http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dobbin_72.jpg

A HorseOfADifferentColour indeed - and an entirely different nature. Combining the [[CoolHorse coolness of a horse]] with the tireless reliability of a machine, the MechanicalHorse is, at its most basic level, a motorbike with legs. The MechanicalHorse will usually be a [[RobotBuddy robot]], but some {{Steampunk}} universes feature ''clockwork'' horses.

The idea is not quite as ludicrous as it sounds. Biological horses can walk on vastly more kinds of terrain than a wheeled vehicle, and it would be quite useful if there were a machine that could do the same thing. But engineers find it very challenging to overcome all of the problems with moving around on legs, on any uneven surface, without falling down. As an odd example, the US military once funded experimentation into a "walking truck", a horse-like machine designed as an all-terrain mount and transport. (It looks ''[[http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/~hpm/project.archive/Image.Archive/other.robots/Mosher.GE.walking.truck.jpg really weird]]''.)

Not to be confused with [[AutomatonHorses horses treated like machines]]. A really big mechanical horse with some of the animal traits taken away and some weapons added is basically a SpiderTank.

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!!Examples:

* In ''VampireHunterD'': ''Bloodlust'', it appears D's horse is either a cyborg or a robot; when one is destroyed early in the film, mechanical parts go flying rather than blood.
** This troper remembers there being some blood when the cyberhorse went splat at the bottom of the cliff.
** D later goes to a cyborg horse stable to order a new one.
*** It's expressly stated in the first ''VampireHunterD'' novel that the horses are cyborgs.
* DungeonsAndDragons's {{Eberron}} campaign setting features automaton horses.
**Not to mention the Stone Horse items in the 3rd edition Dungeon Masters Guide. But they're awful, so I won't talk about them too much.
* A Rainbow Bright movie (the one with the diamond-planet) features a talking [[strike: Cylon]] Cyber Horse for Bright's SpearCounterpart.
* ''AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' likewise has robo-horses, since many newly-settled planets lack roads for wheeled vehicles.
* The ''{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Making Money'' introduced golem-horses, tireless pottery automatons, which are now in the employ of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office.
* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'', carriages are drawn by the Model-H's: intricate robotic horses that spout [[ParadiseLost Milton]] as they slouch apocalyptically toward their destination.
* One of the ''ArabianNights'' stories features a clockwork horse, which makes this OlderThanPrint.
** The clockwork horse features prominently in the ArabianNights based movie ''The Thief of Bagdad'' as well. [[EvilChancellor Jaffar]] offers it to [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter The Sultan of Basra]], a toy collector, in exchange for his daughter.
* ''{{Rifts}}'' features both Robot and Bionic horses.
* ''GGundam'' gives us Fuunsaiki, a [[HumongousMecha Mecha]] horse piloted by an ''actual'' horse.
** Which was likely inspired by ''SD Gundam'', which frequently featured mechanical horses due to its heavy use of samurai and knight settings. Some characters (such as Musha Zeta and Knight Gundam), even have centaur forms where they can combine with their steed. Perhaps topping them all, Ryofu Tallgeese in the current (as of early 2009) series SD Gundam Sangokuden has a powerful robotic horse that can also transform into a motorbike.
* Similarly, the Aussenseiter in ''SuperRobotWars'' is piloted by a person, but [[TransformingMecha transforms]] into a horse. All together now: "Real Men Ride Each Other".
* In RogerZelazny's ''Dilvish, the Damned'' and the sequel, ''The Changing Land'', Dilvish had a talking metal horse named Black (which was... black). Not exactly a Mecha Horse, as we find out that [[spoiler:it is some kind of creature, possibly a demon, who agreed to help him in his quest according to a deal they made]].
* [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/AT-ST AT-STs]], the small personal mechs first seen in ReturnOfTheJedi, only have two legs and are sometimes called "chicken walkers", and they're armed, but otherwise follow this trope perfectly. An early version appears in Episode Three. [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Walker Walkers]] in general, and there are a lot of them in the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, sit comfortably between this trope and SpiderTank.
*** And let's not forget the giant AT-AT's. They may not be very nimble or horse-like but they work on the same principles.
* ''The Dark Side Of The Sun,'' a science fiction novel by TerryPratchett, features robot horses on a world of nothing but MechanicalLifeforms. The horses are sapient, and have a philosophical outlook on life.
** Pratchet's later book ''Strata'', contains a similar mechanical horse ''that can fly.'' It says it runs on magic.
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'', in addition to fully robotic mounts, has heavily augmented bionic horses and cyber-''boars''.
** And Warhammer Fantasy features [[http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=Individual&code=99060202215&orignav=13 the mechanical horse]]. This is sufficiently ridiculous for even the distinctively over-the-top Warhammer world that many Empire players consider it DisContinuity. Empire army book author [[http://www.warvault.net/interview.php Graham McNeill]] considers it the Empire's attempt to invent the car.
* Saber Rider's Steed and April's Nova in ''SaberRiderAndTheStarSheriffs''.
* ''The Diamond Age'' by Neal Stephenson has mechanical horses; one of the main characters is given one with directions preprogrammed into it as a way of taking him to a secret location.
** Interesting in that they're specifically mentioned as being capable of using different gaits: galloping like a horse on smooth, level terrain, but more like a big cat when walking on steep, uneven terrain.
** "A horse, or something built around the same general plan, was coming down the street at a hard gallop. Its hooves did not make the pocking noise of iron horseshoes. Bud realized it was a chevaline - a four-legged robot thingy." From the TheDiamondAge, by Neal Stephenson.
* In the tabletop RPG ''{{Exalted}}'', some characters can create horse-like constructs of bonded magical energy.
* Can't be complete without 30-30, the half-mechanical deputy transforming horse from ''{{Bravestarr}}''.
* The Mechanostriders (mechanical ''ostriches'') from WorldOfWarcraft.
* The RankinBass special Jack Frost has the villain riding a SteamPunk mechanical horse.
* In the WhateleyUniverse, Stalwart likes to go around in Arthurian-looking PoweredArmor he built himself. He has a robot horse he rides too. It still breaks down a lot. He is only in high school.
* Christopher Stasheff's ''Warlock'' series has Fess, a RobotBuddy computer brain that spends much of the series in a robot horse body.
* Gertrude, Brunhilda & Nikki of the webcomic {{The KAMics}} received mechanical pegasi as a gift from the webcomic MagicalMisfits. Nikki's pegasi was shown to convert into a convertible.
* According to the MST3K classic childrens' film ''Santa Claus'', our hero's sleigh is pulled by hideous giggling clockwork reindeer. This was, of course, the Trope Namer for NightmareFuel.
* The fan-favorite HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse episode ''"Origin of the Sorceress"'' also featured Stri-Dor, Man-At-Arms' hand-built robot mount for He-Man, which Cringer/Battle Cat viewed with no small amount of distaste. It even got a HeroicSacrifice-turned-DisneyDeath fighting a villain called...wait for it...[[ShoutOut Morgoth the]] [[LordOfTheRings Terrible.]]
* StephenKing's Dark Tower novel ''DarkTower/WolvesOfTheCalla". The 'wolves' that kidnap children from the town of Calla Bryn Sturgis every generation appear as wolf-masked riders, but are actually robots mounted on mechanical horses.
* The Count in {{Gankutsuou}} has a [[RuleOfCool hovering carriage drawn by mechanical horses]].
* In {{Garo}}, the titular Makai Knight gets one of these upon slaying 100 Horrors. It's ''awesome.'' He can even transform his sword into a {{BFS}} while riding it.
* Real Life example: one of the early projects of ''automobile'', back in the 1800s, included a papier-mache wheeled horse with engine inside. The idea was to make it less scary to other horses (and some of the more conservative folks as well). And no, I am not making this up.
* Another {{Real Life}} example: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww BigDog]] mechanical mule.
* ''MagicTheGathering'' has the [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=2902 Clockwork Steed]].
* ''KimPossible'' has a few of them in the episode 'Showdown at Crooked D'. Her uncle has a technologically advanced ranch where the horses are the norm.
* ''The Quest for Saint Aquin'', a 1951 short story by Anthony Boucher, had the priest protagonist using an artifically-intelligent 'robass', which happens to be an aetheist.
* One of the challenges in ''Syberia II'' is how to repair a group of horse automata (no, not AutomatonHorses!) that "dance" on stage in a tavern. They can't be ridden anywhere, but they're kinda fun to watch.
* A concept design by Jason Battersby has a real-life version. Called the Nomad, it even gets energy from eating vegetation [[http://www.flylyf.com/project-nomad-jason-battersby/]].
* ''Onimusha 2'' has one, which Jubei and Oyu ride once and then leave in a stable, despite there being so many points where a mechanical horse would have come in handy. And no-one ever blinks an eyelid about the horse itself, despite them being in medieval Japan and all other machines being evil.
* [[http://www.b3tards.com/u/7c82098adc87c1f1dee2/oldesteamhorse2.jpg This.]]
* The Genesis game Alien Solider has one of these as the boss of Stage 23, named Wolfgunblood Garopa.
* During their most recent tour, {{Music/Take That}} had a [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3671943867_2c950189d4_o.jpg giant mechanical elephant]].

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