History Main / AutomatonHorses

** Subverted in ''Literature/{{Mort}}; on first returning from his botched first assignment, Mort dashes dramatically out of the stable..but he catches himself and returns several times to feed and groom Binky.

** Subverted in ''Literature/{{Mort}}; on first returning from his botched first assignment, Mort dashes dramatically out of the stable..but he catches himself and returning several times to feed and groom Binky.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Literature/RaisingSteam'' plays with the trope by discussing it. Moist is granted the use of a rare and valuable {{golem}} horse--a [[MechanicalHorse quite literal automaton]]--but the lack of "all those fussing little rituals that defined horsemanship" rather unnerves him. He feels that having a mount that can travel faster than any living animal without ever tiring or needing food or water, and which just stands there dutifully when not in use, is getting something for nothing; that all that power should come at [[PowerAtAPrice some kind of price]]. What makes it even weirder for him is that like all golems, [[SapientSteed the horse is entirely sentient]], but still doesn't mind its lot--when he tells it to go frolic in a field when he's not using it, it takes this as an order.

* Calvary horses in the early days of ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'' were notorious for being these. They had the ability to [[MadeOfIron soak up bullets]] (and even ''cannon fire'') without any form of crippling effects, gallop indefinitely and even leap over vehicles or onto buildings. Occasional wonky Frostbite Engine physics also sometimes allowed them to win a ''head-on collision'' against '''ARMOURED CARS'''.[[note]]Admittedly, all these quirks could be explained from a coders standpoint as the horses being classified in the engine as "vehicles" and thus play by those rules.[[/note]]

* Averted several times over, sometimes with TearJerker results, in ''Literature/TheSaddleClub'', which makes a point of showing that horses are actually rather fragile animals susceptible to a wide range of injury and illness.

** In [[Videogame/RedDeadRedemption2 the prequel]], horses require a lot more maintenance. This time around, RealityEnsues, which means you need to feed them in order to keep their Health and Stamina up as well as grooming them to keep them clean (which affects stamina). You also need to strengthen your bond with your horse by praising and petting them in order to increase their stats as well as unlock new moves, tricks or abilities for them to do.

** Even when the horses are well, the series also goes out of its way to depict horses as living creatures with wills of their own and distinct personalities; they don't always do exactly what the rider wants them to do all the time, and riders also have to adjust their approach for each horse based on that horse's characteristics (with failure to do so usually being a sign that a rider isn't very good).

** Even when the horses are well, the series also goes out of its way to depict horses as living creatures with wills of their own and distinct personalities; they don't always do exactly what the rider wants them to do, and riders also have to adjust their approach for each horse based on that horse's characteristics (and failure to do so is usually a sign that that rider isn't very good).

* Creator/DavidEddings, despite peddling fantasy tropes "like dope", averts this. In the ''Literature/{{Elenium}}'' universe, some of the horses - especially Faran, Sparhawk's loyal mount - are distinct characters in their own right and their needs are mentioned. Actually discussed at one point by the antagonists, when one of them rides a horse so hard it dies and he has to go and steal another. Meanwhile, in the ''Literature/Belgariad'', equine limitations are not only mentioned but play a major role in the plot by limiting how far and fast the characters can go, and in one instance pushing the horses too hard results in some of said horses actually collapsing under their riders, forcing the company to slow to a crawl and baby them until they recover.

* Roach[[note]]Geralt calls ANY horse he's riding "Roach."[[/note]] in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' downplays this. While he can't be killed, doesn't require any maintenance regarding food and water, and can gallop indefinitely as long as he's on a path or road of some sort, he will run out of stamina from galloping ''off'' the beaten path, he's finicky about terrain, and will buck you off and bolt if his "Fear Gauge" is filled.[[note]]It fills when close to hostiles, [[FridgeLogic freaking him out equally]] if it's some [[GoddamnBats pisspot bandit with a wood club]] or a Royal Griffin.[[/note]]

* {{Discussed}} and {{Averted}} in ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'', one of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' books - naturally, since the character discussing the issue is a horse. When the heroes find out that Prince Rabadash is going to ride out with his cavalry, they all freak out, but as Bree the horse points out, lots of provisions will need to be gathered, and the progress of the force will be not be especially fast since men, armor, weapons, food, and water are heavy and the desert is dry and hot, so they can't just gallop all day long across it. So, the threat goes from "earth-shatteringly scary" to "very bad, but manageable".

* The only thing you have to watch out for when you have pet horses, donkeys and mules in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' is their health bar. [[HyperactiveMetabolism Feeding them only restores health]], much like with wolves, and this is rarely necessary since horses auto-regenerate their health. You can also breed them with golden carrots or apples, if there aren't enough naturally-spawning horses near your base. Otherwise, horses are effectively robots with infinite battery life. After "taming" one by climbing on it a few times, just slap a saddle on it and you can ride it around indefinitely, without worrying about it getting tired or moving even a millimeter off-course.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Discworld/RaisingSteam'' plays with the trope by discussing it. Moist is granted the use of a rare and valuable {{golem}} horse--a [[MechanicalHorse quite literal automaton]]--but the lack of "all those fussing little rituals that defined horsemanship" rather unnerves him. He feels that having a mount that can travel faster than any living animal without ever tiring or needing food or water, and which just stands there dutifully when not in use, is getting something for nothing; that all that power should come at [[PowerAtAPrice some kind of price]]. What makes it even weirder for him is that like all golems, [[SapientSteed the horse is entirely sentient]], but still doesn't mind its lot--when he tells it to go frolic in a field when he's not using it, it takes this as an order.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E4TheGirlInTheFireplace "The Girl in the Fireplace"]], the Doctor needs to break through a window, and mentions that he'd need a truck to do it. When he actually ''does'' break through, he does so on an available horse. [[SoftGlass The impact likely would have killed it.]]

** In [[Videogame/RedDeadRedemption2 the prequel]] horses require a lot more maintenance. This time around, RealityEnsues, which means you need to feed them in order to keep their Health and Stamina up as well as grooming them to keep them clean (which affects stamina). You also need to strengthen your bond with your horse by praising and petting them in order to increase their stats as well as unlock new moves, tricks or abilities for them to do.

** In [[''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption2'' the prequel]] horses require a lot more maintenance. This time around, RealityEnsues, which means you need to feed them in order to keep their Health and Stamina up as well as grooming them to keep them clean (which affects stamina). You also need to strengthen your bond with your horse by praising and petting them in order to increase their stats as well as unlock new moves, tricks or abilities for them to do.

** In [[''Videogame/RedDeadRedemptionII'' the prequel]] horses require a lot more maintenance. This time around, RealityEnsues, which means you need to feed them in order to keep their Health and Stamina up as well as grooming them to keep them clean (which affects stamina). You also need to strengthen your bond with your horse by praising and petting them in order to increase their stats as well as unlock new moves, tricks or abilities for them to do.

* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''[='s=] horses don't require feeding, grooming or watering, but they can be killed and riding them too hard (either with liberal use of spurs or by putting them through rough terrain) can cause them to buck you. There's even a slight chance of them getting injured going through rough terrain and becoming lame. If you ride him/her for long enough without giving the Horse a chance to rest (dismounting and hitching, or pausing to save or fast travel from a camp, the horse will simply drop dead mid-trot/gallop. It ''does'' take quite a long while, though.
** In [[Videogame/RedDeadRedepmtionII the prequel]] horses require a bit more maintenance. This time around, you need to feed them in order to keep their Health and Stamina up as well as grooming them to keep them clean (which affects stamina). You also need to strengthen your bond with your horse in order to increase their stats as well as unlock new moves for them to do.