Solo [Windmount Stables] You're...Really Bad at This

[Orion Michaels]

36th of Summer, 513 AV
Windmount Stables, Training Area
8th Bell

Horses. Dirty, stinky, horses. They were hardly what Orion would call his favorite beasts in Mizahar. They little petchers would never listen to anything Orion told them to do. "Gallop? Nope, I'm just gonna stand there," Orion muttered. Dinah realized all too quickly that this was going to be a weakness of his. If the mount had any pride, wasn't completely broken and compliant, Orion didn't have the slightest how to deal with them. The answer was simple enough. Train him until he knew everything she had to offer.

She couldn't help but grin when she walked into the training area. Orion was there early, which was good, but he wasn't exactly having the best of times with his mount for the day. Locked in a stare down, Orion was slowly circling the brown gildling, and the horse, it gave no quarter. "Now listen here, you little son of a bitch, I'm gonna climb on you, and you're going to stand there and let me, okay?"

The horse snorted at him and bared its teeth for the squire to let him know just who was in charge. Orion mistakenly thought that was him.

”You show that horse who’s in charge, Orion!” Dinah managed to speak through barely stifled laughter. The squire was a mess. The way he circled the animal, it looked like they were about to wrestle. While Dinah would find it extremely amusing to observe that spectacle, she’d rather not have to clean Orion up off the hooves of the horse.  ”It’s interesting to me that you chose a Gildling to work with. Do you know anything about them?”

”I hate them,” Orion replied bitterly.

Dinah chuckled while making her way over to her squire. ”They’ve got a reputation for being difficult and mischievous. Probably not the best choice for someone who has no idea what they are doing, wouldn’t you agree, Orion?” Orion nodded, though he never stopped scowling at the horse. The Gildling never took its eyes off of Orion, either. Best friends they would not be. ”Though, I do have to ask, how did you get the saddle on? Did you get help?”

”Yes,” Orion said, sheepishly. She was too smart for her own good sometimes. He’d asked one of the stall hands to go ahead and set him up this horse for training. It seemed more reasonable than expecting him to do it. The battle between them was already bad enough.
 
”I figured as much,” she said, grinning. ”Let’s get you set up with a little tamer of a beast, hmm? Come on.”

[Orion Michaels]

"You see, Orion, there's a lot to learn about horses. I'm no expert, but I can assure you that you'll want something much more tame than a Gildling. I've got a mixed breed here. Sasha. She's a calm, obedient one, and she'll be good to get you going." Orion stood along beside Dinah as she spoke, looking at the dun coated horse.

The other horse looked shiny and strong. That's why Orion had picked it. He'd not realized that it would be so disgustingly headstrong along with it. "Well, that sounds like a good way to start, then," Orion replied, eyeing this Sasha cautiously. He didn't know what to make of it. Every horse he'd dealt with to this time had disobeyed him in some manner or another.

"First things first, I want you to take some time with the horse to let it get familiar with you. Brush it, let it see you, don't stand directly behind it. Groom it."

"R-really?"

"Yes." Dinah smiled, holding out a brush for her squire to take. Uncertainty in his expression, he reached out and claimed the tool in his grasp. He had to brush a horse? This wasn't in the job description. These animals and he were sworn enemies.

Orion slowly placed his hand on the horse's neck and placed the brush against its coat. "Good, now while you brush, you're doing so much more than that. You're examining the horse for anything wrong with it. It's like you'r examining one of your patients, but it's got four legs and a tail instead. So make sure there's nothing wrong. Growths, cuts, swelling, breaks. Anything you might find abnormal on a human, besides the obvious, probably isn't supposed to be there on a horse as either."

That made enough sense. Orion began running the brush along the side of the horse, examining it as he went along. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, as a horse's features were unknown to him, but at least he wasn't engaged in deadly combat with the blasted thing.

Orion studied the creature as he moved the brush along its coat again and again. He'd never really taken the time to really look at them, since he was always just trying to get them to move. It was almost absurd the amount of muscles the creatures had, and this, from what he gathered, wasn't exactly a prime example of their breed. "Good, Orion. I think she likes you."

The horse was, of course, staring straight ahead, paying no mind to the former doctor.

"It's love at first sight. At least she's not trying to bite my ear off or something."

[Orion Michaels]

"First things first, check and make sure she's tied down well. I recommend a slip knot. It's strong, but you can set it up so it'll come loose if the animal gets too wild. That'll stop it from getting hurt struggling against the rope. It doesn't really have anywhere to go here, so it's better to have a loose mount than an injured one." Dinah demonstrated the basic knot before having him try and make it on his own.

"Alright," Orion muttered, taking the rope in his hands. First was crossing the two sides of the rope, leaving a loop on top. That was simple enough. Orion then took his left hand and pinched the point where the rope crossed with this left hand, securing it in place. "Next was...?" The squire looked up at Dinah, seeking guidance on the next step. He wasn't someone who worked with knots save for when he was tying off sutures and stitches. "Reach your hand through the loop and grab the other side of the rope with your right hand."

That was right. It was all pretty natural from this point. He reached through the loop and secured the other part of the rope in his right hand, all while still maintaining control with his left. He then slid his left hand down to where the two strands of rope hung. From there all he had to do was pull the two ends of the rope and twist his right hand clockwise and there he had it. With the rope tied to the horse and a post beside them, he was ready to continue the process.

"Perfect. Our next step is going to be getting the saddle blanket on. Can you tell me why we're laying this down?" Orion smirked, opening his mouth to crack a joke. "If you say to keep him warm, I'll smack you."

"Then I have no idea."

Dinah rolled her eyes, handing a the cushion to Orion. "It makes it more comfortable for her when you put the saddle on. Imagine what it would feel like if you didn't get to wear any clothing underneath your armor. Less than pleasant, right?" Orion nodded, tossing the blanket on the horse's back. Dinah sighed almost instantly. "Don't you care about this animal at all?"

"No." That was a stupid question.

"Well, at least pretend for me. Put the blanket a little bit higher up on its back than you think it should probably be, and then slide it down. It'll make sure that the horse's hair is all going the same direction. It's much more comfortable for the mount than if you just toss it on. So go ahead and make that adjustment."

Orion nodded, taking the blanket and moving it further up the compliant animal's back, then he slid it down into position, smoothing down her hair as he did so. He received a somewhat appreciative nicker from it in thanks, or so it seemed.

"Alright. Looks good. Grab the saddle and we'll keep moving along. Maybe we'll actually get you on her back at some point today. For how long, well...I guess we'll wait and see."

[Orion Michaels]

With the blanket in place, they could move onto the saddle, which Dinah handed over to Orion. "So now we can get this thing on the back. It's a pretty simple design. Gives you a place to sit, something to grab onto, something to wrap the reins around, and just makes travelling on the back of the horse in armor so much easier." Orion took the saddle from Dinah and set it on the horse's back. At least it was facing the correct direction for once.

"The saddle isn't just important for the rider; it's important for the horse as well. Riding without saddles fails to distribute the weight of the rider throughout its back. This becomes an issue over time, or if the rider happens to weigh a lot, as a knight in full plate armor does. Having too much pressure in one spot will wear the horse down quicker as well as increasing the probability of there being some kind of injury. Neither of those are things we want."

Orion rolled his eyes. "Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Dinah. I don't need that."

"You sure? You were the one playing grab-ass with the horse earlier."

"Ah..that is.....fine." Dejectedly, Orion knelt by the horse so he could see the straps easier. Dinah immediately corrected this mistake. "Orion, get back up. Don't kneel by a horse. It could accidentally or purposefully kick you or step on you if you do that. It's better to crouch in order to prevent that." Orion nodded, only disliking the beasts even more. I get out of sight a little and you'll think it's okay to kick me? Petch you, you stupid petching horse."You'll want to cinch down the straps equally, so you'll have to do a little on one side, a little on the other until it's almost as tight as you'd like it." Taking the leather straps in his hand, Orion began to work, lacing the leather through the buckle and pulling down some, then making his way to the other side, he repeated his action, doing this until he was satisfied.

"Alright, now go ahead and move her forward and backwards a few steps. That'll check the tightness of the straps, which won't be quite right, but moving her around like this will get them in the right place and let you finish the job." Orion grabbed the rope and gently led the horse back and forth a few times before bringing it back to it's original position. The saddle seemed to settle into place after doing it, allowing for him to again tighten up the straps, this time leaving the saddle nice and sturdy, ready for riding.

"Alright, Orion, we're just about done. Well, tacking up the horse at least. Last up is the bridle and then we'll be ready to watch you fall time and time again." She could be so cruel at times, highlighting his weaknesses so much. It wasn't that she was wrong that hurt. It was that she was right.

Orion took the bridle in his hands and looked long and hard at the horse. If he got his fingers anywhere near that vicious maw, he was going to lose them all, that much he was sure, but he had to get the bit in its mouth. "It's not that difficult, Orion, I promise. Just put a finger on each side of the bit, and push on her mouth, but gently. It's safer to keep your fingers near the corner of the mouth as well. No teeth there." Orion swallowed, an uncomfortable twisting in his stomach as he moved his hands in place. This was it. His knightly ambitions ended by the teeth of a petching horse.

Softly, slowly, he pushed the bit against the mouth of the creature, and much to the squire's surprise, it opened its mouth and accepted it without protest. "Whoa..."

"See, Orion. It you treat the horse kind, it will cooperate, especially a tame girl like this one. Now just pull the headpiece over her head. Do the far side first, and then the close side. It'll be easier to do it that way, rather than try and force it over the far side when you've done this one first." It was simple enough to complete that task. Orion finished putting the bridle on with ease, but only with Dinah's aid was it possible. He'd have been devoured by even the most peaceable of creatures without the guidance of his patron. After tying down the bridle and tightening the chin strap he was finally ready get to mounting the horse.

[Orion Michaels]

After leading her from the stables, Orion placed his left foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up, swinging his leg over the horse's back so he could place it in the other stirrup. That much he could do correctly, at least. From here on out, though, it was going to be a spectacle, that much was sure. He'd managed to ride some on patrols outside the city, but it generally seemed to be result of the horse following the rest rather than any ability on Orion's part. He was trying to change that, but it had been far from promising thus far.

"Alright. Let's just get her moving, nice and slow. You remember how to do that, right?" Orion nodded, demonstrating by squeezing his legs together to get the horse going. The rule that Orion hadn't quite figured out was that these trained mounts would respond to the amount of force applied. Too little, and they wouldn't move, not picking up the command. You would have to gradually increase the force you applied until you found that threshold that would get it moving. The other end of the spectrum was squeezing too tight. Doing that would send the message it was time to trot or gallop.

Naturally, Orion erred towards the latter.

The horse took off suddenly, in a full gallop. Orion's eyes widened as what was once a sturdy, tranquil scene was turned into an unpredictable, jarring one. Hanging on for dear life, Orion felt himself being thrown about on the saddle, panic setting in. The color drained from his face and his knuckles went white as he rode, his inaction only allowing the failure to go on. Hooves thundered against the ground of the training area, Dinah's screaming of instructions the only other sound piercing the tunneled senses of Orion. The words themselves, however, fell on deaf ears as he was entirely focused on the rapidly approaching wall.

Taking action was vital, so Orion squeezed his legs tight, leaned back, and pulled back on the reigns. This, of course, sent mix signals. Go and stop? Stop and go? His mount reacted only as appropriate. It came skidding to a stop before the wall, reared up and bucked the confusing rider through the air.

"Shyyyyke!"

Thud!

Orion landed flat on his back, hitting the ground with a loud slap, followed by a loud groan. The thumping of feet against the ground grew near, as Dinah rushed over to check on the condition of her squire, but Orion didn't care.

Gods that hurt...

"Orion! Orion! Are you okay!" The redheaded knight took a knee at his side, concerned in demeanor and speech. Orion waved her off, raising his hand slightly and waving it to let her know he was fine. "Yeah, I'm alright," he managed, rocking his body back and forth slightly, trying to make sure he had full functionality. He'd just had the air knocked out of him, but it didn't make it hurt any less. 'I . . petching . . hate . . horses . . "

[Orion Michaels]

Orion got to his feet slowly, his pride hurting more than his body, though both of them were plenty sore. After determining he was fine, Dinah couldn't wipe the grin off her face at how spectacular of a flop Orion had had. She kept her mouth shut about it, but it was almost more annoying that she mocked him in silence. With a sigh, Orion walked over to the horse, which was now standing calm and uninterested in the squire or his knight.

"Alright, you. I know we haven't gotten along, but we've got to figure this out, okay? We can't let that happen again. We should be friends or something, don't you agree? I'll bring you some carrots or whatever shyke you eat, and you can carry me without throwing me the petch off." By the gods, he was trying reason and negotiate with a horse. How much further could the squire fall?

Grabbing a hold, Orion pulled himself back up atop the mount. "So what upset you so much last time? Can we just be friends this time?" Orion grabbed the reins, sat forward in the saddle, and gave a gentle squeeze with his legs to get her in motion. This time it actually moved, and just at a nice slow walk. He couldn't stop the smile from coming to his lips. Finally, he and the horse working in tandem.

"There we go, Orion. I knew you had it in you. Get used to the way it feels. I know we haven't spent that much time working on your individual riding here, so we'll keep focus and set you up for success from here on out." Dinah looked upon her squire with some bit of amusement in her expression. It was something else. A man of his age was completely unfamiliar with riding, and yet he wanted to be a squire. And yet there he was, grinning like a youth would their first time on the back of one of these mighty beasts. He was just so unpredictable.

Orion gently guided the horse with reins and his legs, keeping it going forward, though he'd have to get it to turn soon, as they were approaching the other side of the training area. Another test of his extreme ability at riding. Man versus horse versus the wall. He would be victorious, like so few before him had been.

"Turn. Turn. Turn. Turn."

The horse stopped before the wall and stood there, shaking its head back and forth and nickering. "You little bastard..."

[Orion Michaels]

"Need a little refresher on how to get her to cooperate?" Orion sat upon the mount, almost pouting as Dinah's question came. Of course he did. He'd tried to pull the reins, but that didn't do anything. It was so much easier to ride when they were in groups. He wasn't getting anywhere when left to his own accord. "Remember, in order to get her to turn, you have to guide her, not try and pull her head off with the reins. Gently pull with the left rein as well as applying some pressure with the left leg to get her to turn left. Opposite for the right. Your leg will act as the 'corner', if you want to think of it that way, and your rein work will tell her to go around it. Now put it into practice."

The squire took up the reins again and gave the horse a gentle squeeze to get her going again. Then pressuring with his left leg and pulling gently on the left rein he got her to begin turning as she walked. It was met with some resistance as he wasn't constant with his pressure, but eventually he had his mount turned around and walking in the other direction.

"Good, Orion. Just keep walking her around for a bit, get more used to controlling your ride and moving around in the training arena. Once your comfortable we can progress to moving at quicker speeds and maneuvering in situations where you have to really cover some ground." Dinah moved aside to allow her squire all the room he needed to practice. There was no need to rush him here. He had to learn how to work together with his mount. It was part of the knighthood, skilled warriors, riders, and guardians. He was working hard, but he could hardly claim to be any of them at this point.

He kept a firm grip, trying to maintain control of the beast he rode while maintaining a good pace. His legs were already starting to get tired and his rear was getting sore from the uncomfortable saddle. It was something else. All the running, sparring, and heavy lifting in the world hadn't prepared Orion's body for the rigors of horseback riding. "Come on horse. Keep it up." He wouldn't let a little fatigue do him in. Another fall from the horse, might, but he was going to do what he could stop that from happening.

[Orion Michaels]

A quarter bell of practice was what Dinah would afford Orion to practice walking and steering. He and the horse seemed to be finding a way to cooperate, at least for the time being. It was simple enough to keep the creature moving by repeating the same motions over and over again. Give a squeeze with the legs, right behind the girth and they'd be off walking across the arena. Get to the end of the arena, put pressure with one leg, lift with the same side on the reins, and they'd turn until you stopped with the pressure.

Rinse. Repeat.

It was somewhat tiring, riding. The uneven movements, the uncomfortable seat, the smelly horse. It could wear on a guy over time. Dinah had told him it would be like when he started fighting. His hands were soft and tender from years of precise knife work as a cook and doctor. It hurt to use the sword so much, it hurt to grasp it, swing it, smash it against other weapons, shields, and dummies. Over time, however, things would change. His hands had become calloused, and it became much simpler to wield his weapon with ease. Time would get him used to long days in the saddle.

"Alright. You're looking better. Let's work on more control. You're not ready for trotting or galloping. I'd like you to be able to turn with more precision, so what I'm going to do is set up some obstacles for you to maneuver around. If you can get to the point where you can do these with ease, you'll have less trouble when it comes to moving at higher speeds."

Orion waited patiently atop his mount as Dinah walked throughout the arena setting up wooden crates of varying sizes for him to continue riding around. They were spaced a fair amount apart so that he didn't have to worry about more than one or two of them at most. They couldn't risk him injuring himself or the horse by trying to do too much. She'd watch him closely and end the exercise if it seemed he was pushing himself too far.

Set up on the far side of the far side of the training area, Orion took a deep breath as he settled into his saddle. He frowned, unsure of himself in the task which sat before him. He didn't yet trust the horse beneath him, but he didn't have much choice if he were to get through this day.

[Orion Michaels]

The course before him was intimidating. Orion barely knew the front of a horse from its ass and yet Dinah expected him to navigate a death trap of obstacles? It was absurd. Both he and the horse were certain to meet their demise just because some petching crazy redhead wanted to get her kicks watching Orion struggle to get a horse to turn without sending him flying through the air. Wasn't once enough? What more did she need? What more did she want?!

Perhaps Orion had a bit of a flair for being dramatic about things.

Whatever. It's still really stupid. Blasted horse.

"What are you waiting around for," Dinah called to him from the other side of the arena. Her arms were crossed across her chest, and though she was some distance away, Orion could feel her eyes and smirk both burning into him with their mocking. She was a bit of a sadist, but at the same time he couldn't deny that she took more pleasure in his successes, rarities as they may have been. "I'd really like to break for food sometime soon, but not until you finish this up. To my satisfaction."

Orion gritted his teeth together at her last remark. Of course she would add a qualifier; anything she could do in order to challenge him. Anything she could do to add to the pressure. He couldn't be bothered to turn a horse just a short while ago, and now she'd keep him here all night doing this shyke?

"Ugh...fine. Let's go, horse!" With a soft kick behind the girth, he got the horse walking again, coming up on the first obstacle, a normal storage crate.

"Remember, Orion! I want you to head directly at every obstacle, no skipping. Always turn around the far side. The way I set this up you'll be facing the next task if you do this, otherwise you'll have to loop all the way around each one. If you feel like doing that, I obviously won't stop you, but it will be a harder task upon you."

And there were her rules. Hit all the crates, turns on the outside. It was simple enough, or so he hoped. He reached out with one hand to gently pet the side of the horse's neck, whispering into its ear and feeling like a fool the entire time. "Seriously, horse. Get us through this and I will go buy you a dozen apples. I will brush you for a bell. I'll dig up carrots from the farmlands. Just please, please, please, cooperate with me here. We're a team. Gods curse this you can't understand a petching word I'm saying, but you better play along." Orion Michaels, master of motivation.

Grasping the reins fully he prepared himself for the task before him. He'd likely fail, but it couldn't be any worse than what he'd already done. No, he had to find his resolve and continue onward, if only for getting a drink and washing the smell of the stupid horse off of him.

[Orion Michaels]

Left. Leftleftleftleft.

No matter what he did, he was sure that he'd never defeat the monster that was controlling a horse. They would never get along and he would either be the eternal squire or he'd get kicked out of the Order due to complete and utter incompetence. What good was a knight who couldn't ride? That wasn't a real question. He'd be no knight.

The leather in his hands may as well have not been attached for the good it was doing. He pulled the left side and applied pressure to the same but just ended up at a stop in front of the crate. Failure, as always. The horse snorted and stomped at the ground with its front hoof, shaking its head in annoyance. "For crying out loud..Go! Go! Go!" Orion wrenched on his mount's neck by pulling tight, forcing its head to the side he wanted it to go.

Dinah saw what happened next before it could happen.

The mount was more than annoyed by Orion's incompetence and it would repay pain with pain. Orion's face drained of color when he realized what he'd done, but there was no turning back. He stopped breathing as he felt it rear up and again experienced flight when it bucked strongly and sent him over its head, crashing into the crate meant to be avoided. He smacked against the top of the container and rolled off the side, groaning loudly from his place on the ground.

The horse again sat there, uninterested in anything Orion was doing, and Dinah gave a repeat performance in her rushing to her squire's side to ensure he wasn't injured or worse.

"Orion," she said, panic in her voice. "Are you okay!? Gods, what are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I. . I didn't think you cared . . . " Orion coughed, rolling onto his side. He was going to immobile tomorrow after these two, well, three hard collisions. Bedridden, and forever ashamed. "I'm so . . completely and . . . utterly done with this . . ."

Dinah sighed but still managed a smile despite the failure of her squire to even navigate one portion of her obstacle course. He'd not be a master anytime soon, but he had a foundation with which to work with. It was a step in the right direction. Still, there was so much more work to do.

"Alright, Orion. I figured that this might be a little much for you, but I thought...nevermind. Let's just get you cleaned up and put the horse back in the stable. Let's call it a day."

More sweet words had never touch Orion's ears. He wouldn't be able to get out of the Windmount quickly enough.