Plains Horse

The Plains Horse is a horse breed found across the northern and eastern Threshold, seen in the coastal North, the river meadows of the Northeast, and the plains of Marukan. It ranges from 14 to 16 hands in height, with well-balanced build, low-set tail, and sound footing. They are hardy animals, able to resist injury to foot and leg far better than other breeds, a key characteristic for the icy ground of the North, or the rodent-tunneled meadows of the East. This is a reason for their popularity amongst some equestrians, though as warhorses they are neither as fast as a Desert Horse nor able to bear as well-armoured a rider as the River Horse.

The Plains Horse is identifiable by a unique coloration, which is the source of a colloquial name for the breed, the ‘Paint Horse’. Rather than a single solid or striped pattern, the coats of paint horses all cover a lighter base colour with blotches of a darker one, appearing to the eye like daubs of paint across a canvas. This coloration has sometimes been passed on to horses with characteristics of other breeds through careful breeding, but this remains rare. As each horse has a unique pattern of daubs, and they cover a wide array of colours, identifying individual horses within a mixed herd is simple, allowing communal herds to be kept and creating an obstacle for would-be horse thieves.

The best examples of the Paint Horse are said to come from the Marukan Plain, where large herds of both domestic and wild horses can be found. The Marukan Paint Horses tend towards the taller end of the breed, at 15 to 16 hands, whereas those of the North and Northeast rarely pass 15 hands in height.