Horsemanship
From Mizahar Lore
Horsemanship is the art of keeping, training, and breeding horses. This can be interchanged with Animal Husbandry (horses) and is the same thing. This skill is different from riding in that horsemanship (or Animal Husbandry) provides safe, healthy, and vibrant horses for people to ride verses just having the ability to climb aboard one and ask it to take you from one place to another. People who know horsemanship must be part healers, part statisticians, and part nutrionists. They must understand how horses think, how they react, and problem solve to deal with the numerous situations that can arise around horses involving their health, happiness, and mental fitness.
People with the horsemanship skill can raise, train, and even create new breeds of horses as they rise in skill and prefect their art. Horseman or horsewomen are not just riders, though the two skills work hand in hand. Instead, they are careful cultivators of traits they deem important and intriguing, hoping to always create 'the prefect breed' for the perfect scenario. This idea of perfection differs throughout Mizahar considerably as terrain and climate changes.
Prerequisites and Related Skills
Horsemanship has no prerequisite skills, however it does go hand in hand with a few other important skills. Both the following skills are related to horses and should be pursued as skills by the serious horseman or woman.
Skill progression
| Novice (1-25) | |
| At this beginning level, a person learns basic horse care. Grooming, stabling, nutrition and proper exercise are explored. A novice horseman or horsewoman learns how to teach a horse how to wear a halter, lead, be blanketed, stand for a hooves being trimmed, and simple manners. They learn how to work a horse in a round pen. At this stage, horseman mainly work with older more experienced horses that are calmer or willing. They can keep small stables with one or two horses. Basic horseman know a bit about first-aid and can deal with things like pests (lice, ticks) or parasite infestations. | |
| Competent (26-50) | |
| At this stage, horseman learn basic breeding. They can keep stallions who are used for breeding, and can begin seriously training horses. A horsewoman can begin teaching horses to accept bridles and saddles and to be ridden. Competent horseman can successfully watch and aid in the birthing of foals, and begin planning breeding programs. Competent horseman can successfully work with green, young, or spirited animals. They can manage medium sized stables which stall 10-20 horses. Horsewomen at this level are also decent healers, and have no trouble dealing with sprains, strains, abscesses in hooves, colic, and basic dental work. | |
| Expert (51-75) | |
| Expert horseman are enthusiastic breeders. They can recognize potential a mile a way, and often work with the most troubled horses to 'rehabilitate' them. A truly expert horsewoman can walk into a horse fair and often immediately pick out the 'gems' from all the rest of the plain stock. They are good at managing large stables (50-100 horses), and can teach horses advanced techniques such as warfare, jousting, and all sorts of tricks or combat moves. Experts know horseflesh, and are considered some of the best healers of horses around. They find chiropractory on horses simple. | |
| Master (76-100) | |
| Master horseman can create their own horse breeds, improve bloodlines, and can even use techniques such as artificial insemination with the help of reinmancers freezing semen and keeping it frozen from far distant locations. Master horseman can game the most aggressive or crazy animals. They can even manage to sometimes cure lameness, blown knees, or broken limbs. At this level, master horseman can bond with animals in such a way that they can teach their horses to do almost anything. They will brave raging rivers, run into wildfires, and trust their masters implicitly. Master horsewomen can keep stables of 100 or more horses. | |