what do you think tommy's favorite horse was as a child, as a teenager before the war, and as an adult after the war?
i'm thinking horse breed, coloring, temperament etc but you can answer how you like heh <3
(novel length answer in coming)
ooh so i've thought a bit (a lot) about this!!! thank u for this ask, mwah <3
imo tommy has had a constant in terms of horse coats, and that is : he has classic taste. he likes his horses with common coat colorings (black, "white"(= light grey), darker grey and bay) and little to no white markings. i don't think he's much of a chestnust color enjoyer, and definitely less into "uncommon" colorings like piebald or leopard-spotted. so in terms of breeds, no british spotted pony for himself, though i do think he's amused and fascinated by these color patterns. for his own horses, he'd rather go the classic route.
also this is an aside note but - i often see people saying he's too short to be riding the horses they put him on in the show, and like i know it's mostly jokes lolol but! he actually rides horses perfectly suited for his height and build. better get on a too tall horse than a too short one... balance is easier to maintain.
anyway!
as a kid, i think tommy loved all kinds of ponies (bc why pick one when there are so many sorts), but probably breeds that already are high and closer to a horse build - i'm thinking welsh mountain pony for example, a classic breed from wales that has a sophisticated profile thanks to arabian horse influence. a picture of an a-type (= subset of the breed that is shorter and sturdier, better suited for children) welsh pony:
it has a small concave head, with big eyes, short legs and a bit more drafty, and around ~125cm tall max. i think it suits tommy as a kid really well, and considering the time period and geography, it's likely he encountered them as a child. this is what i imagine the white pony his mother brought him as a teenager looked like. another picture from 1911 (more period accurate, but i think it is closer to a nowadays b-type welsh pony? unsure):
as a teenager and young adult now, i think he was already into racehorse breeds. he liked the hot-blooded speed and quick reactions, on-edge temperament. as i said i think he's very classic, so most likely the thoroughbred breed (worth to note that "thoroughbred" is often use as like, a broad term for "pure-bred" as a category, but is actually a breed). thoroughbred horses have been specifically designed to be good at horse racing, and i can imagine young tommy reading the papers abt the big races happening in GB and worldwide and dream himself with one. though i do think he'd enjoy other classic breeds like british warmblood or arabian. an example of a thoroughbred:
and a more period-accurate picture, of a famous american thoroughbred mare named regret born in 1912, who won lots of races:
and after the war... i think he's still mostly into light horses, definitely enjoys them more athletic, but is much less into hot-blooded temperament. so quieter, calmer... though horses are spooky creatures by nature - but i think tommy is more into gentler and more robust/compact horses. in s5/6 (can't rmr), we see him riding what looks like at least a friesian-crossed, and same for the movie bts. so in my heart (and i love that <3), he loves friesians: black coat, wavy manes, strong and tall, compact but still lighter (especially if crossed with other breeds). they've got the drama, the Look and the calmer temperament, it suits him extreeemely well:
so here it iiiis i hope it's a satisfying answer lolol. very long but! there you have it :))
