Hello! Not sure where else to ask but probably it's the place. Does anyone know what adjustments can be made so that a little person could ride, say, a horse, comfortably? I want to know so that I could apply such knowledge to dragons. You see, I have a character with dwarfism, and he is about to obtain the dragon egg... The tack - as I imagine - is relatively similar at the core. So what do you think can be done here or what can I search for online? 1/2
Also is the word "liliputian" is okay to use to refer to a little person in a fantasy setting? If not so much, then what can he be called? I don't want to use word "dwarf" since we all know what English-speakers will think immediately. (In my native language, word for a little person is different from one for a fantasy creature so there is no confusion). Thank you. 2/2
Hello lovely asker!
So I am not a horse rider and tend to avoid horses because they like to eat me for some reason but I have been around them in the past and like with many hobbies for people with Dwarfism usually those types of thing would be tailored to the person.
What type of dwarfism the character has will of course play into this, but the tack would most likely be closer to that of like the ones kids use but just more modified to the person. If the character has a Disproportionate type of dwarfism this often affects the length of the legs and arms and so the stirrups and such would have to be adjusted shorter as well. Another thing is reins, the length and width are important too. A lot of people with dwarfism have small hands, so thinner reins might be an option along with adjusting length to the persons arms.
Here is a thing I found from This site that makes reins on the length and width of them.
The risk of the reins being too long is that the loop that the excess rein forms can become caught in the rider’s stirrup, which could be dangerous. If the reins are too short, the rider may not be able to slip their reins as needed over a fence, or may run out of rein when asking the horse to stretch.
The answer to this depends on the size of your hands and personal preference. Riders with small hands or children may prefer a thinner rein, such as 1/2”, while a man or a rider with bigger hands is likely to feel more comfortable holding a thicker rein such as 5/8” width. Some riders feel that a thinner rein is ‘flimsy’ and they do not feel secure with the feel these reins give, while others find a thicker rein cumbersome and feel that they cannot close their fingers around them as desired.
Here is also an article written by Korina Rothery who has Cartilage Hair Hypoplasia on adjusting a saddle for someone with dwarfism.
In the context of a horse, they're usually trained, so I'm guessing that it's going to be similar for dragons in your setting (kinda like how to train your dragon). But in that instance you usually train horses with movement like squeezing your legs etc. This might be more difficult for someone with dwarfism so I've seen that either training with Voice commands, or training some other way are always options too.
A form of leverage will be much more needed like a stool, a stepping block, or even a ramp. With a dragon in a fantasy setting I bet you could do some cool things there too. The only thing I'd avoid is having others pick them up in any way, shape, or form. Having another character take a knee to give them leverage is also another way to do it (I've had a friend do this for me when we were in a situation that I couldn't find any other way to climb up).
For the second part; If you say Dwarf I think most people would get that the character is short statured. If you make it clear that Dwarfs as a race don't exist in your fantasy universe, I think you'll be fine.
And I would avoid the word "Lilliputian" just because the diminutive nature of it is more important in the context of that word and the source of the word which originates from Gulliver's Travels is used in a more fantasy race setting. In the context they're a mythical race, but here you are trying to write a character who has dwarfism in a fantasy setting. Historical context has not done this word a much positive outlook either. The Coney island New York "liliputia", "liliputian Village", or "Midget City" is one. This word was associated with any performance in the late 1800s - early 1900s of exploiting performers who had dwarfism, a lot of them against their will or to make a living. "The liliput Troupe" is the only good use I can think of this word as the Ovitz family named themselves that, and they of course have such a history for themselves too. Do not use this word though.
But most importantly I'm curious about how you intend to describe the character? I, personally, don't see a need for the descriptors or dwarf/dwarfism especially in a fantasy setting. I wouldn't write "The man with dwarfism" it feels a bit too proper and medically to me. Instead I would say "The small man", "The man of short stature" as descriptor words. Then I would show how he interacts with the environment around him and the other characters too, to further establish his height and other characteristics.
Ex. "The small man approached from the bridge, climbing the rock formation so that they met eye to eye."
(not my best work but it does) Here, if you already established another characters height, using them as a characteristic foil for your other characters helps put things into perspective.
Some more descriptors would be Short Stature, Small, Petite etc. One thing is also the build of the character which largely depends on their type of Dwarfism. For example people with Primordial Dwarfism or Pituitary Dwarfism are often very petite in build. Someone with say Turner Syndrome might have a more broad build so that's another descriptor to keep in mind!
I also recommend our #dwarfism representation tag for more things and I hope this helps! Happy writing!
~ Mod Virus 🌸
