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

[elvinborn]

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 flanksAnd... 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

Comments

[uberreiniger]

Fiction is a world where people can stand inches a from lakes of molten lava and not feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, (a light sweat is acceptable however,) and get knocked unconscious repeatedly without suffering brain damage. Given that, horses with insensate flanks are the least odd thing.

[elvinborn]

I'd accept that argument. It's almost fair. But it's such a lack of caring about somethin very basic and it throws me out of a story almost every time. Those molten lava lakes are usually somehow rendered non-lethal by MAGIC! and thus I don't mind. All important characters take beatings and keep going. Most of the time they at least get bruised a bit. If not, the story is bad. So why is it that otherwise good writers screw up something so basic. I want them to go try heeling a horse's flank and see if they ever write that statement again.