducing their pace. In fact the lure of the stable ahead pumped more vigor into Jacob’s blood and he felt the pace pick up. Jacob thought of his stall and the great pleasure of being off his feet. He even looked forward to the muck room. There was always pressure in his bowels by this time of the day and he longed to have them emptied. The sun had been hot and he was bathed in sweat and dust. He would love the feel of the water and brush cleaning all that away.

The team did not try to slow or stop and Delores did not signal them to do so until they were within 50 feet of the stable. Then she brought them to a trot for a few steps and then to a walk. Jacob did not realize how heavily he was breathing until he was walking. He could feel his chest heaving. He pushed his head up as others turned and watched them arrive. He had just pulled a buggy at a full gallop for at least five miles. He was almost sorry when they were guided into the barn and the buggy was disconnected and the harness removed. At least now Delores must have been somewhat pleased with them because she used a simple nose leash instead of her leash to the cock ring. That was a good sign.

Jacob was taken to the muck room first, and then he was led to his stall. Nothing had ever looked so inviting. He couldn’t wait to get his head in his trough. He was so thirsty. Then he was going to lie down and sleep for as long as he could. He was very excited.

Delores brought him in and removed his bit; that felt wonderful. She connected the anchor line to this control ring. But then she took his chin in her hand. “You were such a bad randy pony today. It is only fair that you and Midnight share the same punishment. I am going to go take care of the other pony and then I am going to come back and secure you for the night. I suggest you drink your fill now because you will not be able to in a few minutes.”

Jacob looked into her face with shock. He wanted to say “it wasn’t my fault, she came over to me.” But he had been well enough trained to know that the punishment for talking, especially talking back was likely to be much worse than anything he was going to endure for being a randy pony. Delores left to take care of Reluctant Pony.

Jacob stuffed his head into his trough and drank and drank. It tasted wonderful. Finally he stopped. He knew he wanted more, but figured he should give it a bit in between. He walked over to his gate and looked out into the corridor. Local Girl was standing at her gate smiling. “Did you enjoy your day off?” She asked.

“What? “ Jacob replied. “This was no day off.”

“But it wasn’t a training day. It’s a merciful part of the rules here. Ponies can only be trained for six days then they get a day off.”

“How can that be a day off? She worked my ass off, and then she whipped it to pieces. We had to run at least five miles.”

“But you were out in the countryside. You are allowed to be ridden or used on carts and buggies on your day off, just no training. You did get a chance to see some of the areas didn’t you? You keep asking all those questions about this place.”

“I saw some meadows and a forest area. I thought this was a valley, how big is this valley?”

“Oh, it is large at least 40 miles across and about 70 miles long. A good pony can cover the length in two days; a pony wagon takes three days. That is the only reason cars and trucks are still allowed here. There are some that would like to ban all motor vehicles but that is unlikely. I’ve gone out on riding expeditions with my friends a couple of times. We spend five days circumnavigating the valley. I miss Posey. She is the best pony ever. I have ridden her almost every day since I was twelve. I rode her to school every day. She is such a great pony, a wonderful disposition. I even trained her to do some tricks. I was going to enter her in dressage contests this year.”

“How can you even be thinking about owning a ponygirl when you are here about to become one yourself? Don’t you see that it is wrong for one human being to own another?”

“Of course, but ponies aren’t humans. They are ponies. They know that and after they are broken and trained they accept it. I am not a pony. I am at risk, but only if I get caught at the hunt. If I am captured then I will become a pony. Just like you I will probably try to resist it at first, but just like you I will accept it in time. That is just the natural order of things.”

“Everyone here must not think that. Aren’t there any people who think this is wrong?” Jacob had been thinking about his plan and how to get her to his side. But if he couldn’t do that maybe he could identify anyone who might be willing to help.

“We have been living this way for over 100 years. Everyone has ponies, or if they don’t they at least have access to them and use them on a regular basis.” Then she started giggling.

“What is so funny about that?”

“There was some opposition. Two years ago two High School seniors wrote a report on how the pony system was a violation of human rights. When their teacher gave them an F on the report they tried to stage a protest. They talked one other girl and two guys to join them.” She giggled again. “At the end of the protest the local sheriff and a few ranchers, including my father and older brother, rode their ponies into the square. The protesters tried to run but they were lassoed and hog tied in the town square. The crowd cheered wildly. Four months later during the autumn festival the three girls were part of the four pony team that pulled the hay wagon around the square.” Jacob’s mouth was hanging open. Local Girl was giggling again. “So, I guess there are some here who don’t believe in this. If I could remember which stable they went to I would tell you.” Her giggle had become a full laugh. Jacob turned away in disgust, but the talking stopped because Delores was coming up the corridor leading Reluctant Pony. Ponies all knew to keep their mouths shut whenever a human was within ear range.

After Reluctant Pony had been secured in his stall Delores came into Jacob’s stall. She closed the gate behind her, not that he could go anywhere with his control ring hooked to the back wall. “If you want another drink do it now. You will not get another chance until morning.” Jacob did not know what she was going to do to him, but he knew he wasn’t going to like it. He wanted to beg her not to, but he knew that was not a good idea. He went to his trough and took a drink.

When he stood back up, he saw that she had connected a metal pole across the middle of his stall. There were flanges on both walls that accepted the ends. It was at about waist height. The pole was padded so that the center had a diameter of about six inches. Jacob was between the pole and the gate to his stall. The chain from his control ring passed under the pole and was connected to the back wall. There was nowhere he could go. Delores approached him. She had a leash line in her hand. Jacob tried to back away but there was no place to go. She quickly and efficiently clipped the leash into his nose ring and led him forward. She ducked under the pole but passed the leash over the top and then pulled him forward until his stomach came into contact with the pole. She took the end of the leash line and fed it through a ring in the floor that she lifted about three feet from the pole. She pulled it down until his upper body was held parallel to the floor, then she tied it off.

Was he expected to sleep like this? That was crazy. The pole was sufficiently padded as to not be uncomfortable, now, but how would it feel in an hour or so? Jacob looked around, as best he could with his head held down by his nose. He had no intention of sleeping like this. He knew he could not easily free the nose lease, but he was pretty sure when Delores left that he could lever his body forward over the bar. It would not be easy, and it would hurt, but he was pretty sure he could do it, even hobbled. Then he felt a pressure on his right ankle and heard a click. He looked over and saw that she had connected a line from the ring in the outside of his right ankle to the wall. He pulled and jerked at his hoof, but it was secure. She had moved to his left hoof. He tried to move it out of her grasp but she easily captured it and clipped a line to the loop on the ankle. After she fed this line through a ring on the other wall she was able to pull it tight. His legs extended to the length of the hobble and then moved no further.

Jacob pulled and twisted at the new restraints but without any resulting freedom. Delores was back in front of him. She slipped a ball gag into his mouth and it was in before he even realized what she was doing. He tried to force it out with his tongue but it was too late. She buckled it tightly behind his head. “You are in for an interesting evening. We can’t have you disturbing the whole stable.”

Then she opened the lid of a small wooden box. “This is the tormentor.” She said. Jacob saw two small balls about an inch and a half in diameter and a larger thing that looked almost like a large dill pickle. She quickly lifted each of the small balls and clipped one each to the rings in his nipples. They now dangled from the metal clip by about an inch of copper wire. They pulled down on the rings, but they were not heavy enough to be painful. Next she clipped one end of the pickle shaped object by a wire and clip to the ring in the end of Jacob’s penis. There was a wire and a small cuff type device from the other end of the pickle. She fastened this cuff around his ball sack just below the control ring. This held the pickle parallel to the floor but putting pressure on both its connectors.

“Now I am going to demonstrate for you what the tormentor does.” She said. “It is activated in two ways. The first is by sound.” She pushed a button on the box and electrical shocks fired through Jacob’s nipples, penis and balls. It was just like the walking ring but with extra parts of this anatomy added. “The second is activated by any motion. If it senses motion all three appliances vibrate.” She pushed a button on the control in the box and Jacob immediately felt the vibration in nipples, balls and penis. It felt pretty good. “Once the vibration starts there is only one way to stop it. That is by being perfectly motionless for 30 seconds. There is a catch to this. She swung one of the balls on his nipples back and forth. That 30 seconds does not begin until the device comes to a complete rest.” Jacob watched it swing gently back and forth. She pushed the button and the vibration stopped.

“The purpose of this training is to teach you to control your horny little instincts.” She used her hand to stop the motion of all of the devices. “Now I suggest you hold very still.” With that she reached down and pushed a button on the box. A red light came on.

Delores carefully slipped past Jacob and got up at the gate. “Oh, and by the way, as you have learned with other electric training devices, the shock will cycle up with successive uses. The good news is that 30 minutes without activation will move it down a cycle. Enjoy.” She slapped him on the buttocks. The pickle began to swing and everything started to vibrate. The surprise caused him to let out a gasp and shocks surged though all the devices. “Gee, did I do that? Too bad.” She was out the gate and Jacob heard it close and the bold shut behind him. He had to focus now. He had to stay very still.

Ok, it was vibrating. He felt it on his nipples. He felt it on his cock and balls, but it was not very strong. This was not such a big deal. And all he had to do was wait for it to stop. But it wasn’t stopping. He looked down and saw that the device between his legs was still swinging. Ok, so it would vibrate until it stopped swinging and then waited for 30 seconds. He held his body perfectly still. As he concentrated on staying perfectly still the vibration seemed to amplify. His cock was starting to respond to the feeling. No, he had to control it. He couldn’t let the vibration cause him to respond. His cock was starting to grow. That would not end well. But it felt so good. Today had been a complete tease. He had pressed his body against the pony Midnight. She had wanted him. He knew she had. If he could have he would have impaled her there and then. But he could not.

What the fuck was he doing? His hips were moving with the vibration. He looked down and saw the pickle swinging wildly from side to side. It was affecting him. He was horny. He was so horny. But he was tied over this stupid bar. His arms were strapped behind him. He needed some attention to his cock. But he couldn’t move. The vibration was constant, but it was not strong. He needed it to be stronger. He needed something more. This was not going to get him there. He thrust his hips forward into nothing but open air. The pickle was now bouncing wildly, but it was still firmly connected to his cock and balls. This movement had also caused the balls hanging from his nipples to sway and bob. He hoped that this would make the vibration increase. The vibration did not change. It stayed constant. No matter what he did it just stayed the same. And ‘the same’ was not enough. He wanted more, he needed more. His cock had expanded to the maximum allowable in its restraint. He did not even know if it was possible to climax with his cock kinked and locked but he was going to give it a try.

He focused on the gentle buzzing. He tried to find a rhythm of movement that matched the vibration, but all that did was increase his arousal and as his arousal increased he needed both the speed and the level of stimulation to increase. But these damn things did not change; they just kept buzzing with the low, but impossible to ignore vibration. He threw his hips forward looking for something, anything to make contact with. Held to the bar at his stomach both his nipples and his cock were isolated from any contact with anything. He tried to push himself up toward the bar, but his hoofs were chained to the floor. His restrained cock was at least five inches from the bar. He tried to shift to one side or the other, but the strap across his back held him tight to the bar, his nose ring kept him bent forward with his head down, and his chained legs even prevented most movement from hoof to hoof.

He knew it was hopeless, but he could not help himself. The arousal was just too much. He had to have relief. He had to find a way to achieve satisfaction. He could not possibly continue to be stimulated and not allowed to reach satisfaction. His restrained body allowed little movement in any direction, but what movement there was turned into jerks and twists and bounces. Several times he cried out only to be quickly reminded of the price of that conduct. He even made sounds a couple of times to purposely shock himself hoping it would drive the desire away and let him settle down, but it did not seem to work. All he knew was that he needed sexual relief. He had never in his life felt so desperate to cum. The frustration was amplified one hundred times by the fact that his hands were held helplessly behind his back.

One hand. All he needed was one hand. Even with his cock kinked and locked he was sure that with just one hand he would find relief in minutes. They could secure it back again immediately afterwards. If just needed it for a few minutes, no longer. But there was nobody there to give him that assistance, and of course, even if they were there they would never give him the use of a hand. He had been told and he knew that his arms were gone. They would stay locked up until they atrophied from lack of use. He jerked at his arm binder, he twisted his upper body back and forth causing the balls from his nipples to swing wildly, he jerked and twisted his hips from side to side, and he pushed forward on his booted hooves pushing his stomach against the bar. This caused the pickle to bounce wildly.

For at least half an hour he struggled and shook trying to eek some relief from the vibration of the three devices attached to the tender parts of his body. It was obvious that he would never find satisfaction the level of stimulus had been designed to obtain a high level of arousal but not to allow satisfaction. He was a horny pony. He couldn’t help it. He had heard them say that it was because of the hormones they were feeding him. It wasn’t fair to blame him for being so horny. He pictured Midnight again in his mind. He wanted to put his cock in her pussy. She was amazing. She was beautiful. He would do anything to put his cock in her. He was feeling so horny. How could he be so stimulated? It was the tormentor. There was no way he was going to get satisfaction. This was just going to make him crazy. He had to get it under control.

Jacob closed his eyes and struggled to freeze his body in place. The pickle had been so aggravated by his thrusting that it was bouncing from side to side. He looked at it and realized it would take a while to stop moving. He stared at it as if to will it to stop moving. Meanwhile the vibrating continued to course through him. He wanted to go with it. He wanted to move with it. It was trying to take him some place, but he knew he had to resist. He held his position. Sweat was breaking out on his forehead and chest, but he held his position.

Finally it was only swinging mildly. But it was still moving. Would it ever stop? He couldn’t tell it if was stopped or still moving. He could perceive what looked like small movement, but it must have been still enough. The buzzing stopped.

Thank heaven. Now all he had to do was make it until morning without moving. He lasted maybe 30 minutes before he had to shift his body. The result, of course, was that the pickle started to swing. That brought vibration from all three devices. It wasn’t fair. He had held so still. It was only the slightest movement and now all of his tender spots were being assaulted again. He tried to hold his position but he could feel his nipples hardening and his cock trying to expand, pulling at its restraints. He needed some sexual relief. He screamed in frustration. Really bad idea – the shock surged through his body from his nipples to his cock. He shook involuntarily and everything was now in full motion.

This was completely unfair. They were giving him hormones to make him want sex, but they locked his cock so that it was useless and now they were stimulating him toward an end he knew was not available to him.

It took a long time to get his body under control and settle to the point that the devices connected to his body would stop moving and that eventually the teasing stimulation of the vibration would stop. He held his body motionless, but he felt tears forming in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. This was too much. This was just too much.

Jacob was not sure if he had slept at all. His body felt stiff from holding it in position without movement, largely an unsuccessful endeavor. He had lost count of how many bouts he had with the vibrating devices over the course of the night. Most would be short term, he would shift his weight and one of the devices would start to swing gently, this was often joined by another. He would try to isolate the area with the swinging device and hold perfectly still until it stopped swinging, this often led to another device starting to swing, and then there was the involuntary reaction of his body to the vibration. He would look down and find that his hips were starting to move with the vibration adding more momentum to the swinging devices. He would groan – he had learned to do that silently – and focus on control. He could not believe how very long it took for the energy from the pendulum effect of these devices to dissipate to nothing. He kept hoping that they would run out of steam, but he usually gave in before they did. He had been kept at a state of sexual excitement for most of the night. He had not been allowed any release. If this was designed to control his sexual urges somebody should talk to the designer. Right now he would fuck anything if given the chance. But he had learned how to hold perfectly still even though his mind was raging to gyrate, thrust and friction anything and everything.

He could tell from the light around him that it was morning, but he was still held on the bar with the tormentors attached. What time was it? When would someone come for him?

Finally he heard sounds in the stables. Trainers were coming for the ponies. He was held with his back to the gate so he could see nothing of what was going on. He could look back through his legs, but when he did this it started things swinging again. His body shuddered. Would they just leave him here all day? No, they couldn’t. He had learned his lesson. He would be good. He would do whatever they wanted. It was no longer the day off. Would Sally come and rescue him? He needed Sally to come and take care of him.

The gate to his stall was opening. He could not tell who it was, but anyone would be welcome, anyone who would remove these devices and take him off this bar. Was it Delores? That would be fine too. He would run for her. She could take him out in the buggy. She could stand him right next to Midnight. He would control his urges. He wouldn’t respond. He wouldn’t even look at her.

There was a swat on his buttocks. Not hard, but enough to make everything start to swing, and, of course start to vibrate. “I let you have a nice day outside and what happens?” It was Sally’s voice. Even though it was stern and disappointed Jacob was thrilled to hear it.

He tried to turn toward her, but the clip to his nose ring prevented it. All he could do was make sounds through his bit trying to tell her how happy he was to see her.

“I thought you were a dedicated pony who could focus. Now I hear you’re nothing but a randy little slut.” She swatted his buttocks again.

He tried to say “I’m sorry, I will be good.” It sounded like whinnying and no words were distinguishable even to Jacob.

“I hope you enjoyed your night on the sleeping bar. Maybe I should leave you a few more hours.” He didn’t want to be left on the bar. The vibrating devices were already starting to cause him discomfort. He shook his body violently. The devices were now all swinging wildly.

He felt her hand on his balls. It was gentle. “There, there, I know you can’t completely help it. But you need to learn how to control yourself. Now be still.” The “be still” was punctuated with the sharpness of command. He instantly stopped moving and froze.

“Good. I don’t want to see so much as a ripple of a muscle for fifteen minutes.” He heard his gate open and close. She had left him. He held in position not daring to move. How would she know? He could not see what was going on back there. The gate had closed and it sounded like she left, but she could still be watching him. He didn’t dare move. He needed to be released from this bar. He needed the torment to stop. He knew that there was only one way. He had to obey her instructions fully and completely, letter and spirit.

It had to be fifteen minutes already. It seemed even longer. He had managed to hold perfectly still. He was afraid that his legs were going to start to shake from holding so firmly but somehow he was able to will it away. He was as motionless as a guard at Buckingham castle. He was as motionless as a statue actor in the grand piazza at the Palazzo. Sally had told him to be still and he was going to be still. He could tell that she was disappointed in him. He didn’t want her to be disappointed. He needed her to be pleased with him. He had to show her how good he could be. He was sure that she was watching and that she could see how good he was being.

The devices had finally lost their momentum and come to a rest. The buzzing, of course, continued for a time, but now that was gone too.

He felt a hand on his back. He resisted the urge to move and stayed perfectly still.

“Good pony.” It was Sally’s voice. She patted his buttocks a few times, then he felt the movement of her hands between his legs as she removed the device that had tormented him throughout the night.

She released the anchor on the line from his nose ring and he was allowed to stand straight for the first time all night. His body felt cramped and he wished he could stretch, but he could not. She tied the leash line to a ring in the wall.

She removed the devices from his nipples. Sally removed the restraints holding his ankles. She then untied the leash from the ring, turned, and led him from his stall. He followed behind her. He was tired. He was sore. He was taken to the cleaning room where he was mucked and cleaned up. He hoped that he would then be returned to his stall and allowed to get some rest. Certainly he should get some rest before returning to training, but it appeared that was not to be the case.

Sally led him to the tack room where he was once again saddled. At least he was walking, and that felt good. After the weight was placed on the saddle he was taken to the now familiar room where he had spent so many hours walking with the weight on his back. But, this time things were different. Sally attached reins to the clips in his bridle. His hobble was removed.

He was conditioned to start walking in this room. He did not want to feel the shock on his nipples from failing to keep moving, but she held the reins tight so he did not move. There were no shocks.

“Kneel.” She directed. He was surprised at the command and stood without moving. The swish of air and the sudden burn to his flank drew his attention back to her.

“Kneel.” The command was repeated. He dropped to his knees. She held him in that position, walking around him tapping with her crop to keep his chin up and his back straight. The position quickly grew uncomfortable, but he held the position. He did not want to disappoint her anymore.

After what seemed like a long time she commanded: “Up.” He stood. It was not that easy. Without the use of his arms and with a heavy weight on the saddle on his back he almost lost his balance. When he came to a standing position she tapped his legs until he brought his feet together and stood straight. Once again she left him in position for a time.

Then she repeated the process. “Kneel.” A pause then “Up.” As she went over and over the commands he became more accustom to the movement and it became smoother. She tapped his body for correction when he moved out of line in his actions.

After quite a long time and many repetitions there was a new command: “Mount.” He did not know what to do and she gave him no verbal direction. Instead, she tapped at the back of his right knee. He dropped to his knees. He was no sooner on his knees than she was tapping with the crop at the back of his left leg. He tried to look at her, but the tapping became stronger. “Mount.” She repeated. Damn it, why didn’t she just tell him what to do. He lifted his left leg so that his left hoof was on the ground. He started to lift his body from there, but she pushed down on his shoulders holding him in that position. He understood. It meant right knee on the ground, left leg up.

He held that position while she corrected for posture. Finally she commanded: “Up.” He stood.

Now the training went through all three commands. When he reversed and placed his left knee on the ground with the right leg up she delivered a painful swat from her crop and repeated the “Mount” command until he changed legs.

While this does not seem a terribly stressful exercise, with a hundred pounds on his back it really was quick a workout and he was soon sweating. She watered him and let him rest for a time in the mount position.

She came around to his left side and surprised him be stepping with her left foot onto his left leg. Her hands were positioned on his shoulders. He could feel weight on his left leg as she transferred her weight to it and stood. He wobbled, but held his position. She lowered herself down and stepped off.

“Good boy.” She seemed pleased and that pleased Jacob very much.

“Up.” She commanded. He stood.

She moved around behind him and took the reins over his shoulders. She was now about four feet behind him holding the reins from his bridle.

“Walk.” She commanded. He knew this one and he stepped out moving forward. She walked behind keeping only a gently pressure on the reins. This was not unlike what he had been doing in previous training, except that suddenly he felt a pressure on the right rein. He turned his head to the right slightly. He did not need direction at the meaning, it was almost instinctive. He followed the pressure turning to the right until the pressure let up. He walked on straight until he felt pressure on the left rein and followed its lead.

“Really?” She was training him to the reins. This seemed silly to him, but he knew better than to do other than as commanded. He followed the lead. At one point she pulled back on both reins. Well, he had ridden horses, he knew that meant stop, and he did. Then she shook the reins against his back. He moved forward.

It was humiliating to be commanded by reins as a horse. He should not agree to this. She had no right to do this to him, but she certainly had the power to do it, and he knew that if he did not cooperate he would be subjected to pain until he did. In the end he knew he would cooperate because there was nothing else that he could do. He knew that she knew that as well. He did the only thing he could do. He obeyed.

The training went on for what seemed like hours. Occasionally she would stop him, command him to “Kneel” or “Mount” positions, then back to “Up” and on with the rein training. He did notice over time that he became more attuned to subtleties in the pressure of the reins causing him to adjust the degree of movement to the amount of pressure.

Finally he was allowed to rest, his reins were hitched to a ring in the wall and he was watered. Sally then left the corral. He was very tired and wanted more than anything to be able to lie down, but there was not enough slack in the reins to do anything but stand, so stand he did.

Training to the reins was continued through the morning. After being watered and fed for the mid-day break Jacob was worked on a lunge line, saddled but without the weight. Sally worked him through gaits and the change of gait from standing to walking to trotting even introducing the canter.

Jacob found that he was adapting to his hooves as if he had always walked on the balls of his feet. He even found there was an extra spring to his step. He knew there was a metal arch in the hoof boot. He learned that it was not completely ridged but had some flex. As he learned to canter he could really feel the extra spring and felt it add to his speed.

As the days training ended Jacob was exhausted. He was so tired that by the time he got back to his stall he could only think about laying down and getting some sleep. He was so happy to be off his feet and able to rest.

For days they repeated this training. Rein training in the morning, gait training in the afternoon. Jacob found he was adjusting to the weight on his back and to responding to both the verbal and physical commands. He was also becoming more comfortable with the gaits, establishing a proper speed and step for both the trot and canter, although he continued to practice with only an empty saddle on his back. He knew he was making progress and was pleased that Sally seemed happy with his performance. He felt the bite of the whip far less frequently.

Some time into the next week. He figured it had been a week because there was a day without training. Thankfully he was not required to pull a cart that day but instead was allowed to spend most of it in the daylight outside relaxing with the rest of the herd in the big corral. It was nice to be able to walk around or at least move around, he was still restrained and hobbled. He noticed that the three senior ponies grouped together and would even rub their bodies against one another. He wanted to be a part of that. He moved over to within five feet of them, but he was given a stern look from the big stallion that made it clear he was not, at least yet, invited to join in. He stood nearby and looked on longingly. Then he sought out Local Girl. She was standing alone in one corner of the coral looking wistfully over the top of the fence at the meadow nearby. The top rail of the corral was just at shoulder level, but restrained as they were it was sufficient height to keep all the ponies within.

Jacob wanted to rub his body against hers as he had seen the other ponies doing, but he felt he needed some sign first. They were both virtually naked, and although he had been looking at her body including her bare breasts for weeks and even though their state of dress felt normal now he had never had skin to skin contact with her. They were always separated standing helplessly in their own stalls. He came up next to her moving close enough that their shoulders touched. She did not pull or move away. She just kept staring out across the field.

Her look was one of sadness and longing. He was sure she was considering her former life, the challenge that she would soon face, and the prospect of remaining here a pony for the rest of her days. He looked out across the field. To her it was familiar to him it was not. He wondered if her proximity to the signs of her freedom made it easier or harder for her. At least she had a chance at freedom. He was very jealous of that. Nobody here had any intention of giving him a shot at freedom. He glanced at Local Girl reminded of their conversations. Even if she were free she would not help him. She would instead be perfectly happy to use him as a pony. “I hope you fail and stay a pony forever.” He thought. If he couldn’t be free then she should not either. He felt immediately guilty for his thoughts. He was happy that it had only been in his head. He hoped that his eyes had not communicated what he was feeling.

Jacob had completely lost track of how long he had been in training. His shoulders had stopped aching and even the natural tendency to use an arm only to have the motion stopped by his restraints had all but disappeared. His muscle memory performed all required tasks as if he had never had arms.

There was a change in the training. Instead of being led into the building for rein training, after the weight was attached to Jacob’s saddle he was instead taken to the ring use with the lunge line for gait training. Jacob was started at a walk. He was use to this with the weight, but when he was commanded to trot he found that the addition of the weight on his back made this task much more difficult. He also realized that he was going to tire much more quickly.

After only several laps of the ring he was taken back to a walk. Even slowing gaits was difficult as the weight changed the entire dynamic of the movements. The saddle was designed to distribute the weight from his shoulders down to his waist and hips, but it was still a hundred pounds of weight above his waist.

When he was directed to a trot again he overcommitted to the movement and the weight carried him forward, off his feet, and into the ground. Sally did not say anything. She did not come to check to see that he was ok. She flipped the reins and lightly tapped with the whip signaling him to rise. When he was slow to move and get his feet below him the tap of the whip increased to a sting. Knowing that its bite was next he moved with more urgency. Finally he was on his feet and walking again.

He was signaled again to go to a trot. This was not easy. By the morning break he was feeling tired, but he had a pretty good feel for the mechanics of changing gaits. At least moving from a walk to a trot and back again. He had fallen only one more time, this time it was on reducing from the trot to the walk.

By the noon break he was very tired. As the noon break approached Sally had held him at a trot for what seemed like forever. The weight on his back seemed to have gotten much heavier. At one point he turned his head toward her giving her a pleading look. This was rewarded with a sharp bite of the whip to his flank. He almost lost his balance, after that he kept his eyes forward and dug deeply to keep up the pace. When she finally moved him to a walk he almost wanted to fall to the ground just to get some relief, but he knew she would just whip him until he was back on his feet so he resisted the urge.

The weight on his saddle was removed for the midday feeding and watering, but it was replaced for afternoon training and Jacob found himself back on the lunge line walking and trotting with the heavy weight firmly mounted on his saddle.

Occasionally Sally would stop him and run through position commands.

When the mid afternoon break came Jacob’s entire body ached. As usual he had been led to a side of the ring where he was reined to a ring on the wall then watered before Sally left for her break. He did the only thing he could do. He stood with the weight on his back waiting for his trainer to return and resume his training. He knew there was no way he could continue. He knew that his legs were going to collapse. He was just too tired. She could not expect him to endure this any longer. He wasn’t even sure he could keep standing, but with his reins tied to a ring with only about 18” of slack he really had no choice. It was just so unfair.

The break seemed longer than usual. Jacob could not tell if it was really longer or it was just because he was so tired and having to fight exhaustion just to keep on his feet with no relief from the heavy weight on his back.

When Sally finally returned, he was actually happy to see her and anxious to have her release his reins from the ring in the wall. It even felt good to be back on the lunge line walking in a circle. Moving seemed easier than standing with this stupid weight on his saddle.

Sally did require him to trot during the afternoon session, but less often and not for long periods. She seemed to be gauging what she thought he could do. And somehow Jacob had done what she expected. He was not sure how much of it was his desire to please her and how much was just fear of the whip. He was too tired to make much sense out of anything other than mindless focus on the demand at hand.

When he was finally led from the training ring he moved mechanically as he was stripped of the weight and his saddle, mucked and cleaned, and finally returned to his stall. By the time Sally had closed and locked the stall door Jacob was already in the corner on the floor. Never had it felt so good to get off of his feet.

To Jacob’s dismay the training over the next days was exactly the same, working with a weighted saddle on a lunge line. To his surprise Jacob was finding it easier to perform. Sally was also holding him at a trot for longer and longer periods of time. He knew he was growing stronger, he could see it on his body. The combination of the heavy training and the steroids they were feeding him were having their effect.

He had good muscle definition prior to being taken and he had considered himself to be in good shape, but nothing like he was becoming. His legs now looked like those of a serious weight lifter. On the other hand, his waist seemed trimmer and his abs were perfect. He would love to work this body in a nice club. He would be able to attract the females pretty easily. But what kind of hit would he be with his arms locked up behind his back? Maybe more than he thought.

He could not really see his arms but he knew they were not bulking. He imagined that if they were released they would seem to not belong to the rest of the body he now sported. Once a week they would be removed for a short time from the armbinder. This occurred when his body was given a careful inspection and cleaning, but prior to the release of his arms he was bent forward and his head was locked into a metal stock. It clamped tightly around his neck keeping his body down almost parallel to the ground. His waist was also secured as were his ankles. Thus, when his arms were released he was in no position to resist or use them in any meaningful way. He could not even see them because of the stock locked around his head. From feel he could tell that each arm, removed only one at a time would be inspected, massaged and cleansed before being locked tightly back into the armbinder behind his back.

Another day in the big corral signaled the end of another week. Had he been in the corral twice or was it more. He thought it was more. Why could he not clearly remember? Jacob knew nobody would miss him. He had already dropped off the radar when he came here. Was this really what the rest of his life would be? Well, no, he was still in training. After training it would be something else. But whatever it was it would involve him as a trained domesticated beast. Unless something happened to change his condition he was to be owned and controlled and perform as instructed and trained. He was to live in a stable as a horse, to carry loads as a pack animal, to pull carts, and probably even be ridden. Unless he could figure a way to get out of here he would never again make his own decisions and he knew that fear of the whip and punishment would make him compliant to all the demands placed upon him. And the continued combination of the drugs they were giving him and the coping in his own mind would drive away all hope for a return to his former life – not that it had been that great.

Conversation in the stable had been slight. Jacob had not felt prone to starting any discussion, partly because he was always to very tired, part because there did not seem to be anything to talk about. Even though the others in the stable shared his situation he did not feel like sharing his feelings and was finding he was less interested in what the other ponies felt. The past was gone and the future was becoming all too predictable.

There had been a pensive day standing in the big corral looking out at the road that led down and eventually out of the valley. The road a free person could travel. But a road a restrained and corralled pony could not even reach let alone follow. His old life, his freedom lay somewhere down that road but it was beyond his reach.

Jacob was saddled and weighted and returned to work on the lunge line. He was rested after a day without exertion and as a result of his increased conditioning. He knew that there were more levels of training to be reached but he was still somehow surprised when he was signaled not to slow to a walk from his trot but instead to move to the canter. He had never practiced this gait with the weight on his saddle, but this was to be the next level. Even though he had developed the muscle memory necessary to change from a walk to a trot and back again the increase in gait to the canter was a challenge. Mercifully he did not fall, but it felt clumsy and he stumbled the first few times he tried. But, like everything else he had learned smoothness and precision came with the practice and by day’s end it was feeling natural.

A major complication was that he now had to pay much more attention during the trot. He had to be attuned to the command and not just to the relief of moving down in speed. The level of exertion required to hold a canter over time with the weight was also a challenge. For the first few days Sally only held him at a canter for brief periods. She seemed more interested in mastering the transition, but as she had done with the trot Jacob knew that the length of the demanded pace would increase. They did.

As during prior training he would be worked, then watered and rested – standing hitched to a ring in the wall – then worked again before either the mid day break or the end of the day’s session. By the time he was given another rest day in the corral he was able to maintain the canter carrying his weighted saddle for very long periods of time. Being allowed to trot which had once been the height of exertion now was a relief he looked forward to.

Back in his stall, Jacob once again was quick to lie down with little interest in what else might be happening around him. After all, nothing ever happened except ponies standing or sleeping in their stalls. At first it had been hard for Jacob to find comfortable positions with his arms held behind his back and his legs hobbled, but he had come up with a few and now he was able to sleep well. Part of that was due to the exhausted state he was usually in when he got back to his stall. He was usually so bone tired he was asleep within minutes.

There was a lot of commotion. It was much more than just the normal clip clop of a pony on the concrete. There were the sound of hoofs, but no rhythm or even pattern, and there was the sound of heavy breathing and muffled curses.

Jacob rose and when to his gate. The sound was coming from his right. He saw three figures. One of the trainers, he was not certain what her name was, held a leash line. It was connected to a ring in the nose of a young man. He looked to be about Jacob's age. He was fit. His build was similar to what Jacob's had been prior to being bulked up over the last few weeks. He had dark hair. His body was a golden tan color, evident by the contrasting whiteness of the tan lines surrounding his groin area. The white was consistent with a slim style swimsuit.

A high collar was fixed around his neck. His arms were not visible, disappearing behind his back, clearly held in the familiar armbinder restraint. His cock was pulled down, but clearly visible from Jacob's point of view.

His feet, encased in the same type of high arched pony boots worn by Jacob and the other occupants of the stable were held with a tight hobble. He was twisting his upper body and Jacob could see the muscles in his arms and shoulders rippling as he struggled in his bindings.

Behind him was Sally. She was holding the end of a line in both arms and appeared to be pulling backwards.

The young man was gagged, but loud grunts and attempts at vocalization filed the space. He was resisting the leash to his nose, stepping from side to side as much as forward. Then he jerked forward as if he were trying to body slam the girl holding the leash to his nose, but he came up short due to the pressure from behind. Sally's line was attached to the control ring around his scrotum. She was keeping him from rushing forward and as she jerked backwards he bent forward at the waist.

Unable to reach the woman to his front but forced to move forward or suffer further pain to his nose he moved to a new tactic. He dropped to his knees in the middle of the corridor. Jacob heard a slight buzzing sound, then saw his upper body shake and tremble as he twisted from side to side and released a scream.

Jacob saw a small black box, no more than 3" by 4" hanging from a clip at the front ring of his collar. Wires from the small box were attached by alligator clips to rings in each of the young man's nipples. Jacob was sure that the piercing was new. The buzzing and the shaking of his upper body stopped. The woman in the front applied pressure to the leash line to the nose. The young man lifted his head and looked at her but did not move from his knees.

Jacob could see something in the hand of the woman in front. She pointed that hand toward the young man, made a motion and the buzzing, twitching, and screaming started again. It continued for another three or four seconds. Then it stopped once more. She tightened the leash line. Jacob knew that the man was being shocked, and from the looks of his reaction, it was more severe than the shocks Jacob had received during his training in the ring. Jacob remembered how much it had hurt and felt sorry for the young man.

The young man was struggling again, but this time it was struggling to stand on the steep hoofs. The woman seemed to understand what he was doing and allowed him to work his way back to his feet without further shocks. As soon as he had regained his footing, she was again pulling on the line urging him forward. He moved haltingly, but he moved forward.

The woman had opened the gate to the stall to the left of the new girl and guided the man in. He looked at Jacob standing at the gate of his stall, his expression was one of confusion and horror. He moved forward but he balked at the threshold of the stall. Sally used the end of the line she held to slash across his buttocks and he jumped forward, as much in surprise as pain, although Jacob knew that such a blow did, in fact, hurt.

As Sally followed them into the stall she closed the gate. The man quickly disappeared from view. Jacob knew they had taken him to the floor, but was not sure how they had accomplished it. He knew that the trainers were very familiar with the workings of their restraints and that the young man had no chance of resisting them in his current state.

There was sound from inside the stall but all three figures were gone from sight.

After several minutes, the two women left the stall, then closed and latched the gate. Jacob caught a quick glimpse of the young man lying on the floor of the stall facing toward the back with his legs pulled up toward his buttocks.

Sally looked at Jacob and smiled, then she and the other woman left the stable.

Sounds of movement emanated from the now closed stall. Jacob knew that the young man was secured in a tight hogtie. Jacob knew that he was trying to find a way to release himself from his predicament. Jacob knew that he would not be successful and that eventually he would tire, give up, and do what all tired ponies did when left restrained in their stalls - sleep.

Jacob stood looking at the closed stall door for a moment. Local Girl and Reluctant Pony were standing at the gates to their stalls. If the other ponies further up the stable had paid any attention they were now not to be seen. None of the three standing at their gates said anything. They looked at each other and then, one by one, they moved from the gate and returned to their straw to resume their rest. They all knew that rest should be taken when it was available.

When Sally came for Jacob the next morning there was no sign of movement from the newly occupied stall. Jacob glanced quickly in that direction but then turned his attention to what he knew would be, and what was, in fact, a hard day of training.

As Jacob was returned to his stall at the end of the day, he lifted his legs high and pranced as he had been trained and as Sally expected. He had long ago learned that whenever he was not hobbled he raised each leg until the upper leg was parallel with the floor on every step. Even a minor defalcation could mean a painful swat across the buttocks or thigh. As Jacob pranced toward his stall, he saw the new pony standing at the gate to his stall. The new pony was looking at Jacob in a combination of horror and utter disbelief. At first this puzzled Jacob, then he smiled to himself. He has no idea how a pony walks. He certainly has a lot to learn.

Sally guided Jacob into his stall. Tied his reins to a ring until she had hobbled him, and only then removed his harness and bit and hung them from the hook in his stall. "Good boy." She said as she patted him on the side of the head, then turned and left the stall closing and carefully latching the gate as she went. Jacob stepped to the gate and watched Sally walk away.

Local Girl had come to her gate with the sound of Jacob's return. Even though she endured pony training her training always seemed shorter in duration than Jacob and she almost always was back in her stall before him.

"What is this freak show?" The young man, New Pony, was looking at Jacob as he spoke.

"It is a pony farm. They train humans to be ponies. The emphasis here is on stallions like you and me." Jacob's explanation sounded strange to him as the words came out. He thought he should say more but was not immediately sure what it would be.

"Fuck that. I'm not letting anyone turn me into a fucking horse." New Pony was now looking up and down the inside of the stable and moving in a very agitated state.

"You don't get a say in the matter. You do as you're told or they punish you. It looked like you got a little of that last night." Again, Jacob's words sounded wrong.

"That fucking shock thing hurt like hell. But I'm still not going to do what they want. Fuck that. Why don't you fight them?" He stopped moving and concentrated on Jacob.

"Because you can't win. They can just keep applying pain until you can't take it any more then you do what they want. You might as well do what they want from the start and avoid the pain." Jacob felt sad as he relayed the truism.

"There has to be a way out of here. They can't keep people as animals. It just isn't possible."

"Look around. Do you see a way out?"

New Pony was now moving in an agitated fashion again, back and forth at the gate along with a forward and back motion within the area of the gate. He was also pulling and twisting at his arms and shoulders. "My arms and shoulders are hurting. I need to get this thing off and move them." The volume was less assertive than the earlier statements he had made. Jacob was not sure to what extent the statement was meant to be directed at him or statements to himself.

"The pain pretty much goes away in a few days. After a few weeks you don't feel anything."

New Pony's mouth was hanging open but his eyes were fixed on Jacob. "I can't take this for a couple of weeks. I can't take this for a couple of days. I need this thing off now." He turned and was trying to worry the armbinder against the edge of the gate.

"You don't think we all didn't try that? It has straps on the inside and flaps over the outside. It does not come off. You will get use to it because you have no choice." Jacob was feeling irritated. What did he think they were doing?

"I don't want to be here. I can't be here. I have things I have to do. That fucking bitch. When I get my hands on her she will be so sorry." New Pony kicked the door of the stall and shook his body back and forth.

"Look dude." Jacob paused. "This isn't a fucking pleasure resort. None of us signed up for this. We are all here against our will. So, what happened? Did you get arrested by the local sheriff or tricked with expectations of sex?" Jacob thought he should see if he could calm him down a bit.

"Alcohol and sex . . . I guess. I had her in the back of my car after I picked her up. At least I thought I had picked her up. She told me she was going to do something that would rock my world. I still can't believe I let her move my hands behind me and fasten handcuffs around my wrists. I didn't see it coming until it had happened. But, before I could make a fuss she unbuckled by pants and pulled them down. That changed my focus back to sex." New Pony blushed and looked at Local Girl before looking back to Jacob and continuing. "When she got the pants down to the top of my knees she retightened the belt. That made it very hard to move my legs. She kept my attention by going to my shirt, unbuttoning it, and laying it back on my hands. I guess I was already fucked, but I didn't know it yet. When she pulled a bag over my head and cinched it at the neck I knew I was in trouble, but there was nothing I could do."

"Then she brought you here?" Jacob said in an understanding voice.

"Pretty much. I tried to fight but there were at least three of them and they kept me secured in some way at all times. I couldn't believe it when they pierced my nose and nipples, but when they put the ring in my cock . . . it was the worst thing that has ever happened to me." New Pony was looking down as best he could with the high collar around his neck.

"That one made me crazy too." Jacob commiserated. "I still hate it. They keep your cock locked to your balls. When you get excited, it hurts like hell. And when a young woman is soaping and washing your cock and balls it is hard not to react."

"A woman washes your cock and balls, is that for sex?" There was an almost hopeful tone to New Pony's voice.

"Not hardly. We don't get any sex. Your cock stays locked to your balls." Jacob paused and watched New Pony's reaction to this. "You do get washed at the end of every day. But with your arms secured behind you a trainer does it."

"They don't let your arms go to clean up?" New Pony's eyes were wide again.

"No. We are so much stronger than they are. They have been training and handling human ponies around here for decades. Not only do they keep your arms restrained you will always be reined, hitched, or hobbled so you can't even run. Not that there is anywhere to go." Jacob shook his head from side to side in as sympathetic a fashion as he could. He remembered his first few days here. He remembered the mixture of fear, hope, and dread.

New Pony looked at Jacob then turned away from the gate and retreated into his stall.

Jacob was surprised the following morning when he was saddled but no weight was placed on the saddle. He had become so use to the weight. As he pranced behind Sally away from the tack room, he felt light on his feet.

He was led to an enclosed corral in which he had not previously worked. At one side of the corral, there was a small gate that opened into an enclosed area only about three feet across and five feet deep. The sides of the chute rose to Jacob's shoulders.

Jacob was led into the chute and then faced toward the gate. A trainer stood in the corral next to the gate. She took hold of the side of Jacob's bridle then fed his reins back over his shoulders. He could not see Sally. She was somewhere behind him but he could feel the pressure on his reins. His first instinct was to back up, but the woman holding his bridle kept his head at the gate.

Something new was happening and that made Jacob nervous. He had become so use to the routine of his training. What was this? Jacob felt something behind him. He wanted to turn to see what was going on but the woman in front kept a tight grip on his bridle. Then he felt weight. It was a sensation similar to what he felt when the weight was attached to his saddle but there were subtle differences. He felt pressure pulling down on the front of his harness as well as the weight on his back. He also noticed that the weight shifted between the saddle on his back and the front of the harness.

Jacob wanted to know what was going on. He started to shift his feet. He tried to turn toward the pressure. He needed to see what was happening behind him. The woman in front looked into his eyes and kept a firm grip on the side of his bridle. "Easy boy." She said and stroked his head with the other hand.

Even though Jacob knew he could not turn his head, and even though he knew the blinkers prevented him from seeing anything other than what was in front of him, his eyes kept moving from one side to the other trying to grasp a glimpse of something. "It's ok, relax." She continued to stroke his head. Jacob could now hear breathing close behind him.

The weight behind him and from the front of the harness stopped moving. The woman in front reached down with her free hand and opened the gate to the chute. Only then did she release her hold on his bridle and step away.

Jacob's first thought was to turn and see what was going on behind him, but before he could act on that thought he felt a sting on each of his flanks, felt pressure close on each side of his waist, felt the distinct signal from his reins to walk and heard Sally's voice. "Ehahaa." Her voice was close. Very close. Right in his ear.

His training instinct took over and he stepped forward into the corral. He could now not only hear the breathing behind him he could feel the breath on the right side of his neck. He was being ridden. He started to turn to his right, as if he could turn and see what was on his back. A sharp pull on his left rein straightened him out. He walked forward lifting his knees and maintaining his perfect walking gait.

He had only walked half the side of the corral when he felt the reins signal a change of gait. This was accompanied by the sting in his flanks. "My God." He thought. "She is wearing spurs." Jacob did not think about what to do. He was far too well trained for that. By the time the spurs revelation went through his mind he was already two steps into his trot.

With the increase in gait, he could tell that his rider shifted more of her weight to the stirrups that hung from the front of the harness. This actually improved his balance. He could tell that Sally - he assumed that she was the rider - was an experienced rider. As she moved him into turns, she would move her weight with him. Again, it was much easier than carrying the dead weight he had used in training so far.

But there was something so fundamentally different about his. He had a live person on his back. He was being ridden like a horse. It was not that it was a big surprise. The thing they strapped to his back every day had been a saddle. He had expected that at some point he would be ridden. But this was it.

When someone holds you on a leash or lunge line, even when the walk in front or behind holding reins to your mouth you know that you are under control. You know that you must obey their commands even if you do not want to. But this was, this was 'intimate'. That was the only word that he could think of that described how he felt. He could feel her against him. Her upper legs pressed against the top of his hips. Her lower legs moved. When he walked they were down at almost a 90 degree angle to the stirrups, but as she moved him to a trot she pulled them back so that her lower legs actually wrapped around his flanks. His body was completely bare in this area and even though she wore jeans, her movement was all against his naked flesh.

She sat in the saddle that curved out from near his waist. She leaned forward pressing her body against the padding that supported the saddle to his back. Even though there were many layers of thick leather between them in his mind, he could feel her breasts pushed into his shoulders.

Her head was to the right her chin just above his right shoulder so that her head was just slightly higher than his. If he were able to turn his head, he could have brought their faces together. He, of course, could not do this. In fact, with the blinkers in place, he could not even see her. He hated that. He should at least be able to glance at her.

Jacob had actually wondered what it would be like to be ridden. Much of the time, he had told himself that such an indignity would be too much. They could make him do the other things they required because they could just stand off at a distance and beat him. That would not work with a rider. He had thought of all the things he could do to keep them from putting a person on his back. The ways he could throw such a person if they tried. The ways he could get even with his tormentors if they were stupid enough to place themselves in this position. But none of those feelings were present now.

As he was trotted and walked around the corral, he felt connected to his rider in a way that he could never have imagined. It was like she belonged there. He tossed his head as best he could and released a sound that was somewhere between a neigh and a battle call. It surprised his rider, he could feel her flinch, but it had surprised him as well. This was not supposed to feel good. This was supposed to be bad. But, this did feel good. He liked it. He couldn't wait to canter, but that was not going to happen today.

The following day as Jacob was saddled and let from the tack room, he was anxious to feel Sally on his back once more. He was anxious to try new things. The first happened almost immediately. He was not put in the chute for mounting. Instead, Sally led him into the corral and immediately commanded "Mount". Suddenly the command made sense. Jacob had been well enough trained that he was on one knee before thinking about the purpose and meaning of the command. Sally stepped onto his upper leg, put her arms around his neck and swung into the saddle. The movement was smooth and quick and he barely felt the weight of her foot on his leg before she was in the saddle and had put her feet into the stirrups. Then she commanded "Up." He stood with no difficulty. He had been practicing this move with a weighted saddle and she presented no greater challenge.

Today they did canter, but only for brief periods mostly focusing on changing gait and maneuvering. She used her knees against his sides. As they turned to the right he could feel the left knee pushed into his side. To turn to the left it was the right knee. Both knees tapping meant to go or speed up. Both knees held tightly meant to slow or stop.

The degree of pressure determined the sharpness of the turning motion. Jacob got use to the combination of the knees against his side and the pull on the reins. Barrels had been set up in the corral and they worked around the barrels changing directions and speeds. Very quickly, he was moving around the barrels at her command at a canter.

When he returned to his stall that night, he felt very pleased with himself. The mood in the stable was an interesting mix. Local Girl was excited. The big festival was less than two weeks away and she had received confirmation that she would run for her freedom at the festival. "Two weeks and I will be free." She said to Jacob.

"If you manage to evade the hunters. What do you think your chances are?"

"I grew up here. I have played in those woods my whole life. I know every tree and every rock. I only have to make it five miles. I like my chances." She lifted her chin as she spoke, but Jacob could see her twisting her arms inside her armbinder. Her restraint made it all too clear the significance of what she faced and what would happen if she failed. Jacob thought there was a touch of self-reassuring bravado in her comments. He decided that he would not do anything to bring her down. Sometimes he liked her a lot. Other times he resented her and wished her ill. Today he liked her.

The reverse mood was New Pony. He was miserable. His training was not going well. He hated the training and fought everything. He was not at all reconciled to the fact that he could not get away or that they were not about to be rescued. He had been severely beaten for not having enough enthusiasm, even when he actually tried to do the things they commanded. Jacob had tried to tell him that you get use to it; that as soon as you accept your role and your mistress things will be much better. The response was a hateful stare. Jacob shrugged his shoulders and returned to his stall.

Jacob was actually in a very good mood. He had enjoyed - no, he had loved - what he was doing now. He couldn't wait for what was next. He couldn't wait to get out on open road, flying across the fields with Sally hugging in against his back and neck. He was getting very good at cutting direction and changing speed.

In the days that followed even the reins disappeared. Sally was close enough that she could always use her hand at the bridle, but that is not what she did. The signals were all through her knees against his hips. She may touch her spurs to his flanks as well, not often, and never enough to puncture the skin. The spurs were a signal to go fast and go quickly. He had learned how to canter, but now he was learning how to burst into a full gallop. That was not a prolonged speed, but over a short distance they could cover a lot of ground and still be ready to cut in another direction. It almost felt like their brains were connected. Sally would think of a maneuver and Jacob would do it. He was very proud of himself and Sally was thrilled.

At the end of a training day before she mucked and cleaned him she stopped outside the tack room, held his bridle in one hand and stroked his head with the other.

"You have done so well. I knew you would do well, but the progress is much greater than I even hoped. I have entered us in the calf-roping event at the festival. I think you will enjoy it. We will get in some practice next week."

The stroking continued as she looked into his eyes with a softness that Jacob had not seen in almost a year. He returned the look and mustered as close to a smile as could be done with the bit in his mouth. He said nothing. He knew better than to try to speak and he did not want to ruin the mood. Instead, he lowered his head and nuzzled her cheek. She giggled. They did not move for minutes. He held his head against hers moving it only slightly as she stroked the sides and back of his head and neck. He was ready to stand there all night as long as she kept on, but finally she stopped and gently led him into the muck room. As she cleaned him her hands would touch much more intimate parts of his body, but that was just performing a required task, he longed for the moment they had shared earlier.

Jacob's mind told him that there should have been a rest day. He was sure they had worked more than six days, but he no longer knew the days of the week or the months of the year. Nobody bothered to communicate such things to ponies. Ponies did not need calendars. If they were given a rest day they rested or more likely frolicked in the corral with other ponies or just stood around and enjoyed the breeze and the air. If there was training to be done, they were trained. Training was hard and expectations were always high. It was frequently painful to the pony, but Jacob understood that the pain was an important part of proper training and pain was never administered unfairly. If ponies were needed for work of some kind, they would do that. It might involve being ridden, pulling a cart or just performing in front of people for the pleasure of their owner. Ponies did not plan their day. Ponies did what they were called upon to do.

Jacob had become so use to the feel of Sally on his back that he almost missed it when she was not there. When she signaled a turn their bodies moved together. Jacob loved the exercise where they headed straight for a barrel at full speed. Then when they were almost upon it Sally would choose and signal the direction to go around the barrel, sometimes straightening out for the next barrel sometimes turning completely around the barrel. Jacob almost never got it wrong.

The next phase, however, frightened him. After having him assume the mount position Sally closed his blinkers and clipped them. He could see nothing. He wondered what he had done, then he felt Sally step onto his leg and swing into the saddle. He stood when signaled but felt very disoriented.

When Sally first signaled him to walk he balked. Then he felt her spurs in his flank. He had almost forgotten about them. He had been doing so well that he had not felt them in a long time. This time they hurt. He jumped forward and started to walk. If he had arms, he would have held one in front of him. But he had no arms. And now he had no eyes either. He was completely dependent on Sally.

He trusted her. He trusted their ability to work together. So, why did everything seem so different? Instead of just feeling the signals, he was waiting for them. He could not see the barrels. He could not see the sides to the corral. But, he knew they were there. He was only walking. Sally signaled him left. He turned. Then she signaled him right. He turned.

Then she signaled trot. "Really?" He couldn't do that. But he did. She kept him at a trot for a long time. He had completely lost his sense of spatial orientation. He did not know if she was approaching the barrels from the front or the side or even not at all. Soon he forgot about what was around him and let his body follow only the signals. He had not hit anything. She didn't want him to trip. She would not want him injured, but what if he fell on her? She could be hurt.

He was surprised, but not intimidated when they moved to a canter. Now he was having fun. He was even ready to gallop. He could tell that she was working him at the barrels now. There was a slight difference in the air density around a barrel. It was like he could feel their presence as she guided him around at ever increasing speeds and sharpness of cuts.

Half of his training was now with closed blinkers and half with them open. Jacob was comfortable either way. As long as he could feel her close on his neck. As long as he could hear and feel her breath. He was relaxed. Her body would push forward and up against his back when she wanted speed. She would slip down and back when he should slow and stop. She still gave verbal commands but Jacob hardly needed them now.

Sally taught him a new command. The command was "Hold". But it was not what he expected. It did not mean stand still. It meant keep pressure. Sally connected a rope from the pummel of her saddle to a sandbag. It ran over Jacob's shoulder so he could face the bag. On the command of "Hold" he tightened up the rope. He was not to drag the bag, just keep the rope tense. If Sally pushed the bag toward him he would back up. He would lean slightly to the rear, not enough to risk losing his balance, but enough to use the weight of his body to keep the rope under pressure.

It was more difficult when the blinkers were closed. Sally was not on his back for this exercise. He had to take his command from her verbally and respond based upon the feel of the rope over his shoulder. He sensed the bag being moved to the side, he moved back and circled keeping it in front of him. He wasn't sure what this was for, but he knew he was getting it right because Sally praised him, patted his head, and gave him a sugar cube. He liked the sugar, but he enjoyed the praise and the pat far more.

Jacob was not sure what calf roping would be. He knew what it looked like in a regular rodeo, but here it could be anything. The only thing he was sure of is that Sally would be the rider and that he would be the horse.

It was morning and they were in a meadow. Sally had ridden Jacob here. Local Girl had been running along behind them. She was completely naked. Not even a pony harness, no belt, no breast support, no crotch strap, not even boots. All she wore was cuffs at her elbows joined with about six inches of chain and a collar around her neck from which a line led to a ring on Jacob's saddle so that she would follow.

When she was first led out of the stables naked at the end of the rope Jacob realized that although he had been across the corridor of the stable from her for many weeks (probably months) he had never really seen her body. The stable gate came to just below her shoulders. Jacob had not realized how pretty Local Girl was. Her breasts were not large, but pert with turned up nipples. Jacob could feel himself expanding. He felt like he should feel guilty seeing her naked and not in pony tack, but he didn’t. Instead he just enjoyed looking at her and felt it was somehow right.

Jacob felt a pressure on his reins as he was turned away from her. "Ok, boy, we have work to do." Sally said. "Mount". He dropped to his knee and felt Sally slide into the saddle. "Up". He stood and then they were off down the road. Jacob did not see Local Girl again until they got to the meadow.

They had entered through a gate. Sally removed the rope from Local Girl's collar. Then she mounted Jacob again. She gave a command to Local Girl of "Go". Local Girl took off running across the meadow.

Sally waited a full 10 seconds and then using her knees signaled Jacob to start at a canter. She did not have him fall into the same line as Local Girl. Instead, she put him on a tack to the left. Jacob was at full gallop and covering a lot of distance. Sally started to move him back to the right. He could not see Local Girl because of his blinkers, but could feel that she was being maneuvered, almost herded to the right. Then as he was turned more to the right he saw movement and could make out the running figure about 15 yards ahead.

Jacob saw something moving above his head. Then something white line streaked out. It was a lariat and the circular loop dropped perfectly over Local Girl pulling tight as it got to her knees. "Hold" was the command, and now Jacob knew what it was for. As the command had been given Sally had jumped from the saddle and was running to the spot where Local Girl was squirming to get the noose off her legs. Jacob had dug in his feet and was pulling backwards as he had been trained keeping the line, which was attached to the pummel of his saddle tight.

Sally was on Local Girl before she could find any slack in the rope. Sally grabbed the chain between her elbows, pulled up and then put her face down in the grass of the meadow. Jacob continued to slowly back up keeping her feet trapped within the noose of the lariat.

When Local Girl was face down in the grass Sally sat on her shoulders facing down her body. Sally's weight with the additional tension from the rope around her ankles kept her in place. Sally quickly slipped a rope around Local Girl's arms just below the elbows, made a lark's head and then ran it down and tightened it at the wrists. Two quick wraps, a pull back through the larks head and two cinches around the wrists followed by a knot between the arms and up out of reach of the fingers completed the tie.

Sally then shifted her weight to just above Local Girl's knees and quickly wrapped and tied her ankles. Only then did she remove the lariat and finish her tie with a quick line from the ankles to the wrists. Jacob was impressed. Sally had completed the hogtie, even with a struggling subject, in about two minutes. Jacob knew that his role keeping the lasso tight on the legs had been a big contribution. So this was calf roping. Jacob did like it. He couldn't wait until they were back in the stable tonight. He was busy thinking of the things he was going to say to little miss high and mighty Local Girl. He smiled. At least as much as one can smile around a bit.

Sally looped up the lariat and hung it from the saddle. Then she returned and stood over Local Girl who was still squirming on the ground. Jacob figured there must be a time limit that the tie must hold because Sally did nothing to help Local Girl for about five minutes. Then she untied her and actually helped her to her feet. Local Girl laughed and Sally gave her a hug.

Sally took Jacob's reins and they all walked back to the gate. Then Sally mounted and they did it all over again. This time Local Girl tried to zigzag to through Sally off, but Sally used the open space circling and herding until she had Local Girl in range of her lasso. Jacob had to admit she was very good with it. The circling loop was large enough to clear the head and arms, but not so large that it dropped uselessly to the ground. Sally was always able to pull it tight between the waist and the ankles. The result was always the same, Sally would give the "Hold" command, the rope would tighten and Local Girl’s legs would be pulled out from under her. As the girl was falling Sally would be out of the saddle and on to her before she could even recover from the fall. The placement of the only real restraint, the elbow cuffs and their chain gave Sally all the advantage she needed and quickly subdued her victim. Her time was getting better with each successive capture.

As Sally stood over Local Girl and watched her squirm for what was at least the sixth run, Jacob looked around the meadow. It sloped gently to a fence line 200-300 meters away. Jacob could see that the road curved around and followed the fence line. This was not a sturdy or even a complicated fence. It was just a simple wire fence. It even looked is if there was an opening in the fence near the far corner.

This was the first time since his capture that Jacob was not hobbled or leashed to something or securely locked within some enclosure. At least he was not securely locked in if there was in fact a way through the fence at the end of the meadow. He wasn't sure. He knew he was much faster than Sally and that he would be able to get to the end of the meadow with time to spare. He knew if he got onto the road she could never catch him. She would have to go back to the stable for help.

Before Jacob could finish his thought - was it a plan or a daydream - he felt his reins grabbed and pulled. Jacob followed led by his reins as Sally and Local Girl walked arm in arm to the gate area. Sally hitched Jacob's reins to a ring near the gate and attached his hobble.

Sally and Local Girl were talking. Not the kind of talking where Sally spoke to Jacob, but really talking. Local Girl was talking back and they were having a conversation.

"You have really become good with the lasso." Local Girl said.

"There are plenty of others who are as good if not better. You are going to have to be fast on your feet." Jacob watched silently from where he stood hitched to the fence.

Sally had retrieved the saddlebags that had been slung over Jacob's neck when the left the stable. From the bag she removed some containers. One Tupperware container she brought over to Jacob. She released his reins, signaled for him to kneel, reattached the reins to a ring only two feet off the ground and put down the bowl for Jacob to feed.

Then she and Local Girl sat down on the grass and ate from several other containers. Local Girl and Sally continued to talk and Local Girl used her hands to feed herself. The two of them even shared a drink container. Jacob finished his food in short order. He sat back on his legs but a stern look from Sally and a slap of her riding crop in her hand changed his mind and he straightened up on his knees. He knew he was going to get at least one swipe when lunch was over. He just hoped it would not be more. He had been feeling superior to Local Girl when she was squirming naked and tied in the grass, but not now. Now he was kneeling tethered to a fence while she ate and joked with Jacob's trainer. He hung his head even though he knew it would get him a swipe if Sally saw him. She did.

Jacob was angry with Local Girl. It was just not fair. He was jealous, although he would not admit it. Sally and Local Girl were obviously friends. That must make the current relationship difficult, Local Girl was supposed to act like a pony up until the time of the festival. She was not supposed to be on a picnic with her old friend. It also meant that they spend a lot of time. This was time they could have been training. Jacob did not want to be kneeling here watching the girls. They should be training. He did not want to watch Local Girl using her hands to feed herself. He wanted to see those hands tied tightly in a hogtie behind her back as she squirmed in the grass.

Finally, after what seemed like forever he was allowed to stand. He was anxious to get going and he signaled by pawing at the ground as his hobble was removed and by shaking his head. Sally laughed and then surprised him by closing and clipping his blinders. They were going to train, but Jacob was not going to be able to enjoy the sight of Local Girl captured and tied. He was not going to be able to look at her naked body. He knew he didn't need his eyes to perform this task, but taking his sight now was just one more indignity. He wished he had run for the road when he had the chance. He certainly was not launching any great escape now.

Sally mounted Jacob gave Local Girl the signal and then they were off. There was something different about the meadow from the corral. The meadow had grass and other ground cover. Jacob was fearful he would catch a foot and fall. When he was signaled to gallop, he hesitated and kept at a trot. At least at a trot his legs were being brought up higher making a trip less likely. A gallop was all out and there was no requirement to raise the knees. But Sally was having none of it. He felt the spurs bite his flanks. He picked up speed. Eventually he could tell that they had caught their prey. He executed the hold command perfectly; it was even easier when you could hear the groans and struggles of the prey fighting to be free only a short distance in front of you.

On the "Stand" command, he knew to stop pulling. There would now be the waiting period while Local Girl struggled to get free from Sally's binding. It would not happen. During the morning Sally had stood over Local Girl and watched her attempts at freedom. This time Jacob could sense that Sally had returned to him.

"Bad pony." The crop that she kept clipped to her belt snapped across his buttocks. Jacob squealed and tried to turn away from the bite.

"Gallop means gallop." It bit his thighs, first the right and then as he turned the left. He tried to back away, but she had taken his reins in her hand and there was no place for him to go.

"The contest is with closed blinkers. And I mean to win it." He had not expected a hit to his stomach and he jumped back almost losing his balance. He tightened waiting for pain to erupt some other place on his body, but nothing happened.

After a time he felt the pressure on his reins and he was led back to the gate area so they could do it all again. This time he did not hesitate. He didn't fall and they caught Local Girl in what seemed like record time. Jacob did not resent Sally for having beaten him earlier. Pain was a part of training and it did have results. He and Sally were ready for the calf roping. Jacob was disappointed that he was not going to be able to see it. He wanted to see the scared prey dash ahead of them as he bore down and Sally roped them. But over the course of the afternoon he had developed a feel like he had had in the corral with the barrels. He could sense the prey. He could feel when they were closing. When he went into "Hold" mode it was even more tactile. He could feel her struggle like a fish on the end of the line, caught and unable to get free. And, finally, he knew when she was helpless. He reveled in it.

He was sad when the day finally ended and he was mounted to return to the stables. He could tell that the sun was low in the sky. He could not remember the last time he had seen a sunset. They had worked hard and Sally kept the pace slow. Jacob did not know how much that was for his benefit and how much for Local Girl once more connected by the collar to Jacob's saddle. At least he got to lead her back to the stable, the captured prize that she was.

When Jacob was returned to his stall he could not see Local Girl. He thought of calling to her but rejected the idea. If he was heard speaking he would be punished. When the ponies spoke they kept their voices in whispers and paid close attention to any movement coming their way. Jacob was pretty sure that the trainers knew the ponies talked in the stall but pretended they didn’t know it.

It was morning and there was a great deal of activity in the stable. Jacob could tell that something special was happening. He was cleaned and taken to the tack room. The tack was new to him. It was white leather studded with shiny brass decorations. He recognized it a fancy version of the tack he had worn when made to pull the small cart. This was confirmed when he was attached to the rods of a two pony cart. Reluctant Pony filled the other position also decked out in fine leather tack.

The change in routine made Jacob nervous. Even though he did not usually enjoy his training routines he understood what was going to happen. He understood what it was that he had to do to avoid punishment. This was something new. Well, not completely new. He had once before pulled a cart and that had ended with one of the most horrible nights of his life. As he thought about his night restrained with the tormentor his anxiety increased to fear.

At least, this time it was Sally who climbed into the seat and signaled the ponies to walk and then trot. She kept the pace slow so that the ponies did not break into a sweat. That was also a change, rarely was Jacob not taken to a sweat very early in his daily routine.

Jacob could tell they had turned onto a main road.

It was even paved to handle automobiles. She kept them to the right so motorized vehicles could pass. There were few, but there were some. That people drove by as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening was something of a shock. Jacob pictured Amish country in Pennsylvania where the site of a horse and buggy was expected. He wondered what sort of a hit they would be there.

It took them almost an hour to get to their destination. As they passed through a gate and approached a cluster of buildings Jacob could tell it was a small rural airport. There was even a small tower sitting above some regular office looking buildings. In an area nearby there were several small planes tied down. A large hanger with its doors open was mostly empty.

As they came up onto the tarmac Jacob could see at least three other carts with pony teams. He recognized Midnight and her pony partner. She could not see him because she was facing in the other direction and was, of course, wearing blinkers. One of the other two carts was harnessed to a stud team. Jacob could not see their faces but their bodies were well muscled. The third team was mares. All of the ponies stood patiently waiting. The area was open and they were not hitched to anything, but all were hobbled.

Sally guided Jacob and Reluctant Pony up on the outside of the queue of ponycarts. Because the carts were slightly angled Jacob could see all three pony teams to their right, but none of them would be able to see him.

Sally set the brake on the cart, hobbled her team, and moved over to where three other trainers, obviously from other ranches stood talking. One was looking at her watch.

Then Jacob heard the sounds of a plane. It was not the small propeller driven kind that one expects in a place like this. It was clearly a jet. He could tell it was approaching, but because of his blinkers he could not see it until it had landed and come to a stop near the far end of the runway. He watched as it turned and taxied back toward the tarmac. It was a beautiful, very expensive, jet. Jacob did not know what a G550 was, but he knew it certainly carried someone very powerful and rich.

When the plane stopped nearby and the engines shut down the stair ramp lowered. First out of the door was an individual dressed in sparkling white flowing robes with a white flowing head piece held in place with a gold band. His face was bearded making it more difficult to determine age, but Jacob estimated late 30’s. He seemed tall, but standing at the top of the stairs may have distorted Jacob’s perception.

He descended the stairs followed by another similarly but somehow less elegantly dressed man. One of the trainers walked forward and met him. Jacob could not hear the exchange. As the man was guided to one of the pony carts, Jacob’s attention was drawn back to the plane. A tall black man, naked above the waist except for the wound white turban he wore on his head exited the door pulling a light chain. Behind him, fastened at the neck to the chain was a young blonde girl. She wore a gold colored chastity belt that caught the sun. Her wrists were cuffed in gold cuffs and fastened to the sides of the chastity belt. Jacob could not see her elbows as they seemed to be pulled back behind her back. She wore a wide collar to which the leash chain was fastened. Similar gold colored bands encircled her legs just above her knees and her ankles. She was hobbled at the ankles to about 18”. It was just enough to allow her to negotiate the stairs out of the aircraft. From the top front of her collar golden bands curved over her chin and ended at a plate in front of her mouth. Jacob was sure that the plate obscured a gag in her mouth. Over her body was a kind of diaphanous material that flowed in the light breeze and obscured nothing.

The girl’s eyes flashed around the surroundings then returned to the steps as she descended. At the bottom of the stairway she looked up and for a moment joined eyes with Jacob. Her eyes looked sad. She looked a Jacob for a few seconds, then dropped her chin and walked on. Apparently what she saw told her everything she needed to know. If she had hoped for a chance to escape here, that hope was in vain.

From the back of her collar another chain extended back to where it met the front of the collar of another girl, then from her to another and finally a fourth in the coffle of slaves. All were completely gagged and restrained. Although Jacob notices furtive glances, perhaps looking for someone or something that might help them; none made any effort to resist as they were led by the Nubian handler.

The Arab men were led to one of the carts, the first in line which had actually been brought forward a little to meet them. It was the other male pair. The chain holding the line of slave girls was fastened to a ring in the back of the cart. Then the trainer stepped onto a platform at the back of the cart and signaled the ponies to walk. The cart jerked forward and the slave girls followed. Jacob could now see that the girls also wore gold bands at their elbows and that these bands were joined with a chain that first connected them at about 6” apart, then connected to the collar in back. They were completely controlled and could do nothing but follow their leash.

The cart kept a slow pace so that the hobbled girls could, shuffle quickly, trying keep up. Jacob thought the least they could have done was release their hobble. But because he could not turn his head or his body they quickly passed from sight.

Farther from his right another cart appeared pulled by two stud ponies. This cart was an open bed surrounded by staked sides. These ponies were more stooped, appearing older and their backs and thighs were marked with stripes from perhaps long ago beatings that had left their permanent mark. Their leg lifts were not high or precise. Their handler was a young man in denim jeans and a shirt. He wore a cowboy and coiled in his right hand was a nasty looking whip of braided leather.

Two more Nubians loaded baggage from the plane into the cart until it was almost overflowing. When it was full the cowboy climbed onto a small platform seat set at the forward edge of the heavy cart and snapped his whip in the air near his ponies. They jumped to life and leaned forward into their harnesses, which included a heavy leather yoke collar placed over the head and resting against the shoulders.

Jacob could sense that not only was the weight of this cart much more than the cart to which he was affixed, but the load it bore was also much heavier. Unhappy with the progress the whip snapped again, this time connecting with the naked buttocks of one of the studs. Even though a bright red mark appeared and the flesh around the point of impact twitched there was no sound from the pony. He just leaned with further effort into the harness moving the cart forward and thankfully soon out of Jacob’s sight. The Nubians walked behind the cart.

The G5 was pulled away, but it was not long before a new plane was heard. This time it was not a jet. In fact, Jacob knew this plane. As it came into view near the end of the runway Jacob recognized a C-130 Hercules. The plane was not new, but the paint job was. It had probably once worn a either a metallic gray or green camouflage, but now it was bright shinny white. The tail number started with HP. Jacob did not know what country that was, but he knew it was not the United States.

This plane pulled to a stop and shut down on the tarmac not far from where the last plane had stopped. It was turned to face slightly away from the three remaining pony carts and teams so that when the back ramp dropped they could see into the inside of the aircraft.

It looked to Jacob as if there were a center corridor with pallets affixed to each side. Between the pallets and the back of the aircraft there was a space and in this space on each side a sulky was fastened. They both looked very light with only a single seat for a rider. They were strapped to the side of the aircraft and the ending pallet. It was also clear that the pallets could be removed for other cargo configurations. Because of the angle of the plane Jacob could see what looked like a door on the pallet in view, but could not see further.

Four young women walked down the corridor from someplace deeper in the aircraft. They were all dressed in crisp khaki shorts and shirts. As they turned Jacob saw a symbol of a palm tree emblazoned on the back of one of them. Then he noticed that one of the others had a symbol of a sun on her back.

Each of the two groups began unfastening one of the sulkies. The ones working together shared a common symbol on their shirts. After they had removed the straps they carefully wheeled the sulkies down to the bottom of the ramp.

Sally and the other two trainers had moved forward to get a better view.

The two khaki clad teams returned to the aircraft and Jacob could see the door to one of the pallets being opened. The team stepped inside, not completely from view but far enough to obscure what they were doing.

When they finally emerged into the center of the aircraft they were leading two auburn haired ponies. Jacob was transfixed as the ponies glided down the ramp being led only by the reins attached to their bridles. They were only in dull colored training tack, but they were magnificent. At the bottom of the ramp they stood tall and straight. Their mane and their tail showed the slight breeze on the tarmac.

Jacob could not be sure if they were really tall or just looked tall because they stood so straight with flowing lines like statues decorating the pediment of a Grecian Temple. Their heads moved only slightly as they took in their surroundings. There was no sign of fear. There was no sign of resignation or defeat. Instead they looked like warriors surveying a battle field they were about to capture. One of the ponies glanced at Jacob, but her eyes moved on without registering the slightest interest.

The two ponies looked almost like twins. They seemed exactly the same height. Their manes and even their tails were exactly the same color. The musculature of their bodies which was well defined was also almost identical. Jacob was shocked to see that although they wore an arm binder it appeared to be cast from some solid material. It was painted or stained a bright white and seemed to shine in the sun. Jacob wondered how it was opened to allow access to their arms, then decided he really did not want the answer to the question he had just answered in his own mind. These were clearly permanent fixtures. But neither pony seemed to care at all.

Jacob heard one of the local trainers speaking to Sally: “I can’t believe it. It’s Willow and Misty Night. They are really going to run in the race Saturday.”

“This is so cool. They are just amazing. I wish I could train a pony like that.” There was a wistful sound to Sally’s response.

Jacob looked at the uniforms of the women handling the famous racing ponies and at Sally and her cohorts. The jean outfits fit perfectly here, but they didn’t compare to the occupants of this plane.

The other two khaki clad trainers – Jacob was sure that was what they were – came down the ramp leading two even taller ponies. They were blondes and they if anything looked arrogant. They didn’t bother looking around the air strip. They looked instead at Willow and Misty Night (as Jacob now knew them although he did not know which was which), then they shook their head and mane and snorted. These ponies were also beautiful, powerful, statuesque and awe inspiring.

Misty Night or Willow tossed her mane, snorted back at the blonde ponies and looked away as if these two new arrivals were insignificant. It was like watching MMA fighters puffing with attitude for the crowd before a match.

Jacob felt like he was in the presence of royalty. But, it was so confusing. These were ponies. These were girls with no freedom; their arms were restrained behind them just as Jacob’s were. They were led by reins attached to bridles in their mouths. They did not speak. They acted like horses. Why did they make him feel so unworthy?

The teams were hitched to the two sulkies, then one of the trainers from each team adjusted the seat, climbed on and snapped the whip as the amazing ponies trotted from sight. Jacob could not believe the way they moved with the sulky. They were perfectly in step as if each pair of ponies was in fact only a single creature. Every movement was captivating. He was star struck and he could not take his eyes off them, until they finally moved beyond his view. He strained to turn his body or his head to continue to watch them. Of course, he could do neither. All he did was make enough noise to draw Sally’s attention. She looked at him with dissatisfaction, shook her head, and walked out of sight.

There was something in her dismissive attitude that hurt Jacob deeply. She did not think he was good enough. She wanted to have a pony like the ones he had just seen and she knew that he would never measure up to that. They were all just hicks in the presence of these ponies and their trainers. Jacob hung his head.

Jacob did not pay attention as another heavy cart was brought up and loaded from the plane. In time this plane too was towed away and the ponies hitched to the carts on the tarmac returned to waiting. Jacob could feel the heat of the sun beating down on them but knew there would be no relief.

Next to arrive was a smaller, but still expensive jet. Two young men dressed in jeans with cowboy boots and hats stepped down onto the tarmac. Even though they were dressed in western clothing Jacob was sure that the cost of their outfits ran into the thousands of dollars. Clearly the people involved in this stuff were very rich.

The young men mounted one of the buggies and were pulled away. Meanwhile Midnight and her teammate had returned, and a short time later Jacob heard another team slightly behind him. He could not turn to see, but the sound was clearly identifiable.

Jacob’s attention was drawn back to the tarmac in front. Another G5 had stopped. After the steps were down and extended a woman with raven black hair exited the hatchway and stood momentarily at the top of the stairs.

She was dressed from head to foot in black leather. She wore a dress that came to mid calf. From there her black boots could be seen ending in at least 5” heels. What may have been a white blouse could be seen under a leather jacket. She looked over the waiting pony teams below as if she were expecting something a little more commemorative at her arrival. Then she quickly stepped down the stairs.

Immediately behind her stumbled two men. But for their restraints they were naked. Both were about 6’ in height and displayed good muscle definition. Each male’s head was enclosed in a leather hood making it difficult to determine their hair color. Open flaps at the eyes allowed them to see what they were doing but could be quickly closed to deprive them of sight.

Jacob could tell they were gagged, but could not immediately figure out its workings. The skin of their cheeks had been pierced by what looked like a rod that must run from one side to the other. Rings on the outside of the rod looked much more like something to adjust tension than restraint rings. Jacob gave up on the gag.

Not surprisingly they wore heavy metal collars, but they were not being led by their collar. They were not leashed. In fact they were not leashed in any way.

The centerpiece of their restraints was more centralized. Each man wore a heavy iron band around his penis, behind his balls. From the top of this band two mental rods were attached to a ring. The metal rods were 12” long and attached to metal cuffs on each wrist. The men could use their hands so long as they were always exactly 12” from their penis. Jacob immediately realized that this meant that the men could not touch themselves.

From the bottom of the ring another pole was connected to a second ring. This pole hung straight down, swinging slightly just 4” above the ground. At the end of this pole was a ring. Through the ring ran an 18” hobble chain fastened at each end to the ankles. They could walk, subject to the hobble chain which loudly pulled back and forth through the ring at the bottom of the pole, but they could not squat or sit. The action of walking made the pole swing about jerking, pulling and twisting at the heavy ring behind each male’s penis. Jacob wondered how they had traveled in the plane. He did not think he wanted to know the answer.

A large ring also surrounded the scrotum above the balls. It looked heavier than Jacob’s control ring. Jacob could not tell from where he watched if it had a tether ring or not. He imagined that it did. What woman would ever want to give up that superb means of control over a man? The men’s penises were not bent like Jacob’s but they were far from free. After a quick glance Jacob decided that he preferred the restrain he wore. Each of the penises of the two men was enclosed in a small metal looking cage. The head of the penis poked through the end of the cage circled by what appeared to be a tight ring. The length of the penis was reduced by the body of the cage to less than three inches.

Each of the men was pierced at the nipples and small clips from the nipple were connected by wires to the collar of each man. There was no tension in the wires, so they did not pull on the nipples. Jacob knew that that meant they were there to deliver electricity. He shuddered, remembering the feeling of the electricity coursing through his body. He did not like that. He doubted these two liked it any better.

Although neither man was leashed each hurried as fast as they could to catch up with and stay behind, but close to their mistress. They certainly were not ponies. They did not move with the grace of a pony. These were just common slaves. Jacob could see the look in their eyes. There was fear and desperation, but there was no hope. They did not scan the area looking for someone to help; they looked at their mistress trying to not be a disappointment in any way. It was clear to Jacob that they were completely under the control of this woman.

The woman looked at Jacob. Her eyes were cold, they seemed to cut through him. Just her look was terrifying. He didn’t want to be anywhere near this woman. As she drew closer he tried to back away from her. He could not, held by the poles attached to his harness. He tried to turn away from her. He could not. He tried to turn his head, but his collar would not allow it. He could not even drop his head. Jacob stood and tried to shift his eyes to look past her.

Hopefully she would just walk past, out of his view and into a buggy. Not his.

But she came right up and stopped directly in front of him. Sally had come up on the side.

“Very nice.” The woman said. The nail of her right index finger traced across Jacob’s chest. Her nails were long and perfectly manicured. To Jacob it felt like the point of a dagger being dragged across the flesh. When she reached his nipple she flicked his ring but then started to worry his nipple.

“He is coming along.” It was Sally. She did not seem intimidated by this terror in black.

Jacob felt no excitement at the manipulation of his nipple. He felt his body start to shiver in response to her touch – or was it just her nearness. She seemed to be standing way to close. Well within the reach of an arm – if he had arms.

“Will he be in the auction Sunday?” Jacob’s knees almost gave out. Auction? He had not heard anything about an auction. It made sense. With all these rich owners descending on this place it had to be a great opportunity to buy and sell animals. But, would Jacob be sold? Sold this weekend? Sold to someone like this woman? He could feel her power. This was not someone who just owned, this was someone who completely consumed. Jacob glanced at the two men who wore her collar. Jacob could see that their spirit had been completely broken. He did not want to be either of them.

“He will not be ready by then. I still have a lot of training to do. Maybe next year.”

Jacob realized he had been holding his breath. He let it go and took a deep breath. The Governor had called. The execution had been commuted. Jacob wanted to give her a smug look, but he could not bring himself to do it. He was afraid of this woman. No, he was terrified of this woman.

The last thing he was going to do was give her any reason to remember him. He even kept his eyes away from hers.

“Pity. I think I would bid on him, even untrained.” Her fingernail had found his penis and was moving up and down its length. Just as her touch on his nipple, this was not stimulating. Nothing about this woman was, or could ever be, stimulating Jacob decided.

He felt relieved when Sally and the woman disappeared behind him. Even though he knew they were getting in his buggy he was happy to have her out of his view. He knew this was going to be a painful trip to wherever they were taking her, but just knowing she could not get him would make the pain almost a pleasure.

Well, almost. Well, not really a pleasure at all. The woman hit with a ferocity that Jacob had never felt before. It was about a mile from the airport to the Hotel, although Jacob did not know that. Nobody told a pony where they were going or how far it was. The woman had a touch with the whip unlike anything Jacob had felt before. It flicked so that just the slightest part of the tip made contact with the body, but all of the force of the blow was in that small point of contact. It hurt like nothing Jacob had ever felt before. If he thought Delores had been the master of the whip he now had to reassess.

To make things worse, she had precise aim. Jacob was sure she could have taken a fly off his body without touching his flesh. But she wasn’t aiming at flies. And she did not want to avoid touching his flesh. She knew all the spots that really hurt. The inside of the thigh, just below the buttocks, that was probably the most painful place. Jacob was not even sure how you could hit that spot from the seat of the buggy behind him. But she could, and she did. The first time he almost collapsed. Then she moved to other, painful, but less painful spots, including the soft flesh of his breasts right next to the nipple.

Jacob and Reluctant Pony ran as quickly as they could. They knew that the whip was not being used to encourage them to greater speed. They knew that she was whipping them for the sheer pleasure of whipping them. Jacob was angry that Sally would let this go on. She had to know this was wrong. The whip was an important part of training. It was used to correct poor performance and to encourage that extra reserve when necessary. It could be used for punishment, but that was always identified as such and Jacob even accepted the necessity of punishment. This was different. This was abuse. Someone should call the ASPCA. Was there an equivalent organization for ponies? If not there should be. But Sally did not stop the woman. How powerful was this person. Jacob shivered again.

Jacob could see a large building ahead. It had to be the Hotel. He was never so happy to see anything in his life. As they pulled up in front and he was reined to a stop he quickly brought his legs together to try to keep the woman from getting in a last shot with the whip against the tender flesh of his inner thighs. He knew there would be a last shot. And there was. It did not hit the inner thigh. Instead it somehow threaded through his closed thighs and found his balls. He did not know how she had done that, but the pain was stupefying. He saw dots in front of his face. He thought he was going to pass out. He screamed into his bit like he had just been made a gelding. He was not exactly sure he had not.

He was never so happy to feel the movement in the buggy as the passengers dismounted. Jacob expected that the woman would come around in front of him to torment him some more, but she did not. Everything was quiet for a few minutes and then he heard the woman berating the two slaves she had brought with her for not having kept pace. Jacob could hear the sound of a whip or crop of some kind biting flesh. He could hear the whimpering and sobbing of the men. Apparently either the gags they wore prevented speech or they were not allowed to speak and did not want to make their situation any worse.

With the voice of the woman promising the men a painful night of punishment disappearing toward the Hotel Jacob felt his body start to relax, just a little. He wondered what the others that had come in today must be like. He hoped that they were not all like this horrible woman.

With Sally back on the cart the ponies were guided over toward a stable area. Jacob and Reluctant Pony were unhitched from the cart, hobbled and led to a corral. At least a dozen other ponies were feeding and drinking. Jacob had seen some of the other ponies back at the landing strip. He looked for midnight, but he did not see her. He was mildly disappointed, but he was more interested in getting some water and something to eat. He had learned how to crowd in with other ponies at the trough, and this is what he did.

Feeling refreshed Jacob moved away from the troughs and took a better look at their surroundings. The corral was just outside a stable. From their position Jacob could not see into the stable, but he could tell it was large.

Beyond the stable he could see what looked like the outside of an arena. He assumed that the stable was to service events that took place within the arena.

Jacob looked around the corral at the other ponies. There was a near even mix of fillies and stallions. All were hobbled and restrained. Many had their arms in leather arm binders very similar to the one Jacob wore. Most of these looked quite a bit older than Jacob’s. They had clearly been ponies for much longer than he. All but two of the ponies not wearing a leather arm binder had their arms encased in what looked like a cast of very solid and very permanent material. Jacob’s hopes for a future without his arms restrained disappeared. The other two ponies, a near match set of blonde hair fillies had their arms pulled behind them, but twisted up so that their hands touched their collar in a reverse prayer. A metal band encircled their wrists locking them together as one. Their forearms then extended down the middle of their back to where another metal band encircled the arms holding them tightly in place. It looked intensely uncomfortable, but neither of them seemed to pay any attention. Jacob wondered how long they had been so tightly restrained.

All of the male ponies had their penis ringed and locked to a control ring encircling their scrotum above their balls. All of the female ponies had a strap that passed from the front of their belts back between their legs. The strap was slotted at the front exposing rings pierced through the clitoris and the lips of the vagina.

But the other ponies were different from Jacob in an important additional detail. Almost all of them sported a clear deep brand on their right buttocks. Jacob identified at least three different brands, but it was not the form of the marking that made him shudder. It was the manner in which the mark had been placed. These were not tattoos. These were not markings on the skin. These were deep burned in brands. Each line of the mark indented into the skin then rose above the skin level on the sides. The iron must have been very hot and held for some time. Jacob could not take his eyes off the brand of the pony closest to him. It must have been incredibly painful. And very permanent. These ponies were clearly marked as property and would be for the rest of their lives.

Strangely, as Jacob looked around the corral at the branded backsides of his fellow ponies, Jacob started to feel jealous. Why was he not marked? Did it mean Sally did not intend to keep him? Was he going to be sold? Didn’t she want him?

Jacob’s thoughts were interrupted by the return of several handlers. Jacob and five other studs were culled out of the group, bitted, reined and led to an area near the stable where a large wagon waited. Jacob could see at least five rows of seats. This wagon was to be pulled by six ponies.

Jacob was positioned in the middle on the right. The hitching system was similar to that utilized for the smaller carts with each pony fastened in a yoke that then connected behind to a crossbar. To Jacob’s surprise wires with clips ran from the yoke end and were clipped to his nipple rings and the ring in his penis. He knew what the wires had meant at other times and did not like this idea in the least.

When all six ponies had been hitched to the wagon a driver climbed into the front seat and slapped the reins for them to start to pull. As they started Jacob could see that the end of the yoke moved slightly in a shaft attached to the crossbar. As the pony pulled it slipped forward exposing markings of red, then yellow, then green.

The bite of electricity surged through the head of Jacob’s penis. He jumped forward putting all his weight into the harness and yoke. The electricity stopped. Jacob watched the pony in front of him straining to keep the shaft extended into the green area. Evidently on a signal from the driver any pony not exerting enough pressure, i.e., not keeping the shaft at the right mark would receive a shock. A shock that would continue until the failing was corrected. And, because the shaft was located behind each pony the pony had no visual queue to prevent being shocked.

They returned to the air strip. The trip was pretty easy, mostly a downgrade and with an empty wagon. The return would not be so easy.

As they approached the landing strip Jacob saw two similar wagons already waiting. Then he heard and watched a CRJ70 land. From its markings it was a charter of some sort. Jacob wondered where this plane had flown in from.

Fortunately the plane was not completely full, but there was still a large group of people. Jacob figured it would be 12-15 guests per wagon. Exactly how many were seated in his wagon he did not know. Like so much else it was behind him, and he was not allowed – not able – to see what was going on behind him.

When the reins were shaken to signal the start of their trip Jacob leaned with all his weight into the harness. It felt like the wheels had been nailed to the ground. He was sure this thing was never going to move. The driver added encouragement with the whip. Jacob heard it pop nearby. He watched as it popped against the buttocks of the pony to his front and left. He was pushing forward with all his weight and strength. There was another pop of the whip again someplace behind him. Jacob eased just a little to get a breath before pushing again. The whip popped again, this time leaving a red strip on Jacob’s left buttocks. He pushed. The wagon was moving.

Jacob did not think they would ever get this wagon to the hotel, but they did. The driver must have turned the electrical on for the entire trip because any time Jacob eased up at all his penis exploded in pain. The pain seared through him and did not stop. He could not even catch his breath with the pain continuing through him. This wasn’t possible. He was going to pass out before they ever got to the hotel. He could not be expected to keep constant pressure. But he was. And, he did. Somehow they got to the hotel and the backward pressure on the reins signaled them to stop. Jacob thought he was going to collapse, but somehow he did not.

Luckily they only had to make a single trip. They were unharnessed and returned to the corral. By this time it was mostly empty. The sun was getting low in the sky. Jacob was anxious to get back to this stall and get some rest. He was completely exhausted from the day’s efforts. He was only left there for a short time before someone came for him. It was not Sally. It was a woman he had never seen before. His bit had not been removed when he was returned to the corral this time; the woman clipped a lead to his bridle and started to lead Jacob toward the stable building near the corral. This was not his stable. He did not want to be here he wanted to be back in his stable he wanted to be in his own stall. Jacob balked. The lead line slipped in the woman’s hand. She stopped, looked at him and then gave it a tug. “Come along, I don’t have time for nonsense.”

Jacob balked again but a hard jerk twisted his head and convinced him to move forward. Reluctantly he followed as she led him up the line of stalls finally selecting an empty stall. There was nothing wrong with this stall. In fact, it was newer than Jacob’s stall back home, but this was not his stall and he did not want to go in. Once again it took convincing including a couple of swats with the end of the lead line across his buttocks before he found himself in the strange stall secured behind a closed gate. The woman removed his bit, but not the bridle. She also left the lead line in place looping the end over a hook high in the stall. It was really not necessary because it was long enough to allow him access to virtually the entire stall, but he could not leave the stall even if the gate were open. Then she clipped a hobble between his ankles, shook her head and walked away.

Jacob was not use to being restrained by his bridle at night and he didn’t like it. He hoped that it meant he was only being left for a short period of time, but in his gut he knew better. He kicked at the hobble line, a meaningless gesture. Then he walked to the gate and looked over into the interior of the stable. The lead line pulled up tight making it difficult to get a good view up and down the interior. He could see some movement in other stalls but no other ponies nearby who were at their gates. The interior of the stable was only dimly lit. Jacob could not tell how much of the light was from the last efforts of a descending sun and how much from very dim lights in the ceiling.

He stood for a time looking idly about then turned back into the stall. There was fresh straw and the interior was clean. He kicked some straw together then settled in to rest. He hoped Sally would appear at any time to take him home, but the hope faded as he drifted into sleep.

There was noise and movement. The stall gate opened. It was Sally. Jacob jumped to his feet and rushed to her. He lowered his head and rubbed it against her shoulder. She reached around his shoulders with her arm and stroked the side of his head with the other hand. Jacob didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay where he was with his head nuzzled in her shoulder, but he could tell there were things that needed doing.

Sally unhooked the lead line from the hook on the wall and started to lead Jacob out into the stable corridor. She seemed surprised to see that he was hobbled. He could see her look and consider the short line connecting his ankles but then she turned and continued down the corridor holding the end of the lead. Jacob had to shuffle to keep up.

At the end of the stable corridor was the largest muck room Jacob had seen. There were hooks and frames and hoses around the room. The floor was regularly set with drains and one end of the room had a channel in the floor to accommodate body waste. Sally started there. When she was satisfied that Jacob was empty she fastened him to a ring in a tiled room and washed him down with a hose. Jacob was use to this from his own stable, but the hose here seemed to be more forceful and he was sure the water was colder. This place may be newer and fancier, but it was not home.

Jacob was led to another area where his tack was cleaned and replaced. His armbinder was oiled and polished. His pony boots were cleaned and polished. She rubbed his skin with oil until he shinned. A brand new bridle of white shiny leather encircled his head. It had a matching harness for his body and a saddle made of finely tooled leather. All of the new tack and the saddle had shiny brass fixtures. This stuff was for show, but it still retained is functionality. Everything fit perfectly.

When he was fully outfitted in his new and cleaned gear including a large green plumb from his head Jacob was led out into the corridor. Only then did Sally release his hobble and the lead line. She fastened reins in place had him assume the mount position and effortlessly slid into the saddle. It felt wonderful to feel her body pressed up against his back and her weight on his shoulders and back. Jacob had hated pulling the cart and wagon. He was not a cart pony he was a riding pony. He was meant to have someone on his back. He was meant to have Sally on his back.

She slowly walked him up and down the corridor in the stable. He was disappointed when they reached the end and she turned him back inside the building instead of heading outside. He wanted to run with her. But what he wanted did not matter. He followed her direction. Without even thinking he followed her direction.

As they reached the end of the corridor Jacob could see other ponies just beyond the doorway. He could also see that this end of the stable opened onto a path that led into the arena. Sally maneuvered Jacob around several other ponies and carts until she reached a location where three other similarly saddled ponies stood with their riders. Jacob did not recognize any of the other ponies.

Ahead of them things were moving. It was a parade. There were fancy carts and sulkies pulled by both single and double pony teams. There were chariots covered in gold and silver decorations. Individual ponies led by lead lines their tack polished and gleaming in the sunlight high-stepped in precision. Half a dozen large male ponies, their tack and well oiled bodies gleaming, followed with petite riders perched on their backs but pulled in tight to make them look more like a two-headed creature. Jacob and Sally were one of these.

More carts and sulkies followed behind, but Jacob, as usual could not see and did not care about what was behind him. They made a single slow lap of the inside of the arena. It was much larger than Jacob had thought, about the size of a football field on the inside with a good 440 track circling the central field. The interior was not grass but dirt. There were only stands on one side, but they were still large enough to hold several thousand people and on this day had at least 4-500 spectators. Jacob wondered where all these people had come from.

The parade slowly circled the track then exited through the portal it had entered. The ponies with riders broke away from the rest of the parade and moved under the stands. They finally came to a stop in a small corral area near the middle of the stands. The stands were solid so it was not possible to see the interior of the arena from the corral. A second corral held about a dozen naked females. They were all hooded and collared, attached to a rail by a short leash from the front of their collar. Their legs were not restrained, but their arms were cuffed above the elbows and those cuffs were joined by a short chain. In addition their wrists were crossed and tied with rope. Jacob looked for Local Girl, he thought one of them might be her, but the girls were all hooded and it was difficult for Jacob to get a good look with his blinders restricting his field of vision.

This apparently was the calf roping, and those were the calves. From his practice sessions with Local Girl Jacob assumed that the calves would have their wrists released and the hood removed before they ran. Some of them moved nervously, clearly not use to being restrained and/or held on the end of a leash. Jacob assumed the hood was there to keep them calm until it was their turn to run. He couldn’t wait for Sally and him to show off for the crowd. He was fast and the two of them could move very smoothly. He couldn’t wait to watch the calf jerked to the ground at the end of a rope from his saddle horn as Sally quickly hogtied her. He wondered how quickly they would get their chance.

Jacob wondered what the prize was for winning the contest. He assumed that this was a timed event, probably timed from the time the gate opened and both the calf and the rider were let into the ring until the rider had caught and rendered the calf helpless. He knew he would not share in any prize, but he couldn’t help think Sally might reward him in some way if they won.

Sally dismounted and double checked all of Jacob’s tack. Then she watered him and spent some time stroking the side of his head. He leaned against her shoulder and nuzzled her. He loved it when she stroked him. Even though she worked hard and worked outdoors her hands felt soft on his skin. She would use her fingers, touching his head slightly behind and above his ear, then she would stroke downward behind the ear and along the side of his chin to his neck. Sometimes her hand would move out to his shoulder and gently move across the bulges of his muscles from just below his collar at the neck out to his arm and even down to just above his armbinder. When he nuzzled his head into her sometimes she would allow him to hold the position and just let her hand rest on the side of his head, just behind his ear. This was one of those occasions. Jacob could have stood there all day.

Jacob saw movement in the other corral. A woman disconnected the leash on one of the hooded women. Then she fastened that leash to the back of the collar of one of the other women. She repeated this process until she had six calves in coffle. They were then led away toward the arena.

Jacob could feel the adrenaline beginning to surge through his body. He anxiously snorted and pawed at the ground. Sally had stepped away from Jacob as the calves were placed in coffle. Now she looked at him and smiled. She reached out and patted his head one more time, then she untied his reins and turned him toward the arena.

Before exiting the corral Sally closed and latched his blinders. Jacob felt his stomach drop. He was trained to work without sight. He was excellent at it. This would not make him any less efficient. This would not give the calf any sort of chance. He and Sally were too good. But he wanted to be able to see. He wanted the enjoyment of watching the capture and reveling in his part of it. He would have to settle for just the sounds, smell, feel, and the pictures he could draw in his head.

Jacob’s disappointment disappeared when he felt Sally slip up onto his back and close her knees around his sides. He could feel her breath and sensed her breasts pushed against the leather padding on his back. He shifted his weight back and forth pawing with his right hoof.

Someone else was there because they had taken his reins and were guiding him forward. Sally was still on his back but allowed the other person to move them. Jacob figured they were being moved into the chute because the maneuvers were precise. He heard what sounded like a gate close behind him. He shifted forward and felt the metal rails of a gate separating him from the arena. He settled down, leaned slightly forward and waited for the signal from Sally. He knew he would feel the gate move away from in front of him. He knew that there would be a bell to signal the beginning, but he would not move until he was signaled by Sally.

It happened just that way. He heard the bell. He felt the gate move. But most importantly he felt the tap of Sally’s spurs and the movement of her thighs and knees against his flesh. He could not tell the order of these events. It was almost like they happened at the same instant, but the order did not matter the only thing he followed was the signal from Sally. He burst from the gate at almost full gallop. Sally guided him slightly to the right, then back to the left. Then he felt the signal to hold. He planted his hoofs and came to a stop just as he felt the tension leave the line attached to his saddle. As he had practiced he leaned back into the line and kept it tight.

Sally was no longer on his back. He was not really sure when she had left, he had been focusing on his task. Sally commanded him to release and he took a step forward feeling the line to his saddle go slack. He knew that the calf was secured at the wrists and ankles by now and was being pulled into a tight hogtie. The completion of this action was confirmed by shouts, cheers and applause. It has seemed like a very good time.

Sally took Jacob’s reins, mounted and slowly walked him around in a wide circle. He knew she was showing off for the crowd and he loved it. He pranced proudly lifting his legs with each step. Finally he could sense something to each side of him. They were exiting the arena.

Sally dismounted and tied Jacob’s reins to a rail near the gate area. He was frustrated that she had not opened his blinders so he could see what was going on. He could hear movement of other ponies nearby. From the sounds around him he assumed that another pony and rider were roping a calf. He would have really liked to see how another pony did it. What was the harm? They had done theirs already hadn’t them.

There was more applause. Then he heard the announcer naming the participants for the semi finals. He did not know what that meant, but four names, four names he did not recognize were read. Was that for the roping? Did that mean they did not win? They did not leave and Sally had not released him from the rail. Jacob listened as two contestants performed. The second received a great amount of applause.

Sally released his reins and guided him back into the gate. They were about to compete again. They must be one of the semi-finalists. “Focus.” He told himself. He needed to get his head back in the game. She should have said something to him. He needed to be ready to go.

He heard the bell. Sally had signaled, but he was late getting out of the gate. He leaned forward to pick up speed and make up for his initial failing. He was slightly off balance to the front when the command to hold came but he managed to plant his hooves, turning slightly sideways and execute a strong stop. He could tell it was a good stop because the pressure on the line was more than usual. He could also hear a loud thump as the calf hit the ground. The hard hit may have aided Sally in subduing the stunned calf because the release command came very quickly and from the sound of the crowd the performance had been very good.

Jacob was worried that Sally would want to punish him for his slow start, but she patted the side of his head before she swung back into the saddle. They once again paraded around the inside of the arena before once again exiting.

Jacob found himself once again held by his reins to the rail outside the arena. He listed carefully as the last contestant roped and tied her calf. The time seemed good, but Jacob’s sense from the bell to the cheers was that it was slower than his time.

The announcer was back. Two finalists were announced. Again Jacob did not recognize the names. It seemed like they were the names of the stables or farms not the name of the rider or pony. Jacob realized he did not even know the name of the stable that owned him. What difference did it really make? He was just property. Why would anyone even care to tell him such things?

Sally was releasing his reins again. They must be finalists. This fact was enough to pull him from his funk. He felt a tingle move through his body. He would not screw it up this time. He knew he and Sally were good. Now he knew they might be the best. He was going to show that they were.

Back in the gate he poised himself against the gate, just as he had in the initial contest. His mind turned all his senses back to his rider. He waited for the signal. He was ready. He did not even hear the bell, he was unaware of the gate moving, he only felt the signal from his rider. He was out of the gate and sensed that they were onto their prey before she had expected it.

Even though his eyes were completely covered with the blinders he was somehow connected with Sally and with the physics of what was happening. In his mind he saw the lasso snake out. He saw the frightened calf try to dodge and turn as the lasso dropped over her and pulled tight just above her knees. Even though she had tried to cut to a different direction, and even though that had reduced the speed at which she was going the lasso had closed tight pulling her legs together and then out from under her still moving body. Jacob followed the commands of his rider and reacted to his training on the line to shift his direction and add his body weight to the line now holding the ankles of the prostrate calf.

Even before the prey could react Sally was on her, grabbing her arms by the chain between her elbows and slamming her onto her stomach before swinging her body down on the poor girl’s upper arms and back. As Sally quickly wrapped and cinched her wrists Jacob slowly moved backwards keeping the tension on her legs so she could not effectively struggle or do anything to dislodge, or really even impede, Sally’s efforts to secure her.

Once the wrists were tied Sally jumped forward to the calf’s thighs and quickly wrapped and cinched her ankles carefully tying just above the lasso held tight by Jacob. With Jacob pulling on the line to the calf’s ankles, and Sally seated just above her knees the prey was free to flop about from the waist up, but with her arms tightly tied behind her back this action produced nothing of assistance to the secured animal.

As she tied the knot in the ankle cinch Sally commanded Jacob to release and he quickly stepped forward taking the pressure off the line. This allowed Sally to quickly flick the lasso free from the prey’s legs, loop a line through the cinch, up through the cinch at the wrists, and then to pull the feet and hands together before tying off the last rope.

Sally then jumped from her secured prey and held her arms up in the air to the cheers and applause of the crowd. The poor little calf twisted and pulled at the ropes that held her. An official walked over, quickly inspected the knots and then held up a green flag. The crowd applauded again. Two attendants then entered the arena, slipped a ball gag into the mouth of the now tightly hogtied calf, pulled a hood over her head and then carried her, still tightly tied, from the arena. Was this what really happened? Maybe, but it was what Jacob saw in his mind. Just as he saw all twelve of the hogtied calves lying like cordwood in an alcove off the arena. Whatever their fate would be it was well beyond their control at this point.

Jacob heard the announcement of a time, then numbers and then what must have been a final score. It appeared that the contest was based upon something more than just time. There was a huge roar from the crowd. Sally and Jacob did not leave the arena. She did not remount him. Instead she took the reins and walked forward. Jacob assumed they were approaching the judging area. Jacob could sense that there was someone else in the arena. Had they won? They had won. He was sure of it. This should make Sally very happy with him. He had done very well after all. He stood proudly just behind Sally. He shook his mane, rattled his bit, and whinnied loudly. Then he pawed at the ground with his right hoof. This action drew some chuckles followed by applause. Jacob smiled.

Sally took the trophy. Ponies may be able to win trophies, but they certainly cannot carry them home. When Sally opened his blinders Jacob was able to see the trophy. It was pretty nice. At least 18” tall with a 4” pony boy figure on the top. Jacob wished it could go in his stall. He wanted all the other ponies to see it. They had won. He was so happy and so proud.

Sally led him from the arena back to the stables. Jacob was disappointed. These were very nice very modern stables and there was really nothing wrong with the stall he had been given here, but it was not his stall. He wanted to go home. He was comfortable in his stall. Besides, he needed to be able to tell the story of today, to brag to the other ponies in the stable. These pretentious preening pompous ponies here were not worth the effort. Although, he knew that the five ponies he had bested were probably all still here.

He looked over the top of his gate as best he could to try to find one of them. That raised another thing he hated about this place. In his stall at home he was not chained to the wall like he was here. Sally had stopped doing that weeks ago. Now, every time he tried to look over the gate and look up and down the corridor he was hampered by the chain. He already knew he was helpless and fully under the control of others. He did not need the reminder of this damn chain. He wanted his own stall at home.

Jacob was pleased to be up and out of this stall in the morning. After he was saddled Sally rode him up the road from the stable. He was wearing working tack, not the fancy show tack and saddle from the day before. Ponies and riders were assembling and moving up the road at a slow pace. Jacob learned from the conversations that they were on their way to the starting point for the hunt.

The hunt is laid out over a large rectangular area six miles north to south by almost three miles east to west. The prey are all released at the north center of the area. All they have to do is evade capture and make it to the south edge. The hunters begin two miles south of the release point along a ridge line. They can position themselves at any point they desire along the ridge.

Jacob stood looking north with Sally in her saddle binoculars to her eyes. Next to her sitting astride a large dark male was the woman in leather. Today she was dressed in tan jodhpurs with tall ridding boots. Jacob now knew her to be called Lady Clair. Knowing her name did not make her any less terrifying. In fact Jacob was terrified when he had been tacked and brought out by Sally to see Lady Clair standing holding the reins to her mount. Standing slightly behind Lady Clair was another male pony equipped with saddle bags. He was not leashed or reined to Lady Clair and her pony, but had dutifully followed them when they left the stable and for the entire trip to where they all now stood on the ridge.

Through the conversation between Sally and Lady Clair Jacob learned that the prey were about to be released from a point almost directly in front of where they stood but just over 2 miles to the north. From the ridge line the ground dropped off at about a 20 degree angle to the edge of a small river that crossed the area running from northwest to southeast. North of the river was mostly open ground. To the West there was an area of forest between the river and the ridge. South of the river the ground rose to the ridge covered in moderate vegetation. There was a single bridge across the river and that was directly in front of the position on the ridge occupied by the hunting party that Jacob found himself a part of.

South of the ridge patches of forests cut and set among mostly dry ravines created good cover. Although they wove in confusing and intricate patterns the ravines made the terrain less suitable for the ponies ridden by most hunters. If a prey could make it past the hunters on the ridge and into the ravines their chances of avoiding capture and making it to the road at the southern border was good, unless they became lost in the twisting maze. Jacob realized what Local Girl had been talking about. If she could get to the ravines she had a good chance.

Suddenly there was movement at the far edge of the clearing. The prey had been released. Sally pointed to a spot to the left of the release point. Lady Clair said something that Jacob could not make out. Jacob did not have the assistance of binoculars, but he could see what looked like two figures moving in a southwesterly direction. They appeared to be males.

Smart thought Jacob. It was only about a mile to the trees. If they could make the trees they could use the cover of the small forest to get to the river.

Jacob felt Sally’s spurs, the game was afoot. He lurched forward moving with less care for the slope than he probably should have exhibited. He felt and heard Lady Clair’s pony moving to his left. Although he slipped and slid a couple of times Jacob kept his footing down the slope and increased his speed to a full gallop as he crossed the bridge.

As they reached the open ground on the north side of the bridge Sally guided him to his left angling to the point that the two male prey would most likely attempt to enter the woods. Jacob tried to think of the relative distances that each would have to cover. He thought that the hunters would be covering slightly more ground, but considering the angle the prey would still need to cover almost two miles to get to the woods.

Two miles for Jacob, even with a rider on his back was nothing. He was clearly up to this game. He didn’t think about the fact that he was helping to hunt and potentially capture another human being, he only thought about the challenge and his desire to prove himself to Sally. He pushed forward. He could not see the prey. He wondered if Sally from her higher position in the saddle could. She was making minor modifications to this course, but that could be based upon her knowledge of the terrain.

Then he saw them. They were running, but not near as fast as Jacob and both were clearly breathing hard. They were at least 200 yards from the tree line. Jacob and Sally were just over half that distance. Jacob could see them trying to increase their pace – adrenaline can do amazing things. But Jacob felt fresh and he knew that they would not make it.

Jacob did not know where Lady Clair and her pony were. He was sure that they had not kept pace with him and that made him proud. As he cut north between the prey and their intended target he got a glimpse of Lady Clair well to his right, but closing.

The prey were two large and strong looking males. Consistent with hunt rules they were naked except for moccasins. They wore elbow cuffs connected with a short chain of about 14”. Certainly the restraint on their arms had limited their ability to run somewhat, but, after all, Jacob reasoned he had no use of his arms at all.

Jacob expected that the prey would stand and fight. Together they stood a chance of dismounting one or more of the hunters and then making the woods. But the prey did not do this. Instead they split. The larger more powerful looking of the two tried to drive forward between Sally and Lady Clair. The smaller turned to the east which brought him fairly close to Lady Clair.

Lady Clair let the smaller male go by instead concentrating on the larger powerful looking male. This is going to be a challenge thought Jacob. Even with his arms held somewhat back this man was much stronger than either Sally or Lady Clair. He was probably stronger than both of them put together. Jacob thought they should have let this one go and gone for the smaller male.

As Sally and Lady Clair closed from opposite directions and now slightly behind the large male Jacob could see two lasso loops circle out into the air. The positioning slightly behind the male meant that he did not see them until they dropped over his body. The first, Sally’s, dropped to his knees where it pulled tight. His legs were pulled together, then the loop slipped to his ankles and held tightly. The second lasso from Lady Clair dropped over the shoulders and pulled tight around the upper body.

Jacob prepared himself for the shock as the momentum of the large male came to a stop at the end of the two lines. His feet, now held together by Sally’s line snapped out from under him toward the west while his body kept moving south. Then Lady Clair’s line tightened and his upper body twisted to the east. Jacob had stopped and braced his feet. This was like the calf roping they had practiced except that there was a lot more weight from this large male. However, a lot of the inertia had been taken at the point that the rope had pulled the male’s feet out from under him. Jacob heard and felt the thud as the male’s body hit the ground. Jacob leaned back into the line as he had been trained and moved to his right straightening the angle between himself and Lady Clair’s pony.

Both Sally and Lady Clair had jumped from the saddle and they were on the male almost as soon as he hit the ground. The large male looked toward Jacob and Sally and tried to pull his legs toward him, but Jacob held firm. Lady Clair approached from behind him and quickly slipped a cloth hood over his head pulling the neck tight. Jacob remembered these bags. The wearer could see nothing and the slip at the neck was complicated to undo, unless you knew the trick. Jacob still did not know that.

As the male reached for the bag at his neck Sally reached in between his legs and slipped a rope loop over his balls. Then she jerked back pulling it tight. A scream escaped from the hood and the males hands left his neck and reached for the rope now jerking his balls. Lady Clair slipped a loop over his head and around his neck. Then Sally jerked on the line to his balls once more. The male rolled onto his stomach instinctively looking for some relief and protection from the pain between his legs.

As he flipped over Lady Clair dropped her body onto his head and shoulders. She planted a knee in each shoulder pushing his upper body down into the dirt. She ran the running end of the rope from his neck through the chain between his elbows and pulled up and back toward his head. As the rope tightened around his neck closing his windpipe he pushed his elbows back and up to remove the pressure. With his elbows now only about six inches apart Lady Clair quickly tied a knot to hold the line. He could breathe, but barely and only by keeping his elbows well back behind him.

While Lady Clair had worked at the upper body Sally had pulled the running end of her line between his legs and jerked it up between his buttocks. Then, holding the line to his balls in her teeth she dropped onto his legs just above his knees and quickly wrapped a rope around his ankles just above the lasso.

With Lady Clair perched on his shoulders, Sally on his legs, and lines from his ankles and upper body pulled tightly between the two ponies the large male, in spite of his greater strength, had little room to move.

As Sally tied wrapped and cinched the ankles, Lady Clair wrapped the male’s elbows. She finished the wrap with cinches through the middle including a line straight up his back, around the front of his neck and back to the elbow cinch where she tied it off.

Lady Clair then wrapped a larks head around the male’s arms just below his elbows. She pulled it tight and then worked it down his arms until it tightened around his wrists with them pulled right together. Even though he grasped at the rope with his fingers she was able to pull several cinches through the wrap and then pull it tight and tie it off. The running end was then pulled over the cinch at his elbows and tied off.

As Lady Clair worked on his wrists Sally ran the line from his balls through the wrap at his ankles. She signaled Jacob to loosen the lasso line and let it go from his feet. As he felt the tension loosen he tried to kick his feet, but in the process Sally pulled back on the line from his balls slipped it over the tie on his wrists and ran it once more through the wrap at his ankles.

Sally then jumped off his legs and began to pull on the line that now connected his ankles to both his balls and his wrists. The male realized what was happening and tried to straighten his legs but the mechanical advantage of the multiple lines allowed Sally to easily hold against that. Sally passed the line to Lady Clair who had finished with his arms. Then Sally moved to where she could grab his ankles and push them toward his hands throwing the weight of her body against his lower legs. As she pushed Lady Clair took up the slack. He tried to twist out from under the two women, but with Lady Clair still on his back and Sally’s full weight against his legs he was unable to move. He tried to force his legs back, but the women held, pushed, pulled, and slowly shortened the line bringing his ankles into the hogtie he was desperately trying to avoid.

It seemed like the struggle had gone on a long time, but it probably took less than a minute or two to pull his ankles hard up against his buttocks and wrists. The women kept pulling and pushing long after the distance between his ankles and wrists was close enough to make him helpless. When Lady Clair was finally happy with the tightness of the hogtie she tied off the line at his elbow cinch.

Jacob had felt a part of the hunt team, but as he looked at the large male’s desperate struggles he felt a twinge of guilt. He had just helped capture a man. How could he expect anyone to help him when he not only didn’t help others but even aided in their capture. There was nothing he could do now. The male was completely helpless; all of his size and strength were for naught. And, Jacob knew from experience that from here the women would completely control him.

Jacob did not get a chance to think of it further, Sally had coiled her lasso and jumped back into the saddle. She was signaling Jacob to turn and move back toward the river. The large powerful male was going nowhere. He was left to desperately thrash around on the ground until the women came back for him. Before turning and following his directions Jacob watched the male’s fingers pulling and probing looking for a knot to untie – none were in reach – looking for even a small bit of slack that could be exploited – there was no slack. He could fight as much as he wanted but his condition would not change. He was captured and hogtied and he would stay captured and hogtied. For him the hunt was over and he was caught.

Jacob did not even consider refusing Sally’s signals. His responses came without thinking. They were now second nature. She touched her spurs to his flanks and he began to gallop. When they reached the river they turned and moved east along the bank. Then Jacob heard Sally say something to Lady Clair and could tell she was pointing. As she did she turned Jacob toward the river. His blinkers had prevented him from seeing what had caught her attention until he was turned toward the water. Then he saw a wet mark on the south bank. They were tracking the other male. And, they had found the place where he had crossed the river.

Sally spurred Jacob toward the river. There was no bridge here and Jacob could not tell how deep the water was. With his arms enclosed he could not swim. If the water was deep he would drown. He slowed. She spurred him again. He shied. She spurred him harder. He was frightened of the water. He was not going into the river. He stopped at the edge of the water and twisted from side to side. The spurs hurt now.

Lady Clair and her mount moved past them. Her mount did not hesitate. He moved straight into the water. Jacob continued to hold back in spite of the multiple strikes of Sally’s spurs until Lady Clair’s mount was about halfway across and he could see that the water was just over knee deep. Only then did he move forward. He knew that Sally was unhappy with him. He expected that he would be punished for his failing, but he just could not help it. The water had terrified him.

As they reached the far bank and came up onto the shore Lady Clair, still on her mount, was waiting. “I told you this one needs some obedience training. Give him to me for a month or two, I guarantee he will not try a stunt like that again.”

As she dug her spurs into his flank one more time Sally said. “I just might do that.” She leaned down next to Jacob’s ear. “You would really like that, wouldn’t you?” Jacob felt his knees go weak.

Sally was leaning over in the saddle looking at the ground. She pointed along the bank of the river to the east. “This way.” She spurred Jacob and signaled direction with her knees. He did not hesitate. He was terrified at the thought of being turned over to Lady Clair. He was not going to do anything more to upset Sally. He only hoped she would not make him go back in the river. He was still not sure he could do it.

After about a hundred yards Sally turned him up the slope toward the ridge. Jacob hoped that the smaller male had made it over the ridge and into the more favorable terrain beyond. He wondered if Sally’s tracking skills were good enough to track him through that terrain. They would just have to find out.

Near the top of the ridge Sally stopped for a moment. She leaned low in the saddle. “He stopped and watched from here. He should have kept running, but I suspect he could not help but watch us take his friend. He can’t be far ahead.”

And he wasn’t. As they crossed the ridgeline and started to move through the heavier brush on the other side Jacob saw motion ahead and to their right. Sally brought him to a trot and expertly maneuvered him around the trees and bushes. The prey was running, but they were closing. It took four or five minutes to run him to ground. With the pursuers only yards behind him, and just before they threw their lassos he stopped. He turned around and faced them.

Lady Clair threw her lasso. It closed around his upper body. He did know resist. He knelt where he was.

Lady Clair had left her saddle as the lasso had pulled around his body. She was on him as quickly as his knees hit the ground. She stepped around him, grabbed the elbow chain with one hand and put him down face first in the dirt. He did not resist. Quickly she crossed his wrists and tied them, wrapping and cinching. The male did not move. He stayed where he had been put with his hands tied behind him. Jacob could see him moving his fingers and wrists to test the efficacy of his bondage, but not really attempting to challenge it.

Lady Clair signaled for her pack horse to come forward. He did, coming to a stop and kneeling next to her. She reached into the saddle bags and withdrew a pair of heavy ankle cuffs with a twelve inch hobble line between them. Quickly she fastened his ankles. If the male had second thoughts it was much too late now. She helped him back to his feet. Next from the saddle bags was a heavy collar, quickly locked around the male’s neck. The male stood motionless, looking straight ahead. He made no effort to speak. He seemed to know that there was nothing he could say and anything he did say would only get him in trouble.

Any option to speak was then removed as Lady Clair gagged him with a large penis gag that buckled around his head and actually clipped into the collar in the back. This would further limit any head movement.

Lady Clair then fastened a large belt, at least six inches across around his waist. Using another short rope she then cinched over his already bound wrists, ran the line through a ring at the back of the belt, then up to the back of his collar where she tied it off. There would now be no possible way he could untie his hands.

Lady Clair removed a heavy metal control ring from the saddle bags. Using a special wrench that worked on recessed screws she fastened it above the male’s balls around his scrotum. A leather and metal cage was then fed over his semi erect penis, and locked around its base at the back. Jacob watched as wires from a box on the male’s belt were fastened into both the control ring and the penis cage. She opened a flap on the belt and made an adjustment to something.

“This is an electronic leash. You are set to 10 yards. If you get more than 10 yards from me” she held up a small device “you will be shocked. I can also control the device. I don’t think you will find it pleasant.” She pushed a button on the device in her hand. His eyes went wide and a scream issued from behind his gag. He frantically shook his head back and forth. His arms pulled and twisted in their bonds. He danced from one foot to the other the chain between his legs rattling loudly.

Lady Clair turned and walked back to her mount. The new slave quickly followed along behind.

“Shall we go retrieve the rest of my property?” She turned her steed back up the hill and started to move. Sally laughed and signaled Jacob to walk.

The walk back to the area where they had left the large, still very tightly tied, male was kept to an easy pace. Sally and Lady Clair chatted about local politics and other gossip most of which meant nothing to Jacob and he quickly tuned it out turning instead to enjoyment of the beautiful surrounds. Jacob had given no thought to crossing the river but was pleased when they moved up the shore and utilized the bridge.

Jacob could not see the smaller male following behind, but heard occasional screams when he apparently was separated by too far a distance from his Mistress. The pace was very slow, but the male was hampered by being bound and hobbled.

As they approached the place where they had left the large male less than an hour before Jacob could see that he was still there. He was still completely helpless, and although the signs in the dirt indicated that he had struggled with great resolve, he was not now struggling. He had either been tired by the effort or surrendered to the inescapable nature of his bondage. Jacob was certain that the male was suffering cramping and pain from his constricted position, but Jacob was equally certain that the pain suffered thus far would pale in comparison to what was ahead for this slave in the possession of Lady Clair.

Even though he showed no outward signs of resistance Lady Clair took no chances. The creed of all of these female handlers of restrained men seemed to be to expect them to attack with all their strength whenever an opportunity presented itself and to thus allow no such opportunity.

Lady Clair removed the hogtie and allowed the male to stretch his legs. He moved them slowly and seemed to relish just being able to straighten out. With Sally’s assistance Lady Clair rolled the male onto his back, removed the noose from his balls, but quickly installed a control ring and a penis cage similar to the one placed on the smaller male. She was then able to fasten the wide belt around his waist by rolling him to one side and then to the other. He jerked his body slightly in response but did not otherwise provide any active resistance. He seemed to realize that there was nothing he could do to stop them from what they were doing.

Although the large male did not know it, after the belt was fastened in place and the electronic leash and control engaged, Lady Clair’s control over him had been greatly enhanced. She fastened cuffs with a hobble chain to his ankles, and then untied them. He was still hooded and the movement and sounds inside the bag betrayed that his breathing had become much more labored. Lady Clair told him to get to his knees. He did not move at first. She stung him just above the left nipple with a ridding crop and gave the order again. He rolled about trying to figure out how to shift his weight to his knees with his arms and hands completely restrained behind him. His large upper body mass and a clear lack of experience with bondage made this an amusing spectacle.

Eventually he was successful. When he was on his knees Lady Clair fastened the posture collar around his neck and removed the hood. The large male blinked in the bright light and looked about him. He stared with contempt at the now bound smaller male who had abandoned him and who now stood nearby looking down at the ground.

Lady Clair pulled a ball gag from the saddle bag, but as soon as she had turned her back the large male jumped to his feet and started to run south as best he could shuffle in his hobble. Lady Clair turned and watched, swinging the gag by one of its straps.

The large male did not know of the nefarious character of the control device that he wore on his penis and balls. He reached a distance of about 15 yards when he stopped. Looked down, bent forward and screamed. His arms flailed back and forth behind him within the limits of their tight bondage. He collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming. Lady Clair waited at least 15-20 seconds before she took a step forward, closing the range and making the painful punishment stop.

The large male was lying on his side bent over double. Lady Clair knelt next to him and began to stroke one of his nipples with her nail. “It is what is called an electronic leash.” As he turned his head toward her she stroked the side of his face. “You will be properly punished for attempting to run later, but for now know that you must stay within ten yards of me at all times.” She had lifted his chin toward her to make sure he was looking at her. Then she held the ball gag up in front of his mouth. He opened his mouth and accepted the gag. He was still recovering from the pain he had just suffered and did not want to experience more.

With the large male gagged and on his feet Lady Clair fastened a six foot line between the control rings of her two new slaves, mounted her pony and began to move. The two bound and hobbled slaves scrambled to keep close to their new Mistress, well aware of the pain associated with any failure to do so.

The group moved to the north east in the direction from which the prey had begun about two hours earlier. It was now late morning, but the exact time was not known to Jacob. Time had become a meaningless concept to Jacob. Clocks were nowhere to be seen in the stable and nothing in the life of a pony revolved around the time on a clock. There was the rise and set of the sun, there was cleaning and prep at the beginning of the day, and watering and feeding at times within. There was mucking and grooming in the evening. Events rather than time marked the passing of time.

Sally and Lady Clair mounted on their ponies led the group. Following behind were Lady Clair’s pack pony and her two new slaves. The pace was slow and easy. Jacob almost wished they would at least trot, but he knew the pace was not his choice and he followed the instructions signaled through movement in his reins, pressure from Sally’s legs against his body, and the touch of her spurs.

As the starting point came into view Jacob saw another rider approaching slightly ahead of them and to the east. This was not a team. Just a single rider mounted on a large powerful looking pony. A line from the saddle led back about twenty feet to the neck of a blonde female. Her arms were pulled back behind her tied tightly so that her elbows touched but also tightly tied and cinched at her wrists. She was hobbled with a rope hobble allowing almost two feet of length between her ankles. The line around her neck was not tight, appearing to have been tied so as not to close in a noose.

The blonde’s hair was just past shoulder length. It was in complete disarray with bits of leaf and sticks demonstrating that she had at least been rolled on the ground, most probably at the time she was captured and secured.

Her head was down and her breathing betrayed sobs. As Jacob’s party converged he could see that her face was streaked with tears. Jacob did not recognize either the pony or the rider. He did not know if they were local or one of the many visitors. The girl mounted on the large dark haired stallion looked very pleased. She looked over to Sally and gave a wave.

“A good catch.” Sally said to her.

“She was very fast, but in the end she could not match Jupiter. It took twenty minutes to run her down. She even managed to get across the river before I caught her. She was almost too tired to fight very hard.”

“Are you going to keep her for pony training? She has pretty long legs.”

“I am not sure. I think she might make a good slave so I may put her in the auction tomorrow. I will see what the trainers have to say when they get a chance to evaluate her.”

“Well, good luck.”