| 1 | [[quoteright:300:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cloudchocobo.png]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:300:[[Franchise/FinalFantasy Giant yellow birds]] are the mount of choice for the spiky-haired RPG hero on the go.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"Good bird-horse-thingy."'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''Sokka''', ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Evolution being what it is, alien worlds (or Earth time periods far removed from the present day) are bound to have different forms of animal life from our world. The people there, however, are usually [[HumanAliens just like us]], or [[RubberForeheadAliens close]], and would therefore develop different breeds of livestock to fill the same needs. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | And one of those major needs is for animals that fill the niches that horses fill on Earth: basic transportation in areas where mechanical transport is impractical, unknown, or expensive; or prestige transportation in areas where mechanical transport is cheap and easy. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Of the types of creatures available, large flightless birds are probably the single most common type of horse-replacement. Two-legged non-avian dinosaurs also come up frequently. To replace the larger draft animals, vaguely ox-like creatures and large lizards seem to be popular, and some may be MixAndMatchCritters. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Evil, bloodthirsty races will often use a giant form of a common predator, like a wolf. Cats are a mixed bag; they are predatory and notoriously disobedient, but both heroes and villains can be seen riding them and performing great feats of sure-footed trick riding. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[GiantFlyer A flying creature that can be trained, and can carry a man]], is truly the holy grail of animal husbandry. Most fantasy settings have at least one, either a scaled-up version of a currently existing creature or something from prehistory or mythology. [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]] are [[DragonRider especially popular]] in this department as are [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent Gryphons]] and [[{{Pegasus}} Pegasi]]. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | For ''maximum'' SpeculativeFiction cred, try having the mount not even being [[MechanicalHorse made of flesh and blood]]. In video games, these often become a PowerupMount. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Named for an idiom meaning "another matter entirely", and a pun on that phrase in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' which was a literal horse with an ever-changing coat. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Subtrope of FantasticFaunaCounterpart. SisterTrope to ChariotPulledByCats for unusual draft animals and carriage pullers. Compare CallARabbitASmeerp, when the animal actually is, for all intents and purposes, identical to a real-world animal. SuperTrope of ZebrasAreJustStripedHorses, KangarooPouchRide, SeahorseSteed, and WarElephants, and sometimes DomesticatedDinosaurs and OurCentaursAreDifferent (if they let people ride them). For actual horses (or other animals) with unusual colors, see AmazingTechnicolorWildlife. The rider may be a FluffyTamer. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Nothing to do with the album of the same name by Music/BigAndRich. |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 30 | * ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': Chiyo-chan is so small, she can comfortably ride Mr. Tadakichi, a Great Pyrenees, to Sakaki's envy. |
| 31 | * ''Anime/BelleAndSebastian'': A small boy would often ride on the back of the enormous Belle (also a Great Pyrenees), as they traversed the French and Spanish countryside in search of Sebastian's mother. |
| 32 | * ''Manga/BlueRamun'': ZigZagged -- horses ''do'' exist in the ArabianNightsDays setting, but their use seems to be restricted to the military police of the Silkdeep Empire, and even then only for patrol within the city walls or for battles that take place not too far out of town. Other methods of transport include: |
| 33 | ** Civilians use large flightless birds for transport across the desert. Protagonist Jessie rides one in the first chapter as she makes her way from the caravans into the city, and several birds are seen in the background of a merchant's convoy. |
| 34 | ** The Northern Nation of Seldia has managed to tame their region's [[GiantFlyer flying dragons]], which are employed to transport small groups of diplomats and soldiers. The only Dragon Tamers that show up in the series are highly trained soldiers who work for the government/ military. |
| 35 | * ''Anime/DogDays'' has cellkulls, who are about as close to chocobos as you can get without violating copyright. They normally can't fly, but can be granted that ability through the use of seal spells. |
| 36 | * ''VideoGame/{{Gungrave}}'': The anime also has the Tomas, which, while not featured as a primary mount, are used instead of horses for racing purposes. Mostly just a MythologyGag owing to Yasuhiro Nightow creating both series. |
| 37 | * Sandybell of ''Anime/HelloSandybell'' rides her Scottish sheepdog/collie mix, Oliver, like a horse, and he even pulls carriages. |
| 38 | * ''Literature/InTheLandOfLeadale'': Cayna has a Crimson Pig summon, "P-chan"/"Li'l P", who is the size of a small house and is easily ridden by her like a horse or used as a draft animal. It should be noted that Li'l P is still a baby and in adulthood, could easily grow up to ''25 meters''. |
| 39 | * ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': |
| 40 | ** Sesshoumaru's preferred mount for his followers is something that can only be described as a two-headed [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon-horse]] in what might have been inspired by certain types of [[http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdojZQ9gWjX1GTzFiLna6BvaLHiZ1vls0QNOo3h0mMMMxCztimkw kirin imagery]]. |
| 41 | ** Youkai UltimateBlacksmith Totosai rides on a three-eyed (probably youkai) ox. |
| 42 | * ''Anime/LastExile'' has some very chocobo-esque flightless birds. Although they were never used as mounts they replaced horses as the animal of choice for racing. |
| 43 | * ''Literature/MazeMegaburstSpace'': A two-legged brown dinosaur is the preferred cavalry mount. |
| 44 | * ''Manga/TheMoroseMononokean'': Played with when Ashiya is given a piggyback ride by a tiger demon while running some errands. The tiger demon turns out to be one of the three rulers of the Underworld, and he's definitely not a convenient mount; The Justice still allows Ashiya and the others to ride on his back when they wish to travel across the Underworld, which led to a severe case of MistakenIdentity when several locals see Ashiya on his back while Abeno and the Legislator went shopping. |
| 45 | * ''Anime/MyHime'': Natsuki rides on the back of Duran, a metal wolf she is able to summon at will. |
| 46 | * ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'': While Akamaru is as small as most dogs before the time-skip, he grows to the size of a pony over the course of 2 and a half years. His owner, Kiba, uses him as a mount occasionally post-timeskip. Other ninja dogs, including Kakashi's and Kuromaru (the one used by Kiba's mom), are capable of talking. And after the TimeSkip Kuromaru is inexplicably [[http://read.mangashare.com/Naruto/chapter-429/page007.html even larger than Akamaru]]. |
| 47 | * ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'': Horseclaws are giant flightless birds used as rides (and inspired chocobos). ''Nausicaä'' also features another type of unusual mount, referred to as Warbeasts, which are something like giant, shaggy dogs with cow horns and lizard-like feet. |
| 48 | * ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': The mount of choice appears to be dinosaur-like reptiles such as the one [[spoiler:[[GenkiGirl Makie]]]] rode while buying groceries for the bar she worked in. |
| 49 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'' |
| 50 | ** The Kingdom of Alabasta uses what look like giant ducklings as mounts. |
| 51 | ** The Wano Arc shows that the Animal Kingdom Pirates sometimes ride around on dinosaur-like steeds called "Madsaurus". |
| 52 | * ''Anime/PanzerWorldGalient'': In the world of Arst, people ride horned, bipedal critters that look like a wingless bird mixed with a dinosaur. |
| 53 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': |
| 54 | ** In the early series, it was rather common to see Dodrio (a three-headed ostrich-like bird) used as a mount. |
| 55 | ** [[CanisMajor Arcanine and Stoutland]] have been used as mounts anime a few times. Ash himself also uses a [[ThreateningShark Garchomp]] as his personal Ride Pokémon. |
| 56 | * ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'': The hero of the story rides what is referred to as a "red elk", but looks more like a (slightly modified) Siberian ibex. Not only can the beast comfortably carry a rider, but is so so strong that he can do that kind of animal's graceful leaping so burdened. |
| 57 | * ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': As a large Filolial, Filo often acts as Naofumi's and friends' main means of transport, since she'll pull around their wagon and carry them on her back when necessary. Unusually, for the trope though, Filo also acts as just another member in Naofumi's party, since she is sentient and even has a humanoid form. |
| 58 | * ''Anime/SamuraiSeven'': Some people ride around on giant turtle-like creatures. With shells. |
| 59 | * ''Manga/SPYxFAMILY'': Anya is small enough and [[BigFriendlyDog Bond]] (who also appears to be a Great Pyrenees) is big enough that she can ride on his back (usually hanging on for dear life). |
| 60 | * ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' has the Tomas, weird crossbreeds between ostriches and non-avian dinosaurs. |
| 61 | * ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'', the peoples of Shura and Yama ride on four-legged creatures that bear a slight resemblance to dragons but which are the size of horses. They are used as [[HorseArcher mounts in battle]]. |
| 62 | * ''Anime/YuGiOh'': In Kaiba's in-universe virtual reality video game, the characters ride Niwatori (giant flightless birds), which some of the characters call giant chickens. |
| 63 | [[/folder]] |
| 64 | |
| 65 | [[folder:Art]] |
| 66 | * On the ''Art/CartaMarina'' of 1539, there is an armed troop of "Scricfinns" ("Skiing Finns", meaning Saami) riding to battle on reindeer. |
| 67 | * [[https://www.timeout.com/new-york-kids/attractions/bug-carousel The carousel at the Bronx Zoo]] has giant insects as mounts. |
| 68 | [[/folder]] |
| 69 | |
| 70 | [[folder:Comedy]] |
| 71 | * Comedian David Crowe tells a story of Ostrich riding in South Africa, which went poorly for several reasons: ostriches are too stupid to train, a lack of safety procedures and the guy running it was still excited to have people running them since your guide should be jaded from doing it every day. |
| 72 | [[/folder]] |
| 73 | |
| 74 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 75 | * ''ComicBook/TheAdventuresOfPeterWheat'': Since the cast are made up of {{Lilliputians}} and anthropomorphic bugs, they use mice as their steeds to get around. |
| 76 | * ''ComicBook/AmethystPrincessOfGemworld'': The resident mounts on Gemworld are vyala, which look like multicolored winged lions with tusks. |
| 77 | * ''ComicBook/AntMan'' Hank Pym took to riding Korr, his flying ant companion, after Janet's flying power made the catapult superfluous. |
| 78 | * ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': One issue of the comic series (known for its MixAndMatchCritters) had the bad guy riding a [[http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Puma_goat puma-goat]] of all things. |
| 79 | * ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': Greldinard rides a Krell into battle, a giant armored four-legged XenomorphXerox which usually resides in volcanic landscapes. In fact, the only reason he survived the encounter was that his mother helped him from the spirit world to subdue the beast. |
| 80 | * ''Franchise/TheDCU'' |
| 81 | ** Strong Bow roamed America in the time before the horse was reintroduced to the continent by the Spanish. He sometimes rode a buffalo as a mount. |
| 82 | ** In DC comics the Atomic Knights of Earth 17 ride on giant dog creatures. The Atomic Knights also show up in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' riding these dogs into Bludhaven. |
| 83 | ** In the ''He-Man''-style DC alternate universe ''DC Primal Age'', Krypto the Superdog and Ace the Bathound have been reinvented as the giant steeds of Superman and Batman. |
| 84 | * In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' the Wolfriders (unsurprisingly) ride wolves. |
| 85 | * ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': Scrooge [=McDuck=] has established his badass credentials several times with these. When he was left for dead in the South African Savanna, he went berserk against all the animals trying to eat or kill him and cowed a ''lion'' into becoming his steed. In Australia, he encountered an Emu and used it instead, at least until it ran off from an approaching flood. In the Klondike, he has used moose for transport on more than one occasion. In ''Hearts of the Yukon'', we also briefly see a rider arrive into Dawson City on a bear--but even he's scared of [[TheAce Samuel Steele]]. |
| 86 | * ''ComicBook/TheLostBoy'': The Buglings tend to steal dogs from humans and train them to be mounts that they can ride into battle. |
| 87 | * ''ComicBook/{{Mampato}}'': On a journey to the XL century, the protagonist and his best friend Rena ride mutant dogs the size of horses (the dogs are named after Sirius and Procyon, which are the names of stars in the constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor). |
| 88 | * ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'': In the comic story ''[[http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2005-060 Iceberg let us alone]]'', a tribe of Inuits living in a cave network inside an enormous iceberg use walruses as riding animals (though the comparison with horses is a bit far-fetched — we never see any walrus galloping, they seem to walk slowly as normal walrus would. |
| 89 | * ''ComicBook/RatQueens'': Few people are seen riding horses but there are people riding giant ravens and the occasional pug. |
| 90 | * ''ComicBook/TheStarWars'': In Issue 4, the Imperials are seen riding ostrich mounts. Ostriches with teeth. Luke ends up hijacking one of them (after he and Annikin killed the others) to chase down one of the survivors and bisect him with his saber. |
| 91 | * ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': All over the place, from the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tauntaun Tauntauns]] of Hoth, to the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dewback Dewbacks]] of Tatooine and lizard-like [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Varactyl Varactyl]] of Utapau, any planet inhabited by sentient aliens will be guaranteed to have domesticated and rideable exotic beasts of burden of some sort. |
| 92 | * ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'' has morks. |
| 93 | * ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': |
| 94 | ** In ''ComicBook/TheKryptonChronicles'', ancient Kryptonians had the Tanthuo Flez, also called "the Winged Ones": winged, four-legged mammalian beasts with beaked snouts. |
| 95 | ** ''ComicBook/SupergirlWomanOfTomorrow'': In Ruthye's planet, people ride a species of mammal that looks like a giant moose with mouflon's horns. |
| 96 | * ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'' has tonks, horse-like creatures made of sandstone-esque substance, with segmented body, feet rather than hooves, rhino horns, and armadillo-like tails. They're used as mounts ubiquitously in desert parts of Dayside, but their skin melts on contact with water, so they're absent in Lossand oasis. |
| 97 | * Franchise/WonderWoman: |
| 98 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': |
| 99 | *** In some versions, the first Amazons ride kangas (giant riding kangaroos) at home on Paradise Island. |
| 100 | *** Amazonian children have ridden giant rabbits since even before Kangas arrived on Paradise Island. Mala and Diana are shown racing on them in a story about Wondy's childhood. |
| 101 | *** Tigra Tropica can ride her large "tamed" tigers, and attempts to escape Wonder Woman and ComicBook/SteveTrevor on one. |
| 102 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': An old recording of the Sangtee Emperor shows them riding some kind of lizard-like mount. |
| 103 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006'': Achilles rides a flying elephant with two trunks named Mysia. |
| 104 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWomanAndTheStarRiders'': Purrsia rides a giant flying purple panther. |
| 105 | [[/folder]] |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 108 | * ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' had one uncaptioned strip set in TheWildWest showing the outside view of a raging BarBrawl and... well, here's an explanation of the scene in the author's own words from ''The [=PreHistory=] of the Far Side'': |
| 109 | -->In this case, every customer in the place is either running or being thrown out--implying that there's a pretty tough and angry character somewhere inside it. And ''how'' tough a guy is this mystery person? Well, that's his {{bear|sAreBadNews}} parked outside. |
| 110 | [[/folder]] |
| 111 | |
| 112 | [[folder:Fairy Tales]] |
| 113 | * "Literature/TheCatOnTheDovrefell": [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/funextras/stories/dovrefjell.php webcomic adaptation]], the traveler rides their great white bear. |
| 114 | * "Literature/HansTheHedgehog": Before the main character sets off into the woods, he has his father get the rooster shod and uses it as a mount throughout the story. This suggests that, despite being part human, Hans is of rather small size, which would justify such a mount, though this point is never made clear. |
| 115 | * "Literature/TheWiseLittleGirl": Since the Tsar insists that she must appear before him "neither on foot nor on horseback", the little girl goes to his court riding a large hare. |
| 116 | [[/folder]] |
| 117 | |
| 118 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 119 | * ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/4413/the-ambassadors-son The Ambassador's Son]]'': According to Sharptooth, the diamond dogs who still live in their long-lost homeland ride six-legged lizards that he originally mistook for dragon-kin, until he realized that they are simply mindless beasts. |
| 120 | * ''VideoGame/IceAndFireMinecraft'': Players can tame and ride hippocamps to have aquatic mounts, amphitheres and hippogriffs to have aerial ones, and dragons to have a handy flying fortress. |
| 121 | * ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'': A RunningGag in the ''YGO'' loops is the Duel Runners (basically highly advanced motorcycles) get replaced with random steeds from different franchises, like Chocobos, Ostritches, and other random stuff. |
| 122 | * ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'': ''Scads'' of these are running around C'hou, and that doesn't even include the things George [[VoluntaryShapeshifting changes into]] on occasion. A short list: giant flightless birds, a wingless dragon, large six-legged pack lizards, a small woolly mammoth, and centaurs. |
| 123 | * ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'': It's common to use Pokémon as steeds, especially in the Alola region. Bonus points for literal examples with the following evolutionary lines: Ponyta/Rapidash in Kanto, Mudbray/Mudsdale in Alola and Blitzle/Zebstrika in Unova (this one being more a zebra than an actual horse, but otherwise it fits). |
| 124 | * ''Fanfic/EquestriaDivided'': House Everfree makes use of some rather peculiar creatures as war steeds, including ostriches, boars, hippos, rhinoceri, elephants, and [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings oliphaunts]]. |
| 125 | * ''Fanfic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan'': Having already learned how to enthrall the plants and exotic foliage of the Everfree Forest and bend them to his will, [[VillainProtagonist Darth Vulcan]] turns the power of the Alicorn Amulet into reshaping several Timber Wolves to turn them into mounts for him and his Diamond Dog minions to ride upon. |
| 126 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13157026/1/Eternal-Fantasy Eternal Fantasy]]'': The most common mount used is a Mustid, which resembles a horse-sized ferret. Hermione rides a gryphon, which is rare enough for Harry and Dudley to have no idea what it is. According to Draco, the only form of horse left in the world is the Threstral. |
| 127 | * ''Fanfic/NihonversePocketville'': Deer, antelopes, and other hoofed animals with antlers or horns are used for public transportation in Pocketville instead of horses, which is said to be for "exotic purposes" by the author. However, it is mentioned InUniverse that horses are rather used in rural areas outside of Pocketville. |
| 128 | [[/folder]] |
| 129 | |
| 130 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 131 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheCroods'', it isn't institutionalized (as this is before the domestication of animals), but by the end of the film, the new-and-improved caveman family have adopted unusual animals as mounts; [[spoiler:the father gets a saber-toothed cat that had been their enemy for much of the film, the daughter and her boyfriend ride an owl-cat that was originally an enemy, the feral baby is riding on a dog-reptile, and the lunky son is bouncing around on a land-whale. The animations during the credits show one of them riding on a "classic" flightless bird as a bonus.]] |
| 132 | * ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'': |
| 133 | ** The Leafmen ride hummingbirds into battle. The [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Boggins]] prefer CreepyCrows because they are more tolerant of decay. They also can ride on [[BatOutOfHell bats]] due to their leader's [[TheBeastmaster ability]] to imitate the cry that bats use to locate others of their own kind (he also uses a star-nosed mole on occasion). However, the bats aren't actually loyal to the Boggins; in one scene, a Leafman knocks a Boggin off his bat and takes the reins, and the bat has no complaints. Birds such as sparrows are considered inferior to hummingbirds and are generally used only for racing. |
| 134 | ** On the good guys' side, the heroes take a ride on a deer--which is ABSURDLY large compared to them--though this is not considered typical. |
| 135 | * ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Sven the Reindeer serves as Kristoff's main mount. |
| 136 | * ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' has the barbarians mount huge vampire bats to pursue the fleeing ActionGirl Taarna. Taarna herself rides a critter that resembles a ''kawaii'' pterodon, and a mighty faithful one, to boot. |
| 137 | * ''WesternAnimation/HerculesPureMagic'' has Hercules and Iolaus ride the Boar of Erymanthean after [[AndroclesLion helpin him out]]. |
| 138 | * In the ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'' franchise, the dragons are frequently used as mounts for human riders. |
| 139 | * ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs'' has Buck, Crash and Eddie ride a pterodactyl to travel faster through rocky ravines and canyons to rescue Sid. Buck uses vines as reigns to steer the flying lizard. |
| 140 | * In ''WesternAnimation/RayaAndTheLastDragon'', the warriors of Fang ride into battle on large panther-like cats. |
| 141 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'', Bernard tames and rides a wild razorback boar to rescue Jake, Bianca, Cody, and Marahute from EvilPoacher Percival [=McLeach=], and uses it to steal the keys to the man's truck. Also, the mice tame and ride a sugar glider and a snake. |
| 142 | * ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'': The fairies are small enough that Roland can ride an armored squirrel, despite the fact that he can, y'know, '''fly''' with his own wings. |
| 143 | * ''Animation/MalekKhorshid'': The king grabs a lion by the mane, hits it on the head, and then rides it like a horse. |
| 144 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'' has the assassin Necron 99 ride a biped creature with ostrich-like legs and body, topped by the meanest, ugliest horse-ish head ever. Necron's mount gets an arrow to the forehead early on, but a few more make appearances as the heroes penetrate into the irradiated wasteland. |
| 145 | [[/folder]] |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 148 | * ''Film/{{Avatar}}'': The Na'vi ride on Banshees, flying dragon-like creatures who form lifelong bonds with their riders. There is also the Toruk, an aerial apex predator ridden only by a mythic warrior of legend, which Jake tames in order to regain the trust of the Na'vi. Later on, in the climax, Neytiri tames a lion-like Thanator and rides it into battle against the human soldiers' mech suits. Na'vi also ride ''fa'li'', or "direhorses", six-legged, nectar-drinking horse-like aliens. |
| 149 | * In ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'', Wakanda's Border Tribe trains armoured [[RhinoRampage rhinos]] as their heavy cavalry, with their head of security, W'Kabi, riding one as his mount into battle. |
| 150 | * ''Film/BlazingSaddles'': Mongo rides a white humped bull rather than a horse. |
| 151 | * ''Buffalo Rider'' features Jake Jones, an Old West outdoorsman who [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin rides a buffalo]]. |
| 152 | * ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': When she and Jen need mounts, Kira calls up a herd of Landstriders: long-legged quadrupeds with an extendable proboscis. |
| 153 | * ''Film/DeepBlueSea'': In the climax, Carter inadvertently ends up performing a rodeo on the back of the biggest shark by grabbing its dorsal fin, since it can't get to him that way. |
| 154 | * In ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' and ''Film/DunePartTwo'', the Fremen ride the eponymous desert planet's gigantic {{sand worm}}s. Though the way they do is more akin to an OutsideRide. |
| 155 | * In ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'', the titular characters at one point ride a cheetah. |
| 156 | * ''Film/TheHobbit'': |
| 157 | ** There is a ''Megaloceros'' deer-like steed Thranduil rides on during the film's prologue. |
| 158 | ** The leader of the Dwarf army rids on a large boar. |
| 159 | ** A number of other dwarves ride giant rams. |
| 160 | * The racing snail in ''Film/TheNeverendingStory'' movie. |
| 161 | * ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'': Tiny diorama-figure Octavius tames and rides a squirrel in the second film. |
| 162 | * In ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'', ostrich racing is a popular sport. |
| 163 | * The inhabitants of Dirt from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' primarily use bats, roadrunners, and peccaries as horses. |
| 164 | * Film/RebirthOfMothra: [[OurFairiesAreDifferent The Elias]] use a hawk-sized moth as a transport and bodyguard. |
| 165 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': |
| 166 | ** On the ice planet of Hoth, mounts are the bipedal Tauntauns. |
| 167 | ** The planet Tatooine has several native species seen being used as mounts or for haulage: Tusken Raiders favour the bantha, dewbacks were used by Imperial Sandtroopers, and ronto are used by Jawas, although it has been suggested that ronto were imported from Nubia rather than native to Tatooine. |
| 168 | ** In ''WebComic/DarthsAndDroids'' there are Kaadu (Baby Dinosaur Ponies) on Naboo. |
| 169 | ''Literature/TheSwissFamilyRobinson'': Ostriches are the mounts that are ridden. (TruthInTelevision: Ostrich jockeys have races in Arizona every year.) |
| 170 | [[/folder]] |
| 171 | |
| 172 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 173 | * In "The Atlantean Age", a setting book for [[TabletopGame/HeroSystem Fantasy Hero]], the Tellat Empire fields units mounted on "battledons" -- take a rhino, make it 50% bigger, and add extra horns, claws, and bad attitude. Meanwhile, the Hazarians look almost normal with their knights in plate armor riding giant wolves. |
| 174 | * In ''Literature/TheBookOfTheNewSun'', noblemen and cavalry troopers ride on animals called "destriers". Readers might assume this is just the author using a fancy medieval word for "horse", until they learn that the destriers have claws, eat meat, and generally seem to be some kind of genetically-engineered jaguar. |
| 175 | * In ''Blood River Down'' by Lionel Fenn, lorra are oversized goats with powerful legs, massive horns, and extremely thick, soft fur. Any person who manages to befriend and ride one of them is automatically considered a hero or hero-to-be. Although they can't speak, Red the lorra understands human speech well enough that he won't respond to orders unless they include the word "please". |
| 176 | * In ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'', the Roi-Tanners ride merino sheep into battle. |
| 177 | * It's not clear what the "horses" in ''Literature/TheCarpetPeople'' by Creator/TerryPratchett actually ''are'', but given that they have compound eyes that change colour when they're frightened, and are ridden by people to whom [[MouseWorld a matchstick is an unending wall of wood]], they [[CallASmeerpARabbit certainly aren't horses]]. |
| 178 | * ''Literature/CodexAlera'' |
| 179 | ** Gargants are mentioned in the first book, but, aside from being the size of a freakin' minivan, not described until the second. WordOfGod says they are related to giant ground sloths (which went extinct sometime around the end of the Ice Age in real life). |
| 180 | ** In books five and six, we see Canea, the Canim homeland, and their riding beasts the "taurga" [singular "taurg"], creatures that are depicted as fairly bull-like (with some rabbit-ish features), extremely large (they're cavalry for wolf-warriors that can reach 9 or 10 feet in height, with proportional weight), incredibly ill-tempered, and enthusiastically omnivorous. |
| 181 | * ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Countless variants are common. Sacred beasts (who may or may not be sapient) are often hitched to wagons, [[OurGhostsAreDifferent remnants]] can be bound to service and employed for manual labor, and [[{{Golem}} constructs]] specifically built for the purpose are not unheard of. |
| 182 | * ''Literature/CreatureOfHavoc'' has a dragon-headed, horse-like monster with a stinger tail called an Ophidotaur, which the titular Creature attempts to ride in order to find the magic vessel called the ''Galleykeep''. |
| 183 | * ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'': |
| 184 | ** Due to the natives of Pryan, the world of fire, living in the canopies of a world-encompassing, miles-high rainforest, their favored mounts are giant flying squirrels called cargans who can easily navigate the treetops of their world’s colossal jungles. |
| 185 | ** The Sartan of Abarrach use mud dragons, large chameleon-like lizards, as mounts for their undead armies. |
| 186 | * Taylor Anderson's ''Literature/{{Destroyermen}}'' trilogy has domesticated elephant-sized dinosaurs which the U.S. destroyer crews, not knowing the "brontosaurus" was actually an apatosaurus, think of as miniature brontosaurs and call "brontosarries." |
| 187 | * In Creator/NealStephenson's ''Literature/TheDiamondAge'', the upper-class transport of choice is the Chevaline, which is a kind of robot horsey with a vestigial knob for a tail. |
| 188 | * ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'': The Skybax Riders, who train and fly on huge Pterosaurs, rest very proudly in the realm of the RuleOfCool. Dinosaurs are also frequently seen being used as mounts. |
| 189 | * ''Literature/TheDinosaurLords'' uses, unsurprisingly, dinosaurs of all stripes, mostly hadrosauruses and deinonychuses, although larger beasts such as tyrannosaurs, triceratopses, or various sauropods are also ridden in and out of combat. |
| 190 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 191 | ** Herons and buzzards qualify as "giant flying steeds" if you're a gnome. And one of the Nac Mac Feegle has a hawk as his steed of choice. |
| 192 | ** {{Dragon Rider}}s are parodied in ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic''. |
| 193 | * ''Literature/DorianHawkmoon'': In the trilogy by Creator/MichaelMoorcock (also known as the History of the Runestaff), there are flamethrower-wielding warriors who ride ''giant flamingos''. |
| 194 | * ''Literature/TheDuelOfSorceryTrilogy'' featured rambuts (something like [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft talbuks]], or possibly [[Anime/PrincessMononoke Yakkul]]) and macain (reptilian mammals, or mammalian reptiles, that hatch from eggs and resemble ornithopod dinosaurs). There's also a creature called a vinat, which has urticating quills on its throat and antlers but otherwise seems to resemble a moose or other large deer, which is used to pull a wagon. |
| 195 | * In ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' the Fremen ride the sandworms of Arrakis. Great-worms and lesser-worms are used in teams to pull a chariot. |
| 196 | * The ''Literature/DyingEarth'' series of Creator/JackVance featured "oasts", huge humanlike primates whose riders sat on their shoulders. On at least one occasion, the hero Guyal was chased by a mounted troop on these creepy things. |
| 197 | ** Twk-men, miniature humanoids who trade information for resources like salt and thread, ride dragonflies. Minuscules, even tinier beings hired by Rhialto to carve a way-post, are so small that their leader rides a ''mosquito''. |
| 198 | * The Hokas in ''The Earthman's Burden'' use large, dinosaur-esque lizards as mounts. Particularly apparent in the first story, in which the influence of the WildWest has even led them to call them "ponies". |
| 199 | * In ''Literature/EarthsChildren'', Ayla occasionally rides on the back of Baby, her pet cave lion whom she raised from a cub, although she cannot control his movements as she does with her horse. |
| 200 | * ''Literature/FengshenYanyi'': Steeds used by the taoist characters include: Immortals or people related to them can count on more exotic beasts. Notable examples include Jiang Ziya's Supuxiang (a divine beast resembling a draconic deer), Huang Tianhua and Wen Zhong's Qiling (the former is jade-colored, the latter is black), the Four Saints' mounts (half-dragon, half-beast monsters), Zhang Kui's impossibly fast "One-Horned Black Smoke Beast", Tongtian Jiaozhu's one-legged bull, Princess Longji's Shenniu (a divine giant bird with fish-like scales, fins and whiskers) and other animals such as stags, cranes, mythical birds, camels and oxen. There are two istances of a taoist character riding on the back of a tiger to show off his power. In both instances, there's a gag of normal soldiers panicking upon seeing the tiger approaching, only for the rider to reassure them that the beast is domesticated. |
| 201 | * Creator/CJCherryh's ''Finisterre'' series of novels has creatures called nighthorses that could be easily mistaken for horses, except that they are telepathic foul-tempered carnivores whose group behavior is based on being pack hunters. In contrast to herbivorous horses' tendency to form groups for protection, nighthorses formed groups for attacks. The implications of this are shown in the stories in such a way that it becomes quite plain that nighthorses are not just differently colored horses. |
| 202 | * Creator/HBeamPiper mentioned in ''Four-Day Planet'' that most people in the Terro-Human Future History universe believe (incorrectly) that horses are extinct. The narrator mentions having seen "so-called Westerns with the cowboys riding Freyan ''oukry''." |
| 203 | * ''Literature/GarrettPI'': In ''Petty Pewter Gods'', the Shayir pantheon's original believers were the Ox-Riders of Gritn. As their culture is long extinct, it's unclear if anyone in Garrett's world still rides oxen. |
| 204 | * ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'': Birds called Struthids are used as cavalry on one of the planets; the general description made them look like the bastard child of cassowaries. |
| 205 | * ''Literature/TheGeneralSeries'': The stranded inhabitants on the fallen colony of Bellevue ride genetically engineered giant dogs instead of horses. The native wildlife (Velociraptors) was hostile enough that horses weren't considered viable, but a 1200-pound Doberman the size of a draft horse was. Biological implausibilities were gleefully ignored, although it's mentioned in passing that modifications were made to their spines to enable them to bear the weight of a rider. |
| 206 | * ''Literature/{{Gor}}'': Equines don't exist on Gor. There are other animals that fill their niche, such as kailla, some types of tharlarion, and tarns. |
| 207 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': There are a number of different breeds of winged horses (based in part on the legend of Pegasus and Bellerophon), according to ''Literature/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem''. Hogwarts employs thestrals, probably the ''least'' horse-like breed (they look part-dragon, for one). Then there are the hippogriffs, first seen in ''Prisoner of Azkaban''. |
| 208 | * In Mercedes Lackey's ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' novels, the Hawkbrothers sometimes ride on ''dyheli'', which are something like [[SapientSteed sentient]] wapiti. |
| 209 | * In the ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' novel ''For Love of Mother-Not'', Flinx rides a stupava riding bird through the soggy forests of Moth, where its partially webbed feet come in handy for the muddy terrain. |
| 210 | * In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/IceCrown'' and other works, duocorns take the place of horses. (With, as you may guess, two horns.) |
| 211 | * ''Literature/{{Indigo}}'': Creatures called "chimelos", which [[CallARabbitASmeerp may or may not be dromedaries]], are used as mounts by desert-dwellers in ''Infanta''. |
| 212 | * ''Literature/IronCouncil'': The Rudewood's hotchi ride donkey-sized chickens. They also use the oversized, highly aggressive roosters in gladiatorial cockfights. |
| 213 | * The preferred mount on Barsoom in the ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' novels is the thoat, a vaguely reptile-like animal with eight legs. The [[HumanAliens human-like]] Red Martians ride a breed that is roughly horse-sized, while the larger Green Martians raise a much larger breed, as well as the [[WarElephants "mastodonian"]] Zitidars. |
| 214 | * ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'': In the [[Literature/TheCrippledGod last book]], the K'Chain Che'Malle -- bipedal, sentient HiveMind-inclined dinosaurs -- serve as mounts for their human allies. They are even capable of changing their physique to better accommodate their human riders, e.g. by creating a saddle out of their own flesh. |
| 215 | * Creator/MikeMcQuay: In his duology of ''Pure Blood'' and ''Mother Earth'', dogs called [[CallARabbitASmeerp Woofers]] are used as mounts. |
| 216 | * The ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series has featured some pretty bizarre mounts, including the hiphippohippus (think: rhino slimmed down for agility) ridden by Aahz in "Myth-ter Right", or the many-legged armored beast (think: glyptodont with millipede feet) used by the Ta-hoe team's rider in ''Myth Directions''. |
| 217 | * ''Literature/NineGoblins'': |
| 218 | ** Goblins ride [[FullBoarAction pigs]]. |
| 219 | ** Sings-To-Trees at one point has to ride a cervidian, a skeletal stag, to his [[GroinAttack great discomfort]]. |
| 220 | * Literature/OlogySeries: ''Dragonology'' and ''Monsterology'' mention a number of fantastic creatures as possible steeds, including {{dragon|Rider}}s, {{pegas|us}}i and kelpies. |
| 221 | * ''Literature/PlanetOfAdventure'' has "leap-horses" as the native substitute quadruped. They have heads resembling a horned tapir and exaggeratedly long necks as shown [[http://membres.multimania.fr/jackvance/covers/tschai1v.jpg here]]. As their name implies their motion is more of a bounding motion than a horse-like gait. All in all riding one sounds like a fast-track to lower back problems. |
| 222 | * The Weber/Ringo collaboration that is the ''Literature/PrinceRoger'' series has a species referred to variously as 'flar'ta' and 'pagee', described as a hexapedal triceratops, almost. They are herbivorous, and mostly placid, although there is a related species ('flar'ke' or 'pagithar') which is far more aggressive (the analogy drawn is to Cape buffalo). The flar'ta fills much the same role as an elephant--pack animal, mount, and occasionally war beast. There are also the ''civan'' that are used as cavalry mounts. They are described as horse-ostriches, and are two-legged, omnivorous, scaly, and have a vicious streak about two miles wide. |
| 223 | * In his speculative non-fiction book ''Profiles Of The Future'', Creator/ArthurCClarke pondered possible future transport innovations. One of his more fanciful ideas was that genetic engineering might produce a new riding animal superior to the horse: a miniature elephant that could use its trunk to open doors, handle packages, etc. |
| 224 | * ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': In volume 5, Katie starts raising a griffin fledgling as a class project. By volume 7 she's managed to befriend the now-much-larger griffin to where it will let her ride it, something few mages have ever achieved since the beasts are normally too proud. |
| 225 | * ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' has Filolials, which is yet another case of what are basically chocobos in every way except name. Even Filolial Queens, which look more like giant fluffy balls of feathers than birds, are just as eager to act as mounts and carriage-pullers, with main character Filo outright getting vocally upset if she's prevented from doing so. |
| 226 | * ''Literature/RiverOfTeeth'': Ever after the Great Louisiana Hippo Rush, hippopotamuses have become the mounts of choice in the area. They're better suited to the newly formed environment and can go where horses would simply sink or break their legs. Everyone has adapted, including inns, which now have water holes to house the hippos of their patrons. |
| 227 | * ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'', Creator/DavidWeber: An interesting variation. Dragons (massive hexapedal reptiles the size of buses) are used as heavy draft animals. Unlike most examples, they aren't replacing any terrestrial animal. Instead, dragons can haul loads no terrestrial critter could, making it practical to bring some truly titanic cannons on campaign. |
| 228 | * ''The Saga of the Borderlands'', Liliana Bodoc: The Desert Shepherds has dedicated themselves to the breeding of llamellos (a combination of the word camello -- camel -- and llama), basically llamas big enough to be ridden by grown men. However, when the sideresios of The Ancient Lands arrive with horses, they are quickly adopted as a mount. |
| 229 | * ''Literature/SagaOfTheExiles'', Julian May: The mount of choice for the Tanu dwelling in Earth's prehistoric past is the chaliko--short for chalicothere. Chalicotheres are extinct relatives of horses, rhinos, and tapirs. (Unfortunately, they're also generally pretty slope-backed and have a gait that really wouldn't work well at all on a riding animal. Oh well.) |
| 230 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': |
| 231 | ** The giants who live north of the Wall ride their domesticated mammoths as steeds. |
| 232 | ** The Joghos Nai, a nomadic people from the far east, ride striped "zorses" instead of regular horses. |
| 233 | ** The barbarians of Skagos are reputed to ride their island's unicorns. The Hairy Men who lived in Essos in ancient times are also said to have ridden unicorns to battle. |
| 234 | ** The Targaryens, and their Valyrian ancestors, rode giant flying dragons that, due to their size and power, functioned more like flying war engines than exotic mounts per se. |
| 235 | * ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'': Riding snakes are huge serpents capable of carrying a whole party on their back at once. They're neither venomous nor constrictors: they're so large they simply eat their prey live. Fortunately, they seem to have been bred or trained not to consider sentient mammals as prey and restrict themselves to non-sentient reptiles. |
| 236 | * In ''Literature/SugarRain'', the second book of the ''Literature/TheStarbridgeChronicles'' series, characters ride 'horses'. This functions to emphasize that English is really a 'translation' when a rider settles in for the night he gives the 'horse' a feedbag of meat. |
| 237 | * ''Literature/StarTrekExMachina'': The Lorini use animals resembling protoceratopsians as beasts of burden. |
| 238 | * John Maddox Roberts's ''Stormlands'' series has "cabos" (the word is implied to be derived from the Spanish ''caballo''; essentially four-horned horses) and "humpers" (basically camels, only with horns and tusks). |
| 239 | * ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': |
| 240 | ** Horses exist, but they can only be found in one secluded corner of the continent, making them extremely valuable everywhere else. Nobles use them for travel and cavalry charges, but one of the most important parts of warfare is getting the horses out of the way immediately after their charge because they're too valuable to leave in danger. The standard beast of burden is the chull, a placid giant crustacean with a rock-like shell that can be carved into a seat. They are slow and stupid, so many characters find horses far too intelligent and dangerous to bother riding. |
| 241 | ** Then there are the Ryshadium, bigger and stronger horses that may or may not be sentient in their own right. They are intelligent enough to choose their own riders and refuse to accept any other. They need very little care since they mostly look after themselves, but they are more rare than [[SoulCuttingBlade Shardblades]] and [[PoweredArmor Shardplate]]. |
| 242 | * ''Literature/TheSurprisingAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'': In one of [[TheMunchausen Baron Munchausen's]] tall tales, the Baron tames and rides a roc. |
| 243 | * ''Literature/TalesFromTheYearBetween'': In Achten Tan, the world of the first volume, both [[CallARabbitASmeerp g'ants (giant ants) and tartules (giant turtles)]] are ridden for transportation and for battle. |
| 244 | * ''Literature/TalesOfKaimere'': While horses (particularly breeds from the Mediterranean during the Mercantile Age) are a popular choice among Kaimerans, they are plenty of other mounts. |
| 245 | ** Of domesticated mounts, the troqatul, a litoptern with ancestors from Miocene South America and native to the Free state, is popular for their agility and more varied diet in the Titan forests. The camelid gatul and cattle are popular in Qajar and in Arvel and the Serids respectively, particularly in warfare. Many Parkadians, especially nobles and warriors, are also known to ride u'ruek, [[DomesticatedDinosaurs a domesticated Oviraptor native to the island continent]]. Outside of the Known World, people of the Eastern Continent ride entelodonts that can mimic human speech and the Permian Island once had DragonRider witch kings on the back of giant flying and poison-spitting therapsids. |
| 246 | ** For non-domesticated variants, they are pronghorn antelopes, Ghlanos (a gigantic chalicothere), mammoths, Crescent beraphaunt (a Toxodon descendant), and other animals that can be tamed and ridden but lack the temperament or breeding capability that makes them viable to be domesticated. |
| 247 | * ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'': |
| 248 | ** Throughout the tales of Middle-earth, Orcs/goblins cooperate with and often ride on huge, intelligent, evil wolves known as Wargs. In the Peter Jackson films, Wargs look something like a horse-sized cross between a wolf and a hyena, but in the books they are simply giant wolves. |
| 249 | ** ''Literature/BerenAndLuthien'': Huan, a horse-sized sapient wolfhound, lets [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c93fb5e8491b01d4ca294766484e0b20.jpg Lúthien ride him several times]]. |
| 250 | ** In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Sauron's Ringwraiths ride the wyvern-like flying 'fell beasts'. There are also the giant eagles that have been known to give people rides. Notable example, Gandalf's escape from the tower of Orthanc. |
| 251 | ** ''Literature/TheFallOfGondolin'': A squad of twenty Orcs riding giant wolves try to hunt down a group of Elves fleeing from the battle. |
| 252 | * ''Trail of the Seahawks'': The 1987 Ardath Mayhar/Ron Fortier AfterTheEnd collab also featured giant riding dogs (and giant mutant ''foxes'' that could be trained as mounts). |
| 253 | * In ''Literature/TrueHistory'' by Lucian, the king of the Moon rides on a vulture-horse. |
| 254 | * ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': |
| 255 | ** The Seanchan have ''corlm'', creatures like large ostriches with brown fur instead of feathers, although these are used mainly for hunting rather than as mounts. |
| 256 | ** The Seanchan have ''raken'' and ''to'raken'', large bird-like creatures used mainly for scouting and surprise attacks. |
| 257 | * ''The Worldbreaker Saga'' by Creator/KameronHurley has various cultures fielding bear and dog cavalry (for additional weirdness the bears have forked tongues). |
| 258 | * In "Literature/TheYellowDwarf", the titular dwarf rides on a [[MegaNeko very large Spanish cat]]. |
| 259 | |
| 260 | [[/folder]] |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 263 | * The ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'' used velociraptors as steeds. So did their counterparts the ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'', though less often since they had motorcycles that weren't murder on the CGI budget. |
| 264 | [[/folder]] |
| 265 | |
| 266 | [[folder:Magazine]] |
| 267 | * ''Magazine/SuperScienceFiction'': The December 1958 issue has bird-like bipeds as domesticated mounts, with blue feathers/fur and gold-coloured saddle and tack. |
| 268 | [[/folder]] |
| 269 | |
| 270 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 271 | * Music/AngusMcSix: The laser-shooting dinosaur from the song of same title, a {{cyborg}} theropod with an arsenal of laser guns and a LaserSword in its tail, which Angus rides into battle swinging Sixcalibur. |
| 272 | * In the music video for [[Music/DongBangShinKi Xia's]] "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK9gEpUVFyo Flower]]" he is seen riding a large black horse with a monstrous head. |
| 273 | [[/folder]] |
| 274 | |
| 275 | [[folder:Mythology]] |
| 276 | * Frey of Myth/NorseMythology rode a golden boar created by the same dwarves who forged Mjolnir. |
| 277 | * The gods from Myth/HinduMythology have unusual animal mounts tied to a certain symbolism. For instance, the three creator gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, ride a swan, a bird-man (Garuda), and a bull, respectively. The most comical may be [[HonorableElephant Ganesha]], who rides a rat. |
| 278 | * In Myth/BrazilianFolklore, the Caipora, a jungle spirit, commonly rides a peccary. |
| 279 | * Gdon, or Dawon, is a sacred tigress in Tibetan and Hindu mythology that is ridden by the goddess Durga. |
| 280 | * Myth/AfricanMythology: In some African myths, [[OurWitchesAreDifferent witches]] ride hyenas, not brooms. |
| 281 | [[/folder]] |
| 282 | |
| 283 | [[folder:Other]] |
| 284 | * In the CollectibleCardGame ''BellaSara'' universe, the villains ride [[SavageWolves vicious wolves.]] |
| 285 | * LetsPlay/{{raocow}} invokes this trope with [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Yoshi]], who he frequently refers to as a horse. He's also inverted it on several occasions, as he's frequently encountered ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' cameos in some of the hacks he's played and refers to the ponies as dinosaurs. |
| 286 | [[/folder]] |
| 287 | |
| 288 | [[folder:Pinball]] |
| 289 | * ''Pinball/WeirdAlsMuseumOfNaturalHilarity'': The backbox art for the limited edition, shown in the launch trailer and other promotional material, shows Al riding a giant-sized hamster. |
| 290 | [[/folder]] |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 293 | * ''TabletopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy'' has red ostriches" in Eurakia. Given the strong influence of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' on this game, they're more than likely to look like chocobos. |
| 294 | * ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': |
| 295 | ** Mounted infantry in the Lyran Commonwealth sometimes ride Coventry kangaroos, which are large, genetically modified red kangaroos that were specially designed to be riding beasts. |
| 296 | ** Tabiranth, an alien [[PantheraAwesome big cat]] that takes surprisingly well to riders. At about eight and a half feet long, four and a third feet tall at the shoulder, and over five hundred pounds, tabiranth are essentially riding tigers. |
| 297 | ** The Odessan raxx. In spite of looking like a six-legged elephant-sized monitor lizard, it is actually an implied herbivore, explicitly noted to be a GentleGiant, and an extreme MamaBear to boot. |
| 298 | ** Branth, a large flying reptile with toxic saliva that it can spit at its enemies. They're capable of carrying a rider and gear while flying, but due to their sensitive immune system, they invariably die of infection if taken off their homeworld. |
| 299 | ** The massive hipposaur, a semi-aquatic herbivore that resembles a cross between a hippopotamus and a sauropod dinosaur. At 30 tons, it's more than capable of carrying an entire infantry squad on its back or even functioning as a mobile artillery platform. It's also strong enough that its physical attacks can smash battlemech armor! |
| 300 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Chaotic}}'' has a Battlegear known as a Skeletal Steed, which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: an animal that has nothing but DemBones for biology. |
| 301 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': ''D&D'' has several entries under every category of this trope, so it's worth pointing out that you can ride essentially anything in this game under the right circumstances, including a gelatinous cube. |
| 302 | ** "Axebeaks" (''Phorusrhacos'', more or less) have featured in several editions. |
| 303 | ** Giant striders are featherless, fire-resistant flightless birds used as mounts by firenewts. |
| 304 | ** Halflings in the TabletopGame/{{Eberron}} campaign setting ride two kinds of bipedal dinosaurs, called fastieths and clawfoots. [[note]] Fastieths are basically ornithomimids. Clawfoots are ''velociraptors''.[[/note]] |
| 305 | ** "Riding dogs" (read: big, working breeds) are common mounts for small characters, especially gnomes and halflings, in many settings. |
| 306 | ** The drow are commonly depicted riding giant lizards. |
| 307 | ** Some dwarves are known to breed large rust monsters -- buglike creatures that can rust metal to nothingness with a touch -- to be ridden into battle by soldiers wielding stone weapons and wearing hide armor. Such cavalry can rout an enemy army all on its own. |
| 308 | ** ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'': The standard steed in Athas, a kank, is a giant beetle. |
| 309 | ** Yugoloths are known to ride slashraths, monsters resembling giant worms with membranous wings. |
| 310 | ** The ''3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide'' includes alternatives for a paladin's special mount. This include aquatic options, but also beings like ''giant spiders'' -- all of them literally summoned from Heaven. |
| 311 | ** ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'': The Kingdom of Breland is famous for its bear cavalry, while the halfling of the Talenta Plains ride freaking ''dinosaurs''. |
| 312 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': |
| 313 | ** Claw striders -- giant [[RaptorAttack featherless raptor dinosaurs]], essentially -- can be domesticated thanks to their social nature, and are used by some southern tribes as mounts. They make deadly mounts in battle but have foul tempers. Similarly, austrechs -- terror birds -- are ferocious and difficult to tame, but someone who manages to do so earns a fiercely loyal mount. |
| 314 | ** The humans of Mount Metagalapa ride giant hawks in order to be able to leave their floating island home. Particularly skilled hawkriders can coax the island's great rocs to bear them aloft. |
| 315 | ** Sky titans -- giant, predatory pterosaurs -- can be tamed at great risk. Those who can avoid being made into their prospective mount's meal become masters of the air. |
| 316 | ** Agatae, demons resembling immense wasps, exist to serve as flying steeds for other creatures. |
| 317 | ** TheFairFolk often ride gryphons. |
| 318 | * ''TabletopGame/GammaWorld'': Other than the aforementioned Podog there also is the Hopper (a giant mutant jackalope who is as dumb as a brick), the Centisteed (a horse with a whole lot of legs, as well as bug-eyes and antennae) and the incredibly odd Pineto (think of a cactus plant merged with a horse, and you'll get the idea). |
| 319 | * In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'', since horses are a [[FurryConfusion playable race]], there is a variety of domesticated dinosaur-like reptiles. The ones intended for riding are named after varieties of horse, i.e. palfries look like struthiomimuses while destriers are more like utahraptors. |
| 320 | * ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Various creatures have turned up riding, among other things, pegasi, deer-like "cervins", hooved lion-like "leotau", flying manta rays, wolves, griffins, oxen, goats, giant cats, giant bats, giant foxes, robot gargoyles the size of houses, several kinds of giant bug, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, copper-tusked boars, enormous lizards, birds of numerous kinds and [[http://magiccards.info/wwk/en/82.html whatever the hell this thing is]]. |
| 321 | ** The card "[[https://scryfall.com/card/eld/328/knights-charge Knights' Charge]]" takes this to its logical extreme, showing a motley company of knights charging into battle on the backs of horses, unicorns, lions, a giant raven, and a griffin. |
| 322 | ** The elves of Eldraine almost exclusively ride foxes the size of horses. |
| 323 | ** Specters and archons, powerful creatures that act as secondary embodiments of Black and White besides the more common demons and angels, are characterized by always appearing astride fantastical flying mounts -- the archons and their mounts, at least, are explicitly stated to be one and the same being. Specters typically ride things resembling the [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Nazgul's fell steeds]], although some fly astride things like [[https://scryfall.com/card/eve/39/needle-specter giant wasps]] and [[https://scryfall.com/card/m13/109/shimian-specter winged skulls]]; archons usually go for winged lions and winged stags, but [[https://scryfall.com/card/c18/64/celestial-archon at least one]] has been seen flying atop a winged ox. |
| 324 | ** Some [[{{Hobbits}} Kithkin]] knights ride [[https://scryfall.com/card/lrw/41/springjack-knight large, leaping sheep called springjacks]]. |
| 325 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Numenera}}'': |
| 326 | ** Aneen are bipedal pack animals twice as tall as the average human, used as pack and riding animals and as meat producers. |
| 327 | ** Snow lopers, bipedal mammals native to high altitudes, are thought to have been created as steeds capable of navigating cold, mountainous environments. While they are easily tamed and do make very good steeds, most in the setting's present live in the wild. |
| 328 | ** The priests of the city of Lhauric ride razorcats, huge tiger-like beasts with spikes growing from several parts of their bodies. |
| 329 | ** The cavalry of the Mahal Shards rides reptilian coursers called brehm. |
| 330 | ** A number of flying mounts exist as well, including the biomechanical rasters and the xi-drakes. |
| 331 | ** Pirates riding giant sea snakes have been attacking merchant ships along the northern coast of Lostrei. The pirates wear water-breathing gear that allows them to travel with their mounts beneath the waves. |
| 332 | ** Vralkans usually ride shantags, large purple-skinned creatures with apelike forelimbs and rhinoceros-like horns. |
| 333 | ** In the Lands of the Dawn, most people ride six-legged, red-scaled, white-furred reptiles called hirroc. |
| 334 | ** In an interesting inversion, there's mention in the corebook of a woman riding a strange steed of a kind no one has seen before, which she claims to have unfrozen from an ancient tomb and says is called a "horse". |
| 335 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': |
| 336 | ** Lini, the iconic gnome {{Druid}}, is sometimes depicted as riding on the back of her snow leopard animal companion. |
| 337 | ** Numerous types of creatures, besides common horses, are available as mounts for characters who specialize in mounted combat (such as the cavalier class, for instance). Among others, these include clockwork steeds, lions and hippogriffs. Cavaliers with the Ghost Rider archetype modify things further, conjuring their mount out of pure ectoplasm. |
| 338 | ** Goblins ride goblin dogs... which is a case of NonIndicativeName, since they're actually giant, disease-carrying hairless rats. |
| 339 | ** The duergar -- evil cousins of the dwarves -- ride beetles bigger than oxen, which they believe to be gifts from their god, Droskar. Numerous kinds of such beetles are used, and are available to different members and strata of society -- only priests of Droskar, for instance, are allowed to ride giant stag beetles. |
| 340 | ** Giants commonly use appropriately-sized monsters and megafauna as steeds. Stone giants are known to ride mammoths, while cloud and storm giants fly on the backs of RocBirds. Storm giants also use whales, large sharks, and sea serpents as steeds when they need to travel over sea. |
| 341 | * ''TabletopGame/RiskLegacy'': The Enclave of the Bear faction has bear cavalry as its three-troop "vehicle" unit. |
| 342 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'': Exotic mounts are the order of the day, and include giant bugs, bears, dinosaurs, and even stranger things. |
| 343 | ** The Simvan Monster Riders are an entire species specializing in riding monstrous steeds and can tame and ride most varieties of beastly steeds with relative ease. Their favored rides are the giant reptilian ostrosaurs, but they also ride rhino-buffaloes, dinosaurs, and a variety of large and normally intractable creatures. |
| 344 | ** The world of Dr'myr is home to two species associated with exotic steeds. The br'talb ride kr'talpa or "demon hounds", horned predators with whom they formed a symbiotic relationship in order to better catch shared prey and evade their common predators and share a close psychic link. Simvans, notably, are the only species beyond the br'talb who can form empathic links with demon hounds. The sky riders instead prefer flying steeds, especially the hammerhead shark-headed flying serpents and the horned insectoid beasts known as skelter bats. |
| 345 | * In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' Bahmoots, velociraptor-like reptiles, are used as beasts of burden on Mars, while the Silthuri use a three-and-a-half-metre-tall bird called the Royal Karn to pull their chariots. Fanthir are feathered lizards that run on two legs and are used as mounts by the Venusians. |
| 346 | * In ''TabletopGame/RuneQuest'', the Morokanth are a race of [[BeastMan tapir-like humanoids]]. What they ride are a subspecies of humans who have only animal-level intelligence. Morokanth use these "herd-men" as beasts of burden and occasionally as an ingredient for the Morokanth stewpots. |
| 347 | * ''TabletopGame/ScarredLands'' has "tent birds", a desert-dwelling variant with supernaturally heat-resistant feathers that could use its huge—albeit still flightless—wings [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin to shelter itself and its hatchlings (or its rider)]]. |
| 348 | * ''TabletopGame/SmashUp'': One of the factions in the "Awesome Level 9000" expansion is Bear Cavalry. |
| 349 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}'': Striders -- similar to riding birds, but scaly and butt-ugly -- are used as mounts by the Kang, and their smaller, feistier cousins, marsh striders, by the Jhangarans. |
| 350 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' |
| 351 | ** Dark Elves and Lizardmen ride theropod-like creatures known as Cold Ones. |
| 352 | ** Goblins and their Grot successors from the sequel game ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'', ride a variety of large predatory beasts into battle. These mounts range from the giant wolves ridden by regular goblins and grots, and the giant spiders used by forest goblins and spiderfang grots, to the more unusual cave squigs (creatures consisting of little more than balls of fungus, teeth, and nasty temperament) that night goblins and Moonclan grots cling desperately cling to. |
| 353 | ** Certain Elf princes can ride to battle on white lions and, along with humans, can tame and ride griffons. |
| 354 | ** Ogres ride on Mournfangs, beasts resembling a cross between a bear and saber-toothed cat. |
| 355 | ** Unicorns can be taken as mounts by high elf, wood elf, and Bretonnian lords and heroes. In addition, wood elves also ride great stags with some frequency and can mount their generals on immense eagles. |
| 356 | ** Dark elves of sufficient power can break vicious, bat-winged {{pegas|us}}i and ferocious [[OurManticoresAreSpinier manticores]] as aerial steeds. |
| 357 | ** Chaos dwarfs lords and sorcerers ride upon great tauruses -- red-skinned, fire-breathing bulls with dragon wings -- and lammasu -- much like the former, but black-skinned and with the heads of ugly, horned dwarfs -- both of which are supposed to descend from ancient chaos dwarfs whose taurine mutations got really out of hand. |
| 358 | ** The ogres of the Ironskin tribe ride rhinoxen, creatures resembling very ill-tempered wooly rhinoceri with two horns side-by-side. Their warlord, Ghark Ironskin, rides a great mechanical beast shaped like a Rhinox, rumored to be haunted by a Daemon, that was given to him by the chaos dwarfs. |
| 359 | * ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': |
| 360 | ** The Kroot (descended from avians) use a degenerate member of their species known as Knarloc as ill-tempered baggage carriers that can easily defend themselves. The Greater Knarloc is used exactly the way a creature looking like a hybrid between a terror bird and a ''UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex'' should be used. Krootoxen are used similarly, but despite the name look more like flatbeaked gorillas that can punch through tanks. |
| 361 | ** Some veteran Space Wolves ride [[CanisMajor Thunderwolves]] into battle. These massive lupine predators, native to the Space Wolves’ homeworld of Fenris, are fast and powerful enough to bear their space Viking SuperSoldier riders into battle with ease. |
| 362 | ** Exodite Eldar ride into battle on megasaurs. |
| 363 | ** Imperial Guard Rough Riders mostly ride normal horses but some regiments will field rough riders mounted on other riding animals native to their homeworld. |
| 364 | *** Kashann and Catachan regiments both use species of carnivorous giant lizards that are native to their respective worlds. |
| 365 | *** Savlar Chem Dogs sometimes use the heavily mutated Chem-Beasts from the chemical wastes of their homeworld. |
| 366 | *** Tallarn rough riders often use normal horses but some are instead mounted on Mukaali, a species of desert-dwelling herbivores native to the world of Goru-Prime. |
| 367 | [[/folder]] |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 370 | * In the original version of ''Theatre/PoseidonsFury'' at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's Islands of Adventure]], Poseidon at one point is shown using sea turtles to pull his underwater chariot. |
| 371 | [[/folder]] |
| 372 | |
| 373 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 374 | * ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': |
| 375 | ** Rock steeds are bipedal dinosaur-relatives ridden by desert bandits. For some reason, however, the movie ''The Legend Reborn'' had them acting exactly like actual horses. |
| 376 | ** Ussal crabs such as Pewku are the mount of choice for the Matoran, who even race them for fun. |
| 377 | ** Gukko birds like Ka resemble giant hummingbirds with a second pair of wings replacing their legs. The Le-Matoran of Le-Koro had a defensive squad of Gukko riders. |
| 378 | * ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'': He-man's typical transportation is Battle Cat, a giant tiger. Skeletor rides a giant black panther named Panthor as Battle Cat's EvilCounterpart. |
| 379 | [[/folder]] |
| 380 | |
| 381 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 382 | * ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'': Several real-life examples feature in the game, notably elephants and camels. The unusual smell of camels was known to make horses skittish; accordingly, camel units have an attack bonus against horse cavalry. |
| 383 | * ''VideoGame/AgeOfWonders'': While most characters ride fairly typical horses, several units throughout the games ride rather unorthodox mounts: |
| 384 | ** Goblins and Frostlings are both in the habit of riding wolves; goblins also ride [[DragonRider wyverns]] and [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant beetles]]. In ''Age of Wonders 2'', the frostlings trade in their wolves for mammoth and [[DragonRider ice drake]] riders. |
| 385 | ** One Lizard Folk unit rides a giant frog. |
| 386 | ** Dwarves ride boars and giant moles. |
| 387 | ** One syron unit rides an unnamed, {{armless|Biped}}, vaguely dinosaurian creature with a large fin along its tail. |
| 388 | ** One halfling unit rides giant epreagles; similarly, nomads can come mounted on RocBirds. |
| 389 | ** Some [[CatFolk tigrans]] ride saber-toothed cats. |
| 390 | * Practically the entire point of ''VideoGame/ARKSurvivalEvolved'': a key mechanic of the game is the ability to tame almost all of the dozens of species of fossil (and sometimes fantasy) animals that populate the game world, and most of ''those'' can be equipped with saddles and ridden, from the relatively small sheep and moschops all the way up to the kaiju-sized giganotosaurs and titanosaurs. |
| 391 | * ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'': |
| 392 | ** There are undead units which ride skeletal 'chocobones' which are a clear parody of the Final Fantasy birds. |
| 393 | ** The goblins use wolves as mounts. |
| 394 | * In ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'' the Xeno Cavalry unit consists of soldiers mounted on Raptor Bugs, large predatory insects native to the planet. The bugs have been genetically engineered and selectively bred for speed and load capacity, allowing the cavalry to cover ground as fast as tanks and move unimpeded over rough terrain. |
| 395 | * ''VideoGame/TheCrystalOfKings'': Cocco, the heroic dwarven knight, rides a giant anteater as a steed. Said anteater ''can'' be killed during gameplay if Cocco receives too much damage, at which point Cocco is an easy sitting duck without the height advantage, but if Cocco dies and respawns he gets a new anteater steed. |
| 396 | * ''VideoGame/Dota2'': Chaos Knight always refers to the mounts other riding heroes have as horses, be they equine or not. |
| 397 | --> '''Chaos Knight (to Batrider):''' [[https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/dota2_gamepedia/4/46/Chaknight_rival_31.mp3 "You taught your horse to fly?"]] |
| 398 | --> '''Chaos Knight (to Mirana):''' [[https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/dota2_gamepedia/b/b5/Chaknight_rival_29.mp3 "That is an ugly horse you ride."]] |
| 399 | * ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': The player can ride mounts for the first time in the series. These include horses, harts, dracolisks, giant nugs, and other exotic mounts. Of particular note is the "Bog Unicorn", a possessed zombie horse whose "horn" is a sword shoved into its skull. The horsemaster finds the nugs particularly disturbing since they have hands. |
| 400 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': A sidequest earns you Baumren's Bell, an item that allows you to summon and ride sabretooth tigers on the Western continent. |
| 401 | * ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': Your dwarves can't ride anything, but sometimes a besieging army will have cavalry units. There are dozens of species a rider might choose from, depending on their race, ranging from normal horses to the outlandish elk bird. The mounts are not necessarily well trained, however. One piece of advice given regarding fortress defense is that it's better to leave a moat dry and deep than to flood it because some of the mounts used by goblins can and will swim. The goblins themselves, [[SuperDrowningSkills on the other hand]]... |
| 402 | * In ''VideoGame/EdgeOfEternity'', the primary mounts are giant two-tailed cats known as Nekaroos. |
| 403 | * ''VideoGame/ElementalWarOfMagic'': [[TheEmpire Empire]] factions may use wargs (giant wolves) as mounts for their soldiers, assuming they can find any. Heroes of ''either'' faction may purchase and ride warg mounts. If you want your badass leader to ride into battle on top of a white wolf, then why the hell not? Warg Knights are not horses and oxen as we know them, but are instead descendants of each respective species. |
| 404 | * ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Nox Monks occasionally ride giant ants that they've tamed with magic. Knocking them off their mounts breaks the spell and results in the ant immediately turning on its rider. |
| 405 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 406 | ** In series' lore, there exist 17 known sub-species of [[CatFolk Khajiit]] dictated by the phases of Nirn's [[AlienSky two moons]] under which they were born. The largest of these sub-species, the Senche and Senche-raht, can be as tall as two men and weigh upward of ''four tons''. Built like apes and moving as quadrupeds, they allow their kin to ride them in battle. [[BadassArmy Imperial Legion]] troopers have [[InSeriesNickname nicknamed]] them "[[BeastOfBattle battle cats]]" as a result. |
| 407 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'''s ''Dragonborn'' DLC, the PlayerCharacter can gain the ability to ride ''dragons''. |
| 408 | ** In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', Seneche tigers and guars are options, in addition to many other mount options. |
| 409 | ** Rieklings (a race of diminutive blue-skinned humanoids native to [[GrimUpNorth Solstheim]]) tame Tusked Bristlebacks (Solstheim's native wild boars) to use as mounts and as [[BeastOfBattle Beasts Of Battle]]. |
| 410 | ** The Maormer (Sea Elves) are said to tame and use sea serpents in this fashion. |
| 411 | ** The Dunmer of Morrowind have long used the native Silt Striders, giant flea-like insects, for transportation of both passengers and cargo. |
| 412 | * ''VideoGame/FarCryPrimal'' takes place prior to horse domestication, so [[TheBeastmaster Takkar]] can use three alternative forms of animal transport: [[PantheraAwesome saber-teeth]], [[BearsAreBadNews cave bears]], and [[WarElephants woolly mammoths]]. |
| 413 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': The various world settings in the series use an iconic type of giant bird called a chocobo as a riding mount, which has been the inspiration for many of the other entries in this category. Some variations of them can fly (usually black), though most of them are ground-based. Travelling on one is faster than just walking, and usually [[EncounterRepellant avoids running into random encounters]]. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' also includes chocobos that can run over water, oceans, and mountains, but you have to breed them first. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' has chocobos with similar capabilities, the catch being that it's actually all just one chocobo that you can keep upgrading throughout the game. You can eventually have it gain all of the capabilities of the gold chocobo from ''VII'' and if you boost it to the max, it can even fly. |
| 414 | * ''VideoGame/GaiaOnline'' has a few mount options, mostly from the Wild Things set. The Roc is pretty obviously a chocobo ersatz, and the other Wild Things are a wolf (Fenrir) and a tiger (Khan). In addition, the Fallen Wish item has a serpentine dragon that you can ride, and the Kelp o' the Loch gave you a proper horse... as well as a hobby horse. |
| 415 | * ''VideoGame/GemsOfWar'': Some of the goblins ride into battle on boars. |
| 416 | * ''VideoGame/Grandia1'': In the first game, there was promotional material as well as [[http://comenzarjuego.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/grandia-1.jpga small cameo]] in the game proper of a large, long-legged turtle which was used as a mount. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Unfortunately]], you don't get to ride it at all, and disappeared after one town. |
| 417 | * ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' added a variety of mounts starting with the ''Path of Fire'' expansion. Options include the raptor (bipedal dinosaur), springer (jerboa-like creature), skimmer (levitating manta ray), jackal (magical wolf-like being made of sand), griffon (flying mount), roller beetle (scarab beetle), skyscale (lesser dragon), and siege turtle (turtle). |
| 418 | * ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'': |
| 419 | ** ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagicIII'' has wolf riders and, with the first expansion, boar riders. |
| 420 | ** ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagicV'': Every faction except Inferno has a different mount for their heroes: wizards go to war on the backs of elephants, elves on unicorns, dark elves on ''T. rex''-like monsters, human knights on ordinary horses, necromancers on skeletal demonic steeds, dwarves on mammoths, and orcs on giant bulls. |
| 421 | * The first ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' has the Flut Flut, a tropical bird that Jak rides on in certain levels. However, its flightlessness is due to the fact that it's a baby, so it's fair to assume that a full-grown Flut Flut would be more of a GiantFlyer. ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', meanwhile, has the Leaper Lizard, which despite being a dinosaur/dragon-like creature is, well... A Flut Flut of a different colour in essence. |
| 422 | * ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' and ''VideoGame/LegendsOfRuneterra'': |
| 423 | ** Sejuani and the Winters' Claw favour enormous boars. Some of Sejuani's alternate skins have other steeds, such as [[BearsAreBadNews a bear]], a dire lion, or [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter a giant poro]]. |
| 424 | ** Kled's mount Skaarl is a drakalops - a sort of giant frilled lizard whose total invulnerability is offset with incredible cowardice. His skins are riding [[Franchise/FinalFantasy a chocobo]] and a giant bat respectively. |
| 425 | ** Sheriff Lariette Rose in ''Legends of Runeterra'' is riding a steed that combines a [[SeahorseSteed seahorse]] with [[MixAndMatchCritters a regular horse]]. |
| 426 | ** A few Freljordian units ride elnuks, a hairy, horned creature that appears to be distantly related to cows. |
| 427 | ** Noxian basilisk riders use giant carnivorous lizards. They do use horses, though...the lizards find them delicious. |
| 428 | ** Demacian silverwings are giant birds. One unit is shown riding one. |
| 429 | ** The Slippery Waverider is a tiny turtle creature riding on a giant axolotl. |
| 430 | ** Genevieve Elmheart is riding a moose. |
| 431 | ** He's not shown ''riding'' it, exactly, but the Black Market Merchant is using a giant crab as a beast of burden. |
| 432 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'': |
| 433 | ** Apes are often encountered astride bizarre creatures: |
| 434 | *** Throughout the first two games, they often ride giant, horned batlike monsters known as dreadwings. |
| 435 | *** The Apes in the Munitions Forge ride giant scorpions called buffalo beetles. |
| 436 | *** The Apes who attack the Dragon Temple in ''The Eternal Night'' ride giant snails. |
| 437 | ** In ''The Eternal Night'', some of the Skavengers ride owl-like monsters known as scurvywings, while others ride blundertails, giant scorpions with blunderbusses for stingers. |
| 438 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' has a number of examples: |
| 439 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': In its battle's second phase, the Gekko in the Woodfall Temple calls in a turtle-like snapper and rides around on it. Link must knock it off its steed in order to damage it. |
| 440 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': The ''protagonist'' serves as a mount to his NinjaButterfly while he is transformed into a wolf. Link himself rides a horse, and can temporarily take over the giant boars ridden by Bulblins. |
| 441 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': Loftwings are large shoebill-like birds that almost the entire culture of Skyloft is built around. Skylofters bond with individual loftwings, which then serve them as flying steeds through their WorldInTheSky. |
| 442 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': Besides the usual horses, Link can ride Stalhorses (skeletal undead horses), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9-ZmH_KYSY deer]], bears, and a deer-like mountain spirit, although stables will only allow him to permanently register regular horses. In addition, as regular mounts won't go through the deep sands of the desert, Link and the local Gerudo instead get around by riding shields hitched chariot-style to sand-swimming walruses. Among enemies, skeletal Bokoblins often ride around on Stalhorses, while some living Bokoblins ride bears, turning them into full-blown DemonicSpiders. |
| 443 | * ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'' also makes no effort to hide the parodic nature of the [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:Chuckuboo_Eternal_Blue.png 'Chuckuboo.']] |
| 444 | * ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'': You can ride [[KingOfBeasts Caragors]] and Graugs into battle. Graugs apparently are ''not'' trolls, but they do vaguely resemble them. |
| 445 | * ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': |
| 446 | ** The player can ride pigs if they put a saddle on them and dangle a carrot on a stick in front of them. The Nether Update introduces striders, red, two-legged, armless creatures that roam across the lava seas of the Nether; they can likewise be ridden with a fungus on a fishing pole, and serve as the primary means of crossing bodies of lava. |
| 447 | ** In the ''VideoGame/MoCreatures'' mod, besides various horse hybrids and fantastic equines such as unicorns, regular and dark pegasi, fairy horses, nightmares, bat horses, and skeletal and zombie horses, a number of tamable creatures can be ridden if given saddles. These include [[OurManticoresAreSpinier manticores]], all big cats, [[DragonRider wyverns]], ostriches, bears, scorpions, and komodo dragons. Finally, Wild Wolves can spawn with a zombie, skeleton, or silver skeleton riding them. |
| 448 | ** The ''Dinosaur Age'' mod has rideable mammoths and sabertooths. |
| 449 | * A few games in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' see various monsters used as mounts: |
| 450 | ** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterStories'': The aptly-named Riders can use their [[{{Mons}} Monsties]] as mounts, from the docile Aptonoth to more ferocious beasts like Rathian and Rathalos to elder dragons like Kirin and Teostra. |
| 451 | ** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'': The ''Iceborne'' expansion pack introduced the ability to learn how to ride smaller monsters around by befriending the local Grimalkynes. |
| 452 | ** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' introduces the canine Palamute, which not only fights alongside you like your Palicoes but can be ridden. |
| 453 | * ''VideoGame/Mother3'': One sequence has Lucas and his dog riding a four-legged ''coffee table'' that gallops and even neighs like a horse. |
| 454 | * Abe in ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}: Abe's Oddyssey'' can ride a strange, UglyCute creature named Elum in certain areas. The manual describes him as "Cranky, stubborn, and smells like a burst sewer pipe, and those are his good points. Fortunately, chicks dig him." |
| 455 | * ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji|2016}}'': There's Yama-usagi who rides a giant one-eyed frog, and then there is Mōba who rides ''a tea pot''. With legs ''and'' fangs. |
| 456 | * ''VideoGame/PerfectWorld'' has every kind of riding mount imaginable, in both living and mechanical forms. Living mounts range from horses (and spectral unicorns of various colors) to flightless birds (including a rainbow-feathered bird called an Aurora, typically awarded to first-time cash shoppers), to bears, lions, tigers, wolves (and even an oversized Golden Retriever dog), to dragons, harpies, and land-bound water creatures (e.g. the Wonderland Goldfish and Horror of the Depths). Mechanical mounts include machine verions of lions and rhinos, a land-bound hot air balloon, a ''Cinderella''-style carriage, a wheel-like structure powered by a running mouse, and even a [[MyHorseIsAMotorbike motorcycle]] [[HandWave said to be powered by the hydrogen present in water]]. |
| 457 | * Franchise/{{Pokemon}} |
| 458 | ** Doduo and Dodrio -- based off of ostriches -- can learn Fly in the games. The anime makes a clever justification when Falkner's Dodrio makes a leap that makes it look like it ''is'' flying, though the birds are usually ridden as land mounts when seen. Though ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'' suggests [[HeliCritter a different way]] that [[http://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/whirlybird they could fly]]. |
| 459 | ** The character Yellow of the ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' manga is fourteen years old, but she is small enough to ride Dodrio's unevolved (juvenile) form, Doduo. |
| 460 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' allows the use of Pokémon such as Skiddo, Gogoat, Rhyhorn and Mamoswine as steeds. Skiddo can jump over those [[InsurmountableWaistHighFence impassible ledges]], Rhyhorn lets you cross otherwise impassable rocky terrain, and Mamoswine can cross snow-covered paths. However, Pokémon riding is mostly limited to a diversion in a few spots in the game. |
| 461 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'': You can register various Pokémon to your Ride Pager to call up when you need them. It plays a bigger role than in ''X and Y'', replacing the HM moves of the previous games (Surf, Fly, Rock Smash...) as the way to move past obstacles. You can ride the bull-like Tauros to move fast and smash boulders, the huge dog Stoutland to sniff out hidden items, the plesiosaur-like Lapras to move over water, the draconic Charizard to fly between certain spots on the map, the huge horse Mudsdale to cross rocky terrain, the shark Sharpedo to move fast and smash boulders in the water, and the four-armed humanoid Machamp (which carries you in its second pair of arms) to shove boulders out of the way. ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' adds the manta ray Mantine that allows you to surf between islands in a surfing mini-game |
| 462 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'': The player can ride the prehistoric dragon Pokémon Koraidon in Scarlet, and the futuristic Pokémon Miraidon in Violet. Their present-day counterpart Cyclizar is used as transportation by many in the Paldea region. |
| 463 | * ''VideoGame/{{Putrefaction}}'' sees you battling Nazi cultists riding gigantic, eyeless demons as steeds, where their ride will try chomping you down while the rider tries taking potshots via rifle. |
| 464 | * ''VideoGame/QueenAtArms'': People, particularly military cavalry, ride reindeer instead of horses. |
| 465 | * ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'': |
| 466 | ** The standard animal of monture are giant birds called Peco Peco, whose appearance is not unlike Chocobos. They are limited on use to one class job, however (even if the things are also in the wild and can be captured as pet). With third jobs, Wargs, Griffons and the dragon-like Ferus are now both also fair game, even though they're also still limited to a few classes only. |
| 467 | ** Mounts were later introduced, allowing ''any'' class to ride something to go around. This wildly varies, from giant Poring for Novice class to a llama for Acolytes and [[Manga/{{Naruto}} a giant frog for Ninjas]]. |
| 468 | * ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'': In the multiplayer mode, the player can unlock mounts other than horses and donkeys, including a bull, a zebra, and the American bison. In the ''Undead Nightmare'' DLC, you can ride the Four Horses of the Apocalypse (only one at a time, though). |
| 469 | * ''VideoGame/{{Rift}}'' has a similarly eclectic line-up, including everything from ordinary horses to monitor lizards, {{Mechanical Horse}}s, giant squirrels, a creature resembling a huge floating blue glaucus, and a sort of [[MixAndMatchCritters hybrid of antelope and oviraptor]]. |
| 470 | * ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'': In a {{Homage}} to the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' arcade games, [[RecurringBoss Shadow Man]] rides a frog in Bright Man's stage. |
| 471 | * Early in ''VideoGame/RogueGalaxy'', the hero is seen riding a sort of skeletal mount called a Yago. Apparently they must have some meat on them because a sand worm eats one at the end of the first chapter. |
| 472 | * Horses are extinct in ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' so some races use other animals as mounts. Gnomes use terror birds (which in real life are an extinct clade of flightless birds) and giant tortoises. Scabarites, a race of humanoid scarabs, sometimes ride on giant locusts. |
| 473 | * ''VideoGame/SinsOfASolarEmpire'': Some planets are described as having "Native Megafauna" improving commerce (presumably by using these beasts as pack animals across the planet). |
| 474 | * ''VideoGame/SpellingJungle'': Used in both games. |
| 475 | ** In ''Spelling Jungle'', Wali can ride a hippopotamus around the river after feeding it. This can cause complications if it wears off while he's in the middle of the water. |
| 476 | ** In ''Spelling Blizzard'', Wali can ride an orca whale around the rider after feeding it. Unlike the hippos, they're constantly moving around and will swim out from under Wali, causing him to drown in the river if he's on them when the bribe wears off. |
| 477 | * The "Cralluck" in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' RPG materials; an Acamarian flightless bird. |
| 478 | * ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': Tauntauns, Varactyls, Sleens can all be acquired as mounts. If it's appeared in the background of a movie, an animated series, or just as a random creature in the game, odds are it can be obtained in a rideable form. |
| 479 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Yoshi, to the point of being referred to as such (though in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg8mDRAngZ0 a rather derogatory fashion]]) by the popular {{Lets Play}}er, LetsPlay/{{raocow}} (and, by extension, ''VideoGame/ASuperMarioThing''). |
| 480 | * ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has all three: |
| 481 | ** Noishe, the party's overworld mount, is a giant white green dog with massive ears. Who's deathly afraid of monsters. And in one of the skits is speculated to be an ancient ever-evolving creature. |
| 482 | ** Some enemies are seen to ride oversized raptors called "Velocidragons". |
| 483 | ** Actual dragons are sometimes trained as mounts, and the party even rides them at one point. |
| 484 | * ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': Flynn uses a horse-like monster with reptilian traits as a steed in one scene. The same variety of monster is also seen being used to tow merchant caravans in ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. |
| 485 | * Giant mantises take the place of horses in ''VideoGame/TelepathTactics'', probably as a nod to the setting's tropical climate. A CoolOldLady says she's had hers since she first joined the army, which implies they have roughly human lifespans. |
| 486 | * In ''VideoGame/ThetaVsPi7'' there are etas (literally eta symbols who act as horses). [[spoiler:In the final land, you finally get to ride one and discover they can walk on quicksand.]] |
| 487 | * ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Before she became an expert {{Miko}} and learned to fly on her own, Reimu Hakurei used to mount an intelligent, talking, flying turtle named Genji. |
| 488 | * ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': A fair amount of unusual creatures are used as mounts by the various armies, both as general cavalry and as the steeds of {{Hero Unit}}s. |
| 489 | ** The Greenskins are all over this. Orcs ride war boars and their Warbosses can ride wyverns. Goblins can ride giant wolves or giant spiders. ''The King and the Warlord'', which introduces a number of Night Goblin units, brings Night Goblins who ride squigs, spherical fungoid creatures provided with a giant fanged mouth, strong hopping legs, and nasty attitudes. |
| 490 | ** The main human factions, the Empire and Bretonnia, get gryphons, hippogriffs, demigryphs (which are wingless gryphons), and pegasi. |
| 491 | ** The Vampire Counts can ride ''massive'' -- as in dragon-sized -- undead bats known as Terrorgheists, as well as actual undead dragons. |
| 492 | ** The Warriors of Chaos have a unit mounted on a manticore, in addition to a two-headed mutant dragon as a steed for their hero units. |
| 493 | ** Wood Elves can ride on giant hawks, unicorns, and elk, and their lords can ride giant eagles and forest dragons. |
| 494 | ** Dark Elves favor scaly, {{raptor|Attack}}-like beasts called Cold Ones, which they share with the Lizardmen. Lords and heroes can mount bat-winged pegasi, manticores, and dragons, and a unique variant of a regular cavalry unit likewise flies on dark Pegasi. |
| 495 | ** Unique mounts for Legendary Lords and Heroes include Karl Franz's giant gryphon Deathclaw, King Louen Leoncoeur's hippogriff Beaquis, and Azhag the Slaughterer's wyvern Skullmuncha. |
| 496 | * ''VideoGame/TheTraderOfStories'' has husks, oxen of another colour (they look like a dinosaur crossed with an armadillo). |
| 497 | * The MMOG ''VideoGame/UltimaOnline'' has an array to choose from. Bipedal dinosaurs without front arms called ostards, llamas, ki-rins, and giant beetles are among the choices. |
| 498 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Utawarerumono}}'' and its sequels, bipedal lizards called woptars are the ubiquitous beast of burden, and are used for everything a horse would be used for. In the sequels, Rulutieh rides a giant flightless bird named Cocopo, who also occasionally gets used to pull carts, though it's indicated that Cocopo is much, much larger than normal members of its species. |
| 499 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' series, particularly ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', features such a wide variety of mounts that listing them all would be impractical -- but, luckily, they come in a somewhat tidy number of categories. |
| 500 | ** For starters, each of the playable races have a distinctive basic mount. In the Horde, the Orcs ride giant wolves, the Forsaken ride skeletal horses, the Trolls ride raptors, the [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent Tauren]] ride giant lizards called Kodo, the Blood Elves ride giant flightless birds, the Goblins ride three-wheeled motorbikes, the Nightborne ride big cats, the Highmountain Tauren ride moose, and the [[FoxFolk Vulpera]] ride hyenas; in the Alliance, the Dwarves ride rams, the Gnomes ride mechanical birds, the Night Elves ride saber-toothed cats, the Draenei ride elekks (a cross between an elephant and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrotherium pyrotheria]]), the Void Elves ride Void-infused birds, the Dark Iron Dwarves ride [[LivingLava core hounds]], and the Mechagnomes ride {{Chicken Walker}}s. In fact, the Humans are the only race that gets an actual honest-to-goodness horse (although from an in-universe point of view, these are likely no more or less unusual than giant birds or tame rams). The Pandaren, which are the only playable race that can be either part of the Alliance or the Horde, ride dragon turtles, fittingly as they are from the Azeroth equivalent of China. |
| 501 | ** Averted by the [[WolfMan Worgen]] Alliance race. They don't have their own mount, they just run around on all fours (though you can ride a mount as a Worgen if you choose). The reward mounts for becoming Exalted with the Worgen as another race are simply reskinned horses -- which makes sense considering they used to be humans until very recently, although that doesn't make it less disappointing. |
| 502 | ** Then there are the various flying mounts, starting with griffons and giant furry bats and later progressing to sporebats, drakes, miniature helicopters, hippogriffs, etc. Lastly, ''Wrath of the Lich King'' introduced a variety of new land and flying mounts including mammoths, proto-drakes, flying carpets, motorcycles, and turtles; not to mention achievements for acquiring as many mounts as possible. Most of these achievements reward yet another mount, usually particularly unusual. |
| 503 | ** There are also class-specific mounts. These are all horses -- or at least ''look'' like horses -- but largely have otherworldly origins, being more explicitly summoned by respective spells (Death Knight mounts are undead, Paladin mounts are divine spirits, and Warlock mounts are [[HellishHorse demonic]]). |
| 504 | ** In addition, many more mounts are available as various rewards in the game plus various flying mounts, plus constant new additions available and a variety of limited edition and promotional ones. Wolves, dinosaurs, giant bats, giant lizards, ostriches, dragons, big cats, sheep, pretty much all bases are covered somewhere. |
| 505 | ** Horde players technically couldn't even ride (non-[[HellishHorse demonic]] or [[RaisingTheSteaks undead]]) horses until the Argent Warhorse was introduced late in ''Wrath of the Lich King''. |
| 506 | ** A lot of this dates back to its RTS roots, such as the sabre-cat mounts preferred by the Night Elves, Orcs riding giant wolves, the Tauren using kodo beasts as pack animals, etc all debuted there. Likewise, the basic flying mounts for both factions (and the ones used for flight paths well before that) have made their first appearances in the RTS. |
| 507 | ** It's worth noting that pre-release promotional material for the ''Burning Crusade'' expansion referred to the Blood Elf mount as a Cockatrice; eventually, however, someone at Blizzard realized that introducing a creature with "cock" in its name into a game largely played by teenagers and immature twentysomethings was just ''[[TemptingFate asking]]'' [[TemptingFate for trouble]]. They were renamed Hawkstriders. |
| 508 | ** There are even mounts with individual names: like Invincible, the undead winged horse once owned by the Lich King (which you can loot from his corpse, naturally). Some of the dragon mounts are also specific dragons not just random ones, and other times you can get rare mobs as mounts after defeating them. The original game had two mounts that you raised and trained from babies: a dino (for Horde only) and a sabertooth cat (for Alliance only). A few other mounts (but not nearly as many as people want) like this have been added. |
| 509 | ** In ''Literature/TheWaterfireSaga'', most merfolk ride hippokamps, but a few are wealthy and crazy enough to have ''orcas'' trained for them. |
| 510 | ** Blood elves ride flightless, vaguely ostrich-like birds called hawkstriders. The void elves -- originally {{defector|FromDecadence}}s from the blood elf faction -- ride voidstriders, Void-infused versions of the blood elves' birds. |
| 511 | ** Gnomes get ''robotic'' ostriches called Mechanostriders. |
| 512 | ** Trolls like dinosaur mounts and the bipedal dinos are called Ravasaurs. There are several bipedal Ravasaurs in the game. They are basically T-Rexes. |
| 513 | ** The Pandarens have riding cranes. One feels sorry for the cranes though, as the Pandaren are quite rotund. |
| 514 | [[/folder]] |
| 515 | |
| 516 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 517 | * ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': |
| 518 | ** Lisa rides on a [[HeroicDolphin Pink Fish Charger]] to fight her Darkness counterpart in [='VRcade'=] |
| 519 | ** Power Rams aren't supposed to be this, but Cody, Alex, and Seth use them like one anyway in 'Untamed and Uncut'. |
| 520 | * ''WebAnimation/NoEvil'' has domesticated jackalopes the size of horses used as beasts of burden. |
| 521 | * In WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland, Puffball serves as this to the other contestants due to her ability to fly, even being the main mode of transportation for her team to get to yoyleland in the second season. |
| 522 | [[/folder]] |
| 523 | |
| 524 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 525 | * ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'''s Yoshi the velociraptor. |
| 526 | * ''Webcomic/AliceAndTheNightmare'': Cinnibar Army's mounts are over-sized riding dogs. |
| 527 | * In one ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' strip, Lancelot visits an inn that has a faerie riding dog in its stables. Lacking a horse, he asks if he can have the dog, but the innkeeper replies it's a very poor animal, not fit for a noble warrior. Sadly, Lancelot [[SubvertedPunchline interrupts him with a completely different joke]] before he can explain further. |
| 528 | * ''Webcomic/Astray3'' has bird-like creatures usable as mounts as well as a whirling bug creature that pulls carts. |
| 529 | * ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse'': The Everyman's first action after befriending the giant sparrow he names Chairman Jack is to equip a shield and lance, mount on his back, and take to the skies to battle the void birds. |
| 530 | * ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' has a variety of horse alternatives including [[MixAndMatchCritters horse-bears]], [[http://www.charbythevampirate.com/comic/1004 riding dogs and manticores]]. One of the many horse alternatives are alpacas with a single spiral horn. |
| 531 | * ''Webcomic/{{Doodze}}'' features a [[http://seguemediagroup.com/doodze/?p=942 squirrel.]] (Not a giant squirrel. Doodzes are tiny.) |
| 532 | * ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'': Many large clans use large and varying animals as mounts, for transport and battles. The Val'Sarghress breed and train [[CanisMajor horse-sized wolves]], the Vel'Sharen ride elephant-sized [[OurDragonsAreDifferent flightless dragons]] and the Val'Sullisin'rune ride [[PantheraAwesome horse-sized tigers]]. Dawmere/Unicorn are horse-like animals that have cloven feet and short fat horns on their head; they are more akin to donkeys or mountain goats then horses. Real horses exist but are rarely if ever used by the titular Drow, as they are unsuited for underground conditions. |
| 533 | * ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' is home to a broad variety of mounts, including spidews, dwagons, gwiffons, unipegataurs, megalogwiffs, tankeroos (kangaroo-formed cloth golems), elephant-formed cloth golems, and a glass golem which appears to actually be in the form of a horse. |
| 534 | * ''Webcomic/FirstContact'' has the deerlike SpaceElves riding on giant centipedes. |
| 535 | * In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' |
| 536 | ** Jenka rides her giant war-bear, Füst. |
| 537 | ** Librarians from the Incorruptible Library use [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20220916 large cats as mounts]]. |
| 538 | ** A woman can be seen riding a [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20150601 large flightless white bird in the Paris underground]]. |
| 539 | ** A Jägermonster is seen riding some sort of [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20131009 horned pointy-toothed purple monster]]. |
| 540 | ** The Geisterdamen usually ride giant spiders, but are also seen riding a number of [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060710 other many-limbed monsters]]. |
| 541 | * Suss Birds in ''Webcomic/{{Harkovast}}'' fit this trope, as do the Bataks and Histoos. |
| 542 | * ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': |
| 543 | ** During [S] Make Her Pay, Tavros is seen riding a Horsaroni, a purple, eyeless horse-like animal with a mane of cable-like tentacles, into combat while armed with a lance. |
| 544 | ** During his childhood escape from Betty Crocker, Jade's Grandpa is seen riding the dog Halley as a steed. |
| 545 | * ''Webcomic/LittleRobotBigScaryWorld'': BIP uses a robotic beetle, named Go-Ship, as a steed. |
| 546 | * ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'' gives us the Rent-A-Zilla whom [[spoiler: Yuki Sonoda takes to riding once her MagicalGirl abilities really start to kick in.]] Largo has made use of them in this way, too. |
| 547 | * Being based on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' likes this trope quite a bit. Belkar's wiener dog, Hinjo's dire wolf Argent, Xykon's zombie silver dragon, Lien's shark Razor, and Redcloak's summoned fiendish mammoth all get play during the Battle of Azure City alone. The demon roaches even [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0451.html lampshade it]] when riding a raccoon. The [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1179.html Dwarven Treeslayers]], berzerker warriors who seek out the dwarves' [[EnmityWithAnObject greatest enemies]] (and as a side-effect provide lumber) ride giant beavers and woodpeckers. |
| 548 | * In ''Webcomic/{{Seekers}}'' the winglings ride chickens. |
| 549 | * The Denizens (LivingShadow minions) in ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=383 tried]] to ride a ''platypus'' for fun. |
| 550 | * ''Webcomic/TenEarthShatteringBlows'': There is a different type of mount for every country. Vezenians ride giant boars, people of the desert ride giant lizards. |
| 551 | * ''Webcomic/{{Uncreation}}'' features the centitrains, which are giant centipedes that (unsurprisingly) function as trains. They even have the ability to separate like train carriages -- by ''ripping themselves in half'' and then regenerating a new head out of the wound. |
| 552 | * ''Webcomic/UnknownLands'': The elven royalty shows up riding an albino moose, while her retainers are stuck walking. |
| 553 | * ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': The primary riding animals in the ConstructedWorld of Kasslyne are "saddlehounds", dogs that have been bred to be the size of horses. Horses and dog-sized dogs don't exist in the setting. |
| 554 | * ''Webcomic/TheWaterPhoenixKing'' has saddle-broken zebras and "bicorns", which are exactly what you'd expect -- large ungulates with two straight horns on their heads. And a riding robot bug. |
| 555 | |
| 556 | [[/folder]] |
| 557 | |
| 558 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 559 | * Arachne, a giant spider in ''Literature/VoidDomain'', winds up acting as a school bus for a handful of students when they decide to live a fair distance from the school. |
| 560 | * On Website/{{Snaiad}}, orca runners, which vaguely resemble giant ostrich-puffins, have been domesticated and are used for riding and pulling carts. |
| 561 | * ''WebOriginal/BosunsJournal'': |
| 562 | ** The bird herders, a culture of {{Lilliputians}} who live in the ruins of an avian research lab, domesticate songbirds as mounts. |
| 563 | ** The very distant descendants of the bird herders, the riderfolk, live in symbiosis with another sapient posthuman species, the quadrupedal mountpeople, where the two serve as each other's legs and hands. |
| 564 | [[/folder]] |
| 565 | |
| 566 | [[folder:Web Video]] |
| 567 | * Parodied in ''WebVideo/CollegeSaga'', where the hero rides a chocobo played by a man in a fursuit. |
| 568 | * ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': The Kryn Dynasty have tamed moorbounders, large panther-like cats with bulbous eyes and large curled tusks, for use in battle. They're notable for being faster than horses, but more difficult to control. The Mighty Nein purchase a trio of moorbounders during their time in Xhorhas. |
| 569 | [[/folder]] |
| 570 | |
| 571 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 572 | * In ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', the genie-hunter Mukhtar rides on a creature called Saurus, which somewhat resembles a reptilian ostrich. |
| 573 | * Ostrich-Horses in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' seem to be the transportation of choice in the Earth Kingdom. |
| 574 | * The main characters in ''WesternAnimation/HighlanderTheAnimatedSeries'' ride a kind of large bipedal animal in many episodes. |
| 575 | * The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode [[Recap/SouthParkS10E13GoGodGoXII "Go God Go XII"]] begins with sea otters and Cartman riding around on ostriches. |
| 576 | * In ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', the eponymous character's mount Sylvia is a Zbornak, an alien with an earless, vaguely horse-shaped head and a body like a theropod dinosaur. She's also blue with a pink mane and tail tuft. [[SapientSteed Oh, and she's sapient too.]] |
| 577 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Both ordinary horses and horses of a different color can be found in the land of Ooo, among them a yellow lemon camel ridden by the manic and over-reacting lemon person, Lemongrab. |
| 578 | ** The topper is an ordinary horse being ridden by a creature that is a cross between a rainbow and a unicorn. (Who is usually herself ridden.) |
| 579 | ** And then, of course, there's [[MemeticBadass James Baxter]]. |
| 580 | * Buggalo (giant ladybugs) in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' are the equivalent of cows. |
| 581 | ** And only those who ride Buggalo may have Buggalo. And [[FantasyCounterpartCulture that's]] [[MagicalNativeAmerican us]]. |
| 582 | ** And when driving Buggalo, you ride a giant tarantula. Farnsworth will have you know that it's not a giant ant: |
| 583 | ---> '''Farnsworth:''' [[ArtisticLicenseBiology It's not a magic bug, you idiot, its a magic arachnid!]] [[BerserkButton See, count the legs, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!]] |
| 584 | * One episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' had the girls invaded by giant broccoli aliens after they spiked the town's broccoli supply with MindControl spores that left all the adults incapacitated, leaving the girls and the kids to confront the green threat. As part of their vegetable motif, the broccoli king rides a carrot-shaped mount. |
| 585 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': |
| 586 | ** Like in many other fantasy worlds, in ancient times Dragons were used as mounts before they were hunted to near extinction. In the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', their numbers seem to be recovering, if Zuko's pet dragon Druk is anything to go by. |
| 587 | ** The Sky Bison are giant, intelligent six-legged oxen with beaver tails that could fly, and were used by the Air Nomads as flying mounts. The Fire nation hunted them into extinction alongside their masters, and now only one member of their species -- Appa -- is believed to be alive. As of the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', however, a new colony of Sky Bison has been found, which gives hope that the species can be repopulated. |
| 588 | ** An episode had [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Azula and friends]] riding giant basilisk lizards, complete with a scene where they run across the surface of water.[[note]]Yes, basilisk lizards can actually do that in real life... because they're so small[[/note]] |
| 589 | ** Similarly, Sokka, Suki, and Toph ride an eel hound to get to the airship base in time. |
| 590 | ** The Fire Nation uses Komodo rhinos as heavy cavalry. |
| 591 | * Snails are the main means of transport in ''{{WesternAnimation/Amphibia}}'', although giant bugs are also used. |
| 592 | * ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'': In season 5, after the heroes vehicles are destroyed by new villains Carly and Cartoka, their spirit animals manifest in physical forms resembling a giant feline, owl and lizard, which the PJ's can ride. |
| 593 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' there's Naga, Korra's Polar Bear-Dog, a beast the size of a polar bear with mostly the personality and appearance of a very large dog, who can carry three people at one with reasonable speed. |
| 594 | * ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'': Wildernessa uses her dog Cheesesticks as a mount. It should be mentioned that Cheesesticks is a Tibetan mastiff, [[CanisMajor one of the biggest breeds of dog in the world]]. |
| 595 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesOfDarkWater'' was set on a world without wide-open spaces of dry land. Flying critters called Dagrons (small dragons, really) were the ride of choice. [[HumanResources Turns out they had a secret]]. |
| 596 | * Witches in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' occasionally use giant [[MixAndMatchCritters ratworms]] as mounts. Mention is also made of snake horses (or "snorses", as Luz calls them) that are never seen but are apparently widespread enough that [[HoldYourHippogriffs they're used as a stand-in for horsepower]]. |
| 597 | [[/folder]] |
| 598 | |
| 599 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 600 | * Camels, for both one-humped dromedaries and two-humped Bactrian species. Llamas have been ridden as well, although their foul temper makes them impractical as mounts. |
| 601 | ** Because they're a ''lot'' bigger and stronger than horses, camels were used as battle mounts in the Middle East for centuries, able to cross terrain that would kill a horse and to run in full barding. Some even carried small cannons on their backs to serve as the first highly-mobile artillery units. Additionally, camels' unfamiliar scent often disoriented horses, which made them useful against European cavalry. |
| 602 | ** Camel racing remains a popular sport in much of Asia and North Africa--which has led to the trope coming full circle with a ''Rider'' of a Different Color: Since a lighter rider increases a camel's chance of winning a race, many riders are enslaved children, and now that the UAE and Qatar have banned this practice, they are being replaced with small robots. |
| 603 | * Cetaceans: Giving their trainers rides or pushing them through the water is a standard exercise for performing orcas and pilot whales. Bottle-nosed dolphins aren't strong enough to haul a full-sized human around the training-tank for more than a lap or two, but pairs of them working together can carry a clinging human a fair distance or even lunge out of the water with a trainer hanging between them. |
| 604 | * Dogs: Dogs have been used to pull carts and sleds; several breeds exist for the purpose of hauling sleds. |
| 605 | * Donkeys: Although notoriously less cooperative and a bit small for riding, donkeys and their half-horse offspring, mules and hinnies, are pretty much the only animals besides horses to be used extensively as mounts and haulers of vehicles ''worldwide'', as opposed to in specific extreme environments or limited geographic regions. |
| 606 | * Goats/Sheep: Too small for anyone but a very small child to ride on, goats and sheep have been used to pull carts. |
| 607 | * Elephants: Asian elephants have been used as mounts for thousands of years, although more as beasts of burden than long-range transport. African elephants are far less manageable, although some individual animals will allow a familiar human keeper to ride them. |
| 608 | * Elk: (Moose for North American tropers) can be tamed and ridden and there have been cavalry units based on elks rather than horses in European history. |
| 609 | * Ostriches & Emus: Ostriches themselves tend to be pretty unhappy about people riding on their backs, making them impractical for any use other than recreation. They also have an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnKBQquzGXE unfortunate habit of losing their riders]]. Professional horse jockeys describe them as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53p-go2DOnE "like riding a giant football"]]. Emus have been used as mounts in much the same manner, though their much smaller size makes them unsuited for carrying an average adult human. |
| 610 | * Cattle & Oxen: Oxen are ridden occasionally. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKeNTj5cKM4 A girl]] rides a cow and showjumps with her after she was told she can't have a horse. |
| 611 | * Pigs: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJlwBkFAHw Man in China]] rides a pig along a road. |
| 612 | * Reindeer (Caribou for North American tropers) are the only deer that can be said to be domesticated. They can be ridden or trained to pull sleds or carriages. |
| 613 | * Remoras are fishes that make a lifestyle out of riding on or under all sorts of larger marine animals, from sea turtles to sharks, by means of specialized adhesive pads on their heads. |
| 614 | * Sika deer on Yakushima Island sometimes allow young snow monkeys to cling to their backs for brief rides. It's unknown why the deer tolerate being ridden, but they definitely benefit from stray leaves and nuts dropped from the treetops by the monkeys. |
| 615 | * Yaks hold much importance in various Asian cultures. There are even sports with yak riding in mind, from yak racing to yak polo. |
| 616 | * Wapiti: (Elk for North American tropers, also called "American Elk"; not to be confused with the "Elk/Moose" interchange): [[http://www.messybeast.com/history/working3.htm Here]] are some examples of mounted wapiti/American elk, along with other animals such as yaks, llamas and ostriches. |
| 617 | * Zebras: People have tamed zebras and managed to ride them before, but it is more impractical than horses because of their temperament and because zebras have less speed and endurance than horses. Zorses (zebra-horse hybrids) are somewhat more practical as mounts. |
| 618 | [[/folder]] |
| 619 |
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