tumblr is continuously eating the asks i get so here we are. yapping unprompted. i have really big feelings on horses in mcd and the horses i think the cast should or could have so i'm going to share them.
disclaimer: these picks are based off aesthetic, temperament and just plain vibes to varying degrees so if you don't see my vision uhhhhhh idc live your truth. for that reason, none of these picks would make logical sense in canon since the majority would be wild, so i want you to close your eyes and pretend for me that these could all feasibly happen.
also i just took quick screenshots so some of these will be really poor quality okay thanks! enjoy!
garroth ro'meave
upon running away, garroth steals a horse from o'khasis. of course, he has grown up on horseback, as all ro'meaves are, and is quite sensible around them. however, i believe that garroth would be well-paired with a draught horse (read: a very large horse bred to draw heavy loads), specifically a grey clydesdale (though i would also accept a percheron, personally).
these guys are big, stocky gentle giants. i like to imagine that garroth's specifically has been retired from work (perhaps from drawing carriages?) and is the mark of his impulse when leaving o'khasis. it is not a meticulous plan, and he does not examine his options for a horse to travel with. he rushes, and he takes what he finds (a far cry from the horses bred for hunting or war that garroth would have grown up with).
this guy would be very pleasant in phoenix drop, great with kids and the skittish townsfolk, but fussy with other horses (because, you remember. how garroth's horse is. in canon...)
aphmau
my first thought for aphmau was an american paint horse (again, can we just suspend our disbelief knowing that 90% of these picks are tamed horses in canon mcd. yep? wonderful), mostly because i love giving her a horse with the iconic dappled markings that she loves so much. these guys will be a decent-ish height for aph, and will be smaller and stockier, but still bear some quarter/thoroughbred spiciness. they'll match her lively energy!
it takes aphmau a LONG time to learn how to ride. in my heart, garroth spends a lot of time teaching her, but she still isn't the most confident on horseback. she also doesn't have a sole long-term horse in the way that garroth & dante do, so i imagine that this is just the horse that she uses most in season one, but is opportunistic and doesn't mind whatever horse she ends up with. she has fallen off the most out of all of the cast listed here but its simply inexperience i swear <3.
laurance zvahl
laurance is blessed with a very classic thoroughbred. the guy you think about when you hear 'horse' (though i did consider giving him roan because howwww cute. but we are working with his post-chop design here so i'll stick to the red undertones alone... something to keep in mind for nicole or someone else i think...) ok so these guys are bred for a lot of high-energy disciplines and known for their agility and speed. again, this is your classic horse.
laurance struggles a lot with riding after losing ungrth. he developed a very unique riding style thanks to having a wyvern (as well as some extremely strong thighs) and i think that having a thoroughbred would be a fun way to come close to the temperamental and unpredictable high-energy nature of wyverns, which are naturally a lot more Aware and Headstrong than horses. so i wanted to give laurance something bred for sport or western with a lot of pent up energy to give.
i also imagine that his horse specifically is a fucking shithead, and needs a flexible but firm rider. and laurance's legs are like a fucking machine. he rides a wyvern. he can sit through bucking and rearing. if anything, he prefers a horse that is ready to run. garroth's horse would piss him off. it takes laurance a while to get back into a saddle after ungrth, but once he does i think this is what he would be regularly riding.
dante
last but not least, dante! i gave dante a fell pony because i think it would be so cute if he had a pony. but for serious reasons, these guys are reliable and hardy and comfortable traversing mountainous territory. and i like to think that, similarly to garroth, this is a horse that dante took when fleeing home. he was on his own for a very long time, and i think he would have appreciated a sturdy horse good with unpredictable terrain to be able to travel with him.
these guys are from the mountains/moorlands, so would be very helpful journeying with him, and would be calm enough not to be reactive to dante's skittishness around horses. he needs something very chill. and hey, what better way to wean off talking into your fuckass amulet than to confide in a cute pony instead!!!
bee's bonus notes!
while i understand how unrealistic it is to give ALL of the jury big fuckoff draught horses, i was really attached to giving katelyn a grey percheron too. i ended up settling for an irish draught horse bred for hunting because i think that would suit her quite well.
zane is comfortable on horseback, though he was not as thoroughly trained as garroth. horses do not usually like him at all - nonetheless, he takes pristine care of his gorgeous friesian.
nicole on a roan thoroughbred would be so fun. that's all
okay i'm done i hope you enjoyed my insane horse rambles! please let me know if you agree or have bonus ideas for any of this because i am really passionate about this for some strange reason.
