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Trade and Equipment: Horses & Mounts

To get around Lodoss, you might want a better means of transportation than your own two feet. The most common mode of transportation is the horse, though there are a few other beasts of burden to be chosen from. For any mount your character has, you will need to write up some information on it.

Horses and Other Equines

Horses and Ponies

Horses have long been companions of humans, serving as mounts, beasts of burden, and friends. They have been selectively breed for thousands of years, creating a broad variety of breeds, colors, sizes, and uses.

The height of horses is measured by hands from the hoof to withers (shoulder). A hand equals 4 inches (about 10cm), the average width of a man's hand. The height of the average palfrey is about 15 hands high (5 feet or 152cm). Ponies are small horses that measure under 14.2hh.

There is no information on what breeds exist in Lodoss, so players are free to make up their own breeds. Do not use the names of breeds that exist in our world, however. Make up new names. We also use basic types, such as farm horses, palfreys, saddle horses, and the like. See below for information on these breeds.

Breeds

Krisoon: Resemble our Arab horses. They are a small, hardy and beautiful breed bred in the deserts of Flaim. Krisoons are spirited and intelligent. They are also fast runners with great endurance. Between 14 and 15hh. (Created by Z.)
Jaeger: Similar to Anglo-Arab or Thoroughbred. These horses are a special breed from Flaim crossed from tall saddle horses and small Krisoons. They are exclusively owned by Flaim nobles. 15 to 17hh. (Created by Aiyanna Starwind.)
War Horse: A heavy riding horse bred for strength and stamina, since they often need to wear armor and carry armored knights. They are generally even-tempered and proud animals. Most war horses are very large, but not as big as a draft horse. 16 or 17hh.
Draft Horse: These are work horses. They are often very muscular and tall. They are mostly placid animals and used for mostly farm work or pulling wagons. These are similar to our Clydesdales, Shires, and other heavy "cold blooded" breeds. 16 to 18hh.
Feral: Feral horses are wild horses that have domestic ancestors. Mustangs of our world are feral horses. Herds of feral horses can be found in many open regions of Lodoss, such as the milder regions of the Storm and Fire Desert, Wildlands grasslands, and Alania and Kanon grasslands and pastures. The feral horses of Kanon and Alania are mostly horses who lost their masters during the war, or escaped from farms. Most feral horses have a light build and are quite fast, though their other traits and colors can be a mixed bag. After several generations of living in the wild, they become more spirited than their domestic forebearers.
Saddle Horse: Most nobles, especially ladies, ride these horses. They are tall and usually delicate in appearance. They are sometimes flighty creatures, but they have their charms. For sport, saddle horses are used for fox hunting or jumping. There are several different types of saddle horse, some bred for distinct purposes. 15 to 17hh.
Palfrey: This is the average horse that anyone from commoner to noble might have. They are light of build, but their features and temperament vary greatly. The one significant characteristic is that a palfrey has a smooth gait instead of a trot. The smooth gait is achieved by walking with a 4 step rhythm: left hind, left front, right hind, right front. In this sequence there is a moment when the horse has only 1 foot on the ground. Such a gait can be maintained for long distances and at considerable speed. 14 to 16hh.
Warmblood: A warmblood is a cross between a light breed horse, often called hot bloods, and a heavy breed, called cold bloods. Because they are crosses, there is little to be said in the appearance and temperament, often they are somewhere in between their parent breeds. 16 or 17hh.
Ponies: Small equines often used for work or for children to ride. Under 14.2hh.
Crossbreed: A cross between other breeds, usually of the same type. Crossbreeds are not as desired as pedigreed horses, but they are usually better tempered with less health defects since they aren't inbred like many pure blooded breeds. A crossbreed with good features might actually be the start of an entirely new breed. 14-17hh, depending on parent breeds.

Colors

Horses have been bred in a broad spectrum of coloration. See below for a listing of these color types. Aside from their over all coloring, horses also have markings on their faces and feet. The face may display a white spot (called a star), or stripe (called a blaze). On their legs, they can be marked with a number of white socks. The term sock is used for a short marking that doesn't pass much higher than the fetlock (ankle). Stockings are socks that reach to or above the knee and hock. A cornet is a small white ring above the hoof. Hooves with a sock above them are often pink. Horses usually have brown eyes, but for the game we'll allow odd colors such as gold or red. Blue or green eyes generally only occur when there is a white mark over the eye.

Albino: As a rule, there is no such thing as a white horse. White usually falls under the realm of gray, except in the case of albinos. Albinos lack pigmentation, and are very rare. They are pure white with pale pink skin and blue eyes. However, their light skin makes them susceptible to the elements, namely the sun.
Bay: A horse that is a shade of brown with black marks on it's legs and a black mane and tail.
Black: Black usually falls under gray. Black horses aren't especially common, though many grays are born black. Most grays fade as they grow older, but some horses stay black their entire lives. True blacks are prized by breeders and nobles. Many warhorses are pure black, breed specifically for their color.
Brown: A horse is considered brown when they are a shade of brown and their mane and tail either matches or is darker than their coat.
Buckskin: Technically a shade of bay, buckskin is a very light shade of brown (resembling tanned deer skin) with black points.
Chestnut: Chestnut generally refers to a horse that is a shade of brown with a lighter colored mane or tail. Palominos technically fall into the chestnut category.
Dun: Duns are a grayish-brown shade. What distinguishes duns from buckskins is that dun horses always have a dark stripe down the middle of their back, which may continue into the tail and mane, and may have darker faces and legs.
Gray: As stated above, there is technically no such thing as a white horse. Most horses that end up white were born black and faded to gray and eventually white with age. A gray horse will likely turn white when it gets older, but some might not. Grays often vary in coloration from year to year, getting lighter and lighter as time goes on. This often leads to an attractive coloration in their mane and tail when they have new, pale hair growing leaving older, dark hair at the end. Many of these grays are dappled. Dapples are a sort of spot, usually a dark ring of color with a lighter center—dappling also happens with palominos.
Paint: A horse marked with white and brown or black and white splotches. Piebald is black and white; skewbald is usually brown, but can be any color except black, and white; and oddbald is a mix of brown, black and white (often resembling bay with brown marks and black points).
Palomino: A horse with a golden, orange, or yellow colored body and a white or flaxen mane and tail.
Roan: Roan is a mix of white hairs and another base coat color. There are many color combinations, include strawberry and blue roans. Some have black points.
Sorrel: A horse of a reddish/copper color. Their manes and tails match or are darker than their bodies, but if it's white or flaxen, they can be considered palominos. Technically, sorrels fall under brown or chestnut.
Spotted: Spotted horses are white with usually brown spots across their body. (Appaloosa coloration. I don't want to use the term Appaloosa because it's a Native American term, also assume they are less varied in coloration than our appaloosas).

Horses usually live around 20-25 years, but a particularly healthy or well-kept horse can live up to their thirties. The oldest horse in recorded history (real world) lived to be 62. Regarding a horse's gender, they are called by specific terms depending on their age.

Foal: General term for young horse in it's first year.
Colt: Male horse under the age of 4.
Filly: Female horse under the age of 4.
Yearling: Term used once horse has reached it's first year. A horse "teenager", if you will.
Stallion: Male horse over the age of 5.
Mare: Female horse over the age of 5.
Gelding: Male horse that has been neutered to give it better temperament. Gelding has been around for centuries, so it can be assumed that it is practiced in Lodoss.

Donkeys or Asses

Donkeys, also known as asses, are often used as beasts of burden, as opposed to riding animals. These short, stout equines are gray and shaggy with long ears. The average donkey is about 10-12 hands high (3-4 feet at the shoulder, or 101-122cm), though there is variation due to breeding. Donkeys are most commonly used as pack animals by humans and dwarves. Dwarves use donkeys and ponies to help run their mining machinery, but occasionally will ride them when necessary.

Mules

Mules are a cross between a horse and donkey. More specifically, a male donkey and female horse. The offspring of a female donkey and male horse is called a hinny, but is much rarer as male horses show less interest in female donkeys than male donkeys show in female horses. Mules and hinnies are usually sterile, but there are rare cases in which they are fertile. They are preferred to donkeys and horses as work animals as they have the best traits of both: the sobriety, patience, endurance and sure-footedness of the donkey, and the vigor, strength and courage of the horse. They are also usually the same size of a horse, giving an advantage of size over their donkey parent.

Pegasus (Plural: Pegasi)

Pegasi are a chimera, created by Kastuulian sorcerers by placing bird wings on the backs of horses. There are no tame pegasus being bred; if one wants one, they must capture and train it themselves. Pegasi have a strong will and treasure their freedom, making taming them a hard task. Many captured pegasi die in captivity when they aren't allowed the freedom they crave. Most pegasi are gray or white with large white wings that are strong enough to carry them in flight. They have the build of a light palfrey, standing at about 14.5-15hh. They range through the Wildlands, grazing in the vast grasslands, and avoiding humans at all costs.

Other Mounts

Camels

In the deep deserts of Flaim, horses are not as reliable as desert dwelling camels. Camels can be bought or rented in Flaim, but are rarely found elsewhere. Their use is basically limited to travel within the desert, but outside the desert, they are slower than horses. Camels can be traded for horses (aside from expensive horse breeds).

Oxen

Though not suited for riding, oxen can be used to tow wagons in place of horses. They are stronger, but not as intelligent as horses. A pair of oxen are also less expensive than a pair of work horses.

Wyverns

Wyverns are, for the most part, exclusively owned by knights and high nobility of Moss. They are not sold to commoners or even the richest merchants. Wyverns are far more intelligent than horses, and expensive to keep. Their food consists of whole animals, often sheep or cattle, and they can eat at least once a week. When Mossian knights reach the third rank, they may opt to tame a wyvern and become a Dragon Rider. Only the highest nobles are allowed to keep dragons, if they are not knights. The average lord or lady is not allowed a wyvern, but royalty and dukes are. Wild wyverns are far harder to tame that the domestic flocks kept in Moss, but it could be acceptable for a dark elf of Blue Dragon Island to have a wyvern native to the island.

Moss's wyverns come in a variety of colors, having been selectively bred, while wild wyverns are mostly gray or white. Gray, white, black, sand gold, blue-gray, green-gray, and red wyverns have been bred in Moss. Queen Shiris rides a rare red wyvern.

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