History Main / HorsebackHeroism

* The AssassinsCreed games give you a button specifically for making your horse rear up.

* Similarly, in WorldOfWarcraft, pressing the jump button while on a horse and stationary causes it to rear up like this, with similar results for most other ground mounts.

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<<|RuleOfCool|>>

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NapoleonOnHisHorse.jpg]]

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[[quoteblockright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NapoleonOnHisHorse.jpg]]

[[quoteblock:300http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NapoleonOnHisHorse.jpg]]
[[caption-width-righ:300:[[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] [[ViveLaRevolution to the rescue!]] UsefulNotes/{{France}} will never more know the evils of anarchy!]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NapoleonOnHisHorse.jpg
[[caption-width:300:[[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] [[ViveLaRevolution to the rescue!]] UsefulNotes/{{France}} will never more know the evils of anarchy!]]

If he's royalty he might be a PrinceOnAWhiteHorse. Updated versions may substitute a CoolBike or CoolCar for the horse.

* In the music video for Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much", one of the hunky gents she encounters while hitchhiking in the desert is something like an Arabian adventurer on the back of a charger. She waves him on, the ice princess.

* As the prince of PrinceCharming rides through the city he sees a woman being attacked. He jumps from his horse to go rescue her.

Updated versions may substitute a CoolBike or CoolCar for the horse.

* The Doctor in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Girl in the Fireplace" (jumping the horse through a mirror for extra awesomeness.

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* Batman in {{The Dark Knight Returns}}.

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** Duncan fights for his life when his army is surrounded by Loris' troops and the manin Mearan army, then casts a spell for a diversion while ordering Dhygal to leave and warn Kelson.
** Kelson and Morgan , [[TheCavalry riding with their forces]] cast spells to [[spoiler: save Duncan from arrows as he's being burned at the stake]].

Not to be confused with TheCavalry, who only sometimes ride literal horses.

* The Doctor in the ''DoctorWho'' episode "The Girl in the Fireplace" (jumping the horse through a mirror for extra awesomeness.

This is an old trope, though this hero is by no means [[DeadHorseTrope riding a dead horse]] when he uses it to rescue friends or lovers. It's just [[RuleOfCool that awesome]].

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* Spoofed mercilessley in ''{{Shrek}} II'' with Prince Charming.

* The Rohirrim, Gandalf on Shadowfax, and various other intances in ''{{The Lord of the Rings}}''.

* Sandor Clegane's rescue of Sansa in the second book of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' certainly qualifies, even though technically he's afoot at the outset. Still counts, though: he appears in the nick of time, prevents her from getting pulled off her horse and raped, swings up onto her horse in front of her, and gallops her to safety through a rioting mob. Another instance is his rescue of Arya when [[spoiler: she suicidally tries to save her mother at the Red Wedding.]] This one's odd because he ''does'' show up ahorse (as lightning illuminates the scene, even), and ''does'' ride up to her at a gallop while rain pours and thunder rolls...and then whacks her unconscious with the flat of an axe. Heroic!
* The deghans in the FarsalaTrilogy clearly ''think'' they're this, and in the beginning they are- it's mentioned that Farsala is one of the few countries to have an effective cavalry. However, they are easily defeated by [[TheEmpire Hrum]] foot soldiers.

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