Sime~Gen Roleplaying: Householding Naros Scenario
Episode #169: Skittish Farris Saddlebred (10/19/99)
Vanity snorts and dances by the hitching rail, to show how ready he is for action.
Vanity is well aware that he looks much better when active.
Riyyh's mind is not on Vanity at all, but upon Nick and how Nick is going to benefit greatly from a little instruction on how to handle his own horse, causing less painful bouncing.
Riyyh smiles at Nick.
Riyyh: Never fear, Rose does have a walk, and all of the other gaits. The two of you must simple come to an agreement regarding the instructions you're to give him.
Rhonda's Rose waits eagerly for another chance to prove how loyal and obedient he is.
Nick: I know that, but he doesn't appear to be fluent in Simelan.
Nick's humor might be less weak if his posterior were less achy.
Vanity paws the ground dramatically and arches his neck as he spots Riyyh.
Vanity is trying hard to ensure that there will be a suitably impressed audience to see his rider mount.
Riyyh walks over to Rhonda's Rose and pats his nose, then unties the reins.
Riyyh: I will demonstrate, and then you can give it a try. [kindly]
Vanity: Hey! You're supposed to ride on me!
Vanity: Tell him he's made a mistake.
Vanity dances indignantly at being still tied to the hitching rail, particularly since the stable boys are watching Rhonda's Rose.
Rhonda's Rose gets all flustered.
Rhonda's Rose: I can't do that, he's a Master and Master are always right!
Riyyh strokes Rhonda's Rose's neck to calm him, then mounts up, augmenting slightly.
Nick watches closely.
Rhonda's Rose can tell right away that some Masters are always right more than others.
Riyyh reins Rhonda's Rose away from the wall, then guides him through a few warm up dressage maneuvers.
Rhonda's Rose is always pleased to serve, and obeys alertly.
Nick frowns.
Nick: He's still not walking.
Nick defines a walk as a gait without bounces, sideways steps, and other decorations.
Riyyh: These are dressage steps. He has been very well trained.
Riyyh thinks he is much more tractable than his own mount, while still being high-spirited; then again, there is a lot to be said for Vanity's matching Riyyh in coloration.
Riyyh decides he would rather put up with Vanity's hotblooded featherheadedness than ride a horse he doesn't go well with visually.
Vanity: He's been well-trained? What about me?
Vanity dances in indignation.
Rhonda's Rose: Look at me! I'm obeying my master with great enthusiasm!
Vanity: He's not your master. He's mine!
Vanity would really hate to be left with a rider as clumsy as Nick.
Riyyh: But, however, he can be made to walk, if that is what you desire. Observe:
Riyyh sends Rhonda's Rose into a walk.
Rhonda's Rose finds it refreshingly novel after the last 24 hours.
Rhonda's Rose strides out calmly.
Rhonda's Rose does tend to bob his head and lift his tail more than the average livery stable nag, even at a walk.
Rhonda's Rose is also constitutionally unable to avoid picking up each of his feet at least 18 inches.
Nick gapes in disbelief, as he had come to believe that the beast couldn't manage this most basic of gaits, with or without head-bob.
Nick: How did you do that?
Riyyh repeats the maneuver, this time describing in detail the minute muscle shifts the horse responded to.
Rhonda's Rose likes it when Masters do this, as it fills in a bit of the puzzle as to what their words mean.
Rhonda's Rose most of the time can't make out the gibberish.
Vanity's jealousy has calmed a bit, when it appears to be a lesson in progress, not an exchange of masters.
Riyyh: Would you like to try it now?
Nick looks dubious.
Riyyh halts Rhonda's Rose and dismounts, holding the reins.
Nick: Well, I suppose I'd better.
Rhonda's Rose gets very excited.
Rhonda's Rose enjoyed working with the other master, but he knows which one is really his!
Nick walks over to join them, hobbling slightly.
Rhonda's Rose: Oh boy... oh boy... I get to prove myself again to my new master. I shall be so obedient and so swiftly attentive and alert.
Riyyh wonders if Nick will want another healing session before they leave.
Nick takes the reins from Riyyh and gathers them, reaching for the stirrup.
Nick: Stand still, now.
Nick puts his foot in the stirrup, hoping to get in the saddle before Rhonda's Rose starts to bounce.
Rhonda's Rose gets positively giddy with anticipation.
Rhonda's Rose evinces a rotary motion as a result.
Nick: Shen!
Rhonda's Rose realizes that Nick wants to play the same game as the other days, and gets very happy as well as giddy.
Rhonda's Rose likes games.
Riyyh goes over to Vanity and unties him.
Nick walks Rhonda's Rose over to a corner, where walls in front and to his off side will prevent circles.
Vanity: Yes! I knew you'd not leave me with that flopping master!
Vanity: He doesn't look half as good as I do with you.
Riyyh: There, there. [stroking Vanity's side]
Vanity slobbers on Riyyh's sleeve to show his appreciation.
Riyyh: Oh, dear.
Riyyh is reminded of how much he dislikes this particular mode of transportation.
Riyyh looks for somewhere to wipe his sleeve, and reluctantly settles on the saddle blanket.
Riyyh mounts.
Nick's second attempt at a mount is more successful.
Rhonda's Rose swings his hindquarters away, hits the offside wall, then jumps ahead in startlement only to jerk up short to avoid hitting the forward wall.
Rhonda's Rose then realizes Nick has managed to get astride, and the game is over.
Rhonda's Rose thinks Nick is too good at the game for Rhonda's Rose to be much of a challenge for him, and vows to improve.
Rhonda's Rose wouldn't want to disappoint his good and kind master, after all.
Nick turns Rhonda's Rose in Riyyh's general direction.
Nick makes an attempt at the complex combination of cues which Riyyh claims will actually extract a walk from his mount.
Rhonda's Rose tries to figure out what Nick is asking for, then takes a stab at it: A walk.
Rhonda's Rose is good at repetitious games.
Vanity is meanwhile demonstrating a stunning collage of his best, most showy moves for the edification of the onlookers and his master's enjoyment.
Riyyh is hard put to pay attention to Nick as he rides out Vanity's antics.
Nick evidences ~~ disbelief ~~ which rapidly turns to ~~ intense relief ~~, despite the lingering discomfort of being in the saddle at all.
Nick: He's walking!
Riyyh smiles.
Nick reaches forward to pat Rhonda's Rose's neck.
Rhonda's Rose arches his neck proudly, realizing he has truly pleased his master.
Nick unfortunately manages to shift his weight onto his left foot and loosen the left rein while expressing his pleasure.
Rhonda's Rose obediently swaps ends, carefully making sure all four of his feet use the same hoofprint in the process, as he's been trained.
Rhonda's Rose sends a bit more dirt flying than he is supposed to, with the sudden maneuver, and promises himself to do better next time.
Nick yowls, half thrown out of the saddle, only saved from a spill by the fact that he was already more or less clutching the beast's neck at the time of the horse-quake.
Nick's hold on the reins, alas, is a casualty of the maneuver, as is one stirrup.
Rhonda's Rose realizes something is wrong and stops.
Rhonda's Rose recognizes total loss of control of the rider from his own earlier training.
Rhonda's Rose always feels dreadfully embarrassed when this happens, as he assumes it's his own fault.
Rhonda's Rose isn't old enough to know better, yet.
Riyyh: You probably shouldn't try anything that advanced, yet. [gently]
Riyyh as a matter of fact wouldn't have tried that one at all!
Nick takes advantage of the respite to recover reins and seat.
Nick: I wasn't trying it at all!
Riyyh tends to stick to variations on prancing and marching and stays away from anything one might see in a rodeo as well.
Riyyh: He is very sensitive; he may have picked up on unintentional instructions.
Riyyh: Think of him as... well, as a Farris. Only his sensitivity is to touch
Riyyh hopes Nick won't be offended by the simile, apropos though it is.
Nick gingerly tries the "walk" signal again, careful not to introduce any extraneous signals.
Rhonda's Rose moves off at a walk.
Rhonda's Rose thinks that this is a good place to start, after the screw up he just did.
Nick's nager reflexively focuses as if supporting Snake in a bad mood in hard need.
Nick is very careful not to pat necks, or indeed, to move at all.
Nick is forced to breathe, eventually.
Rhonda's Rose is poised on pins and needles, expecting another command.
Nick starts to relax as the walk continues, until finally he shifts sideways a bit in the saddle, to avoid one of his saddle sores.
Rhonda's Rose obediently and smoothly sidesteps one, two, three steps.
Nick: Shen!
Rhonda's Rose makes sure his legs are properly crossed and his toes touch down just so.
Rhonda's Rose wouldn't want to appear sloppy for his all knowing and all powerful master!
Nick tries to straighten his mount out, so as to resume a forward movement.
Nick: No, no. Walk!
Nick repeats the "walk" command, sort of.
Rhonda's Rose executes a perfect pirouette.
Nick looks plaintively at Riyyh.
Riyyh smiles encouragingly.
Riyyh: Would you like to ride one of the others, today, and have another lesson tonight?
Nick looks ~~ relieved ~~
Riyyh figures it shan't be too embarrassing to ride into town with Nick loaded onto one of the pack horses, since they'll be stopping at an inn first rather than going straight to the Home for Orphans.
Nick: I don't think another day of bouncing would be good for either of us.
Nick is, of course, referring to himself and Riyyh, who would have to zlin the results.
Riyyh smiles gently.