Horse Handling II (sage ability)

As with Horse Handling I, this ability allows the character to handle a horse to change from one gait to another or to direct the horse, but more easily and with less cost of movement (and conversely more naturally and with less concentration). This includes riding and mastery of some complex gaits or moves.

Horse Riding

To start the horse moving, or to move from one gait to another, the character will need to expend only 1 action point (AP), needing less time than an amateur rider to manage the animal. Note that for an authority, it will require only 4 AP to take a horse from a standing position to a gallop (less than one round).

Trotting is limited to three hours for a warhorse and four hours for a riding horse for characters of this knowledge, after which the horse must be walked for an hour, else the horse will stiffen up and be subject to potential trauma, becoming ineffective for a period of 24 hours.

With superior skill, rider with authority-level training will have less trouble handling a horse, making the animal much more flexible from moment to moment when employed in combat. These are the adjusted penalty action point costs for changing the direction of a horse, over and above the cost for moving the horse into the next hex (which always has a cost):

• From a standing position: The rider can move the horse in any direction, directly forward, 60º or 120º to the left or right, without an AP cost. However, turning a horse upon its hindquarters, 180º, will cost 1 AP.
• From a walking gait: The rider can move directly forward or 60º to the left or right without an AP cost. A 120º turn will cost 1 AP. Turning the horse upon its hindquarters will cost 2 AP.
• From a trotting gait: The rider can move directly forward or 60º to the left or right without an AP cost. A 120º turn will cost 1 AP. The rider cannot turn the horse upon its hindquarters without slowing or stopping.
• From a cantering gait: Like moving at a trotting gait, except that a 60º turn will cost 1 AP, while a 120º turn will cost 2 AP.
• From a galloping gait: Like moving at a cantering gait, except that a 120º turn cannot be made.

When trotting upon a horse with an encumbrance of better than 50%, riders should reduce the endurance of a horse by 1 hour.

Complex Gaits

The character can ride upon a horse moving at a slow pace and has expertise in driving a horse at a face pace, if the horse is pulling a carriage. As well, the character has good knowledge of ambling gaits, both fast and slow (see horse gaits).

Using a singlefoot or fox trot, which are ambling gaits, is limited to 2 hours for the singlefoot and 1 hour for the fox trot. If the character ambles the horse for half the maximum period or less, the horse need only be walked and cooled down for ½ hour. Any longer, and the horse must be walked afterwards for a full hour (in the case of the latter, on relatively even ground.

A slow pace is, like trotting, limited to three hours for a warhorse and four hours for a riding horse. However, there is no penalty for encumbrance when moving at a slow pace. A "trotter" moving with a slow pace is limited to one hour, however, regardless of horse. A "pacer" moving with a trot is adjusted down only one hour from the above: two hours for a warhorse and three hours for a riding horse.

A fast pace can be sustained for about 30 minutes on even ground. It cannot be kept up for any time on uneven ground without likely injuring the horse.

See Also,
Charging
Horseback Riding