Spencer Reid & Aaron Hotchner || S/O teaching horse riding
I just want everyone to know that I have had 3-4 years of horse riding experience.
Spencer is taller than the goddamn horse and he is terrified
“(Y/n) you do realise how many diseases and bugs can be carried on this thing right?”
“Spencer, he's not a thing! His name is Beauty”
“Beauty? What kind of name is that for a bloody horse!”
“Someones never seen Black Beauty before”
You’d show Spencer exactly what to do first, stepping on the block, foot in the stirrup, hoist, land, other foot.
Clean cut and ready for a ride.
“You can't carry my weight”
“It's not like you're that heavy Spencer”
After a little grumbling and physics lessons Spencer finally put his foot in the stirrup.
“Do you want me to show you again?”
You show Spencer how to hoist yourself up over the horse and onto its back, Spencer of course looks apprehensive at first.
You hold the other side of the saddle so it doesn't twist too much on the first go.
You feel the weight of Spencer lifting off and!
He steps back onto the block with a slight thump.
“Don't shout Spencer you'll spook the horse!”
Spencer grumbles for a few minutes of course but after some more reassuring you hold the other side of the saddle again.
You feel the weight go to the other side.
Spencer sits perfect on the horse, stiffly, but perfectly!
“Oh my god im on a horse”
You laugh of course before instructing him on where the other stirrup is.
“This is so hard without having stability (Y/n)!” Spencer was kicking the poor horse trying to get the stirrup.
“Okay okay here!” you helped him put his foot into the stirrup and he seemed to relax as you got onto your horse as well, easier, simpler, and a lot quicker than Spencer.
“Okay Spence,” you pointed for him to look at your feet, “you need to hold your heels down, they should always be the lowest points of your body,” Spencer did as instructed.
“Okay now, your foot, knee, waist and shoulder should be relatively in the same area. Almost a straight line,” you showed Spencer what you meant by hitting your foot, directing it in a relatively straight line to your knee, to your waist and then your shoulder.
Spencer copied you and squealed slightly when the horse moved with his movement.
“Okay, now you're reins,” you picked up the reins in front of you professionally, “hold it like this, or, you can hold the monkey bar in front of your crotch. It just limits your movements.
“How will i move and change directions?”
“Either you hold the reins and take direction etcetera, or, you can hold the monkey bar and i can link your horse with my horse and ill direct us,”
Spencer goes to talk but you tell him the downside of the second option.
“Only back thing is that if one horse gets spooked or starts a canter or run the other will follow-”
“The first, definitely the first” Spencer almost goes pale.
You teach Spencer how to hold the reins, to loosen his grip, to tug slightly causing his horse to move back a few paces.
“Okay want to start a slow walk?” Spencer is apprehensive but nods.
“Okay, what you want to do is squeeze with your heels slightly, like hugging the horse with your legs. Don't do it with our thighs do it with your heels, if its too soft your horse won't move so just keep adding pressure little by little until-” while talking you’re also showing Spencer with your horse and feet what to do and sure enough when you add the right pressure your horse jumps into a walk, you do a circle around Spencer with a smile.
You tug on the reins softly and sure enough to stop where you first started next to Spencer.
“Okay, your turn,” Spencer nods and adjusts himself accordingly before starting to squeeze with his heels, it takes a moment but his horse jumps into a walk.
“You did it Spence!” you give your horse a little kick and click of the tongue and accidently kick into a soft trot.
“Oh shit,” you laugh as you start lifting yourself slightly on the horse like you’ve been taught and have taught for years.
“Woah what’s that” Spencer asked as you trotted a little in front of him.
“It's a trot Spencer, it's the next after your master the walk,” you finally slow your horse to a walk and walk next to Spencer, “Beauty here likes her trot a lot and is always eager to start them so it takes a little to stop her, that's why i didn't give her to you because i knew she wouldn't walk,”
“You know alot about horses (Y/n)” wow great observation Spencer.
“Been a rider all my life, i grew up in the city but when i found horse riding was a thing i begged my parents for lessons and soon became the best rider in the county,” you grinned as you watched the horizon, “got myself a good texan accent too,” you said in the texan accent. Spencer snorted but didn't say anything.
You realise Spencer is pretty stiff on his horse which is slowing him down.
“Spence, relax, if you relax your horse is relaxed. Let your hips go with the horses moments,”
“If i do that i'll fall!”
“Who here has been horse riding practically all their life?”
“Who here is an FBI agent who has never ridden a horse let alone barely looked at one or researched one?”
“Exactly, so relax,” Spencer huffed softly but allowed his legs and hips to relax, almost immediately his horse caught up with you within seconds.
You two rode for hours on end, trading stories and laughing at everything until you had practically walked around the ranch twice, almost three times.
“I really enjoyed this (Y/n)”
You both hopped off your horses, of course teaching Spencer to take his foot out the stirrup first and the swing his leg around.
“We could do it every weekend or so depending on your schedule?”
Hotch was a lot more into it then Spencer would be.
Oh my god he would totally bring Jack.
“I know you said you wanted to teach me how to ride a horse but i just-”
“It's okay we can teach you next time!”
Of course you’re a little disappointed so you try to make plans for ‘next time’ to be as soon as possible.
Hotch was able to get J.J. and Will to babysit Jack while he went to the ranch with you.
“Okay do you remember what i was telling Jack last time?”
Hotch remembers. Of course he does.
He lies so he’s able to hear you talk and ramble about horses more.
“Okay so!” he knows he’s in trouble.
It only takes a few minutes to get the stirrups the right length for Hotch and before you know it he’s on the back of the horse.
“Like this,” you show Hotch how to hold the reins and he grips them in an iron grip.
“No, no like,” you show him again.
“No that's too loose you won't be able to control the horse”
“THERE WE GOT IT OKAY,” you laugh while still keeping your voice low enough not to startle the horse.
“Now, squeeze the horse with your feet, like a hug,”
“No you’re just squeezing with your thighs, with your feet”
It takes a little while but Hotch does get the hang of it and hallelujah you’re walking.
You are walking for a little while but Hotch's horse starts to speed up and of course Hotch squeezes his legs and holds the reins tighter which just eggs on the horse and soon enough the inevitable happens.
“Im- im not walking anymore!” Hotch is now doing an uncomfortable bob on the horse while trying not to fall off.
“A-Arron stop squeezing with your legs!” you trot on Hotch's side and reach out for his Horse reins.
“I'm not, I'm not!” you tug at the reins for a second and the horse slows as well as yours.
You laugh as the two of you come to a stop, Hotch is actually smiling.
“My team won't believe this at all,”
“That you’re smiling or that you’re on a horse?”
The two of you laugh for a second of course before finally walking around the ranch again, Hotch talks about his team while you talk about horses.
Unfortunately in the middle of your walk Hotch gets a call from J.J.
“I um, im sorry but i have to go,”
“It's okay, maybe you could ride a horse to the BAU?” you joked.
“Maybe I will one day if we continue this?” Jesus Christ your inside damn near exploded.
“I’d love that!” the two of you make your way back to Hotch's car slowly seeing as he can only walk the horse.
You tell and show Hotch how to get off the horse, of course he stumbles for a second but then hands the reins to you, you walk him and the horses back to the stable but only tack up the horse Hotch rode.
“You're not going for a break?”
“Nah, gonna get some jumping practice in,”
Hotch waved goodbye a little awkwardly but made his way as slow as he could to his car, he truly didn't want to leave.
While backing out from the carpark the last thing Hotch saw was you and your horse jumping over some barrels, the poor man almost spewed butterflies they were that strong.
