Cavalry Training

[Oda Nobunaga]

Your Lordship has requested that all units practice mounted maneuvers! You will be given one of the finer horses in your faction's stables, and you must complete a course without dismounting.

Objective: While remaining mounted, you must complete three laps around an obstacle course. This is all about mastering horse control. The course will include fifteen small jumps, five medium jumps, two large jumps, and six turns per lap.

Reward: Up to +3 Wis

Location: A course in your faction's territory.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Combat on horseback. One of skills the Takeda army was well known for, almost feared for. Although Yukimura was well-trained in such a skill, every now and then even he needed to refresh his skills. Which is why today's training request from Lord Takeda-sama himself came at a perfect time. It had been quite some time since Yukimura had practiced fighting while mounted on a horse, or mounted on a horse period for that matter. One of the soldiers under his command leading one of the finer horses from the stables over to him, after taking the reins from the soldier, before he began, he would gently stroke the mane of the horse, its name Hayate, while gently talking to it, to get it calm down and trust him. After a few minutes had passed, the horse seemed to have calmed down and trust Yukimura, and grabbing hold of the saddle, would pull himself up and onto the saddle, the reins held in his hands. Leading the horse to the start of the obstacle course that been set up in Lord Takeda-sama's territory, coming to a stop in front of it, Hayate would scrape at the dirt path with one hoof, almost like he was in just as much anticipation as his rider was to begin.

"Let's go Hayate!"

Yukimura would shout out happily, a glimmer in his eyes, as he would crack the reigns, Hayate taking off at a gallop. Not too far form the starting point, was the first small jump, and lifting the reigns up, he would command Hayate to jump, as they just barely cleared the first jump. He was not deterred by the rough start however, and after galloping for a little bit, were a series of five small jumps, all in a row, and concentrating, Yukimura would command Hayate, making sure he timed each reign lift perfectly to ensure Hayate cleared them without any hindrance. Though the first two jumps had a bit of trouble initially, eventually getting into a rhythm with Yukimura, the horse would clear the remaining three with no trouble. With six small jumps out of the way, he would lean slightly to the right to command Hayate to turn with the course, heading in a straight path before coming up to another jump, this time a medium one. The jump requiring him to hold the reigns aloft longer than the small jumps, Hayate would clear the jump as commanded, galloping towards the next jump, which was also a medium jump. The course taking a sharp turn immediately after, Yukimura would lean into the turn while keeping steady control of Hayate, ensuring the horse's legs didn't slip out from underneath him and Yukimura himself didn't go falling off.

Another series of four small jumps coming up immediately after the sharp turn, with eyes as intense as a hawk's, Yukimura would focus and command Hayate to clear each jump, a sliver of pausing between each jump, keeping both of them on their toes. After that was behind them, another single jump, this one however, a large jump, it required Yukimura to time it just right, as Hayate soared over the obstacle, almost like a scene from a movie landing with little trouble on the other side of the jump. Continuing down in a straight path for a bit, another medium jump was up ahead, immediately followed by another quick turn. If Yukimura didn't concentrate and focus, Hayate would end up slipping and falling over, and that was the last thing he wanted. Just after they cleared the jump, Yukimura would quickly lean to the side, commanding Hayate to turn, the horse following his order without hesitation. Going down another straight path, four small jumps, each spaced out evenly, was up ahead, followed by another turn. Urging Hayate onward, Yukimura would command the horse to clear the four jumps, staying focused on the turn ahead, clearing that one too.

A medium jump and a small jump almost back to immediately greeting him the moment they came out of the turn, without a moment's hesitation, he would command Hayate to press onward, allowing them to clear the medium jump without a hitch, followed by the small jump. One last turn visible ahead, after that was cleared, all that was left was a single large jump. The wind blowing both his hair and Hayate's mane back, given how fast they were moving, he would make sure to time the jump at the right moment, as they would soar over the jump. And for a moment, it felt like time had slowed down, their descent feeling like hours, as the ground would quickly rush to meet them. Nailing the landing, that may have only been one lap, but Yukimura knew what to do from the two remaining laps. Confident in Hayate's abilities, they would begin the second lap, clearing in roughly the same time as the first one, and upon starting the third lap, they had little trouble with it. Commanding Hayate to come to a stop at the start/finish line, stroking the horse along the mane, though at first they had rough patches, once they had gotten started, it went smoothly.

"Good job Hayate."

Yukimura would say softly as he dismounted the horse, and would lead him back to the stables for a well-deserved break.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Sanada Yukimura: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou was sleeping, when a foot pushed him over and out of his futon on to the hard mats of the ground of his room. “Up and at it, Yamabara.” Captain Koboyashi called at him, shaking him on the ground with a foot. Shou stirred slowly and turned over. “What is it? Message time?” Shou groaned sitting up. “Not to today Yamabara. Get up get dress and up with the rest of the unit outside.” Koboyashi ordered, before leaving quickly.

Shou got up and dressed as quickly as he could, he was used to getting up quickly when he was needed. But it was odd for Koboyashi to be waking him, if the captain was it could mean only one of two things. One, training or two a mission for the unit he had been instructed to assist with. Neither thought pleased him. It was going to be a long day; he had the feeling in his gut.

Heading outside he saw the captain and the rest of the unit, along with a selection of horses. His own horse among them. “Odd to see horses here, you’re unit is infantry, footmen.” Shou said confused at the scene in front of him. “His Lord Shingen wants all units to train for use with horses, to keep all of us to the standard of Takeda army, Yamabara.” Koboyashi explained. “Okay makes sense I guess. Also why no message boy stuff today captain?” Shou asked curiously. “Why? Well maybe it’s because I expect you to show these guys how it’s done, you ride, and they don’t. “ The captain said gesturing to the men.

“Showing some men how to ride a horse doesn’t sound too hard.” Shou said confidently. “Look around before getting cocky.” The captain ordered pointing to pass the horses. Shou looked where told. “Why are there walls and fences in the middle of nowhere?” Shou inquired scratching his head. “For jumping over obviously, now mount up.” The captain ordered. “What part of using a horse to deliver messages, do you think makes me know how to make a horse jump a wall that high.” Shou complained. “Well unlucky for you, mount up.” The captain ordered again, and Shou shoulders sagged.

Going over to his horse, he climb into the saddle and slowly trotted the animal to where the start of the course was, examine the lay out that had been set up as he did. It was a criss-crossed routed going back over itself. Small jumps made up by temporary fences while, the larger one were made of piled up logs. “We can do this.” He reassured himself patting the horses next, extremely glad that the first few jumps were of the smaller kind. “Let’s go.” He shouted, flicking the reigns and digging his heels in to push the animal to go forward. He went fast; he knew speed was need to jump, but not too fast as to lose control of the horse. As the horse reached the first fence, he flick the reigns again, and the much to his surprise the animal jumped easily over the fence.
The next couple of jumps were also small, and Shou repeat the same action and hope the horse would jump, and it did as if they were nothing. Rearing the animal up after the third jump and turning it quickly to the right over 90 degree’s he lined the animal up with the next path. However the next line looked trickery. Five fences alternating from medium size to small, closer together then the first 3 jumps were. Pushing the horse on forward regardless, he knew it would be better to fail in his mind the risk trying. Flicking the reigns harder for the first of the medium jump, and alternating the size of the gesture between small and medium for the last four. He trusted the animal to see him through. Going over the medium jumps was harder; he swore that his horse had almost clipped the last one of them.

Once more he reared the animal to turn, until he was facing the same way as when he had started. Three smaller jumps lay ahead and he went for them, growing more confident that he would be able to clear them. Which the animal did with happy rear of its head, as if enjoying the exercise that he never got. Another turn to the left sharper than the others, and Shou gulped. Small, Medium and then one of the large log walls. The first two jumps passed and the large came up ahead, with a much larger flick, almost a pull the animal leap into the air. Shou let a shout of shock, as the beast shook, a leg clipping the top of the logs and landing slightly unsteadily, he wrapped his legs and arms around the animal to stay on top of the animal, slamming down onto the animal, in an explosion of pain, and sudden fear, upon seeing a smaller fence that he hadn’t seen hidden behind the large wall. “Jump!” Shou exclaimed flicking the reigns and the horse did, but it had been a close run. The hidden wall, seeming as tall as the large one had been in the moment.

Turning sharply right another set up like the previous was ahead, crossing over the course once more, and Shou drove the animal faster over the first two jumps so that it would have speed to take the larger one, and not clip it, to be prepared for the one hidden after it that he was now expecting. This time the horse managed to clear the wall, but Shou could feel it in his stomach that it had been close. Another well of pain, between his legs as he came down to the ground sharply, didn’t distract him from forcing the animal to jump almost as immediately as they hit the ground, to clear the small fence, better than the last hidden one. With one more turn to the left, the last run of fences were small like the first and he took them ease glad for it to be over.

“Two more laps Yamabara.” Captain Koboyashi shouted at him from the distance. “What?” Shou shouted back in surprise. “Get to it messenger boy.” The captain shouted once more. Gritting his teeth and secretly wanting to punch the captain for not telling him beforehand he turned the animal ready to go again. The second time round the course was easier, he knew what was coming, he knew how to get his horse to react better now, the larger jumps followed by smaller fences still lead to pain between his thighs, he wouldn’t forget any time soon, but were not as close cut for the horse. That was more important than the pain, because if the horse when down, there was no way he could stay atop it.

By the third time round, his thighs hurt less but were feeling numb. His fingers going white from gripping the reigns in his hands harder then was probably correct. The horse was getting tired, he could tell. He didn’t think the horse was glad to be running so much and doing the jumps after having clipped a hoof as well. But it must have been less serious than he was worried about otherwise the horse would have stopped. “Come on boy, we can do it only one more lap.” He told the horse, and from somewhere the horse seemed to pick up energy, from his urging. By the second large jump of the last lap, he could have sworn the horse easily cleared the large jump. As if the horse trusted him to tell it when to jumps as much as he was trusting in it to do so. Seeming to have used all its power up on the last of the big jumps. The following smaller jumps seemed tougher again, but the horse pushed on till they were finally at the start once more. “Done.” He shouted out over to the captain, before bending down to the animal and stroking it. “Good boy, well done.” He praised, pulling himself out of the saddle to stand on the ground and falling back as the numbness in his legs cause them to give out. “Your turn everyone.” He called over as he pulled himself up and used the horse to steady himself, as he led it away for the next person.

[Kuroshi Maki]

Wait?? They want me too ride a horse? I never been on a horse in my life. This was going to be a disaster and they wanted me to go 6 laps around a course that had jumps even large jumps? Well if I finished the course I would get paid but if I didn't I would have just wasted my time, or maybe it was a good time to start learning how to control a horse. It seemed I was pretty able to get the hang of things faster then a normal guy, maybe this was one of those things. I walked up to the horses and I had to pick one. How would I know witch horse was good at jumping fences. There were 4 horses I was able to pick from. Well just do it the old fashion way just pick the one that looks most awesome. My choice was a black stallion he seemed able but was I able to control this horse?

With the horse I walked upon the course and was ready to mount, the moment when i tried I was down on the ground in just a few seconds after, what the hell just happened? It seemed the horse didn't want anything to do with me on his back. Lets try again and again and this time same as before I landed flat down. I kept trying and finally was able to stay on after 6 tries. Ok, what now? I had no clue. I was to make the horse walk by tapping it with my heel. I did but instead of just walking the horse started running. Holding on with my life the horse started sprinting on the course jumping all the fences and what so ever finishing the lap so fast and all I did was hold on until it made a turn abit to sharp laughing me of the back crashing down hard on the ground knocking all the air from my body. Well I did one round 5 more to go if I stayed alive long enough. All the soldiers watching just laughed there asses off, I'm sure it looked funny but I'm hurt and I'm pissed off.

" You damn horse, if I didn't needed you I would kill you and eat you! "

The horse didn't seem to care and just walked away from me slowly. a female walked up to me to see if I was ok, she seemed friendly and tried to give me some pointers for the horse to start trusting me. First I had to made the horse sniff my head and calm down? So why not I walked up to the horse still abit skeptical about it all and raised my hand. The thing I didn't know I picked the worst horse for this as it was like me stubborn to the bone. after a while I tried to get back on and I stayed on. Some soldiers walked by and started laughing and pointing at the horse.

" That stupid beast, soon we will be able to eat his flesh because nobody wants it so it will get killed. "

I heard the words and looked at the horse before sliding of his back. I understand now how it felt, like me he was kind of a outcast. The horse didn't seem to like being laughed at. He probably had to hear that for a long time before. It was his last change or else it would have to be killed. I walked up to the soldiers grabbing him by the back of his Armour.

" You just watch this horse will be better then all the horses you fools ride on! "

I would then push the soldier away as he seemed kinda scared of what just happened. I did look like a strong fighter so having me angry made them scared. The Horse seemed to feel what I did and walked up to me kinda making a notion for me to get on his back, and so I did. I looked over at girl and she smiled, it then hit me she didn't helped me but she was trying to help the horse, she knew his time was up. I then looked over at the one leading this and spoke.

" Instead of the money upon completing it, I want to be awarded with this horse. "

The man looked confused but agreed, I then looked at the horse and felt a bond was growing between me and him. " You will be known as Shadow horse of the powerful Maki. " I smiled as I spoke the words and the horse moral went up and lucky for me he knew how to jump and we started on our second lap of the 6. Jumping the small fences were pretty easy as I would just have to hold on but now those large jumps were a challenge. As we came up to them we jumped barely making it the first one, we stopped in front of the second. man how can horse be able to jump those things. I was impressed a horse was cantabile of many things. I spoke some inspiring words as Shadow made his sprint jumping over and we did this all the remaining laps and even it took some time we did it and that's all that counted.

I would slide of his back and would walk with him towards the stables, he had earned his right in this world and as-long as I life I shall make sure they won't harm him.

[Takeda Shingen]

Yamabara Shou: +3 Wis

Kuroshi Maki: +2 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[OoC: Gonna make this work more with more character, but still try to fulfill the objective. Hopefully it works. Sorry for the length! I just love horses a lot. ^^;]]

After saving up enough money, Katsumi had finally splurged and purchased a horse. She had had one after she had been forced to kill her father, but on the road it died from disease, Katsumi suspecting it having eaten bad grass. Since then, she had been without a steed and found that she missed it. If not simply just for the fact that it made traveling a hell of a lot faster, but because there was something calming about riding a horse. When her father was alive, the horse had been the only thing in her life that didn't abuse her or neglect her. Katsumi would give it attention and care for it, and the horse responded positively. The archer felt comfortable around such animals, despite her small size, having plenty of positive experiences.

The breeder tried tricking Katsumi into buying a stallion and then a mare, thinking she had no idea what she was doing. But Katsumi knew better. Stallions were far too feisty and difficult to control, and mares were a pain in the ass to travel with, especially when they went in heat. They were far too much work to deal with when using them simply for travel. Perhaps the man was low on geldings or simply had too many of the others, but Katsumi insisted on not only a gelding no older than fifteen or younger than five, but that she go through and see the animals.

Passing each of them by, Katsumi searched for the one that felt right. She needed one that was good for endurance and her style of fighting, and went among the smaller breeds, passing by Arabians and Akhal-Tekes, along with others. Coming across a dapple bay Arabian, she noticed its seemingly calm demeanor and asked to see it. The gelding stood at fifteen hands and its coat was a healthy shimmer. Raising her hand, she allowed the boy to sniff her hand before she gently pet its muzzle. After talking with the breeder about its age and experience (eight years of age and some fighting experience), and looked him over and saw that he was healthy, had a good set of shoes, and that the man wasn't trying to gyp her anymore, Katsumi purchased the steed, along with a saddle and lead. Being an Arabian, it was still high-spirited enough for fighting and these war-torn times, but not too much so that it would be a burden since it was a gelding.

Saddle over her shoulder, the archer led the horse out of the stable and, pulling out an apple, she cut it in two, laying it flat on her palm and put it beneath its lips. The animals happily consumed the apple and Katsumi gently rubbed his muzzle and soft nose. Moving around, her small hand rubbed the horses neck and form, both to pet the horse but also to let him know where she was at all times. Fingers running through his long, dark mane, the girl rested the side of her head against the animals withers and listened to him breathe, matching it.

"Tetsuya," she whispered, and the gelding's ears perked up, moving to listen more closely to the archer. Katsumi stood up and rested her hand against his shoulder. "Do you favour the name?"

The gelding turned his head, one eye gazing at her, and after a long moment, she nodded her head. Tetsuya would be his name from now on and she bowed, before feeding him the rest of the apple and leading him on. The archer desired to further bond with the animal and feel his gait. They needed to get used to one another and it certainly wouldn't hurt for her to practice to get back into the swing of things.

Taking with the breeder again, she was able to use the obstacle course. Removing the lead, Katsumi put the saddle aside and clambered up on Tetsuya bareback. She leaned forward, petting and patting the horse's neck. It seemed comfortable with her on him, but she rode around for a good ten-fifteen minutes before finally beginning the course.

Using predominately her legs, Katsumi clicked her tongue and squeezed her thighs, urging the horse to move forward and they began. Gaining speed, the horse moved from trotting to a lope and jumped the first hedge, and Katsumi nearly fell off, having to pull herself up. Glancing back, she sighed and realized that she was definitely rusty. Fortunately the one ahead was smaller, along with several ahead of it, and by the fifth of these she felt much more comfortable, leaning forward with each jump.

Taking a sharp turn, ahead was a large jump and, pressing her heels into Tetsuya's belly, he went faster. Leaning forward and gripping with her thighs, they narrowly made the jump, and as they rode on she pat the gelding. Jumping two medium obstacles, there was another turn and Katsumi, maneuvering Tetsuya around poles, jumped three small hurdles. Eyes looking forward, she saw that there was another sharp turn and tugged slightly at Tetsuya's black mane, directing him to begin the turn. He was a well-trained horse and moved accordingly, and they jumped another large jump, the remaining medium-sized ones, and proceeding smaller ones, making a few more turns here and there in-between.

It had taken her some time to really feel comfortable riding again, especially jumping, but her nervousness decreased the second time through, and was gone by the third, and Tetsuya could sense it. While on the second round, he had been a bit of a struggle with one of the large jumps, she had made him go around and jump over it, and he seemed to grow eager to please after showing gentle dominance.

Sweat glistened on Tetsuya's coat, causing it to shimmer in the sun, and her forehead was damp as she directed the horse out of the course. Jumping off of Tetsuya and landing lightly on the ground, the inside of her thighs, her hakama had horse hairs and Katsumi inhaled deeply, realizing just how much she missed the smell of horse. Clipping on the lead rope, Katsumi brought Tetsuya over to the trough to cool down and sat on the saddle on the ground. Later, she would have to practice archery on the gelding, and there was a bubbling excitement about the matter.

Buying Tetsuya pretty much ran her dry on money, but she internally decided that she would take on extra jobs and buy Haji a good gelding like this one.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Shinomori Katsumi: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Miyamoto Kenji]

(( Note: I am no master of horseriding. I glimpsed through the others' posts for a general idea and went with that. Bear with me. ))

After resting up from the ever so lovely fitness test, Kenji's unit was assigned to the horseback riding exercise. In reality, it was more about the manuevering than just riding. Kenji hung back for a while, letting most of the rest of the unit go first. He watched soldiers try mounting horses, then try guiding them through the obstacles. In doing so, he confirmed his suspicions that the previous Mogami governor had indeed slacked off on discipline and training. Good thing he wasn't an enlisted man... Not that it'd matter; he would practice on his own in that event.

As his time to ride closed in on him, Kenji wandered off toward the stables, determined to pick out his own mount rather than have it decided for him. He picked out an apple from a tree along the way, tossing it up and down in his hand. Arriving at the stables, those working with the horses simply let him enter, at which point he walked up and down the lot looking through the gathered steeds. In particular, he noticed a chestnut-colored courser in one of the lanes, occasionally tapping its hoof on the wooden wall impatiently. Somebody really wanted to run, it seemed.

Kenji quietly let himself in, the horse giving him a once-over before returning to its hoof-tapping. The merc opted to slip further in, peering down under the courser for a few moments, looking for certain parts... Female. So there were mares running today, too. Nothing wrong with that, especially if they looked as strong and eager as this one. Kenji came back around to the front of the courser and offered his apple, earning her apparent curiosity.

"Hungry? Go ahead, eat up," he insisted. Though he obviously wasn't certain if the mare understood him, she nonetheless took the offered apple for consumption. After, she neighed and nudged his shoulder, to which he raised a hand to stroke her head. "You seem like you really want to get out and get moving, huh? Come with me and I'll give you just that." That got its full attention, the she-beast whinnying in approval. It didn't take long after that for Kenji to get approval to take the courser as his mount, saddle her up, mount up and ride back to the obstacle course.

By this point, it was his turn anyway, so the mercenary wasted no time, having already gauged most of the course earlier. He cracked the reins, and off he went at a galloping pace.

The small jumps that the course opened up with were no difficult task for Kenji and his befriended mount. They leapt over each one with ease, gaining momentum. The first turn came after five jumps, and right around the corner - thrown in as a surprise, apparently - was a mid-sized jump. Though sudden, Kenji nonetheless cracked the reins in time to prompt his mare to turn and make the leap. Now that he knew where it was, it wouldn't be as much of an issue next time around. From there, they rode through another mid jump and passed a turn, before finding themselves before a series of small jumps with one medium meshed in between. Calculating his route on the fly, Kenji manuevered his mare through carefully, but without sacrificing much of her speed; though there was no apparent time limit, he wasn't about to waste time on a surmountable obstacle.

Around the third turn they went, and finally came up on the first of the two large jumps. Kenji reined his mount back as he gauged the jump, then spurred her forward hard. No hesitation on either the rider's part or the mount's, both committing to making the leap, which they managed narrowly. The mistake here, Kenji surmised, was that he'd slowed down before going for it. To avoid a close call next time, he would need to maintain as much speed as possible, not cut his mount short. The fourth turn came and went, as did the small jumps and medium jump that it concealed. Next was the fifth turn, a sharp one like the first clearly meant to keep riders on their toes; Kenji anticipated what might be behind it, and he was correct; a dozen closely-knit small jumps awaited him. Individually, they were no concern, but the way in which they were placed would make it tricky to get past. Nevertheless, he plotted the route as his courser galloped forward, weaving through the space between each jump and making it out to the end. At last, they rounded the last turn, faced with a medium jump, the second large jump, and one more medium right behind it. The final stretch of the first lap was at hand, and Kenji would not falter now. A sharp crack of the reins, and the eager mare beneath him took off hard.

The medium jump flew by underneath her clacking hooves. The large jump, thanks to the acquired momentum, was less of a task than its predecessor. The real trick came with the medium jump just past it, but with one more timely crack, the courser made the leap just over it. Passing the finish line, Kenji was yet satisfied, as two more laps were to come. The neighing mare demanded more, and he would gladly provide.

Two more laps later and they were done. Kenji kept up his mount's considerable speed all the way back to the stables, startling the stablehands upon arrival before having the mare skid to a halt. He hopped off once they made their stop and laughed, enjoying the time he spent with this horse.

"That was a lot of fun, not to mention a fair challenge. What do you think?" he questioned, the courser whinnying her satisfied response. "I thought so... We should do that again some time, don't you think?" She snorted and seemed to nod her head. Kenji chuckled, coming around to her front to stroke her head. "How about I call you Aoko from now on?"

The proud neigh told him that she approved.

[Takeda Shingen]

Miyamoto Kenji: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Zhuo Jina]

"Shiiiiiiit..."

Jina had been training with her horse for the past couple of months. At her home near the pirate's "cove", she had a small stable set up for her new steed along with a fenced pasture. She had grown up with livestock, at least chickens and pigs. She knew how to take care of animals, and her father had kept a horse after one of his battles had offered the steed as a reward. She knew about the animals, but it wasn't until after she had arrived here in Japan that she had ever actually ridden one.

Her horse had already gotten used to her. His name was Huī, meaning Brilliance in her native language. She had begun getting to know the local riders, them often seeing her ride up and down the beach. In the last couple of weeks, she had begun to ride through the forest, learning how to get her horse to jump. She finally got him to quit stalling, even at the logs that were almost as tall as she was. 

"You really expect me to be able to do that?" Jina had been talking to one of the men who lived near the cove. He actually was a stable owner and a horse breeder. He was the one who had sold her Huī. Jina didn't have much money, but they had reached an agreement. Other than her food, Jina was required to give the stable owner all of her pay until she was able to complete his task.

When she finally felt confident, she had informed him that the next morning she was ready for his task. Well the morning had come and in she had rode on Huī. She approached the stable and what she found was an obstacle course. There were five small jumps, two mediums jump, and off to the side there was a large jump. Her eyes were wide when he told her that he expected her to do three laps on the course, with six turns per lap and then complete the large jump twice.

She huffed, not totally sure of her own ability. Jina clicked her tongue and began riding, she got up some speed before she began the first lap. The jumps were made of forked sticks stuck in the ground holding a horizontal height bar. She came up to the first one. Huī stalled, so she backed up. Jina rubbed his neck to calm him. 

My face must be bright red, she thought to herself. She rode towards the jump again, this time clearing it. She continued onto the next small jump, clearing that as well. She rode him harder, one of the medium jumps was coming up.

"C'mon baby!" The horse soared over the jump, Jina was almost just riding it now without too much command. The horse knew what to do, it was just a matter of Jina putting it at the right speed and distance before the jump command. There was another two small jumps, easily done now and a medium jump again. The pattern was easy, keeping the horse, and Jina, calm.

After the last small jump, she cleared the first lap. She decided not to slow down, but to go for the big jump now and get at least one of them over with. As she approached, she could feel Huī getting anxious. She pushed him on, and as he jumped over the bar, his hoof knocked it, rumbling the bar but not causing it to fall.

"Yes!" She patted his neck lovingly and moved on to the next lap. She was able to get through it easily, but the second medium jump shook again when she cleared it. She decided against the large jump this lap and decided to take the time to get Huī used to the smaller ones again. She wanted him to be comfortable before the last big one.

"Alright, one more!" Jina called out to the stable owner. She was smirking, but so was he. The man was kind, he appeared to be proud of how well she was riding.

She proceeded on to the final lap, knocking the first bar down. "Shit shit shit" She rode on though, getting through without a problem and successfully completed the last lap. She had done everything right so far except for that one bar. Instead of going straight for the big one, she turned and completed an extra small jump before she hustled Huī toward the big one.

"Here we go!" She felt light, like the wind. They flew over the final jump and Jina cheered excitedly when they landed. She trotted over to the stable owner, smiling wide. "Well." "Indeed, you did very well," the man responded. 

"You are free of your debt. Come back to me if you have any more issues or if Huī needs any medical attention. Okay?"

Jina jumped off of the horse and held the reins. She bowed respectfully and thanked him before riding off happily, glad that she could finally buy herself something other than rice to eat.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Zhuo Jina: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Wakeshima Shoji]

[[The socking in the nuzzle and yanking of the reigns CAN be effective (but kinda mean.) Especially with stallions because they are a pain in the freaking ass. My mom had to do some of that when her horses would try to throw her off or run her into branches of trees... >.>;]]

For the last few years, Sho had been borrowing horses and needed his own. Because of Shoji's large stature, he needed a larger horse and one with plenty of endurance. Due to the majority of Japanese samurai using ponies, there was some difficulty in finding one that would work with Shoji's size. But eventually he came across a merchant at a sea-town with a wide-variety of breeds, and there was a roan stallion which stood at seventeen hands at the withers. He was the perfect size for the wandering ronin and just as feisty as he was, and so Shoji made the purchase.

The stallion's name was Hajime, and Shoji figured he may as well stick with it, spending the next week riding the stallion and breaking him. Because of his fiery spirit, it took more of a forceful hand, but as Shoji's demeanor was exactly that way, it was scarcely a problem for him. They were an excellent pair.

After spending three days riding to a camp where he took on a job, he was told the day upon arriving that there was required cavalry training. It was to be the following day at sunrise, and Shoji could do nothing but agree to be up bright and early. Really, who in the fuck did jumping and courses at the crack of dawn?

He had a feeling this camp was going to mess up his social life and, as a result, probably wouldn't last long.

Ready with his stallion, Shoji was at the course at the expected time, bleary-eyed and irritated from not being able to drink and take one of the whores the previous night, or even inflict any pain. And so he stood in silence as the others went through the course, firm hand steadily holding the reigns and keeping Hajime in his place.

By mid-morning, it was Shoji's turn and it seemed many anticipated how he would do, to which he only internally scoffed at. With ease, the psychopath mounted the stallion and lightly kicked, and Hajime leaped forward in excitement.

The small jumps were all first, and they went by with a breeze, Shoji lightly tugging the reigns so that the horse would make the appropriate three turns. Upon making a forth, there was a large jump proceeded by a medium one, and Shoji squeezed his thighs and leaned forward. Hajime charged forward, dirt flying up from the pounding of his hooves, and right before they made the jump the stallion seemed to have a fit. With a forceful and strong hand, Sho tightly gripping at the reigns and gave loud commands, bringing the horse around in several circles. Rearing up a few times, Shoji jumped off of the horse and yanked roughly at the bit, the metal cutting the mouth. The man brought the stallion's head close to Shoji's, turning the head so the stallion could look right into the man's crimson eyes.

"Knock it the fuck off!" he growled lowly, and when the horse tried to rear again, Shoji quickly popped his fist against the stallion's muzzle. He hissed, yanking down again, "No!"

Hajime snorted, head jerking back in surprise, and he shook his head. Shoji hadn't hit hard enough to cause any damage, but it certainly put across his point, and the stallion only snorted, stomping at his feet. After staring down the beast for a good ten seconds more to show who was the boss and assert dominance, Shoji proceeded to mount Hajime again, clicking his tongue and squeezing his thighs, turning the beast back around to give them plenty of distance before charging. This time they made the jump without any difficulties, the medium sized one shortly after easily overcome.

There was another turn and a succession of several medium jumps, and they were successful. One again the horse was spooked at the final turn by the last jump, another large one, but this time there wasn't too much of a difficulty. With a pat on the back and Shoji turning him around a couple of times, eventually Hajime was coaxed into making the jump. One lap down.

Shoji went around again and there was little difficulty with the jumps, besides the hooves making a slight connection with one of the bars from the large jump and knocking it off. But by the third time around (and someone had run out and put the bar back in place), the jump was made beautifully along with the rest of the course, making the appropriate turns and jumps.

By the end, Hajime had broken out into a good sweat, roan coat shimmering in the sun, and, as they exited, Shoji jumped off and he was given a nod of approval with how he showed his dominance, given some compliments. The man simply bowed his head, saying the appropriate words of appreciation, even though he didn't care what any of them thought or said.

And so the ronin led his stallion out, traveling over to the others who had finished the course and had their horses drinking from one of the large troughs.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Wakeshima Shoji: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Azai Mana]

Another drill was being offered to both soldiers and townspeople in the little patch of Omi that Mana resided in. She was both surprised and pleased with how generous the Azai clan had become without Hisamasa at the helm; she wondered if her father would have been proud. Regardless, this drill was in regards to horseback riding, an ever-useful skill for anyone to have, even if they weren't intending on becoming a professional cavalier. While Mana had ridden horses during her later enforcer years, she had never specialized in that department, sticking to the base skills. It was her instincts that got her through any tricky obstacles.

So, she thought, why not improve on her horsemanship now that she was free?

For the better part of the drills, Mana observed others running the three-lap oval-esque track set up outside of town. As with most things, the track looked easier to run than it really was, and quite a few locals played to that train of thought, only to find themselves struggling to clear even small hurdles due to their oversight. Mana, on the other hand, considered the attributes of the course carefully, intending to memorize as many as possible, and estimate where she would need to move, jump, and so on. That was her second advantage after instinct: calculation.

When it was almost time for Mana to ride, she headed off to the stables and picked out a sure-footed, youthful stallion with black fur and a peaceful look in its eyes. The ex-enforcer stifled a giggle about the blatant contrast between the two of them, feeding the stallion an apple on the way to the track and mounting up upon arrival.

An Azai soldier bashed the gong, serving as the starting gun for Mana to take off.

The first stage of the course was simple, meant to get riders used to their horse. Three spaced-out mild jumps in the form of low fences. Mana reined her horse to leap over them, the stallion taking low 'hops' over each fence and galloping in-between each jump. They soon came to a turn, and when they rounded a corner, a single, higher fence stood between them. Spurring onward, the former enforcer urged her mount to bound over, making it reasonably well without touching the fence.

Past the next corner was more of a challenge. There was a mid-sized fence shortly followed by one of the smaller barriers, a test in reflexes of both rider and horse. Mana took it head-on, as did her young mount, whom leapt over the first obstacles, then essentially bunny hopped over the following fence in a slightly awkward but still functional jump. Landing on the other side, they continued onward, more easily leaping past the two small walls that followed further down the path. The route took a sharp turn, which Mana remembered from her observations, and steeled for what lay next as she tugged the stallion's reins accordingly, making it through the turn in time.

Next was a single jump, but this time, the fence was much taller than those earlier on the track. Thankfully there was nothing before or after it except for another turn, so Mana, without hesitation, cracked the reins and spurred her beast onward at high speed. It took off with a great bound over the barrier and landed hard on the other side, picking up its pace right where it left off prior to the leap. Around the turn they went to the next challenge: a series of four small jumps, close but not tightly so, with a mid-sized fence halfway between. Navigating carefully and patiently, Mana slowed her stallion's gait to a smooth canter, hopping each jump at an angle, with particular priority given to the wall in the center to avoid tripping up midway through this leg of the track. After the fifth jump, she maintained their pace around the second and last sharp turn.

The last challenge of the track was similar to the previous, but... More complex. Mana had paid most attention to this one, as it tripped up a few of the Azai soldiers running the drill today: a minor fence that was followed by a mid-size, which in turn had an immediate small jump, then a pause before a second high wall, finishing with one last small jump. Contrary to what one might believe at first glance, it was the second and third small walls that tangled the riders and their mounts, not their larger cousins. Mana had had time to contemplate how to counter these, and took firm hold of the reins once more to show what she had learned today.

Though a distance away from a perfect performance, Mana maneuvered her stallion over the first hurdle, picked up its gait to a gallop and leapt across the mid-jump before duplicating their bunny hop manuever over the third wall. The brief few seconds before the large jump was enough time to adjust pace once more, speeding up further in time to bound up and over the tall fence. Just as they landed, Mana pulled on the reins to slow the beast before he hopped over the final barrier, its rear hoof clipping the fence, but not impacting enough to throw off its balance. Landing on all fours, the stallion snorted and continued on at a trotting pace.

One lap down.

The other two laps followed in a similar fashion, but more smoothly than the first, as Mana had time to perfect her route and control of the young beast below her legs. At the end of the third, she walked the horse back to the stables and fed it an apple, then left it to the trough to drink and recover. She lingered for a time, stroking its mane to their mutual content.

It might be nice to ride again soon, Mana thought.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Azai Mana: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Fujii Yori]

Staring at the horse he had been paired with, looking into it's blacks pools that they called eyes. He or she was a very beautiful and a strong horse, even with Yori's little to no knowledge on horses and horseback riding he could tell. Looking deeper into it's eyes he felt as if he made a small connection, raising his hand to touch the horse's face. Without pause the horse leaned into Yori's hand, stroking the horses face Yori runs his hand on the right side of the horse as he walks to the saddle.

" Great job now you might actually make it on the horse this year "

The men on horseback sarcasticly say impatiently waiting for him. Yori payed no attention to their comments, for today is the day that i will ride on horseback. Or at least mount one, focusing back at the task at hand. He lightly pats the horse's side and looks to see he has it's attention. The horse looks back at him with a bored expression as to say hurry up. With the horses attention Yori steadies the horse and holds onto the reins with his left hand. Then lifts his left foot into the stirrup and balances himself on the horse's side. Grabbing the front of the saddle with his left hand while still holding to the reins.Yori begins to slowly lift himself, while raises his right leg over the saddle using his right arm for support. With his right leg over he slowly lowers to the saddle and sinks in. Locking his right foot in the stirrup and adjusting himself. He turns to look at his fellow riders, they were off their horses and leading them back to the stables.

" Wait a minute i just got on how can we be done "?

They say nothing as the hand off the horses to the sablemen and leave Yori by himself with the beast. Realizing that they are leaving him behind, he disparity yells out.

" Wait were are you going i don't know how to move or get down, don't leave me like this "!

" Were going back to report we'll send someone to save you... eventually ".

They say as they walk away leaving Yori to the mercy of the horse and the environment.

[Takeda Shingen]

Fujii Yori: +2 Wis STORED

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Takeda Nobutoyo]

☼ The sun hadn’t even begun its unhurried ascent into the cloudless morning sky when already there was movement in the fertile lands beneath, within the large territory possessed by none other then the famed Takeda clan. It was here that a youthful man named Takeda Nobutoyo, son of Lord Takeda Shingen’s youngest brother, was preparing to begin his day. A recent directive had come down through the chain of command that the various soldiers of the Takeda were to brush up on their horseback combat maneuvers. It was a valued & functional skill that those of the Takeda were renowned for and somebody like Takeda Nobutoyo was expected to maintain a certain level of proficiency in it. ☼

☼ Nobutoyo had been away for numerous years, traveling the country, and as much as he disdained having to admit it, some of his skills were becoming rather dull, one of which was the very thing he’d be doing today. Being that Takeda Nobutoyo was going to be out and about for some time on this wonderful spring day, but not in any sort of conflict, he’d elect to not garb himself in his usual military attire and would instead adorn himself in a simplistic set of crimson colored cottons. The top was long-sleeved with a deep v-necked collar and the trousers were just that, ordinary trousers with a thin length of similarly colored cloth tied around the waist to keep them securely in place. ☼

☼ The only sound that could be heard in the immediate area was the noise generated by his leather boots as they came down against the earth each time he took a step. It was still fairly dark and Nobutoyo only caught glimpses of guards and retainers as they went about their duties, whatever those happened to be. Such people weren’t numerous as most people were still sound asleep, but not Takeda Nobutoyo. He wasn’t the kind of person to spend the day lounging about. A horse hand been made ready for Nobutoyo the previous night and all he had to do was place his feet into the stirrups, seat himself in the saddle, and take off. ☼

☼ The soldier started off at a relatively slow trot. It’d been a number of years since he’d done anything more than rudimentary horseback riding and he suspected his abilities had become somewhat lacking over the course of this time. It was best to take things slow and regain familiarity with the beast and how it maneuvered, because it’d be a real annoyance if he ended up injuring himself. Nobutoyo had been made aware of the course the previous night and was already well on his way towards the first of numerous jumps that’d been laid out upon the course he was being tasked to go through three times before he could call it a day. ☼

☼ Takeda Nobutoyo approached the first jump, a small one, and readied himself. It was rather fortuitous of him that this was the smallest variety of obstacle he’d encounter on the course because he barely managed to get the horse to clear it. The commands were sloppy at best and without a doubt he’d have to step his game up if he didn’t want to look like a fool. The first of the jumps knocked out and completed, he prepared for the next one, thankfully the same size as the previous. This one was easier and Nobutoyo managed to maintain his poise upon the animal & keep everything looking professional. ☼

“Shit.” He thought.

☼ A larger obstacle was quickly approaching and admittedly he was unsure if he could pull this one off in an acceptable manner. He wasn’t the type to stop or turn around when faced with a challenge and therefore spurred the animal into a faster gallop, deciding that speed would be his ally in the face of this inanimate adversary. Speed, as Nobutoyo had hoped, was the only thing that saved him. His jump was a bit sloppy and had the horse not been going so fast, he would of collided with the obstacle and likely been thrown from the horse where he’d be lucky if his neck broke his fall. ☼

☼ The first lap went in this fashion, but the second was much smoother and there was a noticeable improvement. Takeda Nobutoyo was starting to regain his muscle memory of the actions and they were much easier to pull off with both success and style, the latter being something he’d been recently lacking. The third lap was even better and by the end of it you’d be hard-pressed to say that the young man was a novice. Not an expert by any means, but someone who could be counted on to pull his weight & do his part in a mounted skirmish with enemy forces. ☼

☼ Nobutoyo returned the horse to the stable when he was finished and went off to his quarters to get bathed and changed into some clean clothes. He wasn’t finished with his training for the day, but he couldn’t allow himself to be in the clothes he was wearing for any longer than what was needed. They’d become sweaty & soiled when he was out riding and they needed to be changed. Cleaned up and clothed freshly once more in the same manner of clothing, Takeda Nobutoyo set off for his next task, a mandatory fitness exercise. ☼

[Takeda Shingen]

Takeda Nobutoyo: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Horseback Riding - D

[Nomi no Ōkata]

Now this... this was the one physical training Okata didn't mind. While the concubine was hardly an expert with horses, she had ensured that her whorehouse had a stable. Horses were incredibly valuable; she would make even more money if people could rest their steeds and they were good animals to have. Plus, if she traveled long distances, like hell the delicate woman would go by foot. The spy was more than happy to admit that she could benefit from additional cavalry training.

Okata was with Lord Mori with her palomino gelding, and the woman rose around the ring, warming up the steed. Instead of wearing a kimono, the woman was adorned in hakama and a kimono, with her hair in a pony-tail, male garb, something quite unusual for her. It was certainly much easier to ride, as well as far more comfortable. There were no complaints from her.

The sun beating down on her, warming her skin, felt marvelous, and as they trotted the woman closed her eyes for a few moments, simply taking in the feeling. But it was time to get serious, and Okata steered the reins and made her way to the obstacle course. Lord Mori walked over from behind the fence and, while she was much more confident in horse riding, having his eyes on her made the woman nervous. In fact, he was the only person who could make her this uneasy. All she wanted was to make him happy and to appease her Light; Okata couldn't bear to let him down, not even in the slightest.

Gently kicking the sides of her palomino, Okata went forward. The short jumps were completed with ease, as were the medium. She was hardly in a lope and, with a few turns, completed ten of the small ones and three of the medium. But, after turning once more, there was a large jump, and Okata kicked harder so her steed would travel at a gallop. They picked up speed and the woman leaned forward, squeezing with her thighs and gripping firmly onto the mane so as to have support and not fall. The horse jumped and they made it, before shortly afterwards jumping two small ones, and a medium. She did it over again and completed it with just as much ease. Galloping over to the other side, Okata turned the reins and made sure to stay at a gallop. There was a sizable jump and water after, and Okata gulped. That was a bit more intimidating. She went around, making a few small jumps, gaining speed and preparing for the big one, before making that one last turn around the bend. The concubine kicked with her heels again, leaning forward, and silently commanding the horse to go at full speed. As the neared the large obstacle, Okata tightened her grip and couldn't help but close her eyes, praying to the sun goddess to make it. And she did. Although there was a slight close call when they landed, with Okata slipping to the side from the bounce. But she straightened herself in the saddle and all was well. Or so she hoped. The concubine glanced over at Lord Mori.

He closed his eyes, his face impassive. But there was no hint of a twitch or a small huff from his lips that would signify disapproval, and so the spy knew she had pleased her lord, and that brought a warm smile to her lips. She pat the steed, leaning forward and resting her cheek on its neck as it slowed to a stop. A hand stroked the blonde shoulder glistening with sweat, giving a gentle pat. The woman had done well and succeeded in training. To show her gratitude, Okata would have to treat the gelding to a nice treat when they returned to the stables.