"Keep bringing your legs up! Don't slack off now!"
The trainer shouted at my partner, who had but a moment ago seemed to be faltering. I knew it was her first experience as a ponygirl - her skin was pale and had flushed, and beneath her restraints and gag I could see a rather pretty and delicate face. She was struggling to keep pace; her head keeled over forward, her straw-blonde hair draping over her face. Our hooves had but a moment ago been beating steadily against the packed earth underneath.
We'd been training for almost two hours, and the work was taking its toll on us. At the moment my partner and I were practicing pulling a carriage - from my perspective, a reprieve from the racing I usually trained in. I'd had much more experience with this sort of thing than my partner, so while the exercise was intense, it had not passed the boundaries of what I could handle - in fact, compared to racing, it was just a moderately strenuous activity. On the other hand, my inexperienced partner had been ready to collapse half an hour into the session.
The bonds of a ponygirl were probably frustrating to her. Heavy leather straps and buckles encircled my otherwise nude body. The restraints pinned my arms securely behind my back and the only concession made to my modesty was a strap running between my legs. A bit-gag in my mouth denied me the privilege of speech. I'd been training as a ponygirl for long enough now that I was used to it, but my partner was still struggling to lift her legs parallel to the ground with each step while wearing the heavy thigh-high pony boots, which forced the wearer onto her tiptoes. I also saw her arms struggling a bit against her bonds as she worked - while all slaves were accustomed to physical restraint, they didn't usually have to perform physical exertion while bound so strictly.
I slowed my gait to accommodate my partner's struggling. After a moment, she seemed to recollect herself. I could see her struggling to avoid collapsing on the spot.
"We're almost there! Keep going!"
The words were meant for my partner more than myself. After a minute, we crossed the finishing marker. Our trainer hopped off the carriage and walked up front.
"Good work, girls! You're done for today."
One of the stable hands rushed forward to unhitch my partner from the carriage. I watched as he almost carried her exhausted body away. On the other hand, I remained standing in place, still secured to the carriage, as the trainer approached me. Rather than release me from the carriage, she removed the bit-gag from my mouth. While most girls would spit at it was removed, I simply tilted my head back to drain out any saliva and avoid embarrassing myself.
"Alright, Milly. What did you think?" The trainer looked at me expectantly.
"Mistress Philena... could you unhitch me first? I'd prefer to talk inside."
"Of course, of course, what was I thinking? You'll have to forgive me."
Most slave girls would never talk in such a way, especially to their superior who was 15 years older, but I'd known Philena for long enough. She was neither my owner nor my master - in fact, she was a slave just like me. As she was in the position of training me, I addressed her as "Mistress". In fact even the free staff at the stable treated her with respect, as she had significant sway in the administration of the stables. To me, she was something between a friend and a senior.
Mistress Philena released me from the carriage, slapping my rump as she did so, and snapped a lead to the front of my harness. Mistress Philena held my lead loosely, allowing me to trot behind her. She didn't lead me into the stables where my partner had been taken - rather, she was walking me toward the administration building. It was a short walk - while Rufus Luxury Farms was located at the outskirts of Mercurius City, being so close to an urban environment limited the space available, and the stables weren't even 100 feet away from administration.
Being walked on a lead like this, I made sure to raise my thighs parallel to the ground with each step - unnecessary, but a tradition when trotting behind someone like this. The entire practice of using slaves as ponygirls was submerged heavily in tradition - technically speaking, it wasn't necessary to use slaves as such, as more efficient modes of transportation existed. Rather, the role of a ponygirl was one that was existed primarily for entertainment and as status symbols. A ponygirl-driven carriage was a marker of status for free people, and ponygirls used for racing were more trophies than anything else.
At this time in the afternoon, a few guests were present. None of them bothered to conceal their gazes, which was as expected - only someone totally unfamiliar with this sphere would bother to do so. My body was mostly nude, and it was very much their right to gaze upon. Even many slaves sometimes had trouble with this concept, especially those with masters who respected their modesty.
We are at the administration building soon enough. There weren't any guests here now. The girl at reception simply waved us by. Philena led me into her office, taking a seat in her chair. Rather than try to struggle into the guest chair, I remained standing, as with the boots on standing up from a chair would take some difficulty - and I wouldn't be comfortable as my arms were restrained behind me anyway. Besides just that... I hadn't bathed yet. If I sat down now, I'd probably soak the chair in sweat.
"So? What did you think?" She posed the question again. While vaguely worded, I already knew what exactly she was asking. Philena wanted to ask me about my partner from today. She'd been thrust upon me at the start of training today, and I'd been told she was interested in ponygirl training. While the opinion of a trainee like myself would normally never be sought, my relationship with Philena and the fact that I'd been training here for four years already granted me a voice.
"She has no stamina and no strength. No way she's going to make it."
Philena closed her eyes and sighed.
"That's not what I saw. She has potential."
"She barely made it fifteen minutes."
