[Aminatu]

HP 100% | MP 100%

Paladin - Cavalier - Blacksmith

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Aminatu rose up early along with the rising sun. She was a meticulous woman who carried a militant manner as she lived a very punctual life. Her every movement was filled with purpose. Though, she woke up restless and fatigued, she stretched out and fanned out her wings as she got her bearings. She wasn’t a morning person naturally, but her discipline and fiery ambition emboldened the spirit of dedication and diligence within her. Such hubris was well known for the members of the Khi’fika tribe. Her mahogany nostrils flared as she began to rummage through a drawer and her hand patted around sporadically until the familiar texture of her cloth red and gold bag was felt by her calloused fingers. Her large hands tugged the bag closer until it sat in her lap. With one hand wiping the dried crust from her eyes, her other rummaged around the bag until it retrieved a handful of coffee beans which she routinely chewed on during her morning routines. It helped prepare her for the long days and dealing with people. She was known to be a very blunt and direct person and easily irritable. A less known fact, was that her compulsory habit also warded of anxiety or stress, especially if she had the opportunity to enjoy the delight of freshly brewed coffee. However, the day was already devoted to the training of her Destrier. The members of the Khi’fika tribe were well known as horse breeders and cavaliers who made excellent archers on horseback. For centuries, Aminatu spent her life cultivating horses, bonding with them, breeding them for optimal combat prowess and today she would dedicate her time as a master to bonding with her precious steed, Anhur. The beast was a treasured gift from her lover, Taliset. A momento to times they traveled and adventured together and the lovechild of their horses they owned when they met. Thus, the mare in particular was often treated with a motherly nature. It was treated with tenderness and guided correctly with firmness and grace. Above all else, Aminatu valued connection with the creature she rode. It was a bond of dedication and trust that radiated whenever one would see her with any horse she trained.



As Aminatu began to put on her boots and get dressed she thought of how she might be able to better prepare the horse for battle. She decided that it was best to take a practical approach and stick to the basics and reinforcing positive behavior. What it boiled down to when considering matters about horse training is that one cannot simply factor the learning ability of the mount seperately from the teaching ability of the trainer. A heavy responsibility weighs on the trainer to make his desires understood in a clear and concise manner, and understandable manner. This yields an immeasurable amount of influence on how swiftly and accurately a horse learns his lessons.



Learning principles in an improper manner is something Aminatu witnessed that could only hamper the learning process, it stirs about confusion and frequently is the root causation of fear for the horse and frustration for the trainer. Aminatu knew well that a trainer who has ambitions to be at least marginally successful at horse training must build a foundation on these principles.





While she made her way to the stable, she beamed with delight towards the horse as it rose to it’s feet with excitement and it’s hooves began to trot around the deck and it shook it’s head with excitement and made it’s way toward the wooden post that kept it inside.



“Good morning, Anhur...how did you rest? I know it was quite a long journey from At-Rabiah,hm?”



Aminatu greeted the beast warmly as it flicked it’s tail about and the massive mare looked about her features. Aminatu was accustomed to the smell of horse manure and didn’t seem to bat an eye at the swarm of flies that occasionally flew between her and the steed. She was comfortable among the life with livestock, however, Anhur was easily excitable and made it known that he wanted to be free to roam the pastures as he kept placing an impatient hoof upon the ground and pressing his head over the wooden post.



“I’ve brought you a gift. Something local to these lands. They have such fertile soil, Anhur...it’s as if Geb blesses these lands. Here, have a look. One of the many great pleasures of Romalia.” Aminatu stated as she withdrew an apple which Anhur immediately lurched at. She withdrew the apple and with a Master’s patience she did a hand movement and gestured for the horse to go down as she commanded “Sit.”



The words had been registered with the beast for quite sometime. It was an auditory cue for him and he was classically conditioned to know that this was the way to earn his rewards. The adept animal began to descend obediently and look up to the winged Enoch expectantly with a hungry glaze in his eyes. He offered obedience and trusted his master to uphold her end of the bargain. This further cemented the layer of trust and attachment that the animal had with the desert nomad. She held out the apple and the horse turned it’s neck and spread apart it’s maw to crunch the juicy fruit between it’s teeth and quench it’s thirst as it continued to bite away, nearly nipping Aminatu’s fingers in the process.



“Whoa, hey, now, easy...easy, boy. My fingers are not on the menu.” The Enoch scoffed as she cast an angelic grin down at the beast and gave him the caress of her petting once he calmed down.



“So, what do you think? I picked them myself from this orchard out in the fields of Tavoli. Had to trade some Frankincense to the local farmer, but I was able to get some more groceries for the tribe. Rations were running low and though I’m more for hunting and being self-sufficient, the Dehatis all wanted to taste the foreign foods of Italia, so I caved in.” She chuckled as she shared a softer side of her spirit with the beast. She was always more expressive with emotions in private. One could say that Anhur was an emotional support animal for the toughened tribal warrior.



“Come on, let’s go, then. Seems like you already ate enough hay.” She commanded as she began to open the wooden fence while looking over to the empty area that only held a few loose strands of hay that she had prepared the night before for the beast.



As she held and guided the beast by it’s reins, she walked alongside it toward the training course. “ Today. We’ll be going on a ride together. I know you’ve been wanting to feel the breeze through your hair as I have.”

She demurred as she watched the first kiss of daylight peak over the horizon.



Aminatu knew that her tribe was known for not only breeding horses for battle, but also for traveling liberty acts in the circus and also preparing them for four-in-hand coaches alongside nobles from foreign nations. There were many precise and challenging coaching techniques, but for Anhur, he would be bred as her chosen valiant steed that would charge alongside her in battle. Thus, a good riding technique was required for proper mastery of the beast and to train the animal properly. There were very few well trained horses who were finished by sloppy riders.



The type of riding ability that the Khi’fika tribe was worried about was not the equitation to compete in a jousting tournament. Aminatu was more focused on functional horsemanship and she wouldn’t look at equitation not from the perspective of the rider, but that of the perspective of the relation it has to the horses learning process.



Many people who make narrow minded accounts that the the riding of Italians and those of the sands and how the two styles would never meet are often in for an eye opener when they experience the prowess of Khi’fika tribe trainers. Good horsemanship is exceptional and considered effective horsemanship, whether the rider is in an Italian saddle clearing a four and a half foot fence or on a Heliopolite saddle putting his horse through an intricate reining pattern.



Aminatu focused primarily on getting Anhur adjusted to the physical characteristics of effective riding. Many people, after becoming aware and enlightened of the conceptualization of what a good riding position looks like, and then attempting, have been known to yield various degrees of success. Aminatu snickered as she remembered the Alvan noble that fell off of a steed while it ran a course, dangling from having his foot caught in the part meant for him to rest his feet. Many are often duped by the overwhelming amount of physical effort it takes to really sit properly on a horse.



The master and her stallion had arrived at the course.



“Easy now, Anhur… steady...steady…”



It was commonly known that the vast population can simply “sit” on a horse without too much help. However, what mattered most was to facilitate for your steed and not be selfish or uncooperative as a rider. One must do it as an effective and active partner that accommodates their mount rather than simply be another load for it to bear. This method often requires diligence and practice to avoid bad riding habits. One of the first principles that Aminatu learned as a rider was to know how to disassociate one part of her body from another.



For example, what her seat and legs are doing shouldn’t interfere with what her hands were doing. It is very much a “separate, but equal” approach to the various parts of the rider’s body that had to moved together like one well oiled machine. Because of this factor, it was often best to view the riding position and technique from three general areas: seat and legs, upper body, and hands.



The seat and legs are needed to perform a job on two fronts. They are not only a prominent source of cues or aids used in riding, but they have to perform the important function of keeping the rider steady upon his steed. In the early stages of riding, most people fall into a state of complacency where they are content to let their seat and legs only perform the ability of keeping themselves steady, but not giving cues or aids to help coach their steed.



It’s only after a good deal of practice and experience that a rider begins to grow and prosper in his the use of his seat and legs.



As Aminatu climbed upon the horse, she was very specific on maintaining a good functional position. Many manuals of the Khi’fika tribe on equitation were extremely specific, diagramming positions and mathematical angles and had lines drawn through various parts of the riders body.



However, like one who learned to play piano by ear, Aminatu had a habit for making her horse and extension of her. Many of these perfected positions were nigh impossible for many riders in the desert sands to copy simply because of the particular rider’s height and body type, as well as the fact that Enoch’s had extra appendages to factor in.



Good riders and trainers are known to be in many varieties and shapes, so there can always be some fashioning of riding style made exclusive to the individual’s needs so long as the fundamentals were not ignored and followed as closely as possible.



As Aminatu positioned her seat and legs, her motive was to get into and stay in balance with Anhur, regardless of the gait that he traveled at or to the maneuver he was executing at. Her center of gravity was directly over his and she ensured that it stayed there, unless she deliberately changed it to cause a certain response from the horse.



Even in these cases, she as the rider was still in balance with her horse because her position aided rather than disrupted the horse’s performance. She donned a “Deep” seat technique which was most recommended for most riding styles, with the possible exception of hunting and jumping; and even there a deep seat provides the reassurance necessary to steady a horse approaching a fence.



In order for her to sit deeply in her saddle, Aminatu placed her weight as directly as possible over her pelvic bones, not allowing her buttocks to provide the soft cushion which seemed so desirable to most novice riders. She sat as far forward as possible, bringing herself towards the pommel of the saddle and allowed her legs to hang freely, with the inside of her dusky thighs rather than the back of her thighs against the saddle.



She had the opportunity to ride in several styles of saddles both Domestic and that of the FCA, she quickly discovered that certain saddles greatly aided her in attaining her balanced seat, while others made her work overtime to simply maintain a correct position. Her steed was outfitted with a basic stock from her homeland, but she planned to make improvements over time for ease of seating.



Once her seat was secured correctly, and her legs were hanging with the inside of her thigh resting against the saddle flap, her next consideration was to to position her leg and adjust to the proper length of the stirrups.



There was a lot of disagreement about lower leg position and stirrup length in the Khi’fika community, and a lot of criteria had been proposed which riders could use to test whether their leg was positioned correctly. However, Aminatu’s main focus was looking at her overall functional position. She aimed for the position which brought her the most security, control, and finesse necessary to communicate effectively with her stallion as the correct posture.



What she found ideal was when her lower leg rested comfortably against the sides of the horse and her knee was bent only enough that the ball of her feet were rested upon the stirrups. Proper stirrup length could be determined by allowing the leg to hang naturally and then adjusting the stirrups until they hit just at or slightly below the ankle joint. She took a brief moment to adjust and attune her stirrups to acclimate them to her body position.



Variations in most rider’s builds and the riding task at hand needed to be factored in while determining proper length. A rider wanting to practice dressage or cutting cattle is more concerned with control and security and wants a longer stirrup to achieve a deeper seat.



On the other hand, a rider schooling a horse over fences or developing a horse for a race track is more concerned with allowing the horse the necessary freedom of movement to jump and gallop; the stirrups must be shorter to lighten his seat and, consequently the horse’s load which allows the rider the security, control, and finesse necessary to communicate properly with their steed. Under the seat and when the heels rest in a line descending through the hips and to the shoulders.



If the lower leg swings too far back it causes the rider’s upper body to fall forward, and if placed too far to the front, it causes the rider to be behind his horse and leaning to the rear. Once the seat and lower leg positions were adjusted, Aminatu shifted her meticulous focus to align her upper body. Naturally, without a strong foundation around her seat and legs it would be practically impossible for the upper body to function in accordance with proper horse riding in the fields of combat. Her body was erect, but in a relaxed manner.



Care was taken to keep her lower back straight, not allowing it to round over. It was a dreadful habit Aminatu despised in other riders. It often happened when a rider becomes lazy and settles on their comfortable posterior instead of sitting on their seat bones.



Controlled relaxation was her goal while positioning her upper body. A tense rider never is able to follow and absorb his horse’s movements and is likely to transmit his tension to his horse.



At the same time, an overly relaxed rider is a sloppy one who sacrifices effectiveness in horsemanship for his own comfort.



The final elements in achieving a functional riding position are the arms and hands. Aminatu had cultivated good hands over the centuries. She knew that they were usually the last thing that a rider develops as a horseman simply due to the fact that they must have a totally secure and independent seat, leg, and upper body position before he can hope to use his hands meaningfully to transmit aids and reassurances to his horse.



She followed through with an ideal positioning as her upper arm hung naturally from the shoulder with the elbows close but not clamped up to her sides. The position of her hands typically varied depending on the stage of the horses training and the activity in which the horse and rider engaged but they should be held somewhere between the lower portion of the rider’s rib cage and the point of contact between his hips and legs.



Now that she adjusted her stance to what a balanced rider looked like, it was easier to comprehend to the outsider why there was even more evidence of the value of basic position for functional training. Growing up, when Aminatu watched a young horse or any horse for that matter running and playing in a pasture, she marveled at the speed, agility, strength, and balance of such a large animal.



At times they appeared to float over the ground instead of running over it, and he has little trouble performing what are considered difficult manuveurs under the saddle naturally. If these same horses are asked to carry riders while performing much simpler movements , those that haven’t learned to carry a rider’s weight appear clumsy and stiff and a far cry from the graceful creatures of a few minutes before.



Many riders simply aren’t aware of the effect that a rider’s weight has on a horse’s balance, equilibrium, and muscle control. Perhaps this is why so few riders take the time and trouble to learn first what it means to be in balance with a horse and secondly, to practice this balanced position.



In the Khi’fika tribe, the young ones were often taught by a simple test to illustrate this effect. They often took backpacks weighing about fifteen percent of their body weight and adjusted it so that it hung further down on their back than it should to be carried comfortably.



As they tried to move normally and take a few jogging steps, they soon realized that only by moving forward and trying to move their center of gravity under the misplaced backpack that they could hope to carry it with some semblance of control and a normal gait. This was the same problem the horses face. A rider who desire to work with rather than against his horse should make every effort to bring his center of gravity as closely as possible into line with that of the horse.



To accomplish this, Aminatu placed herself in the saddle as close to the withers of the horse as possible without being directly over them. It would have been easier if she had a well made saddle that greatly facilitated accomplishing this weight distribution.



While she was sitting in a balanced position in the saddle, the value other than security that having her lower leg under him brought was placing her as the rider in the most effective position for curing the horse and developing impulsion from the hindquarters without substantially affecting the horses balance and rhythm.



Any superfluous movements on the part of the rider that she could eliminate, she did. Only the stimuli of or cues necessary to achieve the desired response was evident to bring the value of her training position and ensure the horse does not buckle under the extreme, unyielding demands of those so called trainers. Even good trainers who had proper perspective on the goals desired in training horses are placed in precarious positions of having to show instant success with a horse if they are expected to appease the horse owner. As Aminatu knew all to well, the public simply refuses to wait, and in it’s desire for instant gratification scorns a trainer who proceeds slowly and methodically in a systematic and sensible manner.



It is obvious then that love and respect for the horse are not the only ingredients necessary for the successful trainer; an abundance of patience and an inquisitive and systematic mind are of tremendous importance as well. The Khi’fika tribe understood the motto that “Patience preserveres” and that it should be posted in every trainer’s tack room as a reminder that nothing is so important that it justifies rushing a horses training. A ribbon, a gold belt buckle, a silver platters the little compensation for the real damage that can be done by pushing a horse beyond either his physical or mental capabilities.



In the long run, too, the material rewards for successful training will come in much greater abundance and with much more regularity to trainers who stick to well-thought-out and properly executed training plans that take into consideration the individual animal’s own characteristic strengths and weaknesses.



People with short tempers often find horse training a frustrating and unrewarding occupation. Horses trained through force and punishment rarely exhibit any ability beyond a mechanical obedience from fear. This obedience is quickly extinguished and forgotten if the horse is not continually reinforced with harsher and harsher methods.



Aminatu bore witness to how most of these horses, except for the very timid, become sour, unruly, and dangerous animals. The three major psychological ingredients, then upon which good training ability are founded are an affection for horses, patience, and a large measure of self-control. All of which were basic traits that Aminatu possessed as she proceeded to apply the learning principles in her horse training.



First, she knew it was necessary to approach horse training with specific goals in mind - not simply in terms of what the finished product should look like, but also in terms of daily progression needed to produce the finished horse, keeping in mind that it may vary according to the particular horses ability and the ability of the trainer as the communicator to effectively communicate his ideas to the horse, but by also writing out a training schedule, she was forced to think about what goes on in the making of a well-trained horse and how to best accomplish the task.



Thinking before acting should be practiced as much as possible by horse trainers and can help to eliminate many training problems before they occur. She knew what her goals were with Anhur and how she intended to reach those particular goals with her primary effort being establishing communication with the horse. Her vocabulary consisted of aids which acted as a stimuli and various forms of reinforcement that let the horse know whether he is responding correctly to these aids.



The aids or stimuli available to the trainer is boundless. Technically, there is no limit to them, but years of horse men’s experience have produced certain aids that were particularly adapted for horse training. These aids include the Trainer’s voice, leg pressure, weight distribution through the rider’s seat, and rein effects. These are commonly known as natural aids. In addition, there were certain artificial aids she employed that were used to reinforce the natural ones. The artificial aids included the whip, spurs, side reins, check reins, martingales, and other equipment.



Riders such as those in the Khi’fika tribe, because of their keen observation and sensitivity naturally know when to apply these aids and to what degree. Other riders must work long and hard and ride many different horses before experience begins to teach them how to truly be effective riders and trainers.



Many riders don’t possess the ability, patience, or desire to perfect their communication skills with the horse.



For them, the horse is a vehicle. While the rider may gain pleasure from being carried around by his horse, it is doubtful whether the horse gains much pleasure from being abused by an insensitive and ignorant rider.



“Now, let’s pick up and take off. Hyahh!”



Aminatu commanded as she prodded the steed by applying pressure to the side of the beast’s leg. It gave into the audio tart cue and began to run laps around the field. As Aminatu snapped the reins, the mare began to charge forth and leap over the training fences building up it’s stamina and endurance.



Early experiences have a tremendous effect on the horses training, as well as lay the psychological foundation for subsequent training. From the moment a horse is born, his sensory systems pick up information from the environment, interpret the data received, and store it, in an unknown fashion as memory. Most horsemen attest that equine memory is phenemonal.



This memory was more a result of habit forming behavior of the horse and their general shyness, than of extraordinary psychological capability.



Anhur’s ability to form and retain habits enabled Aminatu to successfully train him, but it’s also the cause of a great deal of frustration during the training, for the habits or responses formed in a particular situation are often not the one’s the trainer desires. Bad habits are formed as readily, if not more readily than good ones in horses, because the bad ones result from the horse responding out of fear. Reducing fear was a highly motivating force in Aminatu’s horse training.



If Anhur’s response to an aid decreases his fear or eliminates the object that frightens him, this reduction in fear strongly reinforces the response in his mind. Thus, the probability of a similar response occurring the next time the situation arises is very high.



She spent hours teaching Anhur to load and ride quietly, but also was mindful to teach that unloading was just as important a part of a safe trip. The first few experiences that a horse has in any phase of handling or training will greatly influence the eventual behavior exhibited by the horse in that situation.



This is true not only for specific responses such as loading or unloading from a merchant caravan, but for general attitudes toward training, and trainers, as well. Good trainers try to develop a horse’s confidence because this confidence both in the trainer and his abilities reduces a horse’s fear, and a reduction in fear will always strongly reinforce a response.



Confidence building or reducing began as soon as possible after Anhur was born. Quiet, deliberate, and gentle handling at birth was a good beginning for Anhur as a young steed and was practiced throughout his early life.



Anhur was assured on the training grounds of his physical superiority as they did training exercises while farting towards armed training dummies. She commanded a basis for respect from the mount and the very foundation of the relationship between the two prospered. First and foremost, the horse obeyed. Anhur’s unquestioning obedience comes through respect for and confidence in the trainer. One of the most dramatic and important lessons a horse can learn is the supremacy of man.



A very effective way Aminatu was able to teach this lesson early on was to simply place her arms around Anhur as a young horse and hold him firmly for a few minutes. He struggled to get loose, but while Aminatu had one arm around his hips and the other around his chest, she could maintain the physical advantage and keep Anhur from running away which was imperative for the lesson to work.



After a few minutes of struggling, Anhur, realizing he is getting nowhere, stops. The horse had learned it’s first major lesson - that man is physically superior - but also that he wasn’t hurt by the whole affair which needed trust.



Aminatu continued to ride through the course, testing the beasts gait and conditioning him through a trial that many of the horses in the Khi’fika tribe had to endure to condition them for combat. Together she and her companion practiced drills while attacking targets and getting Anhur conditioned for the fields of battle.



“Aha! That’s it, Anhur! Charge! Soon we’ll cut down the washis that dare stand in our way!” Aminatu cheered triumphantly as she fanned out her wings and sliced across a training dummy with her silver Khopesh blade. She began to feel more confident in her mount’s bravery and knew soon would come the time to test it during a hunt against smaller adversary and work her way up to more threatening foes.



Life alongside horses made Aminatu’s life profoundly better and she made part of her life’s mission to give back to them. She always wanted to take her art of horsemanship to the next level. Making sure he got the best feed and quality care and put him first. She invested time and travel to learn from world class horsemen and undergo classes and sessions and different disciplines of riding. She worked together with Anhur to find the key to unlock his potential and put his fears and concerns to rest as they conquered mind, body, and spirit together. Anhur felt inspired by his master and Aminatu was an educated trainer and took heed to learn from the right mentors amongst the Khi’fika. She built a deeper bond and connection with her horse and always aspired to make the most of her time when she was with her horse while undergoing training programs. Repetition was used to set a firm foundation as she kept consistency with her steed. She focused on her relationship with her horse and knew that it was more than simply spending time with her horse, but relying on each other and trusting each other and working together as partners.

INVENTORY

EQUIPMENT: Arm of Heliopolis, Starter Heliopolite shield, Heliopoilte Platemail
ABILITIES USED:
TAGS:
Word Count: 5006

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