Solo [Windmount Stables] Shock and Awe (Part 1)

[Orion Michaels]

6th of Fall, 513 AV
Windmount Stables
6th Bell

Gods it's way too early for this shyke.

Orion didn't want to be up this early at all, but as always, Dinah rarely agreed with what he desired. She claimed she had new lessons for him when it came to horses, and that left Orion so very overjoyed. Or it would have, if Orion liked horses at all.

He'd been instructed to make his way over to the stables early in the morning. He was to get a horse, check its health and make sure that nothing was out of place. He was a doctor in in his past profession, so he was aware when someone was physical wrong, but when it came to animals he had a lot to learn. He was not a veterinarian by any means. Still, if he could learn to take care of his horse better it would look better upon him when he stood before the knights to await his trials. Or at least that's what he told himself in order to keep him from losing his mind.

"Horse," he said wearily, blue eyes meeting the animals brown ones. "Let's try and get along today, okay? I won't yell at you, you won't buck me off. We'll have a grand old time, just me and you. Deal?"

The horse may as have well stared through the squire. The silence he received was an expected reply. He didn't have some magical power to whisper and have horses reply. No, Orion was just some idiot who was unreasonably hostile towards these four legged beasts.

Orion began by tying the horse to the a bar inside its stall. Nothing crazy, just the simple slip knot Dinah had showed him during their last lesson. Just something to show the horse that it was to be contained to the one spot and have a little pull if it tried to move away. From there Orion began his examination of the horse. He almost had to admit that it was a beautiful creature. It seemed to be in quite good health. It's muscles were powerful and lean, and there were no obvious injuries. He checked each hoof for any abnormalities, but found no issues with any of them.

"You look good, horse," he said, taking up a brush in his hand. Light brown hair covered its body and and long, gorgeous dark brown mane ran down its head and neck. The stable hands at the Windmount took extremely good care of the horses who were placed under their watch. Orion placed a hand against the creature's necked as he softly ran the brush through its mane again and again. Dinah had stressed to him the importance of a healthy, well groomed horse. 'If one doesn't care for their mount,' she had said, 'then it might not be around when you need it the most.'

"Whatever, horse. Just enjoy the brush down."

The particular mount he was working with wouldn't be his if and when he actually became a knight, but it was still important to grasp the concepts behind caring for horses. Perhaps he'd come to like being around the beasts if he actually got comfortable with how they worked. One could always hope.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion finished with the preparation of the beast and set about tacking it up. Saddle blanket, saddle, bit and bridle, and that was it. Dinah had explained to him about the differences between bits some time earlier and had suggested a pelham bit for him. The three basic she'd covered were aforementioned, as well as the snaffle and the gag. Each of them had their own purposes, and offered varying amounts of control. The snaffle required the most pressure to get results, the gag the least, with the pelham being somewhere in between. A gag was risky because putting too much pressure could result in the horse rearing back and not just throwing the rider off, but falling all the way back and landing on its rider. Orion didn't take any convincing to avoid using that one.

He'd done this enough times now that it was almost second nature to him. Almost.It was about the only horse related task which was. Otherwise it was a battle of wills, one he was embarrassingly losing to each of the creatures.

With everything secure, fitted, and ready to go, Orion untied the horse and led it out of its stall that he could mount it and head out to the training arena. Dinah wanted him fully ready and she'd warned him it would be a rough day. He'd heard that before, so he felt like he was more that good enough to deal with whatever challenges she had in mind today.

Oh how wrong he would be.

Orion placed one foot in a stirrup and pulled himself up over and onto the mount. With a soft squeeze of his legs, he set the horse in motion, sending it trotting out of the stables and towards the training arena. Bouncing in his saddle, Orion wondered if Dinah was going to set up obstacles for him again. The squire was confident he'd be able to navigate her course with ease. He'd take advantage of the time before his patron arrived to practice a little.

"Alright horse. Let's practice some turns. I'll get you an apple later, I promise." Orion grasped his reins and squeezed evenly on the left while adding some pressure with his right leg, leading the horse to turn left in place. That was simple enough. Just last season he'd been sent flying through the air when he tried that very thing, so that was massive improvement. He felt a lot more confident, truth be told, and his improved strength seemed to give him more power with which to control his mount. If he kept at it, maybe, just maybe he'd actually find himself able to cooperate with the smelly creatures.

But probably not. He was doomed. Everyone knew that.

[Orion Michaels]

Satisfied with his ability to turn the horse to the left, Orion then went about getting it to go the other direction. The thing he’d had to learn quickly was that he could get what he needed done with a horse by learning how to do things one direction and then simply mirroring it to go the other. So Orion slowly squeezed the right rein and applied pressure with his left leg. The horse snorted in annoyance at the game Orion was playing, but after stomping its front foot a few times, he cooperated with the squire’s command and began to shift back the other direction.

In combat, the ability to turn a horse as you needed would be a vital skill to have. Beyond riding swiftly, control was the most important thing Dinah stressed. Being mounted gave a serious advantage in combat, if you knew how to situate yourself in your elevated position. She’d instructed her squire to spend a lot of time maneuvering the horse in place, and that he had done. Comfortable now with that task, Orion was ready to continue on with his ‘warm up’ with the creature.

After using his legs and the reins to get his horse facing the right direction –yes, he should probably have been working on doing that with more fluidity- he gave his thighs a squeeze and set the horse off on a nice trot. Orion bounced along in the saddle as the horse moved lazily across the arena. ”See, this isn’t so terrible, is it horse?” For a moment, Orion and beast were coexisting in peace. The squire held the reins loosely looking down at the back of its head while it walked. The horse bobbed its head and seemed to content in cooperating with the squire. Orion tried to remain centered in his seat, remembering another one of Dinah’s lessons. This one was simple genetics. Women were generally better built for riding. Their center of gravity was located in their hips. Conversely, men were generally not as suited, especially those with a build like Orion. His center was much higher and it led to control and comfort issues for all involved.

As they moved along slowly, Orion made sure to keep testing slight turns to get more accustomed to the changes in direction. It was just like the more stationary one in practice, though he had to be more accurate with when he wanted direct his travels.

”When is Dinah going to get here?” Orion rode along listlessly until they arrived at the other end of the arena. Once there, the squire prepared himself for the next step. He’d just keep practicing until his patron actually showed up. He wondered if this were one of her stupid tests. It wouldn’t matter if it was; he’d have to be here training regardless.

[Orion Michaels]

With a seemingly endless amount of time before him, Orion set about running through the practice routine which Dinah had taught him. Turns, then trots, then canter, then galloping. Orion actually found the canter a bit more difficult to control than any of the others, whether or not it should have been. Somewhere between a brisk walk and a full run, it felt unnatural to him while mounted, but not many things made him comfortable while on the back of these creatures. At least he had a training area all to himself. No one could watch him fail miserably that way. 

Positioned on the far side of the training arena, Orion added pressure with his left leg while lifting and squeezing the left rein to turn the horse in place once again. It complied with a snort, picking its feet and kicking up little clouds of dust as the dun colored beast rotated to face away from the wall. With the full area of the arena available, the squire could continue his training. He gave the horse a gentle squeeze with his thighs to set it in motion, holding the reins loosely in his hands. It picked up its feet and again set off on a light simple trot. After it had gone through a few strides, Orion made his adjustments to speed up the creature. 

He started by sitting back in his seat and sliding his right leg behind the horse's girth. This was the cue that he was taught to give the horse in order to let it know what he wanted it to do. Orion couldn't imagine the struggle it must have been to teach the horses to obey these commands. Even when they were taught how to do what and when, he still struggled from time to time -or rather frequently- to get them to cooperate. The horse didn't pick up its pace at all, leaving a rather frustrated squire atop a mount which was happily trotting across the grounds. Orion responded by pulling more on the reins and he could immediately feel the horse start to rear back. Blue eyes widening at his own stupidity, he released the reins while voicing his protest.

"Whoa! Sorry! Don't do that, I'm sorry!" He squeezed his legs together trying to stay on the creature, and just like that, the horse was off, and so was Orion.

Off into the air, of course.

Orion grunted as he fell flat on his back, the dirt particles jumping up into the air as his ride left him where he lay. How many times was this going to happen before he figured it out. 

"Oh, Orion. Some things never change."

Dinah's timing was impeccable as always.

[Orion Michaels]

Groaning as he opened his eyes, Orion was less than surprised to see Dinah standing over him, a grin on her lips. She always showed up at his most embarrassing moment, and what was worst of all, it wasn’t the first time this had happened. The stupid squire had gotten himself thrown off the back of a horse several times due to impatience and just not listening to the lessons he’d been taught. The basic maneuvers he was trying to do weren’t that difficult. He just needed to do them.

”Get up my worthless squire, and go track down your horse. See about getting that canter going while I set things up for you. We’ll get you riding without falling off if it kills me. Or you, rather.”

Orion rolled his eyes as he rotated over onto his side. Leaning up, he pulled himself up to his feet. Gods, was she going to put him through an obstacle course again? Last time he tried to navigate it he’d landed flat on his rear. It appeared that not a thing had changed.

He looked across the arena where to where the dun colored beast stood there, staring off into the distance absentmindedly. It didn’t care about Orion, Dinah, or anyone who was around. It just wished to be left to its own business. He couldn’t really blame it, but he had work to do, so it was just going to have to deal with it.

Orion walked over to the creature, plated boots striking against the dirty covered ground at a somewhat leisurely pace. The squire reached his hands over his head, stretching out his back as he did so. ”I’m gonna be sore in the morning..” He muttered to himself as he approached the horse. It didn’t so much as glance over at him, of course, but that was probably for the better. Disinterest was better than it giving him a hard time.

Placing a foot in the stirrup, Orion reached his hand across and pulled himself back onto the saddle. After sliding his other foot into the far side stirrup, he was ready to go again. ”No matter how many times you take me out, I’ll get back up. Remember that, you four legged bastard.” A nicker in reply was all that was received. Shaking his head, he picked up the reins and set about getting the creature moving. He pressured and squeezed the rein once more, rotating the in place until he was facing the most open area he could get.

With another gentle squeeze he got the horse moving at a gentle trot, preparing himself mentally to give the canter another go. Despite his promise to his mount, there were some nerves associated with being thrown as many times as he had been. I got this, right? He shifted back and forth in the saddle as the horse’s natural gait took them slowly across the arena.

Sucking in a deep breath, Orion shifted back in the saddle again, sliding his right leg back behind the horse’s girth. Pulling gently back on the leather reins, Orion patiently guided it into its next movement. Relieved, the creature picked up into a canter. Orion remained seated, trying to keep his upper body as immobile as possible, while his hips swayed back and forth with the movement of the animal. Nearly forgetting to breath, all he could do was try and enjoy the ride and hope he didn’t get another lesson enforcing the fact that humans were unable to fly.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion continued to ride as Dinah made her way around the arena, setting up various boxes and poles up through it. She figured the squire was ready for this now; if he paid attention to the training he'd received, he should have been able to control his mount well enough to begin more precise movements. Time and time alone was the answer to getting him completely comfortable on the back of a horse, so she would keep him practicing as much as she was able. He had to get over his distaste for them and at least be mostly civil. 

Orion stayed back on his saddle as the breeze caused by the brisk movement streamed past his face. The three beat canter still felt odd beneath him, but the horse seemed comfortable. Orion felt in some bit of control for one of the first times ever. He gently held the reins, making sure that he didn't add any pressure beyond what was needed until he neared the other side. Even then, he was careful, the soreness in his back a constant reminder of what happened if he was too rough with his rein work. He slightly pulled the leather straps back, leaning slightly to guide the horse to a slower speed. As he got to more of a trot, Orion squeezed the right rein and pressed his right thigh into the horse's side, leading it in a rather wide turn back to face the other side. 

He looked down the arena at where Dinah waited, having set up a half dozen obstacles for her squire to go after. It would be a good learning experience to get used to different hindrances on the battlefield. While it wasn't perfect training, once he was more confident in a controlled environment, she would take him outside the city and really test his ability. 

"Orion, come over here!" Dinah waved her arm, trying to flag the blue eyed man down and bring him to her. He nodded and set off, giving the horse a firm squeeze of his thighs to set it in motion. It was something he'd grown a bit more used to, getting the creature in motion, but he still wasn't enjoying it. The saddle was uncomfortable, and he wasn't flexible enough to be stretched out the way he was for long periods of time. He simply wasn't built to ride, but he didn't have a choice in the matter.

The squire took a hand off his rein and bowed his head slightly in creating to his patron, bringing the horse to a stop at her side. She was going to keep putting him through the ringer, so he may as well be polite. Maybe she would find it in her heart to be kind during his training. Like that would ever happen. 

(Continued in Part 2) 

[Taylani]

XP Award!

Orion Michaels:

XP Award:

• +1 horsemanship
• +4 riding

Lore:

• Horsemanship: Gag was risky, too much pressure could result in the horse rearing.
• Combat: The ability to turn a horse is vital.
• Riding: Time and time alone was the answer to getting comfortable on the back of a horse.

Notes: These are comments.

Comments :

Please feel free to pm me with concerns about your grade. Don’t forget to delete/edit your grade post .

TAYLANI