Possible Solution for Bruinen Horse Race

[biotrom]

I was hoping to sit down and write a detailed post, maybe with a schematic or two, but I just don't have the time. So I'll just say quickly...

When Tolkien says that two of the Black Riders rose "towards Frodo," couldn't that be taken to mean that they were on an intercept course toward him and not just making a beeline to his current position?

 

[Flammifer]

The actual sentence is, "Two rode towards Frodo; two galloped madly towards the Ford to cut off his escape." The interception point was at the Ford (or not quite at the Ford, as it turned out, as Frodo reached the Ford first), so, if they all were trying to intercept Frodo, no point in them splitting up. They all would have ridden together.

 

[biotrom]

Intercepting Frodo isn't exactly the same as cutting off his path ahead of him. Clearly they mis-judged his trajectory, but the two riding toward him could have been trying to meet him at the earliest possible moment, while the two riding toward the ford were the safety net in case he eluded the first two. I just don't think that "towards Frodo" has to mean that they rode on a bee-line to his position; they would have aimed ahead of him, but still not at the ford.