"An' that's the tricky part, darlin'." Amos chuckled. "Harder than it looks. I'll show you first, that's always easier for me to figure out how to do it, if I see it. Okay, so, first thing you do is come stand at his shoulders..."

He talked her through it as he gathered up the reins, set his hand on the saddle, put his foot in the stirrup, and mounted. With years of athletic training behind him - for fun and for fighting - it was easy for him to make the vault, jumping rather than pulling himself up by force. He sat easily in the saddle, reins loosely held and his other hand scratching an itchy spot right under the horse's mane.

"So getting used to hoppin' up instead of pulling yourself up is the hardest part. If you can find a fence or a hill to stand on so you're taller, it's easier."

Setting a hand on the front of the saddle again, he swung a leg over and slid down, landing lightly on the balls of his feet. "Also,that's how you get off."