[Flashback] Ride in the Snow

[Alevadra Druva]

Winter 20th, 499AV It was a bitterly cold morning when the pounding started. Alevadra's door shook with forceful knocks. The young, tired woman rolled out of bed and rushed to the door. “I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold on!” She said quickly as her fingers fiddled with the handle and lock. Upon the creak of the door opening, Ale saw a familiar, cheerful face. Patrick. “Ser!” The knight grinned and cheekily he spoke up. “Hey, you should get dressed, we have a busy day, you get to start riding in the snow.” Brown eyes blinked blankly at the man as he stepped inside, trailing snow into her room. “Better bundle up, it's cold out there.” The young woman blinked a few times again, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Right, right...” Ale just added layers to her warm sleeping pajamas, pulling on leather breeches,an under tunic an over tunic, and a wool half cloak on top of everything. On her head she put on a knitted hat, on her hands: knitted gloved with the fingers on her right fore and middle fingers cut off for arching. ”Ready yet?” Patrick asked, slumping down on Ale's bed while she pulled on two pairs of wool socks and her leather boots. “I'm getting there.” Patrick bounced halfheartedly on Ale's bed as the woman finished dressing, he was growing impatient. “Alright, Ser, let's go.” The woman said as she opened the door again, this time following the elder knight back out in to the cold, windy winter morning. The two walked to the stables, chatting quietly about weather, food and their evenings. Nothing earth shattering was shared as they entered the warm stable. Ale headed straight to Lyris, the mare was awake and munching on some grains she had been fed. “Good morning, Lyris, it's time to get moving, we're going for a ride” The horse snorted and swished her tail. “Hey, don't take it up with me, complain to Patrick.” The woman lovingly patted Lyris's neck as she placed the saddle blanket over Lyris's thick winter coat. The woman added the saddle, strapping it under the horse's belly, then the reins and the horse was ready to go. Ale lead Lyris out of her stall and over towards Patrick, who already had his stallion ready to go. The two lead the horses out of the stable. “Now, riding in snow is different, especially for the horse, so be mindful of that, it will be much harder for Lyris to gallop in this weather compared to when there's no snow.” Ale nodded, listening to the man intently. Patrick easily mounted his stallion, Ale was getting better at it, she seemed a bit more fluid in her motions and less awkward as she swung herself up and over Lyris's back, landing squarely on the saddle. Her gloved fingers found the reins, her feet the stirrups. “Ready, slowpoke?” Ale rolled her eyes, it was hard sometimes, having Patrick as her patron knight, he was a joker, and in many ways, an elder brother to her. “Yes, ser.” The squire said with a small sigh. Patrick smiled and with a nudge, he and his horse began to make their way out of the stabled area. “We'll stick to the back streets in Syliras, before we take you out into the wilderness. Snow and streets are a bit easier, you'll pick it up, you've got Drykas blood in you.” Ale guided Lyris to walk next to Patrick so the squire could listen to her knights wisdom. The young woman nodded to his words, at least this was a starting point.

[Alevadra Druva]

“Alright, so, you know how the streets are a mix of ice, slush and snow?” The Druva looked over at Patrick and nodded slightly. The roads in winter usually ended with cold wet feet if your boots had so much as a pinprick of a hole. “Yes,” Patrick stroked his chin as her continued, leaning back in the saddle. “So, sometimes, the horse will slip, and it's important not to panic. You know when you begin to slip?” Alevadra nodded slowly, her right hands lightly patting the side of Lyris's neck. “And you know that you can catch yourself so long as you're not being messed with?” “Usually I can.” Patrick smirked and let out a small chuckle. “Right, so, let Lyris do what she needs to, don't think you need to force her to turn or stop when she begins to slip, she'll take care of you.” The squire nodded again, watching Patrick as he nudged his stallion forward at a slow pace. Alevadra nudged Lyris forward and the two began to follow Patrick. Lyris was slow and occasionally her hooves would slip slightly on a patch of ice. As the mare would lose her grip Ale would tighten hers, her legs becoming ridged and her fingers strangling the reins. “Calm down, Ale, Lyris is a good horse, just relax.” The man said, watching her closely. “Easier said than done, Ser.” Patrick smirked and nodded slightly. “It gets easier, I promise.” Ale straightened herself in the saddle, sitting up tall as the two continued down the street. “You see that ice up there? You can see when there's ice, watch for it and you won't have to worry so much about being caught off guard.” Patrick stated as the hand that had been stroking his chin motioned to the shining patch of ice in the middle of the street. “So just keep an eye out for ice patches and don't tense up when your horse begins to slip and slide around?” Ale said half-heartedly. Patrick laughed, a low, rumbling laugh that filled Ale's ears. “Correct.” Ale frowned and watched the patch of ice as it neared, Lyris seemed none the wiser as her front hooves landed on the patch. Ale felt as Lyris's muscles tensed, shifting her weight. The Squire could feel the horses movements beneath her. It took all of Alevadra's will not to lock up her legs. While her thighs and calves still twitched with uncertainty, she did not go ridged like before. Her fingers did, however, continue to strangle the reins. Patrick watched Ale closely as Lyris lead them over the patch of frozen water. “Better, but just take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, you should know well enough that you'll be fine.” The squire nodded again, swallowing her fear in one gulp. “Right, right. Breathing.” Breathing was important in everything else she had been working on, why wouldn't it be important here? Ale began to practice breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth, all the while, Patrick quietly chuckled. Brown eyes noticed another patch of slush and ice mix. You see it, you know it's coming, now relax, breath and trust Lyris. The hooves of the mare clopped onto the ice and through the slush, making a strange sloshing noise. Lyris tensed and Ale breathed, her eyes closing quickly as the two went over the patch. Her fingers were still tense, but no longer white-knuckled. Her legs were relaxed against Lyris's tense body and then, just a moments passing, and they were past the ice and slush and back onto the stone road. “See, not so bad.” Patrick said, reaching over and punching Ale's shoulder. The squire scowled and grabbed the horn of her saddle. “Hey, don't knock me off!” Ale said suddenly, caught off guard.

[Alevadra Druva]

The two continued down the street, and Patrick, continued to teach. “So, now that you have sort of gotten ice, you need to think about slush. It's better than going through mud, but, you have to think of the horse. It's cold, wet and dirty. If it's very cold out, you need to be mindful of the horses well being.” Ale nodded, watching Patrick as he spoke. “So, lets say we're out in the middle of winter and we go to set up camp, Lyris has slush up to her hocks and knees, yeah? So, before you can go to sleep, you have to dry off her legs and put an extra blanket or two on her. You also have to check to see if she has sweat build up and make sure to dry that. The last thing you want is a sick horse.” Patrick continued on longer than he normally would, but it was an important lesson and one Ale would need to know. “What if you cannot dry off the horse completely?” Patrick frown at the woman. “Better hope you can, otherwise the horse risks sickness, and possibly death depending on the weather.” Ale frowned and nodded, she no longer wished to travel during winter, not like she had particularly wanted to go on camping trips in the winter, but a change of pace was something Ale desired. “Now... What else do I need to tell you about.” Patrick leaned back into the saddle again, crossing his arms. His stallion was well trained, Patrick could simply tense a thigh and the horse knew which direction to turn. “Ah, right, of course, snow.” The man nodded slightly, leaning forward and taking the reins again. “While I'd like for you to get some practice galloping on ice, I'm sure I'd be skinned for letting you gallop through the streets.” Patrick smirked at Ale, then motioned towards the north gate. “We'll head up to the fields, yeah? We can gallop our way up there, maybe there will be some ice on that road. Otherwise, I'll get you and Lyris out into the snow and you'll get the feel for it.” The man smirked again and lead the two towards the gate. The fields were a ways away, it would take about a bell to get there and back, but Ale didn't mind the travel, she enjoyed riding Lyris and enjoyed being outside the city walls. As Patrick and his squire left through the gate, Patrick turned about to face Alevadra. “Now, Ale, while I doubt we'll be attacked, don't let your guard down, right?” Patrick's face had changed, from his normal, playful happy demeanor to one of a knight, serious and protective. “Of course, Ser.” The young woman said with an obedient nod. “Good, now that that's settled, it looked like there is some ice on the road, you see it?” Patrick's normal demeanor returned as he pointed down the dirt road towards a patch of ice. Alevadra squinted towards the patch and nodded. “Yes, yes, I see it.” Patrick smiled at the woman and nodded slightly. “Good, good. Now bring Lyris to a gallop and go over it.” The squire blinked at Patrick, a bewildered expression filling her eyes as her face twisted. “Huh? What? Are you crazy?” Patrick chuckled at Ale's expression. “Quite the contrary, the first time will be the worst, just go for it.” The squire frowned, looking down at Lyris. “And she'll be fine?” Ale asked, motioning towards the mare. “Yes, she'll be fine, now go.” The squire turned her horse to face the patch glistening in the sun about twenty yards away. “I hope you know what you're doing, Lyris, because I haven't a clue...” Ale said as he heels nudged the horses flank and the two sped off.

[Alevadra Druva]

Lyris shot forward and the squire had to quickly adjust to the sudden movement. While she had instigated the horse, she hadn't expected Lyris to take off quite so quickly. Ale pressed her feet down into the stirrups her body leaning forward in the saddle. The squire was tense, she wasn't ready for the patch of ice. Lyris continued forward, picking up speed, blissfully unaware of the impending danger. The two hit the patch of ice, and Lyris began to slide, her body tensing and shifting her weight. Ale became a statue, freezing stiff and awkwardly. “Relax!” Patrick boomed over the quiet morning. The squire was startled by the sudden outburst but quickly focused on relaxing. Her legs became loose, moving with Lyris, her arms relaxing, bending and moving with the horses movements. Lyris struggled across the ice, but regained her composure and finished across the patch. The Druva slowed the mare down once they were past the ice and turned the beast about to face Patrick. The knight was trotting up to be next to his squire a look of disappointment across his face. “Again, Ale, you need to get this down.” Patrick steered the stallion to the side of the road and waited for Ale to go again. The squire frowned, she hadn't want to disappoint Patrick, but she had, and now she would have to go again and this time, do it right. Ale back Lyris up to give the horse a good start. Another sudden nudge to Lyris's flank and a sharp click from Ale's mouth and the mare began forward, kicking up snow and dirt as she headed towards the ice again. Ale watched again as the shimmer on the ground drew closer, her legs remained lax as the mare thundered towards it. Calm. Calm. You're not going to fall. You're not going to fall. You're not going to fall. The mares hooves hit the ice with a crack, she began to slip, but continued forward across the surface with minimal change in position. Ale slowed Lyris down as they reached the other side of the ice. A smile spread across the young woman's face as she pulled Lyris to the right, turning her about. The young squire sat down and leaned back in the saddle. “See? I told you. Just stay relaxed and everything is fine!” Patrick said with a bright smile. Ale lead Lyris to walk over to Patrick and his stallion, who were turning about and headed towards the fields. “See, now you have a basic grasp of ice, we can move on to snow, let you have some fun with that.” The man reached over and patted Lyris's side and smiled over at Ale. “Are we going to go through snow up in the fields?” The knight nodded slowly, leaning back in his saddle and resting his hands on the horn of the saddle. “Yep, there's a lot of snow up there, you'll be able to bound through that for a while, you'll get the hang of it. Just have to be nice to Lyris, she'll know what to do and how to handle herself.” Ale nodded slightly with a small frown. “Well, it's become apparent that I have trouble letting Lyris do what she needs to.” Patrick shook his head slightly. “Bah. Don't worry. Riding through snow is easier than running across ice, I promise. And hey, after this, maybe we can go get some hot stew for lunch, yeah?” The man smiled and licked his lips.

[Alevadra Druva]

Ale and Patrick travel for a while before the fields were in sight. Most of their trip was in silence, there was little for the two to talk about, they spent most of their time together already and what use would be talking about what the other had done yesterday? Chances were they were together. So Patrick leaned back into the saddle and slowly cantered towards the fields. The squire let her mind wander to various places. Alevadra had become oddly religious with time and found herself often contemplating Tyveth and the role she would play for him and the Windoak. As they reached the fields, Patrick cleared his throat, breaking the soft silence that had surrounded them. “So! We'll now be working on that snow thing, right? So, you see how the snow is deep over there?” Patrick motioned to the right of the field. “Just go lead Lyris over there and you'll see what you'll be dealing with.” The squire obediently moved the horse into the deep snow. As Lyris walked, the snow drew up her legs . Lyris's movements were slow and labored. “You see why I hate winter now?” Patrick bellowed over the distance. Ale shot a glare over her shoulder before speaking. “Yeah, I see. What do I do?” Patrick smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “There really isn't a whole lot you can do, it's like going through deep water. Lyris just needs to work her way through it. If it isn't that deep it'll be easier to maneuver the horse.” Patrick said as Alevadra tried to turn Lyris about. The mare took quite some time, huffing and grunting as she trudged through the powder, turning in a wide semi-circle. Patrick patiently waited for Ale to return to his side. “Alright. Now that you know what happens with really deep snow, let's go along the path through the fields, yeah? It's not as deep, but it will still cover Lyris's hooves entirely and be a bit over.” The knight stated with a knowledgeable nod. Patrick motioned forward and with a small nudge the stallion and knight moved forward and the squire followed. “Now, you can't see what's under the snow, there's some treachery in that. Keep in mind that for all you know there could be a big sharp rock that could really hurt the horse, so if an area of snow seems strange, avoid it, it's better than having a horse with a cracked hoof.” The man slowed his stallion down as the snow began to deepen. “So, now is when it starts to get hairy. Now, think about when you walk through deep snow, you feel like you might fall, right? Trotting through snow is much more effective than a slow walk, because the horse will pick it's legs up higher than. Go on, see the difference.” Patrick stopped and allowed Alevadra to head forward into the snow. The squire went ahead and noticed as Lyris began to slow through the snow. It was obvious she was having some difficulty keeping at the slow pace while going through the snow. “Now try trotting!” Patrick said loudly so Alevadra could hear. The squire nodded and with the nudge to Lyris's flank, they two sped up, a sharp series of clicks denoted a trot and Lyris quickly obeyed. The change in pace was drastic. It was much easier for the woman to move with the horse at a trot than at a slow walk. Ale moved the horse about, circles, figure eights, a variety of sharp and slow maneuvers to get the squire used to the change in weather. Ale paid attention to Lyris, when she struggled, the squire would look and inspect why the mare was having trouble. Ale quickly learned that ice chunks were not something horses enjoyed stepping on and while the snow may appear to show an even path, it is not always as flat and hole-free as one might think. The squire kept her posture straight and professional, much the way she had been told to sit while trotting, a pompous sort of posture. The woman and horse continued to moved about the snow, trying various speeds and movements adjusting to the demands and changes required by the snow. After nearly half a bell, Patrick had grown sick of the cold. “Come on, Ale, I don't want to keep freezing my tail off. You've had enough for now, you can go back out tomorrow, but for now let's go back and get some hot stew and clean up the horses, yeah?” Ale stopped suddenly and nudged Lyris back to the knight. “Right, sorry. Just got a little wrapped up in all of this.” The knight smiled and nodded. “No worries. It's better to be wrapped up in it than not.” Patrick turned himself and the stallion and the pair headed back towards the city gates for lunch. -Fin-

[Archon]

Illumination of Development Alevadra Druva +5 Riding (Horse) +3 Animal Husbandry +2 Rhetoric Lores: Winter Riding, Trusting your horse, Caring for a horse (Moderate) Care to see more? : Riding experience for the well written riding throughout, Animal Husbandry experience for the care and lessons on care for a horse in Winter, and Rhetoric experience for the back and forth conversation. Notes: A very nicely written training thread. I could tell you put a lot of thought and work into it. It did clash a little with established Lore (Syliras doesn't have much in the way of streets, the Main Gate is to the south, and Winter has the barest hint of snow) but not enough to ruin it. Just something to keep in mind for the future.