Formation Riding Team - First Routine

[Kiralynn]

We have worked out the initial details of our first routine. We will be wearing Arth-crus in white, Quilted Leggings in black, unarmored shoes or boots in black or brown, unarmored gloves in black or brown, no head gear, no shoulder gear, and no back gear or cloak.

We will be riding the Prized Dark Chestnut horse or pony from Evendim, awarded by the Wardens of Annuminas. You will need to have the uniform and horse for the dress rehearsal to participate in the public show. The uniform is available for copy into a wardrobe on request. Reputation items are available if you need help earning Kindred with the Wardens.

We will be using the version of "Chetwood Hills" updated on 7/25, which can be downloaded here.

The routine will use the following maneuvers with simple transitions between them: Enter the field at the north gate, Column To Row, Parting Ways Row, Double Cross, Parting Ways Block Reverse, Cloverleaf, Breaking The Fellowship, Lembas Reverse, Dual Bend Reverse, White Tree, Cross Rotated, Bridge Crossing.






Click here to download a printable routine sheet.

Here is the routine in detail: Enter the field at the north gate, Column To Row on center line, inner riders /mountrearup, Parting Ways Row, continue around corner, Double Cross from last wall post, continue around corner, Parting Ways Block Reverse to center, Cloverleaf out to second wall post, forward to reverse positions, Breaking The Fellowship strafe, Lembas Reverse at gallop 1 ¼ around, Dual Bend Reverse from last wall post, continue around corner, White Tree from last wall post, Cross Rotated (south-to-north) from corner, continue around corner, Bridge Crossing, stop centered on center line, turn left (east) to /swordsalute and /mountbow audience.
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[Kiralynn]

A reserve unit of the riding team met on Tuesday evening at the arena to work out the proper maneuvers for an 8-man routine. Here are the details.



Unit One is the first four riders to enter the field, Unit Two is the next four. The routine proceeds as expected through the “Breaking the Fellowship” maneuver. At this point, Unit One continues into the Lembas Reverse by turning left and galloping until they reach the southeast corner and reform into a column. Unit Two performs a Lembas, turning right and galloping slightly inside until they reach the northeast corner. At the end of the Lembas, both units should be facing each other along the eastern wall of the arena. Both units finish the routine normally, mirroring each other on the field.

There are several key points that riders should be aware of.

First, everyone needs to make circles of the same size during the cloverleaf, so that all riders return back to their starting positions at the same time. A proper circle will take you out to the edge of the field along the east-west axis. It will not take you out to the edge along the north-south axis — that would make an oval instead of a circle. To make a good circle, hold down the left button and slowly drag the mouse right or left at a constant speed.

Second, it is important to end the cloverleaf at the same place you started. This can be tricky when there are eight riders on the field. Concentrate strictly on your own circle and returning to your own starting position. Don’t let the paths of the other riders confuse you.

Third, when you transition from the Cloverleaf to prepare for Breaking the Fellowship, turn very slightly right so that the other rider passes you on the left. You should pass so close that the two steeds almost touch.

Fourth, don’t ride too far during the gallop maneuvers. The Unit One rider who begins the Lembas Reverse in the south-east corner makes only one trip around the arena. Likewise, the Unit Two rider who begins the Lembas in the north-east corner makes only a single trip around the arena. The order of riders in each unit will be different at the end of these maneuvers.

Fifth, spend as little time as possible transitioning between maneuvers. There are only three times that the riders should stop.
* First, at the initial Row to Column, everyone stops until the last rider is in position. With voice chat, everyone proceeds forward on a vocal queue. Without voice chat, the lead rider will perform a /mountrearup and everyone proceeds the moment his mount’s hooves hit the ground.
* Second, at the end of the Lembas (or Lembas Reverse), the front riders stop until the last rider completes the gallop. The moment he is in position, the front two riders in each unit should begin their Dual Bend Reverse maneuvers.
* Third, at the end of the routine when both units form a single row along the mid-line. All riders should /mountbow, /mountrearup, or /swordsalute as appropriate a second after the last riders turn toward the audience.

Kiralynn, Craicwyth and Caiyyd are familiar with the adaptation of the routine for two units and can give demonstrations to the rest of the team. If you need to download the music for the routine, click here. If you need to download and print the routine’s maneuver diagrams, click here. If you are unable to print it, the diagrams are easy to draw on graph paper. Make sure that you have your diagrams handy before practice begins.

We are all doing much better on spacing, transitions, and using gallop to catch up if we fall behind. We are also making good Cloverleaf circles instead of egg and potato shapes.

The /mountbow and /mountrearup emotes are very useful while performing. They cost 195 Turbine Points each, less if you use a coupon. The points can be earned by completing deeds. You can also win 100 TP from the Windy Acres Ranch contest of the month. Please consider purchasing these two emotes. Don’t forget to /salute your fellow riders so that we will all have access to the special /swordsalute emote.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the participants for their hard work and dedication. Every rider is showing great improvement. The team looks fantastic on the field. Many thanks to those who have donated reputation items. Our team should be able to perform its second routine on beautiful Mathom steeds. I will begin gathering items for Esteldin (Rangers) reputation next.