Today, Mirage was especially longing for her handler to arrive. As soon as the first rays of sunlight had lit up the barn, she had awoken with that deep urge. The same urge that was bothering her for days on end. But today was that day again, when she might be granted release from her hardship.
Pressing her haltered head against her stall's door, she was just able to see the gate of the barn. But no matter how much the ponygirl whimpered and pawed, it remained closed. What took him so long?! Didn't he know what day was today?!
Mirage nearly leapt from joy and impatience as the sounds of steps and voices trickled in and finally the gate swung open. In strolled the handlers on duty, and amidst them her own!
As he slid the door to her stall open, she welcomed him exuberantly. Of course ponies didn't speak, but her noises of excitement and rubbing against him brought the point across quite well.
"Whoa, easy...!"
He connected a simple lead to her halter and walked her out for her morning routine. He fully understood the nature of her state, and he was more than happy to do something about it. But first things first.
After grooming and feeding her, he led Mirage to the tacking area at the barn's eastern end. Today's tack didn't differ from her normal gear in any way except for her tail. For this semi-special occasion her handler selected a tail plug with a structured surface - nothing wicked, just something that would soon enough sent her into overdrive. To be able to fit her with it he left the crotch strap dangling for the time being, yet buckled the rest of her harness tight. The supple leather followed and supported Mirage's curves perfectly and provided sturdy anchorage points for her folded arms to be secured high to her back. Mirage gasped as her hands came to rest between her shoulder blades. The handler affixed her wrists and elbows in this position for now, not without searching her shoulder muscles for any signs of cramps or knots. Later, when her ligaments have had time to accommodate again, he would shorten the wrist belt some more notches.
Only now he took the halter off and replaced it with her bridle. Obediently Mirage opened her mouth for the smooth curb bit. This instrument, cold on her tongue, could hurt her a lot. It was supposed to have this potential. But Mirage had learnt that the pain it inflicted was not for the sake of pain, but to correct and guide her. Before anything else, the steel bit was a powerful communicative device.
The sun, fully risen by now behind the high-set windows, turned buckles, rings and rivets agleam. As the handler fetched Mirage's pony boots, their horseshoes picked up the morning light as well, if a bit more dully. This was a non-standard tacking order, due to her being quite tall. Tending to his filly's bridle from all sides proved to be tricky when she was balancing en pointe on six centimetre thick hooves.
The boots were laced in the back so the handlers could notice when a strap became undone during driving their ponygirls from a sulky. To prevent this in the first place as well as any kind of tampering, a lockable leather flap covered each bow. Not that Mirage had ever tried to tinker with her tack. Good ponies didn't do such naughty things.
With her tacking almost completed, only one essential item remained - the tail, boon and bane of every ponygirl.