Horse

Horse
Depiction of a riding horse in Monster Manual, 5th Edition, p. 336.
Biological Information
Type	Beast
Alignment	Unaligned
Movement	60 ft. (riding or warhorse) 40 ft. (draft or pony)
Abilities	Trampling Charge (warhorse)
Physical Characteristics
Size	Large (draft, riding, warhorse) Medium (pony)
Sociocultural Information
Planes	Material Plane (Exandria)
Locations	Western Marquet Oderan Wilds Gelvaan Republic of Tal'Dorei Wildemount Othanzia
Environment	Grassland (riding, draft) Urban (riding, warhorse)

Horses are common beasts of burden in Exandria.

Special breeding and uses

Horses bred in Syngorn are noticeably faster and more expensive than typical horses. The horses used by Uthodurn are particularly sturdy and have thick coats suited to the cold climate.

A favorite Zemnian peasant dish called sauerbraten is made with pickled horse meat.

Notable horses

Vox Machina

Vox Machina tried to cleave to the narrow mining paths of the Salted Bluffs to avoid detection on their approach to Whitestone. Along the way, they had to leave their horses behind to cross a gap; a short time later they noticed a group of harpies attacking the area where they had left the horses. The horses had distracted the harpies from the party.

Mighty Nein

Fan art of the Mighty Nein on their horses on the road to Zadash, by Gina Garavalia.

The Mighty Nein named several of their horses. They acquired a few in Trostenwald and Alfield:

• Shelby: A male white mustang owned by the Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities and named by Fjord. To dispose of two corpses of the Crownsguards, previously posted at the carnival and turned into husk zombies by Kylre, the Mighty Nein harnessed Shelby to pull them in the cart and leave near the Ustaloch. Upon completion, the group pulled the cart half a mile from Trostenwald and sent Shelby off with a sharp whack to his backside.
• Winter's Crest: This draft horse was acquired by the party from the Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities during its disbanding. While riding north on their way north along the Amber Road from Trostenwald to Alfield, Mollymauk stated that the horse had its name because if it lived to the point of Winter's Crest, the carnival had planned to kill it for meat, and after enjoying their fill for the festivities the remainder of the horse would have been made into and sold as jerky to raise funds to purchase the next horse. Nott abbreviated its name to WC, and Caleb pointed out to that, in Zemnian, WC meant Water Closet, for which the horse afterward would be called.
• Loaf: Acquired from the On the Wind Stables in Alfield. Nott eventually dubbed the horse "Loaf." In the Mighty Nein's effort to reduce baggage and gain ground on the Iron Shepherds, believing them to have abducted Jester, Fjord, and Yasha and to be on their way to Shadycreek Run, the party decided to abandon their cart as well as Loaf on the Crispvale Roadway.
  

The Mighty Nein acquired four horses during their first encounter with Trevor and Zenny's bandit group. Sneaking around to the bandit's nine horses, Nott shooed away the five meekest horses and took the healthiest four horses back to the group:

• Toilet: Jester's mount.
• John: Fjord's mount.
• Crapper: Beau's mount.
• Loo: Mollymauk Tealeaf's mount.

Fan art of an ankheg attacking the Mighty Nein's horses, W.C. and Loo, by Callum Lyall.

While the Mighty Nein was heading north towards Shadycreek Run and made camp in an abandoned house on the edge of the Crispvale Thicket, the party was assaulted by several ankhegs which spat out acid out at WC, Crapper, and Loo. Loo was gravely injured, and since the party had no means of healing it, Keg used her axe to put this horse out of its misery. WC was forced to the ground and badly burned. Not aware the horse was still alive, Nott cut out the horse's tongue for food, thus causing the horse to die in pain. Crapper was also badly burned but survived.

Later, the party left Toilet, John, and Crapper near the Iron Shepherds' base, the Sour Nest, while infiltrating the compound. The horses vanished while the group was inside.

The Mighty Nein then took four horses from the Sour Nest:

• Waterloo and Fernando: These horses were let loose upon request by Ophelia to keep their travel caravan light.
• Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen: These horses were kept to pull the enchanted cart that the Iron Shepherds had used in their slaving operation. They journeyed with the Mighty Nein back to Zadash and down toward the Menagerie Coast. They were kept at the Lavish Chateau, then ridden north to reunite the party with Veth's family. They were left in Felderwin.
  • Fjord took a steed on his brief solo journey southward from Zadash in search of word of Sabian. Since the two horses the Mighty Nein had with them at that point were Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia, it was probably one of them.

The Mighty Nein didn't name the horses they acquired later.

• In "Between the Lines" (2x78), the Mighty Nein purchased five horses in Nicodranas and headed north to Zadash. These horses were taken through several teleportation circles, including to Rexxentrum and Port Damali. Ultimately, they were left tethered outside of the Xhorhaus in Rosohna, after being offered (seemingly unsuccessfully) as gifts to Essek Thelyss.
• In "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92), the party got seven horses pursuant to a note from the Gentleman to the stable owner. They rode west to Kamordah and then north into the Cyrios Mountains towards Mount Mentiri. Three were killed by acid geysers, and the remaining four were temporarily made to appear to be moorbounders and released to hopefully find safety.

Bells Hells

On their trip into the Oderan Wilds, Bells Hells rented horses at the Rapid Path Stables. Fearne Calloway called her stallion Sir Floppers; Orym dubbed his horse Rabbit immediately after chasing an almiraj; Chetney Pock O'Pea (who had eaten horse meat before) tried to name the same horse "Loonch"; Laudna named hers Escargot; Imogen Temult named her horse Heart; and Ashton Greymoore initially called their horse "One-Way" to avoid getting attached to a creature that was likely to die, but then adopted the name Loonch (which had much the same meaning) to defuse any naming conflict for Orym and Chetney's horse.

In Gelvaan, Imogen had a favorite tan and white mare named Flora. Chetney made a complicated wood carving of a horse as a gift to Imogen. After the sorcerer retired from adventuring Laudna convinced Faramore (Flora's owner) to give the mare to Imogen as a gift for their new home.

Related species

Centaurs are creatures with the lower body of a horse and the torso, arms, and head of a humanoid. According to their creation myth, the elven Horselords of Laphithas fought alongside Corellon during the Calamity. When Corellon wounded Gruumsh, an explosion of chaotic energy merged these elves with their horses. Corellon rewarded his allies by reviving them as the first centaurs.

Nightmares appear like black horses with their hooves, manes, and tails aflame.

Trivia

• Horse meat was cooked for the dignitaries of Rybad-Kol shortly before the Strife Emperor was defeated near the end of the Calamity.

References

Art: