Script Equestrian

Hello, thanks for the ask! I’m sorry about the delay.

Yup, this is very possible. Difficult and slightly dangerous, but it’s been done. The rider’s control is quite tenuous and the horse could spook, so those are some risks.

Others ways to show off would, depending on the discipline, be things like; sliding stops (western), jumping high or wide jumps (english), standing on your saddle (while stationary), and guiding your horse with no reins.

Feel free to send in more questions!

Hey, thank you for the ask! Sorry about the delay!

The sword might be overkill for cutting leather reins. A nice sharp knife would suit your purpose quite well, and be a little more wieldy around horses.

I assume you mean cut the reins of the enemy, so yes, that would definitely slow them down, especially if it was cut near the bit and the cut pieces were taken with them for a little bit instead of just being dropped. It is rather difficult to ride a horse with no way of steering it.

Also, if these horses were tied up by these reins and your character(s) cut them, the horses would then be loose and fully capable of drifting or running away from where the soldiers left them.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for the ask and I apologize for the delay!

The dragging situation is very possible, the strap cutting is not.

However, it only takes an ill-timed fall and bad luck to get a foot hung up in a stirrup. Maybe the little goblin could give your character a push instead?

Hello, and thanks for the ask! I apologize for the delay.

Horse physiology developed well for the areas horses originated from. Arabian horses, originating from hot, desert climes, have very thin skin that allows them to express heat and cool their bodies efficiently. Breeds that had lots of Arabian influence, like Thoroughbreds, also possess this adaptation.

Alternatively, breeds you would not want in hot, humid climates would be horses like Shires, moor and highland ponies, or Clydesdales. These breeds adapted for cold, rainy regions with seasonal poor forage. Their skin is thicker and coats denser.

What conflicts with your story is that Arabians and Thoroughbreds are hot and skittish, and Shires and Clydesdales tend to be quiet and mellow. A mid-type horse like a Quarter Horse would suit your story well. They’re very hardy, and adapt well.

Hope this helps!

Hey, thanks for the ask!

It’s possible but not terribly easy. Past the trot, the wind generated by the speed of your horse becomes LOUD and you can’t hear much over it, never mind the hoof beats and the sounds of creaking tack, grass rustling, etc. And even very fit riders become breathless while riding at the canter and gallop, so that further inhibits your ability to speak clearly.

At the trot, I’ve held full conversations out hacking. It’s easier to talk clearly while posting than sitting, in my experiences at least, but very possible. Talking at the walk is the same if not easier than talking while walking on your own two legs.

I hope this answers your question!

Hey, thanks for the ask! Apologies for the delay in an answer, this topic is kind of tricky…

The optimal footing for a horse is solid earth that allows for the horse’s hooves to bite in for traction without slipping out from under them or being too packed and adding stress to their joints. Things like asphalt, smooth stone/rock, or loose gravel are not good footing. Hooves are smooth and hard, making traction on those surfaces very limited. Forests are also hindering, because horses cannot travel at top speed if they have to weave through trees, avoid branches, move across loose leaf litter and twigs, etc.

Long distances treks usually average 20-25 miles a day. This distance would go down if the horse is going up hill consistently (mountains, some forest), if the weather is in either the hot or cold extreme, if the ground is very soft or hard, or is stealth is necessary. The distance travelled in a day may go as high as 30 miles if the weather is good, graze is good, the ground is good, and the rider is very good.

I hope this is helpful! Feel free to send any further questions our way!

Hello, thanks for the ask!

The first step will be familiarizing the character with horses, their body language, the tack, and how to care for them. Even if the character doesn’t like horses or isn’t comfortable around them, this knowledge will be imparted upon them.

The next step would be how to mount up, how to hold the reins, how to halt, how to go forward, and how to steer. These are essential skills in staying on, the absolute basics. If the time is of the essence, the teacher may have the character ride and learn these skills for a very large portion of a day on a quiet, patient horse. They then may spend a couple of days teaching the character how to ride at speed before sending them on their way.

Literally nothing teaches a person how to ride better than time spent in the saddle. Your character will pick it up once they have the basics down and are on their way.

Some embarrassing things may be getting on and off the horse (the horse they ride is tall and they have to stretch, the horse walks away when the character is half on, the horse sidesteps away when the character tries to stick their foot in the stirrup, they stumble and fall while dismounting etc.), the horse pulling tricks and testing the character, how sore they will be for the first couple weeks of spending long hours in the saddle, the horse being hard to catch when the character needs to tack them up, etc.

I hope this helps! Feel free to send any more questions our way!

Hey thanks for the ask!

Something to avoid would be to make the mini act like a dog. Dogs, generally, are considered ‘addicted’ to human attention, where horses and miniature horses are not. A lot of them could really care less whether you’ve given them a command or instruction, unless you’re holding something to eat in your hand. Even then they may just want to eat and not obey.

Also, there’s a saying in the equestrian community about anything under 14.2hh; the closer to the ground, the closer to hell. I would expect lots of mischief from this miniature horse, and general playfulness. Some hesitation at unfamiliar or new things would be expected, and these creatures tend to be quite hardy. Free access to grass and/or hay would result in a chubby mini, they grow fluffy winter coats, and can be quite strong. They are often considered to be pets rather than a working animal, and can turn out a bit spoiled because of that.

Having a mini around is a great way to incorporate some humour and affection into your story! Hope this is helpful!

Ok, so for this scene to work out, you need to know a few things.

Number 1, the average horse has four gaits: walk, trot, canter/lope, and gallop/run. A walk is exactly that. A walking horse will travel about 6.3 km/4 mi per hour. Your average human walks about 5 km/ 3 mi per hour. That’s only a little bit faster, but riding a horse will save a considerable amount of energy, as long as your character know how to ride. A trot is a diagonal and bouncy gait, that isn’t usually very pleasant to sit. Your character will want to avoid trotting as much as possible. The trot covers ground at an average of 13-19 km/8-12 mi per hour. The canter/lope is a three beat gait. That motion is similar to the movement of a rocking horse. It’s a very smooth gait, but also fairly fast. A cantering/loping horse will travel, on average, at about 19-24 km/12-15 mi per hour. A gallop/run is the fastest a horse will go. It is incredibly smooth and similar to a walk, except a whole lot faster. The gallop averages about 40-48 km/ 25-30 mi per hour. Your character will not end up galloping. It is exhausting for both the horse and the rider and extremely fast. An injured rider would not have much of a hope to stay on.

So, depending on how long your characters will be riding, they’ll need different equipment.For a short ride, no longer than about three hours, your character just need a comfortable trail riding saddle, along with all of the standard riding equipment. Typically, one can ride any horse on a trail ride as long as they are sound (they have good feet).For a day trip, your character will need saddle bags, along with all the other equipment. The saddle bags will attach to one of two places and just hang there. On Western saddles, there are rings designed for a saddle bag to attach to. Your character can also have saddle bags that drape across the saddle horn and pommel of the saddle (front of the saddle). The saddle bags can hold small things, like packages of dried food or other types of travel food. On a long ride, you also need to worry about water for your horses. If it is a hot day or you are moving faster than a walk, they will need a lot of water. If you stay at a walk and it is not hot, then they will only need a few water breaks. A more “durable” and surefooted horse is recommended. For example, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Arabians, or a Tennessee Walking Horse would be good breed choices for an extended trail ride. As a general rule, your characters will want a very calm, bombproof, and not skittish horse for a trail ride.For anything longer than a day trip, you will want a packhorse to carry all of your characters’ food, the horses’ food (usually just supplemental grain), tools to repair tack and clean the horses, as well as other necessities for travel. Your characters will need to give their horses several water/snack breaks throughout the day. During those breaks, they should check all tack as well as the horses’ feet. The foot check will (hopefully) prevent lameness and the tack check will prevent broken tack from ending the trip. If at all possible, your characters should bring extra pieces of tack. Some difficulties your character may encounter are:

Impassable trails. No matter how surefooted the horse is, there are some trails that can only be traveled by a mountain goat or a human. If a trail is extremely rocky, uneven, narrow, or icy, your characters will not be able to ride across it without risking their and their horses’ lives.

A horse going lame. There’s not much your characters can do about this after lameness occurs. The horse needs rest, medical attention, and a chance to recover. Your characters had better get a new horse if this happens. However, lameness can be prevented if hooves are routinely checked and cleaned out.

Broken tack. This would suck. If any sort of tack breaks, it’s going to be an important piece of tack and it breaks either because of tampering or improper care. Both of which are very bad. For example, if a girth strap breaks, the saddle is going to fall off the horse, and your character is going to fall with it. If a bridle breaks, the character has just lost control of their horse. (Not good)

Now this is a fairly straightforward answer. When horses are feeling aggressive, they will do two main things. They will pin their ears back and swish their tail. The farther back a horse’s ears are, the angrier they are.