Barge Horse

The Barge Horse is a large, heavy breed of draft horse, bred for its ability to lift and pull great weights. They stand 16 to 17 hands in height, noticeably wider than even the larger River Horses with thick necks, torsos, and legs, and are found most commonly in the River Province, though it can be found in stables across Creation. It is thought to originate with careful breeding of River Horses in ages long past, for strength over speed and docility rather than fierce temperament.

Barge Horses are used as pack animals and work animals, carrying cargo in carts or on their backs, hauling plows, pulling barges (the common image of a Barge Horse walking the bank of a Scavenger Lands river pulling a cargo-laden barge along with it gives the breed its name), or drawing carriages. They lack the speed and temperament for regular use as war horses, though some nobles and knights favour them on parade for their imposing size and stability, and they serve well in baggage trains or hauling artillery.

While horses are the favoured work animal of the River Province, making Barge Horses common there, other beasts are more popular in other regions (Creation is home to a vast array of working animals, such as Oxen and Water Buffalo on the Blessed Isle & coastal Threshold , Camels in the Southern deserts, Yeddim in the North and far East, Elephants in the Southwest, and Island Ponies on the islands of the West), leaving it to be found only in smaller numbers.