River Horse

River Horses are not, as name might initially suggest, horses who dwell on or around rivers, but rather the breed of horse found in the East, particularly on the open fields and pastures of the River Province. River Horses typically stand 15 to 17 hands in height, with heavy musculature for bearing loads and powerful hindquarters for sprinting forward or halting/turning on short notice. The taller horses tend to be bred for use as pack animals, while the more muscular serve as warhorses both in the East and across Creation.

As a warhorse, the River Horse is perhaps the tallest amongst its peers in regular use, though the difference is typically only a half-hand between most River Horses and Desert Horses when both have been bred for war. It is known for its ferocious demeanour and bravery, able to carry a heavily armoured warrior forward in a charge (and willing to do so), biting and kicking in battle along with its rider and trampling foes beneath its hooves.

In much of the River Province, particularly the Hundred Kingdoms, River Horses are used primarily as shock troops, with mercenary companies of heavy cavalry lancers with riders and often mounts armoured in heavy armour such as steel plate (though the expense and weight see the horses more often clad in padding or painted leathers). Rather than the flanking and pursuit tactics elsewhere in Creation, these troops form a central nucleus for armies of infantry and archers, smashing holes in enemy lines by way of frontal charges (in lines, or the ‘fish scale’ formation spoken of in the Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier). The expense of such forces was part of the push changing Hundred Kingdoms warfare from battle to dueling: rather than the most powerful champion leading the cavalry charge, many kingdoms now favour resolving their disputes through a one-on-one joust between their heavy cavalry champions.

The River Horse’s size and strength make it the horse of choice for pairing with donkeys to produce Mules, and most workhorse breeds in Creation originate with the River Horse, including the common Barge Horse.

In Marukan, some River Horses are found, both in wild herds and in the domesticated stables of the Horselords, where they are favoured mounts for Hammerer heavy cavalry. These are considered the best of the breed by most equestrians, but most Marukani range riders favour the Plains Horse amongst their herds, for its greater swiftness.