Thread: My New War-Horse

Would that a great steed of Rohan, a Mearas of the Rohirrim, be granted to me upon the vast fields of the Mark. "Their horses were of great stature, strong and clean-limbed; their grey coats glistened, their long tails flowed in the wind, their manes were braided on their proud necks."

In other words more plain: Please, let the new war-horse BE a war-horse. Let it look and move like a noble mount bred to battle. Please do not cover it with tableclothes, banners, baskets of tools, hanging lanterns, neon saddle blankets, or any clutter that would in any way detract from the purpose and beauty of these great horses. While I realize that over the years it has been the fashion in-game that the more valuable the horse (greater morale, greater speed, higher rep or more extensive the quest chain to secure the privilege of owning such a horse) the more elaborate the horse's decoration or tack. Please don't do this with the steeds of Rohan.

Please remember that the horses of the Rohirrim were the most magnificent horses that the Fellowship had ever seen. Compared to the ponies of the Shire and the horses of the men of Bree and Gondor, the steeds of Rohan were breathtaking, in beauty, stature and ability. I would like to ride across the Mark on such a horse.

Thank you for listening.

I would have to agree, in part.

First, yes, the mighty war-horses of the Rohirrim were the most beautiful horses they had ever seen, and should be such without tack and all that. They should be magnificent in their own right, so please start them off that way. Put before us a glorious specimen of horse-flesh.

Then, build upon that. Make their tack something worthy of being placed on such an amazing steed. It doesn't have to be long blankets and flags and all that nonsense. Regular-sized blankets, adorned with the pattern of the Rohirrim will do beautifully. Saddles need to look sturdy enough to keep a Rider in the saddle while in-combat. Deep stirrups, not simple ones, adorned with horse-heads in copper, silver and gold. The pommel of the saddle should be elegant yet functional at the same time. Bridles that allow us to see the head of the noble steed, yet enhance its glory at the same time. Free-flowing manes would be lovely but perhaps impractical for war. Braided manes may be more practical in the heat of battle. Adorn them with the colors of the Rohirrim.

So, basically, don't design our war-horses with their tack in mind first. Start with the horse, make it as magnificent as you can, then build from there, adding simple and functional yet elegant tack that will elevate an already amazing mount onto a pedestal no other mount can hope to enjoy.

Mearas is a very specific type of horse. They were not what most Rohirrim rode. In fact, with the exception of Gandalf, only the Lord of the Mark and his sons were able to ride them. Specifically, they were the only people that the Mears would allow to ride them.

Originally Posted by Sapience

Mearas is a very specific type of horse. They were not what most Rohirrim rode. In fact, with the exception of Gandalf, only the Lord of the Mark and his sons were able to ride them. Specifically, they were the only people that the Mears would allow to ride them.

He is right But I agree with you

Originally Posted by Sapience

Mearas is a very specific type of horse. They were not what most Rohirrim rode. In fact, with the exception of Gandalf, only the Lord of the Mark and his sons were able to ride them. Specifically, they were the only people that the Mears would allow to ride them.

But could i trick a Mearas to let me ride it? If i grew a beard like Gandalf, stole his clothes, got a cheap copy of his staff and faked his voice...would i then be able to ride it? Or does the Mearas have a gandalf-detector?

*beep* Non-gandalf human detected. Kick mode enabled.

In the old north of Middle-earth lived a proud race of wild horses, long-lived, wise and fleet of foot. The legends of Men said that their ancestors had been brought from the West by Béma, their name for the Vala Oromë.

One of these was captured as a foal by Léod of the Éothéod. It grew into a strong white horse, but when Léod tried to mount it, it threw him and killed him. Léod's son Eorl took the horse himself, naming him Felaróf. Felaróf was one of the greatest horses to have ever lived, and was said to understand the speech of Men. He carried Eorl when the Éothéod rode south to Rohan, and there sired a race of horses nearly as great as himself.

These were the Mearas, noble horses that lived as long as a Man, and had extraordinary strength and intelligence. Throughout their history, they would only allow themselves to be ridden by the Lord of the Mark or his sons. This long tradition was broken by Gandalf, who managed to train the greatest of the Mearas of his time, Shadowfax, and rode that mighty horse throughout the War of the Ring.

The word Mearas comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning simply 'horses'. Its singular form would be mearh, but no character in The Lord of the Rings ever uses that word.

- From the Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/m/mearas.html

I trust that Turbine will not break, nor bend, the lore in this regard: We will not be riding any of the mearas. That said, as posters above has noted, war-horses are quite different. The type of horse we currently use in LOTRO is probably what was known in the Middle-Ages as a "rouncey" (all-purpose horse). According to Wikipedia, the courser and destrier were used for warfare. The courser would be more common, being "light, fast, and strong" while the destrier would be stronger, muscular, and better-trained for use specifically in battle or tournament. The destrier was consequently more expensive and not owned by every knight.

I'm hoping for a couple options myself. I have no idea how war-horses will be implemented, but I'd like a courser for moving quickly across the plains (more of a light cavalry style) and a destrier for the (hopefully) heavier battles we'll face.

I'm sure someone that has actually worked with or studied horses could say more. That's just what I've gleaned from memory and wikipedia.

I have more titles than days of the year. Certainly on the fields of Rohan and beyond, I will acquire even more. "Shield Maiden of the Westfold" or "Warrior Maid of Osgiliath" or "Princess Poobah of Edoras", whatever, and certainly after acquiring yet another year-count of titles I would be granted Kindred status. Perhaps then I would be granted the only mount in Middle Earth worth questing, fighting and dying for.

One can only hope. And sometimes, all we have is a fool's hope.

I think what he's saying is that we as Middle Earth fans want to see horses appropriate to Middle Earth and not WoW, EQ, DDO or any of the other games where neon glitzy horses might be the norm.