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[[image:destrier.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A Destrier Horse]]'''Horses''' (''Equus ferus caballus'') are a subspecies of odd toes ungulates native to the continent of Eurasia on planet [[Earth]]. Horses are quadrupedal herd dwelling herbivorous (specifically grazing) creatures that usually weigh between 250 and 1000 kilograms and are well adapted to long distance running. Starting around 4,000 BCE, horses were domesticated by [[human]]s, first for food, but eventually their primary use was as beasts of burden and in particular as mounts to carry humans about.
[[image:destrier.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A Destrier Horse]]'''Horses''' (''Equus ferus caballus'') are a subspecies of odd toes ungulates native to the continent of Eurasia on planet [[Earth]]. Horses are quadrupedal herd dwelling herbivorous (specifically grazing) creatures that usually weigh between 250 and 1000 kilograms and are well adapted to long distance running. Starting around 4,000 BCE, horses were domesticated by [[human]]s, first for food, but eventually their primary use was as beasts of burden and in particular as mounts to carry humans about. They would remain one of the main methods of transporting humans over long distances until the industrial revolution when they were gradually superseded by rail transport and automobiles.


== Types of Horse ==
== History ==
Like dogs, horse have been bred by humans into a wide variety of breeds for specialized purposes in different areas. To keep this contained in general they are divided into three groups...
Like dogs, horse have been bred by humans into a wide variety of breeds for specialized purposes in different areas. Some are meant for racing, others are meant to carry large loads, and others are intended to carry people (including soldiers).
An extensive list of horse breeds can be found [[wikipedia:List of horse breeds|here]].


*'''Hotbloods''': Small, lightly built horses which have great speed and stamina, but can't carry much. Notable Hotbloods include Arabians, excellent for hit and run attacks.
More than any other non human animal (except maybe dogs) the horse has been a direct aide to humans at war as a beast of burden, draft animal and as a mount. While they can travel quickly over short distances, most horses which move faster than an infantryman tire if they are forced to march for too long, which can be lethal for them. As persistence hunters, humans have greater endurance than horses over extremely long distances; this is how horses were domesticated in the first place, by simply following them at a walking pace for hours until they were too tired to resist having a rope tied to them.  For horse travel to be significantly faster than walking, they need to be supported by a network of stables so the horses can be used in relay.
*'''Coldbloods''': Big, Heavily built horses. Very strong and durable, but pretty slow. Notable Coldboods include Clydesdales and Destriers. Destriers were favored by Europeans as they could carry heavily armored knight around easily and were great for charging into enemy formations, however there inbreed aggressiveness, which was great for charging, meant they were poor horse for use in peace as draught horses and are a extinct horse breed.
*'''Warmbloods''': Medium sized horses that are somewhere in between hotbloods and coldbloods and good all rounders. Most modern racing horses are Warmbloods.


A more extensive list of horse breeds can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_horse_breeds
At first, they were mainly used to pull chariots: small, lightly built carriages which could carry one or more guys into battle. Usually this would be a driver who had the reigns and either an [[Bows and Arrows|archer]] or a guy with a spear. They were fast, but expensive to produce. Two major changes shifted chariots to Cavaliers. First, horse breeding produces larger animals, such that a team of horses and a set of wheels were no longer needed to carry a rider forward. Secondly, the stirrup was brought over to Europe. Priorly, difficulties with riding a horse on its own made chariots the only reliable way to use horses in battle.  


In addition there are a few other categories of horses worth mentioning.
When the stirrup did reach Europe, the chariot fell out of use in favor of mounted warriors such as knights. A combination of heavy armor, mobility, and devastating charges made knights on horseback dangerous foes.  Even after the advent of firearms mounted soldiers were valued for their ability to outflank foes; in one famous incident during the Civil War, General Stuart's cavalry rode 126 miles in 60 hours, [[Internet Troll|circumnavigating the Union army]]. Cavalry of all types remained a major part of military units worldwide until the end of World War I, and served in a logistical role until ww2. Even today, horses still see some use by modern militaries as they're the only way to bring more than a man can carry through mountainous terrain.
*'''Mules''':Really more of a half horse, mules are what happen when you cross a donkey with a regular horse makeing them the half dwarf of the Equine world. Mules have horse mothers and donkey fathers, while the offspring of male horses and donkey mothers are called Hinnys. Mules tend to have the size and ground-covering ability of its mother while being stronger then a horse of similar size, and need less food then a horse of similar size. Generally in fiction mules are used the same way donkeys are, to show foppishness and stupidly on the behalf of the rider, but they are more often use as pack animals.
*'''Ponies''': A broad category of small horse breeds, often bred to be easier to manage and requiring less resources. Often these were bred in less hospitable climates of for training purposes.


As general terminology goes a female horse is a mare, a male horse is a stallion unless it has been castrated to make it less aggressive, then it's a gelding.
== In Traditional Games ==
Role-playing games set in the typical vaguely-medieval-European setting will invariably have horses (or some other setting-appropriate  mount, like giant lizards or camels) available to speed up travel and increase load capacity between locations.  Certain [[classes]], like [[knights]], may have skills to use their horse in combat for increased speed and attack power.  Caring for a horse is extremely complicated, to the point that real-world knights and horse-owning nobles had servants specifically tasked with managing the horse; they need to be fed, groomed, and fitted with equipment like horseshoes, saddles, and reins to operate at peak efficiency, and they are not as adaptable to terrain or as capable of sustaining a heavy pace as a [[human]].  Most role-players are more interested in crawling through dungeons than playing "Horse Stable Manager 1500", so the needs and capabilities of horses are usually kept well abstracted.


== Horses in Warfare ==
The novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' said the historical horse Red Hare was able to travel at least 200 miles in a day (25 MPH with an 8 hour march, 8.33 MPH for a tireless 24 hour march). Even in history it was said to be an exceptional horse. When it shows up in /tg/, it tends to be depicted as being as badass as a horse with (mostly?) horse level intelligence can be.
More than any other non human animal (except maybe dogs) the horse has been a direct aide to humans at war as a beast of burden, draft animal and as a mount. An average horse can keep up at for over a kilometer at full gallop and keep up a slower canter of 15km/h an hour for an hour. First and foremost a horse means you can travel more quickly from Point A to Point B that you can on foot which offers you a tremendous tactical advantage over your pedestrian foes. It should be noted, that horses do not increase your army's ''strategical'' mobility, as while a well fit horsemen can travel much faster for a few hours, well fit infantry may march at sufficient speed all day long for a few days at a pace that would actually ''kill'' any horse, so at a long march horses actually ''hinder'' your army. Yup, humans are hardy motherfuckers like that.


Though there were probably a few guys who tried riding horses into battle before this and there, our first records of people using horse for warfare with large scale success was with chariots, which began to show up around 2000 BCE. Early in their domestication horses were fairly small short legged critters compared tot their modern counterparts. There was also another matter in staying on the back of a horse in the heat of battle. As such one of the best ways to make use of a horse in battle was to have two or more of them pulling a small lightly built carriage which could carry one or more guys into battle. Usually this would be a driver who had the reigns and either an [[bows and arrows|archer]] or a guy with a spear. Chariots became very widespread going from Spain to China. Chariots could be used to run circles around enemy formations, charge enemy formations (especially if they had blades stuck to their wheels) and were good places for a commander to command his troops. A historical note before we go on: the roman roads were designed for chariots, and later horse drawn carriages, when cars were invented they had to fit the existing road so the width of a modern car and a ancient chariot is fairly close.
There is also ample precedent for fiendish horses as ridden by another monster such as [[Dullahan]] and the [[Four Horsemen]].


However chariots have a problem in there use, there expensive since you have to take care of two horses, pay two riders, and get a chariot, and there not all that effective as the Roman foot soldiers proved. But riding a single horse was still not picnic. You sometimes hear the statement "Calvary only exist because of the stirrup", which is not true as the Numidians who ass kicked the Romans time and time again in the punic wars proves. What the Stirrup did do is allow the rider to "lock" himself in place so that he can charge without getting unseated. If two roman era Calvary men attempted a Medieval style joust, they both go flying every time. You could be a cavalry men before the stirrup, it just meant charging was a much riskier idea then it would be for the later Knights.
===Gallery===
 
<gallery>
After the stirrup DID come to Europe by invading nomadic horsemen from central asia however you can see the effect they had on warfare. This was the time of the heavy knight able to guide, control and most of all stay atop an warhorse as he drove it directly into the enemy lines. The Knight was the tank of his age, heavily armored, highly mobile and well armed with lance, shield and sword and able to fight with all three from an advantage of height over the peasants he lorded over. While the Roman had made an Empire with infantry it was Medieval Heavy Calvary that carved there own feudal realms. But Calvary are expensive, not as much as Chariots since you have half as many horses, but a notable expense none the less. Hence the development of feudalism to support as many armored elite knights with as little administrative costs as possible. Each knight got his little fief that he taxed to cover his upkeep costs.
horse MC1.jpg|2e
 
horse MM 2e.png
While most Europeans were mainly interested in horses for their major charge bonus elsewhere people were more interested in horses as mounts for archers. On open terrain archer on horseback can literally run rings around an infantry formation while pelting them with arrows at a long distance well away from their spears.
horse 4e.jpg|4e
 
horse 5e.jpg|5e
== In Traditional Games ==
horse B1.png|Pathinder
</gallery>


Role-playing games set in the typical vaguely-medieval-European setting will invariably have horses (or some other setting-appropriate  mount, like giant lizards or camels) available to speed travel and increase load capacity between locations. Certain [[classes]], like [[knights]], may have skills to use their horse in combat for increased speed and attack power.  Caring for a horse is extremely complicated, to the point that real-world knights and horse-owning nobles had servants specifically tasked with managing the horse; they need to be fed, groomed, and fitted with equipment like horseshoes, saddles, and reins to operate at peak efficiency, and they are not as adaptable to terrain or as capable of sustaining a heavy pace as a [[human]]. Most role-players are more interested in crawling through dungeons than playing "Horse Stable Manager 1500", so the needs and capabilities of horses are usually kept well abstracted.
==In Warhammer 40,000==
In 40k nobody can be bothered to use a horse, except the [[Attilan Rough Riders]] and [[Krieg]]ers. This is probably because [[White Scars|bikes]], [[Eldar|Jetbikes]], or [[Catachan|even giant xeno-lizards]] are better. Despite this, horses are eaten by the forces of the Imperial Guard.


Greek mythology also includes legends of [[centaurs]], creatures which consist of a man's upper body connected to a horse body at the shoulder (the horse-body's shoulder); naturally, role-playing games include them as [[monsters]] or [[player-character]] races.
<gallery>
mounted regiments.webp
IG5ERoughrider.jpg
death rider 3.webp
death rider 1.webp
death rider 4.webp
death rider 2.jpg
</gallery>


The ancient Greeks believed that in far off lands there was a head horned creature called a unicorn, which coincided with a critter that was described in the old testament. Given the context of what they were talking about these were probably Indian [[Rhino]]s, but this did not stop European artists to imagine these creatures as being like Horses with horns based off Narwhal Tusks. Since the classical depiction of unicorn was a huge horse with a long sharp horn coming out of it's forehead which it could use to impale people with, in the middle ages the unicorn was a symbol of masculinity. Times have changed. [[My Little Pony|Or did they...]]?
==See Also==
*[[Centaur]]: Creature consisting of a man's upper body connected to a horse body at the shoulder (the horse-body's shoulder).
*[[Pegasus]]: Horse with wings.
*[[Unicorn]]: Horse with a horn.
*[[Nightmare]]: An evil demonic horse.
*[[Hippogriff]]: A [[griffon]], but with the lion half replaced with that of a horse.


[[Category:History]]
[[Category:History]]

Latest revision as of 10:08, 21 June 2023

A Destrier Horse

Horses (Equus ferus caballus) are a subspecies of odd toes ungulates native to the continent of Eurasia on planet Earth. Horses are quadrupedal herd dwelling herbivorous (specifically grazing) creatures that usually weigh between 250 and 1000 kilograms and are well adapted to long distance running. Starting around 4,000 BCE, horses were domesticated by humans, first for food, but eventually their primary use was as beasts of burden and in particular as mounts to carry humans about.

History[edit]

Like dogs, horse have been bred by humans into a wide variety of breeds for specialized purposes in different areas. Some are meant for racing, others are meant to carry large loads, and others are intended to carry people (including soldiers). An extensive list of horse breeds can be found here.

More than any other non human animal (except maybe dogs) the horse has been a direct aide to humans at war as a beast of burden, draft animal and as a mount. While they can travel quickly over short distances, most horses which move faster than an infantryman tire if they are forced to march for too long, which can be lethal for them. As persistence hunters, humans have greater endurance than horses over extremely long distances; this is how horses were domesticated in the first place, by simply following them at a walking pace for hours until they were too tired to resist having a rope tied to them. For horse travel to be significantly faster than walking, they need to be supported by a network of stables so the horses can be used in relay.

At first, they were mainly used to pull chariots: small, lightly built carriages which could carry one or more guys into battle. Usually this would be a driver who had the reigns and either an archer or a guy with a spear. They were fast, but expensive to produce. Two major changes shifted chariots to Cavaliers. First, horse breeding produces larger animals, such that a team of horses and a set of wheels were no longer needed to carry a rider forward. Secondly, the stirrup was brought over to Europe. Priorly, difficulties with riding a horse on its own made chariots the only reliable way to use horses in battle.

When the stirrup did reach Europe, the chariot fell out of use in favor of mounted warriors such as knights. A combination of heavy armor, mobility, and devastating charges made knights on horseback dangerous foes. Even after the advent of firearms mounted soldiers were valued for their ability to outflank foes; in one famous incident during the Civil War, General Stuart's cavalry rode 126 miles in 60 hours, circumnavigating the Union army. Cavalry of all types remained a major part of military units worldwide until the end of World War I, and served in a logistical role until ww2. Even today, horses still see some use by modern militaries as they're the only way to bring more than a man can carry through mountainous terrain.

In Traditional Games[edit]

Role-playing games set in the typical vaguely-medieval-European setting will invariably have horses (or some other setting-appropriate mount, like giant lizards or camels) available to speed up travel and increase load capacity between locations. Certain classes, like knights, may have skills to use their horse in combat for increased speed and attack power. Caring for a horse is extremely complicated, to the point that real-world knights and horse-owning nobles had servants specifically tasked with managing the horse; they need to be fed, groomed, and fitted with equipment like horseshoes, saddles, and reins to operate at peak efficiency, and they are not as adaptable to terrain or as capable of sustaining a heavy pace as a human. Most role-players are more interested in crawling through dungeons than playing "Horse Stable Manager 1500", so the needs and capabilities of horses are usually kept well abstracted.

The novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms said the historical horse Red Hare was able to travel at least 200 miles in a day (25 MPH with an 8 hour march, 8.33 MPH for a tireless 24 hour march). Even in history it was said to be an exceptional horse. When it shows up in /tg/, it tends to be depicted as being as badass as a horse with (mostly?) horse level intelligence can be.

There is also ample precedent for fiendish horses as ridden by another monster such as Dullahan and the Four Horsemen.

Gallery[edit]

  • 2e

    2e

  • 4e

    4e

  • 5e

    5e

  • Pathinder

    Pathinder

In Warhammer 40,000[edit]

In 40k nobody can be bothered to use a horse, except the Attilan Rough Riders and Kriegers. This is probably because bikes, Jetbikes, or even giant xeno-lizards are better. Despite this, horses are eaten by the forces of the Imperial Guard.

See Also[edit]

  • Centaur: Creature consisting of a man's upper body connected to a horse body at the shoulder (the horse-body's shoulder).
  • Pegasus: Horse with wings.
  • Unicorn: Horse with a horn.
  • Nightmare: An evil demonic horse.
  • Hippogriff: A griffon, but with the lion half replaced with that of a horse.
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