History Main / MoodyMount

* Among horsey people, chestnut mares are said to be prone to this behavior, similar to the concept of "tortitude" among tortoiseshell cats.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward's father owns one of those. He tried to break the stallion with violence for some four years, but in the end, the stallion won - Ward inherits the horse after his father is thrown, falls, and is lethally injured. When Ward renames the horse from something horrible to "Pansy", treats it gently, and stops all attempts to break it, it turns into a CoolHorse within some weeks. It accepts only Ward as rider, but one could consider that an added bonus.

* ''Literature/CodexAlera'' gives us the Taurga, which try at every opportunity to dislodge, bite or kill their riders.

* In ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'', Dag's horse Copperhead is habitually described as "evil", and won't allow anyone but Dag to care for him.
* The tail end of ''Literature/PaladinOfSouls'' reveals a vicious warhorse that Lord Illvin had been consciously attempting to ride to death (figuring it was the horse or him). It is discovered that said horse is demon-ridden, which, he says sagely, explains a great deal [[spoiler:and Ista tames it -- after a fashion -- with whispered threats of strangling it with its own guts before feeding it to the gods]].

** However this is shown and has been demonstrated multiple times that Yoshi is very easily spooked, and just wants to get away from danger as quickly as possible. Sadly this typically means it'll run right into a bottomless pit if not caught in time.

* In ''WebComic/{{Freefall}},'' Sam tries to ride Polly the emu to escape from an angry mob, but she refuses. He gets her to run by pulling off one of his facial tentacles and putting it on a stick
* The {{unicorn}} in ''Webcomic/{{Exiern}}'' allows the [[GenderBender formerly male]] barbarian heroine Tiffany to ride but absolutely refuses to allow Princess Peonie to mount even when her life is in grave danger (probably because [[ReallyGetsAround she's reputed to have been mounted more than a few times herself.]]) Lampshades are hung on both the implications and on the fact that Tiffany doesn't ''get'' the implications [[spoiler: or at least ''pretends'' to not get.]]

* "The Strawberry Roan" -- "I'll bet all my money the man ain't alive, that can stay with that bronc' 'till he makes his high dive."

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dad31246_d6ee_4b0e_8d99_00b597b3c26d.jpeg]]]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Maximus_9523.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:This steed is loyal to the kingdom, not this thief.]]

* Invoked in a MadeForTV movie years ago. [[ABoyAndHisX A boy and his bull]], which was being raised for the rodeo bullriding circuit.

* The crowning achievement of [[Wiki/SCPFoundation Dr. Kondraki]]'s career is setting off a series of events culminating in his riding SCP-682 like a rodeo horse. SCP-682 is a monstrous alien lizard that cannot be destroyed by any means and hates humanity as much as [[Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream AM]].

* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', there's an item known as the Obsidian Steed. If the rider is good-aligned, they must roll to control the beast or it goes to the Lower Planes and dumps them there.

* Bighorners in ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'' are giant mutant mountain goats that, even when domesticated, are useless as pack animals or steeds because if they're not in the mood to carry something (and they never are) they'll just sit down until the offending weight is removed.

* Though this may or may not be true: Bucephalus, the horse that belonged to Alexander the Great, was supposedly this. The folk legends of Macedon held that he threw every one of the noblemen, and the King, except 13 year old Alexander. May be true, since it would hardly be ridiculous to think the horse was abused, as the seller was apparently an obvious conman. May be false because it's likely that people would make up crazy stories about Alexander, especially in his home region. Of course, he did at least plan to build a city named after this horse (the plans exist, but no evidence of the city).

* In ''LightNovel/RakuinNoMonshou'', [[HorseOfADifferentColor dragons]] are extremely sensitive to the mood of their riders. If the rider becomes distracted or afraid, the dragon will react violently; if the rider remains calm and focused, the dragon will be far more obedient.

* Stranger (ridden by The Hound) and Smiler (ridden by Theon) from Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire. JustifiedTrope since these are war mounts, trained for battle.

** Juggernauts of [[WarGod Khorne]] from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' are all but untameable, goring and crushing any unworthy mortal or daemon with the impudence to attempt to ride them. Even those who succeed in getting a Juggernaut to accept them as a rider have little control over their monstrous mount, merely clinging to the beast�s back as the Juggernaut itself decides when an where it will attack.

* ''WebComic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': Yoshi the raptor won't let anyone but Gordito ride him. Unless Gordito is in danger.

* WesternAnimation/{{Donald Duck}}'s steed in "WesternAnimation/DudeDuck", who would rather be ridden by one of the beautiful women attending the dude ranch.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', the titular character has been invited to a dude ranch by [[LoveInterest Patty.]] So, wanting to impress her, he claims to have better equestrian skills than he actually does. He gets [[IncrediblyLamePun saddled]] with a mean black horse ironically named Sugar.

* In ''Film/{{Candleshoe}}'', Priory (David Niven) rides a horse that is rather difficult to control. It eventually gallops off in mid conversation with Priory on it. It's not clear whether this is really a case of a MoodyMount, or if Priory is just that bad at horsemanship.

** Jason Ogg the Lancre blacksmith averts this with use of the Horseman's Word, a secret passed down from blacksmith to blacksmith (and witches, if they're pushy enough) to get uncooperative horses to get their hooves shod. It involves giving it a good whack with a big hammer, putting your mouth to the horse's ear, and whispering "Cross me, you bugger, [[GroinAttack and I'll have thy goolies on t'anvil]], thou knows I can." With it he has succesfully shoed "stud stallions, the red-eyed and foam-flecked kings of the horse kingdom, the soup-plate-hoofed beasts that had kicked lesser men through walls" and even a unicorn.

* Many donkeys can be like this.
* It's also where the phrase "stubborn as a mule" comes from. Although mules (and donkeys) tend to behave like this out of intelligence where they will fight the rider's commands if they are running out of steam, or if they detect the trail is unsafe.
* Anyone who rides horses on a regular basis has run into at least one of these. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt7fCgOn0kw One clip has a horse suplex his rider during a parade.]]
* Camels also have a tendency to be this. This tends to be bad since they're much larger and stronger than most horses and also have enormous canine teeth that let them deliver vicious bites.
* Though this may or may not be true: Bucephalus, the horse that belonged to Alexander the Great, was supposedly this. The folk legends of Macedon held that he threw every one of the noblemen, and the King, except 13 year old Alexander. May be true, since it would hardly be ridiculous to think the horse was abused: as the seller was apparently an obvious conman. May be false because it's likely that people would make up crazy stories about Alexander, especially in his home region. Of course, he did at least plan to build a city named after this horse (the plans exist, but no evidence of the city).
* For thousands of years, artwork of horses depicted them only as pulling chariots or sleds. Actually riding horses is a comparatively recent- horses were first domesticated somewhere around 8000 BC, while their use as mounts can only be conclusively dated back to closer to 2000 BC. Scientists speculate that it took that long to breed horses that were willing to actually put up with being ridden.

* ''LightNovel/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': During the main cast's first FlyingBroomstick lessons, Nanao is taken with a broom reputed to be both a superior example of the species, and to have permitted no riders since its last master died. She intuits that the broomstick expects a rider to approach it as an equal partner rather than an inanimate mount and successfully mounts it, naming it Amatsukaze. [[spoiler:The previous master turns out to have been her LoveInterest Oliver's mother, Chloe Halford.]]

** ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has Cold Ones, ostrich-sized raptor-type dinosaurs used by Dark Elves and Lizardmen as cavalry. In the Dark Elves' case, riders need to smear themselves with a special unguent that masks their scent (otherwise the Cold Ones attack them), prolonged use of which deadens your sense of touch. In the fluff, one elf got rid of a rival by replacing his unguent with a placebo, ending with the rival ripped to shreds.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', the title character. {{Justified|Trope}} in that he was taken from the wild and treated harshly.

* There's a WesternAnimation/PinkPanther cartoon where he's trying to mount a horse who doesn't want to be ridden ("Pinto Pink"). Another has him as Paul Revere looking for a horse, and the only one available is on the British side ("Pinky Doodle / Yankee Doodle Pink"). Other issues with horses can be found in "The Midnight Ride of Pink Revere" and "The Magnificent Pink One."

* In Creator/MercedesLackey's Valdemar universe, Shin'a'in battlesteeds have this reputation--not entirely undeserved. Companiona, when displeased wth their Chosen, can act this way.

* WesternAnimation/{{Donald Duck}}'s steed in "Dude Duck."

* In the ''Creator/AlanDeanFoster'' WeirdWest short stories about mountain man Mad Amos, Amos's horse Worthless is like this. The horse regularly bites, urinates on, and otherwise does his best to make Amos miserable, and he actually ''likes'' Amos. The things he does to people he ''doesn't'' like are downright terrifying.
* In ''Creator/MercedesLackey'''s Valdemar universe, Shin'a'in battlesteeds have this reputation--not entirely undeserved. Companiona, when displeased wth their Chosen, can act this way.

* In ''Creator/Mercedes Lackey'''s Valdemar universe, Shin'a'in battlesteeds have this reputation--not entirely undeserved. Companiona, when displeased wth their Chosen, can act this way.

* Camels also have a tendency to be this.

* For thousands of years, artwork of horses depicted them only as pulling chariots or sleds. Actually riding horses is a comparatively recent- horses were first domesticated somewhere around 8000 BC, while their use as mounts can only be conclusively dated back to closer to 2000 BC.

* For thousands of years, artwork of horses depicted them only as pulling chariots or sleds. Actually riding horses is a comparatively recent- horses were first domesticated somewhere around 8000 BCE, while their use as mounts can only be conclusively dated back to closer to 2000 BCE.

* Sparhawk's primary mount Faran in ''Literature/TheElenium'' and its sequel ''Literature/TheTamuli''. Foul tempered, very intelligent and surprisingly creative in his ways of misbehaving. Though Aphrael claims that it only because he's trying to live up to Sparhawk's expectations as to how a trained warhourse is ''supposed'' to act. Around her he is gentle and almost playful.

* Friar Tuck's donkey in ''Sword Of Sherwood Forest''.