Mountain Horse
The Central Horse, or Mountain Horse, is a small, sturdy horse breed, short and stocky at between 12 and 14 hands in height (by some definitions not a horse but a pony). Their manes and tails run long, and are often styled, braided or interwoven with ribbons or beads by Dynastic riders. Their hooves are strong and tough, and on the Blessed Isle horseshoes are rarely used, the most common form not metal but a form of straw ‘sandal’ which allows the horse to move well on wet or muddy terrain. Their short, muscular stature means they are easily able to cross rough and mountainous terrain, and to bear heavy loads including armoured riders… some have even been able to canter under loads equal to their own weight. They are reliable and wily animals, and some have said that ‘A horse of the South is loyal, for it shall run for you soon as you call it no matter what lies between. A horse of the Mountain is more loyal, for when you call it shall take the time to be sure that it gets there.’
Some Threshold horse-riders, the Marukani particularly, consider it a poor breed, slow and tiny. Indeed, in terms of speed, it is outpaced by the Desert Horse, and in terms of raw power on a charge it is outdone by the River Horse, but the Mountain Horse is hardworking and consistent, and the traits it possesses are extolled as the best traits of warhorses in the Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier. It is the dominant horse amongst the cavalry units of the Dynastic House Guard and mounted officers in the Imperial Legions, as well as for both working and pleasure riders on the Blessed Isle (though other breeds have also been imported, and several rare prized breeds are more highly regarded). In war, the Mountain Horse excels at moving in coordination with infantry and in flanking or circling attacks, particularly as a platform for armoured horse archers (the style of mounted combat most popular amongst the Dragonblooded of the Scarlet Dynasty).
The horse-owners of the Realm are known to show great respect for their horses, seeking to grant them freedoms and protections beyond other domesticated beasts. Like some River Horses, many Mountain Horses destined for combat are equipped with lamellar Barding armour, though rather than helping them smash through enemy infantry lines (which they do rarely) this is meant to protect them from injury against hostile archers, slingers, and skirmishers. Dynastic horses are also given a great deal of leeway in grazing, their stables often left open… many a peasant bemoans the Mountain Horse found wandering his fields, dining on what was meant to be this season’s harvest, but to harm or force out an animal which carries a Prince of the Earth would be unthinkable (in fact, as the horse has been set to feed by an Exalt, it would amount to a religious sin imperiling the poor farmer’s soul). Horses are barely used for pulling carts or tilling on the Isle, such a task done by oxen or human power.
Yet, perhaps due to the Correct Actions and the Scarlet Empress showing little support for cavalry (or, some dark-minded savants muse, because a Dragonblood’s anima might shred any mount to pieces in times of stress no matter how beloved), Dynasts do not have close relations with the Mountain Horses that bear them: at war or riding for travel and pleasure, Dynasts typically switch horses frequently, leaving a mount behind and taking a new horse of equal quality to continue on (an act that, though impersonal, also ensures no horse is overworked). There is also no tradition of giving personal names to horses, as is seen commonly in the Threshold: a breeder can recite lineage through the mare back three generations, but a Dynast will refer to even a favourite mount by description (‘My favourite horse is my medium gelding with the white stripe on the neck and the steady gait’) instead of a name.
