Tuesday morning. The two teens walked to the barn. Roy being a gentleman (or so he thought) and a playboy, he helped Riza groom and tack up. "Who the hell invented this?! It's stupid!" Riza exclaimed, frustrated as she threw down the cinch straps. "Why don't you just have a girth and billets like an English saddle?! It's so much easier!"

Roy chuckled. "Because we cowboys," Riza glared, arms crossed. "And cowgirls know how to actually do work." Riza growled, resisting the urge to slap this idiot. Roy ignored it. "Do you trust me?"

"Why do you ask?" Riza questioned, eyebrow raised.

Roy just smiled and stepped behind the confused girl, taking Riza's hands in his. Riza couldn't stop the flinch that followed. Roy just asked again, "Do you trust me?" Riza took a deep breath and nodded. Roy smiled more, slowly guiding her hands through the motions to do up the leather.

"How are you getting this so much easier than I did on Gunner?!" Roy exclaimed, watching in surprise as Riza rode circles around him calmly on Whiskey, one hand loosely on the reins and the other resting on her thigh in that classic, proper Western position.

"Because," Riza reasoned "Dressage is the basis for all riding. You know it, you can ride practically any discipline." She picked up a jog, which she also sat beautifully thanks to her dressage training.

"But doesn't having long, loose reins bother you?" Roy asked, confused. "You dressage people always have the horse in your hands so much."

Riza shook her head, riding a few figure eights and serpentines to prove the point she was about to make. "Proper dressage can be ridden with your reins just like I have them with her. Having contact and feel isn't about gripping the horse's mouth for dear life. It's about feeling your horse and moving with them, not controlling them. Besides, we do our Free Walk, which we have long reins for."

Roy couldn't think of a retort as the dressage picked up a nice, calm lope. He sighed. "You obviously are perfectly stable. Gallop for me."

Riza gave a little squeeze and was shocked when Whiskey took off like a bullet firing under her, bucking wildly. Roy was surprised by Riza's unease. "What's wrong? You gallop for cross country, how is this different?"

"I have my reins short in both hands and the horse is actually in control of itself!" Riza nodded, squeezing with her thighs and sitting back to try and half halt. Not being dressage trained, Whiskey just thought this meant 'Buck bigger and run more'. After a minute and a half of uncontrolled galloping and bucking, Riza finally could hold no longer hold on and fell, managing to fall on her knees.

Roy simply caught Whiskey and walked back over to Riza, who was dusting herself off. Besides looking rather disappointed in herself, she was alright. The girl flinched as the cowboy extended his hand, but instead he just rested it on her shoulder. "Can I tell you something, something I want you to remember for your entire life? Cowgirls don't cry. Ride, baby, ride. It's gonna hurt every now and then. If you fall get back on again. So remember Hawkeye, Cowgirls don't cry." Riza got back on and rode. She didn't cry.