The basic controls for flying the tarn are a series of rings attached at the front of the tarns harness. In turn these rings are attached to reins or straps so the Tarnsman can control the tarns flight. There are 6 positions, starting from the top clockwise. The tarn will respond to the commands until the control straps are released & continue in the direction of the last command. The one position commands the beast to take flight or to climb in altitude. Positions 2 is to bank right/up and position 3 is to bank right/down. The 4^th strap commands the tarn to descend/dive or to land. 5^th and 6^th is the opposite of 3 & 4 straps, banking left up & down respectively. Using any combination of the control straps enable tarn and rider to become highly manuverable. They can dodge and veer off or close in on their opponents from almost any angle of attack. Utilizing these controls, the student must master them in order to move on to the next phase of training.

The primary way to control & discipline a tarn is by the use of a tarn-goad. Although voice commands can also be used, the Tarnsman & the Tarn would most likely have been long time partners. A Tarnsman or Tarn Keeper also utilize voice commands and some of the words might have been learned over time. Tarl Cabot utilized the concept of kindness & attention to the tarn to enhance their relationship further. These concepts would have greater ramifications for Tarl Cabot later on.

Further control of the tarn would consist of urging the tarn to walk or rather half-fly/skip along the ground. Once the Tarnsman progress pass this course he moves on to the next level.

"He entered my apartment, carrying a metal rod about two feet long, with a leather loop attached. It had a switch in the handle, which could be set in two positions, on and off, like a simple torch. He wore another such instrument slung from his belt. 'This is not a weapon,' he said. 'It is not to be used as a weapon.'

'What is it?' I asked.

'A tarn-goad,' he replied. He snapped the switch in the barrel to the 'on' position and struck the table. It showered sparks in a sudden cascade of yellow light, but left the table unmarked. He turned off the goad and extended ot to me. As I reached for it, he snapped it on and slapped it in my palm. A billion tiny yellow stars, like pieces of fiery needles, seemed to explode in my hand. I cried out in shock. I thrust my hand to my mouth. It had been like a sudden, severe electric charge, like the striking of a snake in my hand. I examined myhand; it was unhurt. 'Be careful of a tarn-goad,' said the Older Tarl. 'It is not for children.' I took it from him, this time being careful to take it near the leather loop, which I fastened around my wrist."

---Tarnsman of Gor, page 50

"Tarns, who are vicious things, are seldom more than half tamed and, like their diminutive counterparts the hawks, are carnivorous. It is not unknown for a tarn to attack and devour his own rider. They fear nothing but the tarn-goad. They are trained by men of the Caste of Tarn Keepers to respond to it while still young, when they can be fastened by wires to the training perches. Whenever a young bird soars away or refuses obedience in some fashion, he is dragged back to the perch and beaten with the tarn-goad. Rings, comparable to those which are fastened on the legs of the young birds, are worn by the adult birds to reinforce the memory of the hobbling wire and the tarn-goad. Later, of course, the adult birds are not fastened, but the conditioning given them in their youth usually holds except when they become abnormally disturbed or have not been able to obtain food."

---Tarnsman of Gor, page 52

"In that instant I switched the tarn-goad to the 'on' position, and when the great beak flashed downward again, I struck it viciously, trying to force it away from me. The effect was startling: there was the sudden bright flash of yellow glittering light, the splash of sparks, and a scream of pain and rage from the tarn as he immediately beat his wings, lifting himself out of my reach in a rush of air that nearly forced me over the edge of the roof."

---Tarnsman of Gor, page 54

"The tarn-goad also is occasionally used in guiding the bird. One strikes the bird in the direction opposite to which one wishes to go, and the bird, withdrawing from the goad, moves in that direction. There is very little precision in this method, however, because the reactions of the bird are merely instinctive, and he may not withdraw in the exact tangent desired. Moreover, there is danger in using the goad excessively. It tends to become less effective is often used, and the rider is then at the mercy of the tarn."

---Tarnsman of Gor, page 55-56

"He was urging his tarn to greater speed by a series of shouts intended to communicate his excitement to his winged mount. The thought flashed through my mind that tarns should be trained to respond to voice commands as well as to the numbered straps and the tarn-goad."

---Tarnsman of Gor, page 57

"The tabuk-cry is the only word to which a tarn is trained to react. Beyond this it is all a matter of the tarn-straps and the tarn goad."

---Outlaw of Gor, page 129

"Indeed, I did not even have a tarn-goad, without which most tarnsmen would not even approach their fierce mounts."

---Outlaw of Gor, page 125

"The bird lifted his foot and backed away, still uncertain as to what to do. I sprang to my feet, standing well within the reach of his beak, showing no fear. I slapped his beak affectionately, as if we were in a tarn cot, and shoved my hands into his neck feathers, the area where the tarns can't preen, as the tarn keepers do when searching for parasites.

I withdrew some of the lice, the size of marbles, which tend to infest the wild tarns, and slapped them roughly into the mouth of the tarn, wiping them off on his tongue. I did this again and again, and the tarn stretched out his neck."

---Tarnsman of Gor, page 142

"I slapped his beak affectionately and, digging among his neck feathers with my fingers, scratched out some of the lice, about the size of marbles, that infest wild tarns. I slapped them on his long tongue. After a moment of impatient, feather-ruffling protest, the tarn succumbed, if reluctantly, to this delicacy, and the parasites disappeared into the curved scimitar of a beak."

---Outlaw of Gor, page 181-182