Arc 720, Vhalar 58
Elisabeth was in Rharne proper for the time being, working at the Institute and taking a little personal time to herself. She enjoyed training at the Fortress but every now and then, she needed a bit of time to recover from the harsh nature of training on one’s body. To be fair, that particular trial, she was going to be doing a bit of training…just of another nature.
Those that she had gotten to know within the Lightning Knights had told her of an older, retired Lightning Knight that still hung around the Knights’ stables in Rharne. They described him as an easy-going gentleman that was generally willing to offer lessons in horsemanship and basic mount skills to those interested. They assured her that if she tracked him down and asked, he would be willing to teach her a thing or two about horses.
Thus began her search for Franoccio Solos.
To be fair, it hadn’t taken her long to find him. The older gentleman was right where everyone said he would be, happily chatting away with a few of the Knights in the calvary, offering up some advice. The raven-haired young woman, having been pointed in his direction, swiftly found her way over to small grouping and waited for someone to acknowledge her before speaking – not wishing to be rude. Addressing the man she knew to be Franoccio, Elisabeth smiled and spoke. “I’m sorry to disturb, Sir…but my name is Elisabeth. I was referred to you by some of the Knights I know at Storm’s Edge. I’m looking to learn a bit about horses and how to ride them…and they said you might be willing to chat with me about the subject.”
Laughing a bit, Franoccio excused himself from the others, turning and taking her arm gently. “Of course, dear girl! I enjoy speaking to anyone and everyone about horses. What specifically can I assist with?” Elisabeth quickly told him that she just wanted to learn some basics about horsemanship and how to ride land mounts. Nodding his head, he led her over to a nearby stall. There, she was introduced to her lesson partner for the trial. The horse was a beautiful dark grey with a grey and white tail and mane. Coming to the front of the stall, he stuck his nose out for Franoccio to pet.
“Elisabeth, this is Dante. Dante, this is Elisabeth.” Chuckling at the introduction, he continued. “Dante here is an Oakleigh Destrier. They are from Rynmere and the Eastern Settlements but are used for warhorses all over Idalos. Destriers are intelligent and calm, making them perfect to learn with. Dante here has been my horse for near 10 arcs now and I think he will suit you quite well.”
Opening the stall, Franoccio led Elisabeth inside, stopping next to Dante, petting him along the back. “Horsemanship is just a fancy word for how to take care of a horse. A lot of people think it’s a waste to learn how to take care of a horse, figuring it's enough to know how to ride one. I say hogwash to that. One has a responsibility to those within their care.” Thinking for a few moments, he continued. “I think for our lesson today though, we are going to concentrate on equipment and getting you up on the horse. The basic care items can be taught anytime…although I’ll give you a hint – horses love apples and carrots!”
The man led Elisabeth over to a nearby rack and cabinet that contained equipment of various sorts, pointing out each item, naming it off for her. “Bridle with bit, saddle, saddle blanket, reins. These are the things you need to know to ride a horse. Putting them on the horse – a bit of a different story.” Moving to the saddle pads, he chose one and handed it to her, nodding at the horse. ”Saddle pad – this will go in the center of the horse's back. Something of a barrier between the saddle and the horse itself. Simply protects the animal. I tend to choose thicker ones for added comfort, but everyone has their favorite. Go ahead…” He prodded her towards Dante. Elisabeth hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to properly do what he asked. Petting the horse’s back, just as the man had, she slipped the saddle pad up onto his back, adjusting a bit and looking to Franoccio for comment. Nodding, he smiled at her. “As long as you get it close to center, it’s good enough. Once you get the saddle up there, everything falls in place. I’ll show you.”
Pointing over to the saddles, they wandered over to them as the man spoke. “I would use a bit different saddle than you will, but mostly it’s a matter of preference. The one you will use today is a general-purpose saddle but if you ever have your own horse, you’ll want to invest in a good saddle that suits your body type and the horse.” He pointed out several things to her about the saddle. “Now, there are a ton of different pieces to a saddle but only a few that are important right now.” Pointing out each as he said them. “Seat. Self-explanatory. That’s where you’ll be sitting. Stirrups. This is where your feet will go. Now, let’s get this saddle on Dante and I’ll point out a few different things.”
Stepping to the side, he smiled and indicated for her to pick the saddle up, which Elisabeth did. “Okay now, see this?” Franoccio pointed to a spot on the saddle where something of what she would call a handhold was. “This is called the horn, and for right now, just know that the horn part of the saddle will be nearest the animal’s head. So always make sure that side of the saddle is facing that direction and you are good.” She nodded, swinging the saddle up onto Dante’s back. That act itself wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be – Dante was a tall horse! After a few awkward tries, she managed to wrangle the saddle onto his back.
“Good! Now, make sure the pad is sticking out at least a few inches in front of the saddle, which it looks like it is so good there. Once you have the saddle where you’d like it, it’s time to secure it. In this case, we picked a saddle with a cinch already attached.”He pointed out the long leather piece with padding attached. "This is going to run under the horse and attach to the other side to be secured. This is what keeps the saddle on the horse so it’s important to get it right. It’s called a cinch. People can ride horses with a saddle, of course, but it’s not comfortable for the animal or rider. I don’t recommend it."
Chuckling softly, he showed her how to run the cinch under Dante and fasten to the other side. “Tight, but not unbearably so. It’s a balance but you’ll figure it out. Snug is a good word. If you are riding in the saddle and feel it slip, good chance you didn’t tighten it enough.”
After she had tightened the cinch, Franoccio stepped up and checked things. “I believe, young lady, we are ready for the bit, bridle, and reins.” Walking over to the rack, he quickly picked out some pieces and brought them to her. “The bit and bridle first. A bridle allows the rider control of the animal’s head while the bit goes in the horse’s mouth, is attached to the reins, allows another level of communication between rider and animal.” Taking the pieces, he first showed her the proper way of slipping the bridle over the horse’s head, pointing out the cheekpiece, noseband, and such. Then, he popped the bit into Dante’s mouth and attached the reins, holding them out to Elisabeth. “And voila! Dante is ready to be ridden. Let’s walk him out to the indoor arena. All you have to do is lead the way. He’ll be good, promise.” Smiling, he opened the stall door and motioned for her to lead the horse out.
Carefully, the young woman led the horse into the main stable area, careful not to intentionally run him into anything. Franoccio, noting her care, smiled and sought to reassure her. “Don’t worry – you can’t make him do much of anything. Right now, he’s happy to walk with you. Just concentrate on your destination and he’ll be fine.”
The group made their way to the arena, which seemed to be empty at that moment. Franoccio stopped them and smiled. “This is the part where we get you up on Dante. Mounting a horse is fairly straightforward. Since you’ll be mounting from his left side, slip your left foot up into the stirrup, hold the reins with your left hand and grab the horn of the saddle with your right. There are a lot of things going on at the same time so don’t worry if it feels weird to begin with. You are going to want to push off with your right leg as hard as you can and pull yourself up, swinging your right leg over Dante to the other side. Got it?”
Well, she most certainly didn’t ‘have it’, but Elisabeth had a fair idea of what she needed to do. Nodding her head, she counted off and pushed up…..and quickly came back down again, having underestimated how much power she would need to get up over the horse. Taking a deep breath, she tried again…to nearly the same result.
It took Elisabeth four tries before she actually made it up onto Dante, smiling at the small achievement. Franoccio smiled and clapped lightly. “There you go. Sometimes the things that appear easy can be the most challenging of all. Now, let’s show you how to ride…”
