dammit. why don't fantasy writers get their horse terms right?!

Jul 06, 2011 11:00

I've been re-re-re-reading "the Wheel of Time", and I have once again come across a phrase in all books involving adventurers riding horses.

______ heeled his horse's flanks

And... why is it that authors think this would be what their people should do? It's not nice to kick a horse in the flank. The Flank is the slight indent behind the horse's middle and in front of the hip. It's easy to spot because that's where the hair changes directions, so there's a nifty pattern there. It's a very ticklish spot on most horses. And if it's not ticklish, it's still going to be sensitive.

I accidentally kicked my horse's flank once when I was 12. I was riding bareback in the pasture with raihaannah. My horse did what most horses would do: he ran bucking across the pasture until he tossed me off into a fence.

Also? It's pretty difficult to kick a horse that far back. Think about it. The rider's leg is going to be positioned waaaay up at the front. Right behind the front legs. If the leg goes allll the way back to the flank just to get the horse to go forward, he'll be in the ideal position to be launched over the offended horse's head like a rocket. The horse would definitely feel better when that happened. And I would laugh. Because it's just stupid to kick a horse in one of the more sensitive spots on his body.

So whenever I'm reading a lovely fantasy novel (or epic in this case), and the rider heels his horse's flank, I'm a little confused and sad when the next sentence doesn't involve our heroes sitting on the ground staring up at his disgruntled steed. (and why are they almost always stallions???) I want that moment of the hero massaging his ass in pain dammit. He deserves it.

horses, ranting, randomness_and_babbling, wheel of time

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