He's impressed with the horse handling; he's got enough experience to recognize what's happening, the control, the choices being made. (And just enough to know he couldn't do it with such skill, but shhh.)

"Good to meet you, Martel," he replies, loud enough to be heard over the din of their surroundings, the movement around them. "You can call me Jim."

He feels Martel move, realizes he's readjusting his balance for--there it is. Jim shifts too, holding himself up through the jump. "Nicely done. So what do we gain by you bringing one of these things down?"