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The most basic division of the horses existing in Rohan is a two-part one: First we have the
Meara, the offspring of Felarof, father of horses, who stand above normal horses like elves stand
above men and who carry no riders save the King of Rohan and those of his line. Whether the Meara
mingle, or have done so in the past, with regular horses we do not know for sure, but perhaps there
is at least a small touch of Meara blood in all Rohirric horses from back in Felarofs days, as it
would seem he was the only of his kind which the Rohirrim captured. However, for all intents and
purposes the division between Meara and the second type, the non-Meara, stands.
The non-Meara can then be divided into several sub-types. Not breeds, because they're all
pretty much just variations (though one might argue that ponies and heavier draft-type horses should
be counted separately; it is not done, however) within one common breed. All the non-Meara are after
all the descendats of the horses the Rohirrim brough with them, with (in some cases, such as ponies
and drafts) some blood from the horses which already existed in the area mixed in; these were likely
small and hardy ponies near and around the hills. The main part of the non-Meare are, however, the
'common' Rohirric horse, the one one ridden by most of us, and while it is seen as the same breed
all over the Mark, over the centuries different regions have specialized in slightly different sub-
types, depending on preferences and military needs.
This way three sub-types have developed, simply called light, regular and heavy. The lighter
ones tend to be faster and more mobile, and thus often used by scouts, while the heavier lack some
speed but instead possess greater strength, which make them the favoured choice for primarily the
heavier cavalry units of the West-mark. The regular type, as one might guess, combines the traits
of the light and heavy ones but doesn't excell in either speed or strength, and it is also the most
common one. Stamina and hardiness is equally great for all types. It is the IC duty of the
Eomaegisters to uphold the breeding standards for his region, for the Stedamaegister to ensure
balance within the clan and for the Erkenstedamaegister to coordinate breeding all over Rohan.
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