¶ Introduction
The Tall Tails Trainer License is an element of our sim used to show a person's progression from a stable Groom to a Trainer.
At Tall Tails we want all our prospective Trainers to prosper in the aspects of ponyplay that they feel the most comfortable with and we have found that often a person will have preferences for specific activities. With this in mind we would want any potential Groom to be able to rank up to Trainer without having a full in-depth knowledge of every single pony play activity that is available.
Please read the below document, and if you have any questions then please do not be afraid to ask our inworld SL Group, Tall Tails Stable, or one of the below people;
Molly Lacroix (magentamolly.resident)
Axelle Beorn (axelle01.resident)
Tricky Trouble (cainess.resident)
¶ Promotion to Trainer
As stated above the license can be used as a barometer to see whether a person is ready to be given the rank of Trainer within the stable. At Tall Tails we see this promotion as being one more in line with the roleplay and experience we wish to provide to our members and as such we want nobody to feel like they are under any obligation to become a Trainer. In many instances we find that those with a submissive or switch nature are happiest when they are able to remain a Groom, but this does not mean they know less than the average trainer, in some cases they in fact can know much more.
At Tall Tails, there are only two ranks, Groom and Trainer. Members of both ranks are equally important to the stable, but the roles are different. We have no Senior Trainers, Stable Mistresses or Stable Masters. However, some members of the community, whether they have no stable rank or are Grooms or Trainer, may have additional tasks to manage the sim, with specific rights to do so.
Progression for those who want it is simple. You must meet the basic certifications found on your License as found below; you will be able to find the abbreviations and explanations for each activity further into this document.
Before a Groom can become a Trainer, they must have been a Groom for at least 30 days and completed the Tacking, Carting and Whip Circle certifications as well as one additional certification found in this document.
¶ Mandatory Activities
¶ TACK - Tacking a Pony
Tacking up a pony is one of the first and more straightforward tasks that any Groom or Trainer can do. Tack is an essential part of ponyplay, all ponies must have one and all Trainers should know them. A pony’s tack is an essential part of how they express their personalities and as such each pony will likely have variations and oddities that they feel best express themselves.
A Groom or Trainer should be able to take a prospective pony and guide them from their normal human self to their pony self. To do this they must be able to use their roleplay, SecondLife and RLV skills to help get the sub into the correct mood and to assist in any questions that may arise during the process, this is especially important with a new pony who may not know the best items and shops to use when creating their own tack.
Everyone has their own style of roleplay and it would be unwise, unfair and constricting to expect everyone to follow the same set of instructions. As such the only requirement is that a Tall Tails Groom or Trainer, while supervised by an active member of staff, can show that they are capable of getting a pony into tack in a way that satisfies both parties.
¶ CART - Carting
Carting is possibly the activity which is most synonymous with ponyplay and no matter what ponyplay sim you go to you are likely to see a pony pulling a cart around. It is both an integral and relaxing aspect of the kink and is what initially attracts many people to explore this aspect of BDSM. With that in mind, having a solid understanding of the aspects of carting in SecondLife is a crucial aspect of the Tall Tails License.
For an in-depth guide on how Carting works, please check out this guide: [FUTURE GUIDE GOES HERE]
To get this section of the license completed the Groom/Trainer must take a pony on a ride around the Tall Tails sim with a Trainer present, the ride must generally be as fault free as SecondLife allows and show all aspects of the rules to Carting.
¶ WC - Whip Circle
While simple in its design, the Whip Circle is a great test of endurance and concentration for a pony. The circle is a great tool for handling multiple ponies as the difficulty can be increased and decreased on the fly and new ponies can enter the circle at any time so long as they know the rules. When done correctly, the Whip Circle can be a beautiful thing to watch and is a great tool for controlling and guiding ponies.
For an in-depth guide on how the Whip Circle works, please check out this guide: Whip Circle
To gain this qualification the Groom/Trainer must be able to show all three versions of the whip circle and control at least two ponies at once within it. The ponies must be shown how to move and turn within the circle effectively. A qualified Trainer must be present.
¶ RING - Tall Tails Ring
Worn by most of the TT ponies/mares, the TT Nose Ring (freely provided to our stable ponies) is a very handy tool that can handle all restrictions and leashing needs that our ponies might have - it even includes a relay! It is also a very safe way to interact with our ponies, because access to it is limited to Grooms, Trainers and (as an option) the wearers owner. However, a bit of learning is required to master the ring - and doing so will make your life at Tall Tails that much easier. No more clicking restraints (or at least very little of it).
For a comprehensive manual to the ring, please check out this guide: TT Nose Ring
To acquire this sign off, the Groom/Trainer must be tested by a qualified Trainer. The test will include a series of questions about the rings features, of which a certain number must be passed to the Trainers satisfaction. Also, expect that you will be asked to demonstrate your knowledge on one of our stable ponies, as instructed by the examining Trainer!
¶ Additional Activities
¶ MFD - Modern Flower Dressage
Modern Flower Dressage is an event that helps to refine a pony's responses and quick thinking skills. It is an activity that on the outside can look very intimidating on the surface, but with time and dedication can be a very fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved. Flower Dressage is also a wonderful activity for those who would like to train multiple ponies at the same time.
For an in-depth guide on how classic & modern Flower Dressage works, please check out this guide: Flower Dressage
To get this section of the license completed the Groom/Trainer must provide a full lesson to help a pony complete a 10 letter pattern using the Modern Flower Dressage Rules with a qualified trainer present. This pattern should be fault free and only be given to the pony as they are about to start.
¶ CFD - Classic Flower Dressage
Flower Dressage is an event that helps to refine a pony's responses and quick thinking skills. It is an activity that on the outside can look very intimidating on the surface, but with time and dedication can be a very fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved. Flower Dressage is also a wonderful activity for those who would like to train multiple ponies at the same time.
Classic introduces new types of transitions for the pony's to perform, and a slightly different set of rules for interpreting a pattern. Some consider it more natural than Modern Flower, though most agree the rules are harder to learn.
For an in-depth guide on how classic & modern Flower Dressage works, please check out this guide: Flower Dressage
To get this section of the license completed the Groom/Trainer must provide a full lesson to help a pony complete an 10 letter pattern using the Classic Flower Dressage Rules with a qualified trainer present. This pattern should be fault free and only be given to the pony as they are about to start.
¶ CSD - Classic Silent Dressage
As the name implies, Classic Silent Dressage is done silently. It is an activity that is designed to promote teamwork and synchronicity between a Trainer and pony by combining many different aspects of ponyplay into one event. This activity is one in which multiple practice sessions will have the most benefit and both sides involved will slowly learn how to read each other's actions.
For an in-depth guide on how classic & modern Silent Dressage works, please check out this guide: Silent Dressage
Silent Dressage can initially come across as an intimidating thing to learn and so a Groom/Trainer must be willing to put in the time and effort to show them the beauty of this activity.
In order to complete this part of the lesson a Groom/Trainer must be able to take a pony out onto the silent friend and show them the meaning of each activity on the sand along with a good explanation of how to start, complete sections and finish the activity, the lesson should end with a demonstration of what the pony has learned. This must be done with a qualified trainer present.
¶ TSD - Traverse Silent Dressage
Traverse Silent Dressage is a more advanced version of its Classic counterpart. In this version there is a greater reliance on the pony following a set of rules to travel from location to location. This version of Silent Dressage is much more rigid and can be seen akin to a military drill in which the perfection of the movement is paramount.
For an in-depth guide on how classic & modern Silent Dressage works, please check out this guide: Silent Dressage
To obtain this certification you must provide a lesson to a pony in which the rules of traverse are clearly explained and then a demonstration of those rules with the pony must be shown. A qualified Trainer must be present.
¶ SLA - Slalom
Slalom is a test of both a pony's endurance and precision of movement. The goal is to walk or run the entire track in the shortest amount of time possible, which is only doable by moving as close to the slalom poles as possible (without hitting them) - turning slalom into one of the more competitive ponyplay disciplines.
For an in-depth guide on how slalom works, please check out this guide: [FUTURE GUIDE GOES HERE]
To obtain this certification you must provide a lesson to a pony in which a multitude of slalom courses are shown and practiced, ideally a pony should be able to get three green runs (i.e. no faults and no misses) on three tracks of varying difficulty. A qualified Trainer must be present.
¶ STE - Steeple
Steeple is another activity within ponyplay that is seen as a more competitive pursuit. The pony will walk or run a track where they are expected to jump over a set of obstacles in the quickest time possible. Ponies will do their best to get the highest point value and quickest time possible, shaving as many seconds off their times to try to get themselves on the leaderboards.
For an in-depth guide on how steeple works, please check out this guide: [FUTURE GUIDE GOES HERE]
In order for this to be considered complete a trainer must show a good understanding of the technical aspects aspects related to this type of track and help a pony sharpen their skills on an intermediate steeple A qualified Trainer must be present.
¶ Life After Trainer
At the moment, the Groom to Trainer License is the only form of progression at Tall Tails. The Tall Tails Achievement system has devised as another method of keeping yourselves entertained that also provides a sense of progression and provides a challenge. You can find these Achievements on our Wiki here.
As you may have noticed from reading the information above, not all activities need to be completed to become a Trainer. I suspect the idea of this may seem like anathema to those who have been members of other stables in the past, and that is understandable. Wanting the highest standard of trainer to teach at your stable is certainly a very admirable goal.
We have seen on many occasions that certain activities hold little appeal for some people. Not all are competitive, not all are able to grasp and easily teach dressage and some due to hardware limitation have a tough time teaching things which require skill and precision.
We hope to make the process smoother and more streamlined, and to give those who are not interested in being the best there is a chance to still shine at the things they do enjoy doing.
That said, we do encourage trainers to at least try the other activities and judge through action whether it is something they will find of interest. We can never know what we will enjoy until we do it for ourselves!
¶ Changelog
¶ v1.1
15.08.2021
- Changed the formatting on the in-world notecard. It now includes a section for the signing Trainer to put their name. While it wasn't there previously most people were adding it themselves.
- The wiki guides for Whip Circle, Silent Dressage and Flower Dressage have been added now.
- Numerous grammar fixes made by Alexis Sinclair.
¶ v1.2
15.08.2021
- Rewording of the steeple requirement has been made as per a request from Axelle Beorn.
¶ v1.3
17.10.2022
- Added the ring sign off that we released months ago and procrastinated on because we're very forgetful people. ~~Alexis Sinclair.