History Main / HellishHorse

* The Thestrals in ''HarryPotter'' as semi-examples, since they look like skeletons, only those who've seen death up close can see them, and to everyone else they're [[InvisibleToNormals invisible]]. However, they're actually quite gentle and end up significantly aiding the main characters.

[[DungeonsAndDragons http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nightmar2.jpg]]

** It also has the Four Horses of the Apocalypse. War has a flaming mane, tall and feet, Death causes zombies head to explode, Pestilence is NighInvulnerable and is surrounded by a sickly green cloud, Famine is trailed by a swarm of locusts.

* The Four Horsemen of The Bible.

** In RedDeadRedemptionUndeadNightmare: Has the Undead Horse, it appears when you whistle for your horse after it has died. It's faster and has infinite stamina, but it's much harder to control.
* It also has the Four Horses of the Apocalypse. War has a flaming mane, tall and feet, Death causes zombies head to explode, Pestilence is NighInvulnerable and is surrounded by a sickly green cloud, Famine is trailed by a swarm of locusts.

* In RedDeadRedemptionUndeadNightmare: Has the Undead Horse, it appears when you whistle for your horse after it has died. It's faster and has infinite stamina, but it's much harder to control.

[[caption-width:333: He may have a [[IncrediblyLamePun flowing mane]], but he'll still own you in two seconds.]]

* The spiderweb horse in ''TheBrothersGrimm''. [[NightmareFuel Bad horse, VERY VERY BAD HORSE]].

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* ''MahouSentaiMagiranger'' (and its American adaptation, ''PowerRangersMysticForce''), has Barikion (Catastros), the black horse ridden by the dark knight Wolzard (Koragg). A normal horse at normal size, but can become HumongousMecha-ish with an AttackOfThe50FootWhatever spell (much as the Rangers themselves that year, instead of the usual machines.) There is also a good counterpart: Unigolon (Brightstar), a white unicorn ridden by the [[TheHero Red Ranger]].
** He's mass-produced: A villain from later in the series has a ''chariot'' pulled by two of the mecha-horsies. The whole thing actually rides up from a pit in the ground that he creates.

[[AC:Anime]]
* D's horse in ''{{Vampire Hunter D}}'' in at least one incarnation is actually some sort of cyborg, but can appear pretty monstrous. A memorable caption in ''Anime Insider'' had someone ask D what was wrong with it, and all he could say was "I don't know."

* Entei from {{InuYasha}}.

* Killbeat the lascivious and sadistic bicorn from [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Legendz Legendz]] Unusual in that she never serves as a villain's mount, instead she's a major villain herself!

[[AC:Film]]

* [[RoguesGallery The Scarecrow]] briefly rides around on a police horse in ''[[{{Batman}} Batman Begins]]''. Due to the hallucinogens covering the area, the horse (and The Scarecrow) appears to be demonic from the point of view of a young boy.

[[AC:Literature]]
* The Thestrals in ''{{Harry Potter}}'' as semi-examples, since they look like skeletons, only those who've seen death up close can see them, and to everyone else they're [[InvisibleToNormals invisible]]. However, they're actually quite gentle and end up significantly aiding the main characters.

[[AC: Music]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''{{Futurama}}'' plays with this by having a [=HoloDeck=] simulation gone wrong and the holographic version of Spirit, a pony Amy wanted but didn't get as a kid (because she [[SpoiledBrat had too many ponies already]]) turn bad and grows fangs -- while Atilla the Hun was riding it.
* Played for laughs when ''{{Robot Chicken}}'' did a sketch about "{{My Little Pony}}: Apocalypse Pony."
* Young Blood's skeleton horse in ''DannyPhantom''.
** Don't forget Fright Knight's freaky winged demon horse.
* Parodied with relish in (of all places) ''RainbowBrite and the Star Stealer''. Stormy's horse Skydancer rages screaming through the clouds, causes lightning to fire off everywhere he stomps, snorts freezing rain, and has the obligatory Goshawk-red mad eyes and BadAss attitude. Starlite (essentially TedBaxter as a magical horse) challenges him to a race, overtakes him, and ends the winter in the process. The infuriated Skydancer screams and foams and snorts... a tiny rainbow.
* In ''ThundarrTheBarbarian'', the human heroes ride ordinary horses, while Ookla the Mok rides an "equort," something that looks likes a cross between a horse and a bug.
* In a ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode, Mr. Burns tries to bribe Lisa with three beautiful ponies. When Lisa regretfully refuses, they reveal their true nature...
* In the ''[[Series.DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' cartoon, Venger rides a Nightmare (''see'' '''Tabletop Games''', ''below'').

* The summon Ixion from ''{{Final Fantasy X}}'' has been described as a unicorn on steroids, and that's fairly accurate. The horn alone looks more like something one would see on a can opener.

* While not evil, Odin's Gestalt Mode in FinalFantasyXIII qualifies for this trope.

* Ruin of {{Darksiders}}, whose rider is none other than [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse The Horseman of War]].
* The Reaper Steeds of ''{{Brutal Legend}}''.

[[AC:Mythology]]
* Sleipnir from NorseMythology, one of the [[OlderThanDirt oldest examples]], had eight legs and other monstrous features, as well as [[ShapeshiftingSquick pretty sick origin]]. Despite this, though, it was a relatively gentle and well-behaved horse.
** In a bizarre move of artistic licence, the Hungarian film ''Fehérlófia'' depicts Sleipnir as a ''human!'' Possible lampshade, though, as he [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cRfmAMdIeM appears as a horse upon birth.]]
* The Fairy Raed, also known as TheWildHunt, has appeared in various forms in European mythology. Generally, the horses being ridden where huge and black, sometimes with demonic features, and together with their riders, who were either the damned or [[TheFairFolk Fae]], and hellhounds would hunt the living (or the dying, or the recently dead, depending on who you asked) and drive them to hell. Just seeing the Raed was bad luck, foretelling strife or plague. Depending on the time period and location, the leader of the Raed was either a lost soul or deity. Odin has been associated with the Wild Hunt.
** The wild hunt as also appeared in numerous works over the years, including poetry, fantasy novels, and videogames.
* Also appears in CelticMythology with the [[http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/scotland/folklore/kelpie.html kelpie]], who was a beast that appeared to be a horse with shark-like teeth; if anyone mounted it, it would take them underwater and drown and eat them. Kelpies are said to inhabit only running water.
** Depending on the versions, it could turn into an attractive man/woman to make luring people into the water easier.
* The Eighth Task of Hercules was to steal the Mares of Diomedes, who had regularly fed them human meat. Some accounts say they could also breathe fire from their nostrils. At the end, Hercules himself killed Diomedes and fed him to his Mares, making this OlderThanDirt.
* The Celtic Puca (or Pookah) is a less fatal version of this: It usually takes the form of a black horse with golden eyes and loves scaring people by taking them on unexpected midnight rides, but it never actually kills them and often leads people away from danger.
** [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism Only in some versions of the myths.]] In others, the people who have been taken on these rides come back... [[TouchedByVorlons changed]]. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel If they come back.]]
* The Scots have the Each Uisge, or water-horse, a shapeshifting monster inhabiting bodies of water such as lochs. These monsters would often disguise themselves as fine ponies or horses and stand near the water's edge. Once a person mounted the water-horse, its skin would become inescapably sticky and it would plunge into the deepest part of the water, drowning the unfortunate victim, who was then torn apart and eaten (apart from the liver, which would float ashore.)
* In Brazilian folklore, a woman who fornicates with a priest turns into a Mula-sem-Cabeça (Headless Mule). It's a dreadful black mule [[CaptainObvious that has no head]], but somehow, manages to spew fire from it's non-existant nose. It also has iron hoofs that make a horrible noise when the mule gallops. The transformed woman has to ride through seven parishes each night until she returns to the original parish where she sinned, or someone stabs her with a needle.
* In GreekMythology the sun god Helios has a chariot pulled by fiery horses - in case you missed that detail their names, Aethon, Aeos, Pyrois and Phlegon, will remind you, as they are greek words and expressions relating to fire and light. Other sun gods of other indo-european religions share the sun-chariot motiff, but much on the steeds isn't specified, an exception being [[HinduMythology Surya]], whose horse is seven headed.

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* ''{{Dungeons And Dragons}}'' has the Nightmare: a horse-like monster from the Lower Planes that is ridden by Blackguards and powerful Evil creatures. It has glowing red eyes, a blazing mane, burning hooves and fangs. Oh, and they can fly and teleport across the planes. Numerous later fantasy works have later copied the idea, many of them likely not realizing "nightmare" as a horse-thing was a silly pun rather than an actual mythological creature. (The "mare" of "nightmare" is actually a goblinlike creature called a "mara".)
** In addition, Natara, Commander of the Infernal Charge of Avernus, has a black unicorn with bat-wings.
** A ''DragonMagazine'' article introduced the Equars, nine intelligent magical horses from the Outer Planes that represented different [[CharacterAlignment alignments]]. They included the handsome, black Banecourser (LawfulEvil); the sickly, ratlike Roasinante (NeutralEvil); and the monstrous [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyed]] Charnalbalk (ChaoticEvil).
* Daemonic mounts in ''{{Warhammer}}'' and ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' range from [[TheJuggernaut Juggernauts of Khorne]], rhino-like critters made out of a combination of iron and hellfire, to Steeds of Slaanesh, unnaturally-captivating serpents [[FetishFuel mostly comprised of breasts and a really long tongue]]. At the outer reaches of this trope are the Discs of Tzeentch, which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin are exactly what they sound like.]]
** The Vampire counts in ''{{Warhammer}}'' have mounts called Nightmares, which fits this trope (the exact look of the Nightmare can vary, since it's cobbled together out of corpses, but it tends to be at least ''vaguely'' horse-like). There's also the Felsteed, which is a winged Nightmare (and, in previous editions, was named exactly that).
* ''MagicTheGathering'' has a creature called [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=129659 Nightmare]], as well as [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=84502 Thundermare]].

* Bad Horse, the leader of the Evil League of Evil in ''[[DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]]'' is supposedly like this, according to other characters' descriptions, including having a terrible Death Whinny. Please note that [[spoiler: he isn't a horse themed villain, as much as an ''actual horse'']].

[[AC:RealLife]]
* TruthInTelevision, at least in terms of behaviour: Zebras kill more zookeepers than any other animal.
* There's a mustang statue on the drive to and from Denver International Airport. Drive by this at night and you can get a good idea of this trope.

* Caleb, the 19th century ex-slave turned ''[[Comicbook/GhostRider]]'', has one of these as his ride, as do other Riders of the same rough era. As befits the Ghost Riders, these horses are usually on fire.

** The horse is especially ? [[NightmareFuel noticeable]]... in the {{Disney}} version of Irving's short story in ''The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad''.

* In the famous ballad ''Ghost Riders In The Sky'' a {{Cowboy}} sees a herd of Hellish cattle as well as damned souls of cowboys on HellishHorse s telling him to "change his ways".

* While not evil, Odin's Gestalt Mode in Final Fantasy XIII qualifies for this trope.

* English folklore believed that bad dreams were originally brought by demonic horses known as 'Night Mares'.

[[caption-width:333: He may have a [[IncrediblyLamePun flowing mane]], but he'll still kick your ass.]]

'''Examples:'''

* Caleb, the 19th century ex-slave turned Comicbook/GhostRider, has one of these as his ride, as do other Riders of the same rough era. As befits the Ghost Riders, these horses are usually on fire.

* The Scarecrow briefly rides around on a police horse in ''[[{{Batman}} Batman Begins]]''. Due to the hallucinogens covering the area, the horse (and the Scarecrow) appears to be demonic from the point of view of a young boy.

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' has [[KingMook Mook]] the [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot's]] steed Oomrok, a hulking unicorn with face like stretched-out [[FridayTheThirteenth Jason]] hockey mask. Described as being "like a MyLittlePony designed by FrankFrazetta.

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' has [[KingMook Mook]] the [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot's]] steed Oomrok, a unicorn described as being "like a MyLittlePony designed by FrankFrazetta.

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' has Mook the [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfoot's]] steed Oomrok, a unicorn described as being "like a MyLittlePony designed by FrankFrazetta.]]

* Bad Horse, the leader of the Evil League of Evil in ''[[DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]]'' is supposedly like this, according to other characters' descriptions, including having a terrible Death Whinny. Please note that [[spoiler: he isn't a horse themed villain, as much as an ''actual horse'']]... SoYeah.