Thoughts on: A *something* refuses to move

[Lizzie]

I took a horse out for a dayride with a rancher once. He brought adult sized stirrups. I needed "boy-sized" stirrups. There was no way to go back to the ranch, in time for the ride, because he had brought the horse to the other side of the property (this was in Wyoming) and our goal was to ride back to the ranch, and the driver had already taken the cart away.

So, I rode on a morgan with a western saddle and no stirrups. I can tell you - there is no balance, legs or otherwise, when a morgan decides it wants to run, and your feet aren't secure in a set of stirrups. The only reason I didn't slide off that beautifully polished leather saddle and get trampled, was because I had one hand yanking on the reins, and the other clutched to the saddlehorn.

I don't recall reading -anything- about stirrups on any Zalanthan mounts, including horses. So sure your ass might well be on a saddle (or not) but your feet are -not- secured. Your legs are dangling, you have one hand holding onto -something- attached to that mount, unless you have the brute force AND groin..to keep yourself from falling off.

[X-D]

There are such items IG, and read room descs where mounts are kept or near them, plenty of saddles, reins, saddle bags, stirrups etc etc etc. Besides, a simple rope with two loops that can be thrown over the mounts back makes quite nice stirrups if riding bareback.