Basic Horsemanship - Id'est Meridium

[Ladon]

OOC: You will need to Timestamp this to fit in with your Fluid Time

IC: Todd looked the dtranger up and down to try to assess whether he was racing material, but in the end he felt that it was not worth the effort, so he gave up on the idea.

So, Do you have any experience with Horses at all?

[Id'est Meridium]

OOC: I'll timestamp this after someone timestamps the Natura and back thread for me. I was going to get Mike and/or Tylag to do it for me but that's not going to happen now.

IC: Todd was right in his opinion that this young elf would not be worth the effort to train for racing, he was a bit tall for a jockey, and besides, he wouldn't have been interested. Now to the matter of Id'est's experience with horses, none when it came to mounting them, however at this point he felt that he had quite a grasp on how to interact with them. Having spent most of his recent time around the animals on his trade trips from Riparia, the young merchant hoped this experience would aid him with riding the beasts.

"I have been running wagons to and from this fine city for the most recent portion of my life. Thus I have developed a feeling that I know how to interact with these animals, however I haven't actually attempted to mount one thus far."

Id'est spoke, he hoped, truthfully to the stable hand, then he thought it best that he introduced himself.

"Ah, my name is Id'est Meridium, I'm not sure if you would have heard of me but I have been attempting to build a trade business based around these parts, may I enquire as to your name?"

OOC2: Now let's wait and see if I can make myself get out of bed early tomorrow, my late at night method has fallen into disrepair of recent times.

[BlueberryKitty]

"Ah, well. It is good that you feel comfortable around horses, then." Todd nodded. He most certainly hadn't heard of Id'est Meridium, but that didn't mean much. When one spent the majority of one's time feeding, currying, training and mucking out horses in a stable, who drove which wagon for what merchant wasn't the highlight of the brightening. That usually fell to a nice, cold ale at one of the Taverns after the sun went down.

"M'name's Todd. I can certainly get you up on the back of a horse, and probably teach you to get it to start and stop." The young man sounded slightly amused. "Now, d'you have a horse of your own to be ridin', or do we need to saddle one up from the stables for your lesson?" Either way worked for him, his face was mostly expressionless as he asked the question. Saddling the horse would be the first part of Id'est's lesson in horseriding.

(Timestamp, if you please. )

[Id'est Meridium]

OOC: As my 'Natura and back' thread is taking forever (I was going to get Mike then Ladon to time stamp it) I'm not sure when I should timestamp it for, as; if I'd done that when it started, or after Ladon had his little bit, there are some rather varied economical states that Id'est could find himself in after departure, from dead to rather well off and with some good contacts. Therefore if it is said to have taken place and era or so before it's completion I could be left with potentially a rather rich PC with quite a little business going, the build up of which I wouldn't have been able to interact with, or one who had been forced to work as a mercenary ...

-Summing up I'm not sure when to set that thread, although at least a few brightening before the fire in the Green Goblin would be recommendable as he shot at a few people then, anyway as this is my only, rather cautious, thread since then I plan to timestamp it at a relevant point in accordance with my main thread, therefore if you will bare with me, I shall edit post number 1 when that day comes, and probably after consulting you.

P.S. I ramble OOC and I hadn't even thought of having Id'est thought how to saddle a horse, good thing I waited for a GM.

IC: Well, he'd purchased his wagons off a different staff member, so Id'est supposed that recognition wasn't really a fair thing to expect in such a large shop. Breaking from his revere the young merchant answered Todd's query.

"I have yet to acquire a riding horse, and I don't really see the need until I know how to use it. Well if you'll lead the way I think we should be getting on with this, I'm sure you've something you'd rather be doing."

Id'est wasn't quite sure why the stable hand's tone had annoyed him, but the fact stood that it had, however he wanted to learn to ride and this was to be how that would eventuate. Deciding to try and like Todd, the young merchant followed him to the stables, or at least the part that Todd had in mind.

OOC2: Sorry, almost forgot to thank you for taking this thread over.

[BlueberryKitty]

Todd gave a nod, and jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the horses in their stalls. "No worries. We'll just go pick one out, saddle 'er up, and get started. Maybe you'll like the horse so well you buy 'er, eh?" Todd turned, and made his way from where he'd met Id'est to the first occupied stall. Within was a chestnut mare, her head down so she could nose about the fresh hay littering the floor. At the appearance of the stablehand, she lifted her head to regard the pair curiously with a flick of her dark brown tail.

"This 'un 'll do." Todd opened the gate, and stepped inside. He moved slowly, raising one hand with his flat palm turned upward to let the horse get his scent. "Never run at a horse. Always go slow. Otherwise you'll spook 'em.. " The mare dipped her velvety nose to nuzzle his outstretched hand gently. His caution was mostly unnecessary as he was recognised as the individual that fed and groomed them each brightening. Still, he wanted to set a good example for the student. Once she was done with her investigation, Todd stroked the length of her nose gently, and then grasped the bridle that framed her face. Giving a soft tug, and clicking his tongue, both moved forward out of the stall and into Pepper's yard.

"Now we're gonna put the saddle on 'er. This is really important, 'cause you don't want the saddle twisting or falling off when you're riding. A horse's chest is really strong, so don't worry about tightening it too much." Todd tied the reins to the railing that ran nearby, and ducked into the stall once more to pull out a well-used, darkened leather saddle. He put it down on the ground beside the mare, and repeated his actions to return with a soft square blanket.

"Never put the saddle on 'er by itself. It'll rub sores on her skin. Always put a blanket down first to protect the horse." He suited actions to words, and laid the horse blanket down on her back, twitching at the corners to straighten it perfectly. "There. Now ye can put the saddle on 'er. Lift it up, and lay it straight down on 'er back across the blanket. This is the front end.." He reached out to touch the pommel of the saddle. "Go on.. " He nodded to encourage Id'est to try.

[Id'est Meridium]

OOC: I'll take that as agreement to my approach.

IC: Watching Todd working around the horse Id'est realized that he still had a bit to learn, although most people in this world knew how to act around horses many chose to ignore them. Id'est had as his occupation dictated only really come into contact with horses under the control of someone else or those horses to whom the sight of a human was more common than the sight of food. This stable bound, young mare had obviously experienced a lot less human interaction than the horses he normally came into contact with as such, after taking the saddle with his right arm he approached the beast with the same caution showed by the stable hand.

As he was approaching her from the side the merchant assumed the hand was not necessary, but he touched the un-blanketed part of her side before holding the blanket in place in case it slipped he swung the saddle over it's back. He hadn't needed telling which end was to the front having seen plenty of saddled horses in his time, however the elf appreciated Todd’s method of telling him every basic part of horsemanship he could think of, this would probably be a help in the long run. The mare seemed nor to be overly bothered by his efforts with the saddle and Todd hadn’t commented, whether he was doing it right or the stable hand simply planned to correct the elf after he completed the task he couldn’t tell.

Reaching under the horse for the strap/straps hanging on the opposite side Id’est tightened and buckled the saddle in place, after looking at the stirrups hanging off the side and the straps attaching them Id’est turned a questioning look at Todd to see what he had to say.

[BlueberryKitty]

Yes. Sorry, I'm not one for lots of OOC comments in threads.

The stable hand had chosen this mare due to her placid nature and friendly attitude, she was quite used to being saddled and handled by humans. It was best that way, and less likely that if his student did make a mistake neither of them would get a shod hoof into the thigh or middle as an admonishment. Humans just weren't built to stand up to that sort of thing often, though when one worked around horses as often as they both did, it had to happen sometime. It just wasn't going to happen during his class. Todd took this responsibility very seriously, an extension of his love for the four-footed beasts that were his occupation.

He nodded encouragingly as Id'est lifted the saddle up to the mare's back. He leaned down, watching as his student fastened the strap that went around the mare's rotund belly. Once he was finished, Todd moved in to give an experimental tug at the fastenings, making sure that they were tight enough. If the saddle slipped even a little bit once the man was sitting in it, the horse might rear or bolt, and then the saddle might slip completely and leave Id'est sitting in the dirt with broken limbs or worse. His boot might even get caught in the saddle and Id'est might find himself dragged for miles before the horse tired enough to slow down on her own.

"Nuh bad. Seems tight 'nuff to me. Always tighten the straps down, else you might find yerself hurt. But you've done well 'nuff this time." His hand went to stroke the mare's nose again; a calming gesture for the horse whether or not she needed it. He then grasped the bit and reins used for guiding the horse, and held them out to Id'est. A metal contraption, with rings on the sides that went to the sides of a horse's face, with long lengths of leather stitched tightly to them.

"Now for the last part. This metal piece here, the bit, goes in 'er mouth. It attaches to the reins, which is how you guide 'er. Never pull hard on 'em, else you'll hurt 'er mouth. A horse's mouth is exceptionally sensitive and you can ruin a good saddle horse by makin' 'er afraid to take a bit. She's a good lass, she is.. she'll take it without much effort. Some horses you have to trick into taking a bit, though. Just loop the reins over 'er head, and push gently til she opens 'er mouth. Then settle the bit into place.. she'll tongue it and chew a bit til it gets to the right place."

[Id'est Meridium]

Pleased with Todds approval of his work Id'est was still put off by the idea of putting something in the horses mouth, thus far he had avoided the situation but as the action could actually be required of him in an un-supervised location one day the merchant decided the time had come. Taking the bit along with the reigns the elf moved around to the front of the animal to look it in the eye before placing the reigns over it's head, the young elf had always found something about horse eyes fascinating. Moving his gaze on from those dark pits Id'est examined the face as he moved the reigns up over the mares head running his hands along it's length to keep it from un-necessarily bumping the beast.

Now they had reached the point when the bit had to go in, the elf glanced at his instructor before gently pushing mettle onto her mouth. It didn't take long soon the mare had her mouth open and was settling the bit in, Id'est took this as the queue to have a go at tightening the straps keeping it all in place, he did however feel that these could potentially be made too tight and kept a steady eye on Todd as he proceeded. With a final nod from the stable hand Id'est stepped away from the beast to find out what came next.

"I assume I am to attempt mounting her now?"

[BlueberryKitty]

"Well, if we're gonna teach you to ride, you're gonna have to get on 'er eventually." Todd grinned, his lips spreading slowly in the gesture of amusement. Id'est was proving that he did know something about horses, but Todd decided it best if he kept on teaching like the elf knew nothing.

"Be sure the reins are where you can reach them. Usually I flip them over the pommel of the saddle. That's a good place to hold to as well, while you're lifting your foot to put in the stirrup. If you're gonna mount 'er from 'er left, put your left boot in the stirrup, then swing your right leg over 'er back. A trained horse 'll stand still for you. It'll be a while before you're ready to break new horses though." He curled his fingers into the halter around the mare's face just in case. "Up ye go!"

[Id'est Meridium]

Assuming the pommel was the knob at the front of the saddle, what else could Todd have meant, the elf took the reigns from where they had been sagging on the mares neck and placed them over that knob. Noticing that Todd was holding the horses head in place he decided that there was nothing to it but to give it a go, the hand had encouraged him t do it. Placing his booted foot into the left stirrup Id'est looked at his teacher slightly bent his leg, put his hand on the pommel to steady himself and bent his right leg ready to push off.

After giving the pommel bit of stress to ensure it would remain steady the elf sprung his right leg into the air and over the horses back. In unison he had straightened his left leg and grabbed the pommel with both hands to support and center his weight as he swung over the saddle and attempted to lower his backside onto the leather separating him from the blanket over his mount with as controlled a descent as possible. Landing on the surprisingly cushiony saddle without causing any real damage Id'est then looked the horses right flank, not allowing his hand to leave the pommel and neatly slotted his right boot into the remaining stirrup.

It was a slight annoyance not to not be sporting riding boots, Id'est had wanted to look the part, but the elf would have to make do with his day to day footwear. He forced away the slight self impressed smile that was attempting an invasion of his face as he looked back at the stable hand, pleased at what his hereditary 'grace' had allowed him to achieve. He only used his elven dexterity for fast movements, being quite happy to stumble along the streets, but when it came to running, jumping and firing off his prized repeater it gave him pleasure to achieve these goals without issue.

[BlueberryKitty]

It was absolutely unprofessional, and conflicted with the manner Todd had used so far with this lesson, but he snickered slightly as Id'est sprang into the saddle. Being human, he'd always been jealous of the grace elfin males moved with, though he certainly had no desire to look as delicate. Still, it did seem to be rather popular with the ladies.. no, Todd preferred being 'manly' though he could barely have seen twenty patterns.

No, what amused him so was the fact that Id'est apparently hadn't realised his left leg could support his weight from the stirrup while he settled calmly into the saddle, rather than letting himself drop flat into it. The elf was going to damage something precious if he kept that sort of behaviour up. The sudden impact had startled the mare, and she danced a few steps in the dirt of the yard. Todd patted her nose to calm her, and she settled. It wasn't the worst initial mount that either of them had seen in times past.

"After you push off with yer right leg, use yer left to support yerself a'fore you drop into the saddle. A touchy horse'll run right out from beneath you if you keep on with that. Now, I'm gonna lead 'er around the paddock a bit, let you get used to 'er gait. It ain't gonna be smooth, your gonna rock back and forth a bit. Each step'll feel like a jolt, til you get used to it." With another pat, his hands tightened on the halter, and he gave a few clicks with his tongue. "C'mon Mara. Easy goes."

The horse placidly took a step, then another. Her four feet made Id'est rock with each step as her body swayed for balance as a hoof picked up. Todd began to move the mare in a wide circle around the training yard, letting Id'est get the feel of riding.

[Id'est Meridium]

Id'est was glad that he wouldn't be forced to damage his wrists with the fast mount style he was looking for, he didn't notice Todds un-professional expression. Sitting the saddle with a contented feeling the elf made a grab for the pommel when the horse his instructor coaxed the horse into moving. As progress Mara progressed around the yard the elf fell into a comfortable pattern with the horse’s movements, grabbing the hands he relaxed his hands to see how well he would balance. Taking in the yard around him Id'est decided to ask exactly how big Peppers was, he had come in here often in his recent history, however he'd never entered this part. He felt that for a building in a city it certainly had a lot of space.

"Todd, how long have you been working here for, this is an expansive building but you have never been up front when I've come in, how large is this structure?"

There two birds with one stone thought the merchant, before re-concentrating on the horse and listening for the stable hand's reply.

[BlueberryKitty]

The barn itself was huge with room inside for nearly one hundred horses. Stalls lined the walls on either side with room inside for one horse each. Workers were busy feeding and cleaning while would be buyers browsed up and down. At the back could be found the second part of the building where the wagons are kept. Overall, it was perhaps one of the biggest buildings in all of the Merchant District. The centre of the barn had plenty of room for one mare being led by a human to make some circles while an elf perched on her back.

"It's large enough. Room for a hundred horses, room for at least a dozen wagons or more. I don't work upfront much. I stay here in back with the horses more often. So unless you've come to buy a horse, you probably hadn't seen me a'fore, nothing strange about that. Prob'ly a dozen or more people work here at Pepper's"

Mara plodded along amiably in her circle. Her gain never changed noticably, moving at the same pace with her head down. Todd walked slowly infront of her, til he judged Id'est had gotten used to it. All three continued moving, but the human youth began his lecturing again. "Mkay. What I'm going to do now, is let Mara walk on 'er own. I want you to try to control 'er by using not the reins, but your knees. Gentle pressure against 'er sides will tell you which way you want to go. If you want to go left, press with your right knee. She'll turn to 'er left, varying on how hard you press. She's a trained mare, she won't give you any problems. 'Least she shouldn't unless you go kickin' 'er. I want you to keep going in a circle for a bit, then I want you to try to turn 'er in an 8 figure. Think you can do that?" With Id'est's assent, Todd let go of the halter, and moved to the side.

[Id'est Meridium]

OOC: I'm assuming a counter clockwise circle.

Hiding the moment of fear he had felt when informed that he would be steering the horse so soon the young elf quickly focused and after an involuntary pull on the reigns gave the steering thing a go. Slightly pushing on the Mares right side as instructed Id'est increased his pressure a little too far after realizing he had been too soft and sent Mara into a rather wobbly circle around the yard. With the following circles becoming increasingly smooth the elf decided it was time to attempt the figure eight.

Patting the horse on it's shoulder he dug in a bit harder than he had been doing, not fully satisfied with what he saw as an overly wide curve Id'est moved the put Mara into a slightly tighter arc. Releasing pressure when he felt he had traveled to the left far enough Id'est glanced at Todd while letting the horse move along at it's own pace, then executed his right hand turn. As it turned out this right turn was a bit tighter than he would have liked when he pushed too hard with his left leg, thinking the un-favored leg would require more effort. As he arrested the turn the elf glanced over at his instructor to see what was next.

Perhaps stopping.

[BlueberryKitty]

With the unbidden pull to the reins, Mara lifted her head all the way back and tossed it. A gentle pull to the bit in her mouth would have signalled her to stop, but this was much more brutal to her delicate lips. When the tugging stopped, she gave a good example of a horse taking the bit and going with it. Stretching her neck all the way out, Mara chewed at the metal piece in her mouth. This way, she couldn't feel the rider tugging at it anymore. It gave her her own head, and she could go the way she wanted to go. In a more spirited beast, that might have meant a jolly gallop over the streets of Riparia before Id'est fell off or managed to get the horse back into control.

However, Id'est's knees still had the effect of steering the mare into a wobbly ring, though Todd would never call it a circle. His control of the horse's direction was clumsy. Practice was necessary before any sort of grace was attainable. Id'est continued to give Mara confusing signals with the pat on her shoulder. She took that as a signal to increase her pace, and leapt forward into a canter in a crazy squiggle that the elf's knees directed her to go. Pressing harder only made her turn more sharply.

Todd gave a sharp yell when Mara decided to increase her speed, and began to run in the courtyard with them. His hands reached for her bridle, but for the moment at least she managed to evade. Stopping would indeed be next on the agenda, just as soon as Id'est and Todd got Mara back under control.