Horses in GURPS

In prehistoric times, horses occured wild across Europe and northern Asia. They were largely extinct in the wild by the middle ages, although a relic population survives in Mongolia. Other groups of feral horses have been established in the Americas and Australia, where they have reverted to the form of their wild ancestors. The European wild horse was called the tarpan, the Mongolian wild horse has the name Przewalski's horse, and the feral North American horses are named mustangs. A number of Pleistocene American wild horses are known, which may or may not be in the same species as modern horses but surely can be treated as wild horses in game terms (Yukon Wild Ass, Mexican Horse, Scott's horse).

Horses have survived largely as human domesticates. Through selective breeding, their form and temperment has been altered to suit man's needs. The introduction of the horse as a mount has transformed many human societies, allowing European and Asian warriors to overrun their horseless neighbors, while the Native Americans of the Great Plains and the Palouse were able to become much more efficient hunters once mounted. Also important was the horse as a source of labor. By pulling a plow, a horse allows a man to cultivate large areas, while harnessed horses can pull loads for commerce or turn mills for grinding. Male horses that are not going to be used for breeding are usually gelded, as intact stallions tend to be more agressive and harder to work with.

Among the many varieties of domestic horses are:

• Ponies. This is a generic term for a small horse. The earliest horses were all ponies, as it took some time to breed larger varieties from the pony sized wild horses. Ponies are were used to pull chariots, and are currently used to pull carts and carry packs. They can be ridden, and both the Huns and the Mongol hoards rode fast, sturdy, and maneuverable ponies when carrying out their invasions.
• Work horses. These are the horses used for pulling plows, carts, and mills in the middle ages. They were sturdy and strong, but smaller than modern draft horses.
• Desert horses. These are the horses of the Arabs. Hardy, fast, and possessed of great endurance, they are often counted as the most beautiful of all horse breeds. From these little horses are decended the soc alled "Arab" breed, which today all too often has only the beauty and none of the functionality of its sun-baked ancestors. These desert horses tend toward a hot blooded temperment.
• Racehorses. These horses are bred to run very fast for the duration of one race around a track. They were not bred to think, or to be healthy, and it shows. While they are superb athletes, they have a delicate constitution and need more papmering than many other horse breeds. They do love to run.
• Saddle horses. These horses were bred for comfortable riding. They often have gaits that are less jarring to a rider than those of other horses. In the middle ages, these were often called Palfreys, pony sized saddle horses were called Jennets.
• Hunters. These are large, althetic, fast horses. They were often used for cavalry horses, and their strength and speed made them favorites to ride in the pursuit of game. Today they are often found in equestrian athletic events, such as dressage, cross country, and jumping competitions.
• Destriers. This is the mideval version of the tank. A very large, strong horse that could carry its own barding and a heavily armed and armored knight at a full gallop against massed formations of infantry or archers. After a charge with a lance, while their rider laid waste about him with a sword, mace, or axe, the destrier would attack any footman close by with blows from its hooves. Destriers were notoriously cranky animals, and would often obey only one rider, while giving their grooms a hard time and visciously attacking anyone else. Most destriers were stallions, whose natural agressive instinct was useful on the battlefield.
• Draft horses. The draft horse is a very large, very strong horse bred to pull huge loads, whether carts, wagons, or plows. They have a placid and staid disposition.

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