Closed Blazing saddles [Kavala]

[Leo Varniak]

Timestamp: 49th day of Fall, 512 AV

Attentive as usual to the goings-on at the Sanctuary, Leo picked a day when business seemed to be slow. It tended to be that way at the Sanctuary; there were times of great activity and then the occasional lull that made it possible to further more personal projects, of which there were many. Leo had been looking forward to this ever since setting foot in Kavala's domain - it had been his reason for visiting in the first place. He needed to be able to ride out in the Sea of Grass and anywhere else it may become necessary. He was going to need a horse, and the Konti had assured him there were a few that she believed could fulfill his needs.

Watching the horses was fascinating business. With daily exposure to the animals, he'd begun to realize they vastly differed in habits and temperament, and truly had personalities not unlike those of people. He had never taken the time to do so before. He would have to pick a good match for him. If Kavala was a good judge of character, as he believed, then she would have no problem suggesting the perfect candidate. It would be Leo's first time taking on such a daily commitment if one excluded the Naryn beast he'd had in Syliras, but Terminus had been the one feeding it anyway. It would be a new experience for Leo, and one he would face with the trademark meticulous attitude.

Resolving to learn as much as he could from Kavala, he visited all the usual places where she made her rounds throughout the day, knowing it wouldn't take long to find her. He was wearing his most comfortable traveling clothes, ready to be on the move, and actually looking forward to beginning these new lessons outside his usual comfort zone.

[Kavala]

Leo found Kavala in the main arena working with a group of young horses. They were full grown, and each had been ridden a few times, but all of them had been handled extensively since birth. These motley youngsters were not going to be part of her breeding program and in fact were horses she was getting ready for sale, trade, or had taken in on trade or were abandoned by boarders. The methods she was teaching them perhaps seemed odd, but in the long run it was for their own good. She had a huge frame set up - much like a child's grouping of playground swings - and from that frame which was large enough for a horse to be ridden beneath easily hung various things. Some where glittery, some loud and banged when the wind knocked them about. Others were sharp or had strong smells.

Kavala was teaching them to pass quietly through the noise-makers, bangers, and obnoxious things. Larik, her nephew was there too. Kavala was mounted on a young piebald gelding who seemed more fearful than most. Larik had a beautiful palomino sungold he was mounted on. They were passing through the frame over and over again, hitting it at different angles, teaching the horses to accept the distractions, being knocked and touched oddly, and tolerating the obnoxious noises.

At first they were really nervous, but with more and more passes beneath the frame they seemed to settle down. Other horses, more youngsters, were loose in the arena too. They stood in a herd at the far side watching. Kavala and Larik would occasionally switch mounts, riding them tackless around until they could get them to approach the frame and go under. Slowly but surely, each member of the herd was exposed to the contraption, desensitized, and driven under until Kavala and Larik were laughing and herding horses through it without anyone balking. Eventually the horses lost their fear, grew curious, and started to investigate the items curiously, sometimes swinging things on their own, making toys of the frame and its teaching tools.

One bold firemane actually stood under the frame for the longest time, investigating and playing with all the items fearlessly.

Then, eventually, Kavala got out a huge ball. It was made of sewn and stuffed leather, hard and covered with an incredible amount of seams. As large as the horses's chest, she pushed it out into the middle of the arena. And changing mounts again, her and Larik squared off, trying to get the horses used to the huge ball and trying to get them to push it with their chests, flanks, rumps across the arena and against the other rider and horse, fighting for control over the ball. She rode the firemane first because the horse seemed the boldest. And it took to the game like a duck took to the water. Once it lots its fear of the ball, it got the idea that it was supposed to push it and the other rider out of the way, using its body to its full advantage and forcing the ball first one direction and the next at Kavala's discretion.

A casual observer would understand almost immediately that Kavala was getting the horses ready for war. They were being taught to fight, to not be afraid of loud noises, sudden movements, and learning how to push and shove with their bodies, using them in new and innovative ways that horses in the wild normally wouldn't use them.

When she noticed Leo, she smiled, beckoned him over and said...

"You should try. This young one is all ready for a new rider and I bet would like a two for one contest. And its a good way to learn to stay on a horse.. bareback, no tack, with a free lesson in falling thrown in." She said, sliding off the firemane and offering to help Leo take her place.

[Leo Varniak]

In the short time he'd known his hostess, Leo had never witnessed her wasting a chime of her life. Every moment was organized and neatly filled with some beneficial activity that provided value to either herself or those around her. He was left with the distinct impression that the people she surrounded herself with tended to do the same, or they wouldn't be able to keep up with her. That probably served as the ultimate test for those wishing to join her - someone without the required dedication wouldn't last a season here. The champion stopped for a moment or two, simply observing the Konti at work with her nephew. Training the horses, not so much in their form or technique, but their psychology. Getting them unused to the unexpected. These horses would not be entering any race but that for survival, and would not be performing in any contest except the one known as war.

Leo approved. He was in need of exactly that type of mount. He did not believe a horse could be trained in such a way, either. He had underestimated their intelligence out of sheer ignorance; given enough exposure to noise and moving obstacles, a horse could not only adapt to the hindrance, but even make the best of it. 'Of course, in my case, I'd have to add showy magic to the training regimen.' Perhaps Kavala hadn't done so as of yet because she feared it might harm the horses if the magic got out of hand. Leo stroked his chin, picturing himself on horseback. That would force him to rethink his spellcasting, as well. He'd always cast while standing still, but hurling a fireball from a moving object changed the game entirely.

He was still picturing all the things he'd have to do to become effective on horseback when Kavala took notice of him and beckoned him over, pointing at one Firemane mare in particular. She had caught his attention, as well. Among the entire herd in training, she had adapted to the various contraptions fastest of all. An adventuresome character, it almost looked as if she kept asking for more. Leo admired her coat, as well. Somehow he couldn't picture himself riding anything other than a piece of coal. He moved into the arena, tipping an imaginary hat at Kavala by way of greeting. "I was about to suggest the very same thing. Are you a Konti by any chance?" Flashing a quick grin, he turned to consider the challenge laid in front of him.

He had never even imagined the idea of riding bareback, let along climbing up without the help of stirrups. He blinked a couple times to take in the challenge. They looked so much bigger and taller from up close. Could he simply jump on without breaking something in the process? Maybe grab on the mane and scramble his way up? Or even do the flashy sort of jump from behind? "Well, let's do this." Leo was the kind of student that learned best from trial and error. He lifted his leg and found he couldn't simply latch to the Firemane's back; he didn't have that kind of flexibility. He took a few steps backwards and tried to perform a running jump, but he had to stop and raise his arms to cushion himself against the animal's side. No, the timing was off.

Fuming (for our man was not overly patient), Leo backtracked once more. "Just one more try before you show me how it's done, okay?" This time Leo resorted to magic. He took three running steps like before, but this time he formed Res from the sole of his foot and had it slip onto the underside of his boot. As he prepared to jump, he triggered the Res into compressed air; as it burst under his foot, it propelled his leap... far more than necessary. This trick had saved his life while hanging from a ledge in Kalea, but here it only led to Leo flying over and past the back of the horse and landing on the other side, rolling a few times on the arena floor before stopping.

"Petch. This episode is not going into my chronicles," the champion mumbled. Sore from the fall, he got back on his feet, swiping the dirt off his clothes, and looked at Kavala expectantly, mounting frustration in his eyes. "I may need a little help with this after all." His voice seemed a little choked from several gallons of pride swallowing, and he was blushing ever so lightly. Leo positively hated getting things wrong.

[Kavala]

Kavala chuckled slightly after she saw that Leo was alright. She hadn't quite caught how he'd managed to extend his jump further than she thought the Champion of Ivak could jump, but that was a question for later. He recovered well, albeit covered with arena sand, and asked for help. She nodded. "You almost had it the second time if you could have toned that jump down a bit." She said, prideful that the mare had merely danced in place a bit and hadn't lunged or rolled her eyes in fright and headed back to the pack of young horses at the far end of the arena watching with interest.

"Mounting is something you should always learn first. It's easier with a yvas or a saddle, and we'll let you ride with both eventually to see which you like better. But getting on them bareback isn't that hard so long as the horse isn't too tall. This mare is a good size for you. You can see over her back and come up well on her flank. So... best way to do it for a beginner is this way." Kavala said, demonstrating. She moved to the mare's left side, and stood facing her parallel to her belly, and reached up and put one hand on her withers and one hand on her back. She half bounced once, then flung herself over the mare's back lightly, half hanging across, which put her leg up in a good position to swing over the mare's back and settle into place. She then gripped with her legs, lifted her body, and moved it forward on the horse sliding back into place behind the shoulders. "Once your on, lift up and move forward over their shoulders, then sit down and slide back into their natural seat. That keeps the hair on their back from being rubbed backwards or irritated, which bothers them. If you move forward and slide back into place after your on, they will be more comfortable." She said, smiling.

"Then to get off, just lean forward, hug their neck, and let your body slide off one side. By hugging their neck, they will hold you upright and your feet will touch first. When you get more confident you can just throw a leg over and slide off one way or another, but for now that's the safest dismount for you." She said, demonstrating, then once she was dismounted stepping back to let him try it once more.

While he was busy with his practice getting on Kavala headed towards the herd at the far end of the arena and caught a young palomino pinto mare from Silk's bloodline and jumped up on her back. The woman road the mare back towards the firemane, and joined Leo. The mare was huge, even for being as young as she was, and Kavala had her marked out for a future Denusk broodmare, though she'd get the same training as all the other horses. So she was more antsy than the firemane Leo was working with and Kavala had to concentrate to keep her in one spot and her butt centered over her spine. The mare pawed the ground restlessly and Kavala had to ride her around in a loose circle a few times to work off the energy.

When Leo was ready, she'd gesture to the ball where Larik was busy guarding it and practicing with his own dark bay gelding at pushing it around. "See if you can manage to guide her over to Larik and steal his ball. Lift up on her, leaning forward when you want her to go faster, sit deep in her back when you want her to stop... and grip her tight with your legs. When you want to turn her right, loosen up your right leg and 'open' it... picture making a hole for her to head that direction on. When going left, tighten up the right leg, push her left, and open your left leg... she'll respond. They've all been lightly trained in leg ques." Kavala said with a smile.

"And if you start to fall, just let it happen... grab her neck in a hug, and bail off. Then get back on and get into the game. The more she moves around under you the more you'll find your seat and your balance. I'll yell out encouragement periodically. For now.. if you want, wrap your hands in her mane. You won't hurt her pulling on all the blond hair. Later though, I want your hands on your thighs. Then I want them outstretched, moving up, down, and otherwise occupied. I don't like my horses needing to wear bridles. People yank their heads around too much as it is and they can learn to listen to your legs. I'd rather have hands free for weapons like bows or reimancy." She added.