Fanfic:Peach the Battle Pony
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Ubriel walked with confident strides into the stables. Peach had been getting testier and testier about receiving lessons and today she would begin. On their journey to the Grey Tower, Peach had become convinced that she had been born to be a war horse. There was no talking her out of it. Ubriel blamed the fancily adorned warhorses belonging to this or that youngest son of whoever's house in Illian when they had gone to take the Oath. Peach had of course been swayed by the impressiveness and so she now had an aspiration. She had never aspired to be anything beyond Ubriel's truest and dearest friend until then.
Things had only gotten worse when Ubriel had begun her training at the Tower. Peach saw Ubriel practicing and learning and talking with her new friends and it was no wonder she felt left out. Two weeks ago, she had actually tried to nip Ubriel while she was being brushed. Ubriel finally began to take Peach's wishes seriously. She had promised to learn more about the process and what made a horse a war horse. Ubriel had spent hours in the library finding everything she could about how to continue Peach's education. She had spoken to the stable hands and horse trainers of the Tower and she had taken copious notes.
Peach was already a great horse. She was four years old and Ubriel had been training her since she was a foal. Peach responded to Ubriel's barest movement in a saddle and even better bareback. But she was a little fat and her endurance needed some work. Ubriel had made many observations while she researched how to go about this training. Now she had a plan. As she approached the paddock where Peach was rolling happily and trotting around tossing her mane, Ubriel took a deep breath. Peach said she wanted to be a war horse. Well, they were about to see if she really truly meant it.
Peach caught sight of Ubriel and cantered up to the fence whickering her greeting. Ubriel climbed up on the fence and offered Peach a piece of carrot. Peach nibbled it up out of Ubriel's hand and crunched it once before spitting it out. She turned her head to eye Ubriel out of her left eye and laid her ears back slightly.
"I know it's not an apple. It is a carrot. You like carrots. You are going to like them even more before we are done. I have your training schedule ready." Ubriel scratched Peach's forelock and giggled as Peach stamped happily with her two front feet.
Peach backed away from the fence a few steps, allowing Ubriel space to jump down. "First we have to get some exercise. We need to get your muscles toned and built up." Ubriel laid a hand on the horse's neck, "I am afraid this means you must go on a diet." Peach locked her front legs and shook out her mane. "I know but it won't be that bad. I am only taking away half of the sweet feed and you can graze as much as you like. I will be going on a diet with you. Both of us are going to lose some fat and build some muscle."
Peach looked a little less reluctant and stamped her front hoof in acquiescence. Ubriel said, "Good. Now, I want you to concentrate on getting exercise for now and we will start learning the war horse basics as soon as you can run a mile without getting winded or slowing down. Then, we can begin the next step. So, let me up there and let's get going."
Ubriel vaulted onto Peach's back, without a saddle or blanket, and rode Peach over to the gate. Leaning down, Ubriel opened it and they rode through into a field. A few other horses were grazing in the field and they whickered greetings as the two rode past. Peach ignored them. "Don't be rude Peach." Ubriel admonished.
Once they had walked around a bit, warming up Peach's legs, Ubriel settled in her seat and twined her fingers in Peach's mane. This was something they had been doing for a very long time. Peach felt Ubriel's center move forward and the grip on her mane. Ubriel's legs were tight over Peach's ribs and Peach began to walk a little faster then loped into a canter then straight into a gallop. Peach maneuvered through the field, avoiding dips and bushes and other horses. Reaching the edge of the field, Peach felt Ubriel lean to the left and knew she was to turn. Not far, the leaning was not that pronounced.
Barely slowing, horse and rider began galloping around the outside edge of the field. Ubriel was laying down low over Peach's neck and listening to the horse's breathing as she ran. Peach was very out of shape. Their weeks in the Tower, with little exercise, had left Peach in worse condition than when they had arrived. Still, she was a proud horse and young. She pushed herself until Ubriel finally all but stood on her back to tell her to stop. As Peach felt Ubriel sitting straighter and her legs easing their grip while moving slightly forward on her ribs, the horse slowed out of her gallop and eventually fell into a restful walk.
Ubriel walked her twice more around the outside edge of the field before leading her to the watering trough. Allowing Peach to drink her fill and then asking her to walk more to be sure she wouldn't cramp up or get a stomach ache, Ubriel petted Peach's mane and said, "We will do this every day until you are ready to move on." Once Ubriel had taken Peach back to her paddock and brushed her down and fed her another piece of carrot (which she greedily ate this time), the girl limped back to her own quarters to have a hot soak.
It was only two weeks later when Ubriel told Peach that she was ready for the next step. "This," she said, tossing a large and shining saddle up onto the top rail of the fence, "is your battle saddle. It is heavier than you are accustomed to and it has clanky and long stirrup guards. It is going to feel scary and strange so you are going to wear it for a while before I try to ride in it." Peach sniffed the shiny thing and licked her lips, thinking about it. "Good," Ubriel said and climbed over the fence to put the saddle on Peach.
It was only two days later when Ubriel decided it was time to try riding in the new saddle. Peach no longer got distracted by the weight and the noise of the thing on her back. She kind of liked how the thing made her feel special and all dressed up. Once Ubriel had mounted and was sitting securely in the saddle, feet in the stirrups, Peach looked back over her shoulder to make sure the girl was there. "Why yes, I have lost a bit of pudge around the middle. Thank you for noticing."
Peach was uncertain at first when Ubriel leaned in to signal her to move ahead. The pressure was different and harder to feel. Ubriel squeezed Peach's ribs but through the stirrup guards, it was just different. "Walk," Ubriel confirmed verbally and Peach was grateful. She licked her lips thinking about how it felt and remembering what it meant. Together, they went through each speed of forward motion, Ubriel calling for a full stop between each. Peach was patient with the girl. They had known each other a long time and she trusted that if Ubriel was doing things a certain way, it must be for a reason. When Ubriel called for a gallop, Peach understood why they had practiced stopping so much.
At first Peach was uncertain. Ubriel was half standing in the saddle, the forward tilt of her body was mostly evident in the distribution of weight around where she stood in the stirrups. But it was changing, not as far forward and it didn't move forward again. Ubriel definitely wanted to stop. Peach was gratified to hear Ubriel's praise and pleased noises. They did it again and again. Every day for another week, they practiced until Peach was able to feel the slightest change in what Ubriel wanted from her. Then they practiced walking backward and sideways. Another week. That was when Ubriel brought the apple.
"You have been learning so fast! I thought you and I both deserved a treat." Ubriel cut two apples into several pieces and shared them with her friend. She sat astride the horse, bareback again, for a day of restful enjoyment. "Tomorrow, we will start teaching you how to fight."
When Ubriel came to see Peach the next day, she brought a long lunge line and a training stick and string. Peach hadn't seen anything like them since she had first started learning to ride with Ubriel. "Peach, today we are going to learn how to rear up and kick out. First we are going to take a leisurely ride and maybe jump a few things." Ubriel had arranged for a training course with the stable staff. They were amused by her training sessions and frankly impressed that it was going as well as it was. They too believed a war horse had to be a stallion. Still, they were willing to let her try to train her horse however she wished.
Ubriel saddled Peach with the heavy saddle. They used it during all of their rides except on their days off. Then she rode Peach to the training course. She let Peach walk through the course, going around the small, knee high jumps, once before trying a less than full speed run through it. Peach sniffed at a few of the jumps and asked to walk all the way around two of them. Ubriel indulged her. It was important for the horse to be perfectly trusting of the rider and trainer. It was equally important for the rider to be completely trusting of the horse. They were in this together.
The first time they went through the course, making the jumps, Peach was nervous. She slowed down before the jumps and at one of them, she stopped entirely and had to try it again. The second time, she still slowed for the jumps but she made them all. By the fifth time through the course, she was taking the jumps in stride and Ubriel was very pleased. "We will do this at least four times a week from now on. The jumps will start to get higher soon, so I hope you enjoy this."
Once back at the paddock, Ubriel removed the saddle and attached the lunge lead to the halter on Peach's head. "You remember how to lunge?" She clucked at Peach standing at the end of the lead line facing the horse. She pointed off to her left, holding the line in her left hand and holding the stick in her right. With her right hand she pointed the stick at Peach's rump. When she clucked and pointed, Peach began to trot in a large circle, counter clockwise to Ubriel. Ubriel let her go in four circles before clicking at her to stop. She tugged gently on the lead line and Peach stopped and turned to look at the girl. Ubriel switched her hands and sent Peach in the other direction.
"Good job, Peach. I am so glad you and I both remember how to do this. Ok now, you are going to learn to rear up." Ubriel tried very hard to hide that she was completely uncertain about this. She wanted Peach to be confident, so she had to show confidence herself. Arranging herself behind and to the side of Peach, Ubriel used the lead line to tug gently while using the stick to flick the string under Peach's nose at her front feet. Peach pranced back a bit and gave Ubriel a withering look.
"Not prancing, Peach, jump up." She tried it again. This was completely new for them both. It would take patience. As much as they understood each other now, their communication was practiced and an old habit. Peach didn't know this one yet. Each time Ubriel gave the signal with the string, she tugged gently on the lead. Peach started to kick one front foot out and Ubriel cooed at her. Peach knew this was a praise noise so she used both feet. More praise. Both feet and higher. More praise. After a dozen attempts, Peach had learned that the flicking string and the tug meant to rear up but she hadn't quite gotten the hang of rearing very high. Ubriel praised her and was very happy with her progress anyway.
The next day, they went back to the obstacle course for warm-ups and then they lunged and worked on rearing up a few times. Then Ubriel took the string away and just used the tug. It was confusing but since they had been rearing up, Peach gave it a shot. She was right. Lucky guess. Ubriel asked her to rear up several more times and then flicked the string at Peach's back legs in the middle of her rearing up. It was very rude! and Peach kicked out in irritation. Ubriel was ecstatic. Peach remembered then, they were doing rear ups and kick outs. She whickered and shook out her mane.
For the rest of the week, they practiced the rearing and kicking separately and in combination. Ubriel eventually left the saddle on and stayed on Peach's back to try the commands. She had exchanged the lead line for reins and, once she was in the saddle, she exchanged the stick and string for a raking motion with her heels. The jumps on the obstacle course got higher as well and Peach was glad she had been on a diet. She was soon making jumps almost as high as Ubriel was tall.
A couple of weeks into the use of the obstacle course, something new appeared. Ubriel let Peach explore the new things and sat astride her petting her neck while she did. "These are barrels and they can't hurt you. They are only here to mark where we will be aiming for trying to make quick turns. I have to learn this too. When you make these turns as quick as you can, I will have to learn to stay on." Ubriel laughed and Peach tossed her mane. Her best human was sometimes odd.
The process of learning to turn quickly went smoother than anything since the new saddle. Ubriel had always leaned into the turns she wanted to make. With these she simply leaned with enthusiasm. Peach enjoyed the obstacle course. She enjoyed it right up until people started throwing things. Just after she had conquered the barrels, several of the stable workers lined the sides of the obstacle course and began banging on up-ended buckets and throwing stones and shooting blunted arrows. At first Peach wanted nothing to do with these crazy people and she couldn't even hear Ubriel trying to tell her it was safe. Ubriel was obviously not seeing the same things Peach was seeing.
Eventually, Ubriel got down and walked Peach through the course again. Peach whickered her displeasure at the men now standing relatively quietly at the sides. She blew out her lips at them and tossed her head a few times. She didn't care if it was rude; they had started it. Then on the third walk through, they started beating those buckets again. Ubriel calmly assured her that it was fine. "I know it is scary. Just think about the battlefield though. That is going to be far louder and not safe at all. You have to get used to tuning it out and just listening for me. Just pay attention to me." Ubriel was right and she was there patting her and leading her through all these loud people. It was hard but eventually, Peach did it. She walked right through all the noise and flying mess. None of it really came anywhere near her anyway.
Ubriel felt bad about the loud and obnoxious intrusion on the obstacle course. Those three trainers had assured her that it was the best way. They only threw one object at the time and only where Peach could see it. Peach acted like there were a hundred Illuminators setting off fireworks. They got through it, and by the fourth day, Peach was back to full speed at the obstacle course. It was time to introduce her to the rest of her armor.
Ubriel carried the pieces of the war horse armor out to the paddock and introduced Peach to them one at the time. They were shiny and some of them waved around a bit. The face guard and the breastplate were the hardest pieces for Peach to become accustomed to. One at the time, Ubriel put them on Peach. Then they went for a ride. Ubriel took Peach though the obstacle course and then for a short run. She walked her around the field and talked to her. "You did it. You finished all the training I can give you without actually putting you in a fight. I am very proud of you. And you look amazing." Ubriel rode Peach back to the paddock and took off the armor.
"Lucky for you, you grew up with me throwing a quarterstaff around from your back. At least that piece you can skip learning." Ubriel brushed Peach's coat and massaged her rump and shoulders. As she ran a comb through Peach's mane and tail, she smiled at the relaxed way Peach stood with her back hoof cocked forward. "Well, even if they say you have to be a stallion to be a real war horse, you have definitely earned the title of battle pony."
Peach whickered at the bad joke but she knew it was true. She was not as big as the war horses most of the Gaidin rode. She was a mare. That meant she would always be smaller than the stallions. But she was strong. She was smart and she was devoted to Ubriel. She would carry her girl into whatever trouble might be coming and she would protect her the best that she could. She would be proud to be called Peach, the Battle Pony.
