Solo [Bronze Woods]Riding Basics

[Oriah]

Fall, Day 19, 514AV

After the catastrophic attack on the great gate, Sera Mora thought it would be prudent to have her squire's training double in frequency. She seemed to wander off on secret missions less often now and insisted they begin full course training sessions. That meant warm ups, stretches, combat training, riding, and even meditation. Today, Oriah's assigned subject of development was by far her least favorite: horses.

"Pie is a gentle mare, good for a beginner and for long distances of travel," Mora explained as she led them somewhere they could practice. "But she is no Tiaden. When the time comes, you will need to know not only how to ride one into battle, but how to care for one as well."

The Chaktawe stopped once they reached the fields, the reigns of her own horse held loosely in her hand. Oriah had been ordered to bring Pie along as well, so that both she and the mare could grow used to the squire riding other horses. As unpleasant as it was to admit it, Oriah knew there might come a time when she would have to abandon Pie in favor of a faster or stronger mount. If that time came, the piebald mare would need to know not to follow.

Mora made a sound to get her Tiaden to turn around and face Oriah, which did he obediently and without hesitation. "You will be riding Anwin today. He is experienced and well trained--much more luxury than you might be afforded in battle. Let us start with what to check before we ride."

Anwin was a beautiful creature, Oriah could admit that, however much he made her feel uneasy. He had a sleek, black coat and proud build. A little bit like Kiter, but no where near as affectionate. The stallion was more like his rider, if anything. Hard to read, aloof, and more perceptive than he let on. She wasn't in any serious danger, the Benshira knew, but the thought of riding a Tiadan on her own was always daunting, regardless of circumstances.

"First thing's first," Mora instructed, disrupting Oriah's meandering thoughts. "We check that everything is in its proper place, and that the horse himself is in no discomfort. Bridles, saddle, bits, shoes. Everything that could hinder or harm both horse and rider if not handled correctly. Go on, then. Show me how a check is done."

Not entirely clueless to horse riding and its respective gear, Oriah did as she was told and as best she could. She checked that the bridle, halter, and saddle were secured tightly but not too tightly, and made sure there were no rocks or other foreign objects in Anwin's shoes. She did so by gentle coaxing him to lift each of legs, ever wary of getting kicked in the face but determined not to show it. Oriah was a bit clumsy with her ministrations, but the Tiadan took it without complaint. Of course, there were no flaws in Mora's gearing of her horse, but it was the principle of the thing, Oriah figured.

"Good," the knight nodded, "Now we shall go over some of the basics to address your fears."

The Benshira gulped and nodded. She did indeed have deep seated fears of the hulking, muscular beasts, and her patron knew that well enough. In order to become a better rider, she would need to face those fears day after day, until they became nothing more than niggling worries.

"First and foremost, you must learn how to approach a horse. They are sentient, as you are, and appreciate surprises or rudeness no more than you do. Come from the side with your body tilted away. Try to establish that you are not a threat."

Oriah approached Anwin facing slightly away and completely within his line of vision. The Tiaden seemed to appreciate that and remained at ease, though they had also established some trust during the pre-riding check up routine. Honestly, it felt like it was more for her sake than the horse's. It was important for her to practice approaching as many different mounts as she could; every horse she befriended lessened her phobia.

"Good. Now, extend your hand. If Anwin accepts you, you may attempt to jump into the saddle."

Oriah wasn't entirely sure what this meant, what being accepted by a horse would entail. But she did as she was instructed anyway, extending her hand just beyond the Tiaden's giant nostrils. She could feel the warm, damp breath that puffed out of his nose as he sniffed her palm. Then, with surprising clarity, he dipped his head in her direction and seemed to brace himself for...something.

Taking this to mean it was now time to get in to the saddle, the squire walked around the warhorse and stared at the stirrup. Then, steeling her will, she placed one foot in the stirrup and hauled herself up the Tiadan's side. It was still hard for her to mount up, even after all this time, and for a moment Oriah thought she would slip. But she managed to steady her foothold and pulled herself up like a wounded whale up and on top of Anwin's saddle.

"Well done, squire," Mora encouraged. She was normally spartan with her compliments during training, but today's subject was a sensitive one to her squire, she knew, and thus offered more support than usual. "Now try to take Anwin for a gentle trot around the field."

Oriah nodded and lightly prodded the Tiaden on his sides to start moving. They started with a slow, even gait and took a whole circuit around the field before coming to a gentle halt before the Chaktawe.

[Oriah]

Sera Mora gave her Tiaden a rub on the neck and smiled. "We are making good progress already, squire. Perhaps once more around the field, a little faster, and we can begin our true training."

It felt rather surreal to have her patron so ready with the encouragement. But Oriah knew the reasons behind it, which made the whole thing seem just a little less warm and fuzzy. She knew that the training would get much, much harder from here on out; the support was just a temporary cushion for harder times to come. The squire was already feeling pinpricks of unease at the very thought.

With a gentle nudge of the reins and squeeze of the stirrups, Oriah got Anwin to turn around for another lap. It was a little confusing at first, trying to pick up the pace; it was like the stallion had already deemed Oriah as the novice she was and decided slow was good. Or maybe it was her own hesitance that held them back. Whatever it was, it took some time and clumsy efforts on the squire's part to get them to go at a steady canter.

Admittedly, riding Anwin felt good. It gave her a sense of thrill that riding a sweet mare like Pie never did. Atop the Tiaden's saddle, she knew of possibilities, of speed, power, and agility that, if tapped into, could take her from novice rider to competent warrior.

But what did it truly mean to be warrior? A soldier? That was what essentially being a knight was, wasn't it? Perhaps with a few more glories and morals tacked on but killing was killing. It made no difference what one's intentions are from the start. Oriah had realized this the day she had fought at the decimated gate. Up until then, she thought fighting in the name of justice, Yahal, or the Order made it somehow less gruesome to take a life. But when she had buried her sword in that woman's chest, all Oriah could think about was how revolting it felt.

Sera Mora tried to put it in a way that her squire could digest. She said that killing was, of course, a disparaging act that ought to be practiced as little as possible. But killing was also a natural part of life itself. Animals did it all the time in order to survive. And in a world as harsh as theirs, what could the people of Mizahar do but fight? What were their other options?

Oriah could see the sense in these words. She knew well enough there were bad people in these lands. Bandits who raped and plundered for nothing other than a bit of amusement, religious zealots who wished to exterminate all gods except theirs, slavers who could not be stopped from returning to their illegal livelihood until they were hung from a noose. All of this, she knew.

But still, she had no appetite for killing.

As how it should be, Mora had told her. Which was probably another reason why they were out here today. The clear air and lovely surroundings brought peace to Oriah's rather careworn heart. She needed the time to cope and regenerate.

All too soon, their second circuit was over. Oriah led Anwin back to his rightful rider, reins held loosely in her hands. Or perhaps it was the other way around? She could never be too sure with mounts as experienced as the Tiaden.

[Oriah]

"Let's work, as always, with your posture first," the knight announced.

Oriah stayed where she was on Anwin's saddle as Mora approached her side and inspected what the Chaktawe liked to call 'alignment.' The squire always felt surprised at how often her posture needed to be corrected. She was a dancer, after all; posture was a staple of everything she did.

"In theory, I should be able to draw a straight line from your ear, shoulder, hip, and heel," Sera Mora explained. "It's not as easy as it sounds, either. Straighten your back. Chest out. Feet a little more forward in the stirrups."

Oriah did her best to comply, though it was difficult without being to somehow see herself at the same time. "Keep the balls of your feet along the stirrup," Mora continued. "That is the widest part of your foot. Make sure your toes point toward the sky. And that your ankles are flexed with your heels down. It will help absorb some of the shock when riding and keep your feet from slipping out."

As usual, the Chaktawe was a wealth of knowledge. Oriah had tried in the past to learn how to ride, but most of her impromptu teachers either focused too much on everything that came before actual riding or not enough and stuck her on a horse with little to no preparation.

Sera Mora, however, was thorough as always. She spotted her squire's weaknesses and pointed them out with unfailing consistency. Once they had gone through all of the most basic of basics, including how to properly grip the reins and the height at which they should be held, they moved onto something that was perhaps Oriah's greatest difficulty: stopping.

"Don't simply pull back both reins," her patron explained. "That is the most common way beginners are taught, and it is also the most ineffective. The best way to stop is to show your horse through your own energy level and seat cues."

Mora wove a circle with her finger in the air to signify another circuit. "Go around one more time, with your corrected posture. And when you return, try to tell Anwin you want to stop. Show him what it is you wish for him to do with your own cues."

Oriah wasn't entirely sure she would be able to do this, but she had no choice but to try. Squeezing Anwin's sides gently to signal they begin moving, she led him into an easy trot once more around the field, all the while thinking of various ways she would be able to cue him to stop. Before, he had merely done so upon approaching the knight. But Mora had moved clear out of the way now, so it was up to her squire to figure out the rest.

[Oriah]

What to do, what to do, what to do...

She had only about a handful of ticks now to act. Not knowing what to do, Oriah squeezed her eyes shut and willed. She willed with every fiber of her being that they stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!

Without knowing it, the squire tensed various parts of her body. Her posture shifted, her breathing changed, and she leaned ever so slightly back against the saddle. When she opened her eyes again, Anwin was still moving but had slowed and was starting another circuit. At this point Oriah tugged lightly on the reins, just enough to let the stallion know.

And, just like that, the horse came to a gentle stop.

"A good attempt," Sera Mora commented. "You managed to stop, at least. But you will need to learn to be quicker and more intuitive. Granted, Anwin is not your usual companion, I know. We will address that later."

The Benshira nodded for what felt to be the millionth time. She didn't trust herself to speak; the recent task had taken quite a bit of wind out of her. The entire time she had her eyes closed, she was picturing the various ways she would die. Thrown out of the saddle to be trampled, knocked out by a low hanging branch, riding off a cliff, even though the last was so evidently unlikely.

"Go on then. Another circuit, another try. Keep your eyes open this time."

Sighing, the squire tugged at the reins again to signal for Anwin to make a slight turn and began trotting back into the fields. Once again they kept things at an even pace; Oriah wasn't exactly confident she could stop the Tiaden at anything faster.

As they rode steadily around the field, she tried to calm her thoughts and feelings. Sooner or later she would find herself in a situation that required just this sort of thing and the Benshira wasn't keen on allowing panic to grip her every time she mounted a war horse. Taking slow, deep breaths, she tried her best to clear her head of any worrisome, irrational fears and focused on nothing. Nothing but the crisp smell of Fall in the air and the sounds of birds cutting across the sky toward warmer climates.

This time, long before they reached the end of the circuit, Oriah was prepared. She had a firm picture in her mind of stopping. Of the stallion slowing and her sitting calmly in the saddle. While she focused on that, she also kept a regular pattern of breathing. In, out, in, out. It's time to stop. No more movement.

She leaned back in her saddle and shifted the stirrups just a little bit in the opposite direction of where they were headed. And, to her immense surprise, Anwin stopped much sooner than he had earlier.

"There is hope after all," Oriah murmured to herself.

[Sayana]

Your Grades Have Arrived Oriah Skills: Skill EXP Earned Horsemanship +1 Riding: Horse +4 Concentration +1 Lores: Anwin: Mora's Tiaden Warhorse Pre-ride checklist (horse) Being 'accepted' by a Tiaden Warhorse Horseback riding: Posture Horseback riding: Stopping Shield Points: Shield Points Earned Reason +2 Training Thread +1 Thread with Patron Total: +3 Shield Points Comments : I liked how you expressed Oriah's fears and discomfort around horses (particularly a warhorse like Anwin) and how she persevered through the training session despite it all. Great job. Don't forget to edit your grade request in the grade request thread. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message. Enjoy.