[ August 19, 2006: Message edited by: flap ]
The size could have practical problems, although "smaller" humans handle horses okay (it's more of a force of character and knowing what you're doing thing). But... let's imagine you're four-foot-nothing (or however tall dwarves are actually supposed to be...) - how many of you would it take to handle an unruly animal that stands 5'4" at the shoulder and weighs 1500lbs? What if a 2000lbs Bengalian got spooked in a tunnel and went nuts around your miners? There'd be nowhere to hide and the bloodbath would make even the craziest Dwarves blush. ;)
However, along this line of thinking, maybe donkeys and mules could be doable, though potentially morally offensive to fellow Dwarves. You could keep a few horses and a few donkeys and use them to breed mules and hinneys to power your empire, and all that. You could strap them to mills and other machinery. It'd be awesome.
But... and this is the real practical problem... you need to feed your underground stable something... something like straw... I don't think a horse would get very far eating mushrooms, even if you could provide the needed volume. This would mean you'd need to grow cereals/grassy things on the surface.
Still, even regular ponies are smaller than horses. And what about donkeys?
Or better yet, some kind of mountain goat?
Zappa aside, there *are* some very small breeds like the aforementioned Shetland, but especially the Falabella.
According to Wikipedia, average breed heights for a fully-grown Falabella today are between 28 and 31 inches...
quote:
Originally posted by Griz:
<STRONG>if the tunnels are big enough for horses and cows and other livestock to walk around, they should be big enough for said livestock to walk around wearing saddlebags or pulling a small cart.</STRONG>
How about elephants?
[ August 19, 2006: Message edited by: Garthor ]
quote:
Or better yet, some kind of mountain goat?
They could tame and then ride into combat on rams. I mean, those things are called rams for a reason, and some species get large enough that a dwarf riding one may not be totally silly, sizewise. You could maybe pen up some wild rams and release them into your fortress during times of crisis to clense it of intruders and non-believers, or whoever didn't make it to shelter in time. I hear they're good eating, too, so you could cook the victorious defenders for supper later.
will they die? (old age / hunger / etc)...
i guess i should just gut them..