Opening post by Lady Eddara Tallhart · #1
Before anyone says it cannot be done, fetch me three horses, a lantern, and the nearest idiot. My red mare broke through the autumn river ice when I was eleven; everyone shouted, so I took her bridle and hauled until she found the bank. The ice cut my gloves, but the mare lived, and I have trusted action over promises ever since.
That is why I pulled her rather than wait for a rope, a priest, or a better plan; the first useful task was putting my boots against the bank and keeping her head above the water. A wet horse needs a blanket, dry straw, and someone willing to stay cold beside her.
If your horse slips near a frozen crossing, test the ice before the animal does, and keep the bridle sound; luck favours the early and properly shod, but preparation gives luck something to work with. I still mend harness before winter, and I keep one lantern ready.