Horses

Horses are an important element in the fantasy world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Mearas
The Mearas were a breed of wild horses in the north of Middle-earth in the J.R.R. Tolkien legendarium. Their mortality is equal to Men and their intelligence and strength are extraordinary. They descend from Felaróf, who was tamed by the first King of Rohan, Eorl. Ever since, they have been the mounts of the King and Princes of Rohan alone. During the War of the Ring, however, Gandalf the Grey tamed Shadowfax, lord of the Mearas at the end of the Third Age.

Arod
Arod was the horse of Legolas. He was the grey/white horse given to Legolas by the Riders of Rohan in The Two Towers. Gimli also rides on him by sitting behind Legolas. They ride him for much of their journey until they reach Minas Tirith.

Asfaloth
Asfaloth is the horse ridden by the elf who meets Strider and the Hobbits shortly before they arrive at Rivendell (Glorfindel in the book, Arwen in Peter Jackson's film version).


 * 'Ride on! Ride on!' cried Glorfindel, and then loud and clear he called to the horse in the elf-tongue: noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth! (which is Sindarin for 'run faster').

- excerpt from The Fellowship of the Ring

Asfaloth is played by a grey Andalusian stallion in the films.

Bill the pony
Bill is bought by Frodo Baggins and his companions in Bree, as they fled the Shire on their way to Rivendell. This was necessary as their own ponies had been stolen from the stables of the Prancing Pony inn, where they spent the night. Bill was purchased from Bill Ferny, who was in league with the spies who stole the other ponies. Ferny was a cruel man who tormented Bill, but after being purchased by the hobbits Bill became a much happier pony. He was given the name 'Bill' by Sam Gamgee shortly after the party left Bree.

After arriving in Rivendell, Bill became acquainted with the elvish horses, and this influence resulted in a good deal of self-improvement. He left Rivendell a much wiser pony, not to mention healthier and happier.

He accompanied the Fellowship of the Ring from Rivendell to the doors of Moria, but had to be left behind there because the company could not take a pony through the mines of Moria. All thought him killed by either the Watcher in the Water or wolves, but being a wise pony by this point, he managed to survive on his own and travelled back to Bree. There, he was nursed back to health at the Prancing Pony, until he eventually was joyfully reunited with Sam on his return journey to the Shire. Sam apparently took Bill back to Hobbiton for the rest of his life.

In the trilogy of film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson, Bill only appears in The Fellowship of the Ring. Originally, a treatment in line with the books was going to be used: Bill would be presumed to have been killed by the Watcher in the Water, but then re-appear alive as a surprise at the end of The Return of the King. However, several producers objected to this because The Return of the King film adaptation would be released two years after The Fellowship of the Ring, and they didn't want the audience to be horrified and for two full years think that Bill had gruesomely died. As a result, in the final version Bill is seen being peacefully released from the Fellowship outside Moria, a significant amount of time before the Watcher in the Water attacks, with the implication that he will find his way home. Although this is the only time Bill the pony expressly appears in the films, Sam is riding a pony back into Hobbiton at the end of The Return of the King, and it could presumably be Bill.

Fatty Lumpkin
Fatty Lumpkin is the pony that is ridden by Tom Bombadil. In The Fellowship of the Ring, the Hobbits' (Sam, Merry, Pippin and Frodo) own ponies get to know Fatty Lumpkin and manage to find him after the Hobbits encounter a fog on the Barrow Downs.

Firefoot
Firefoot was a horse of Rohan, and he bore Éomer and Gimli from Edoras to Helm's Deep prior to the Battle of the Hornburg.

Felaróf
He was described as being as intelligent as any human, could understand the speech of Men, and was the first of the Mearas.

Felaróf was a wild foal when he was captured by Eorl the Young's father Léod, a tamer of horses. Despite no one being able to tame it, Léod attempted to mount it, but was killed when the stallion threw him.

Eorl vowed to avenge his father, but did not slay it, naming it Felaróf and commanding the horse to serve him. Eorl rode him without bit or bridle. They took part in the battle of the Field of Celebrant.

Hasufel
Hasufel was given to Aragorn by the Riders of Rohan in The Two Towers, the Second Book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Nahar
Nahar (from the Valarin Naechaerra) was the horse of the Vala Oromë. It was the neighing of Nahar that alerted Oromë to the presence of the Quendi when he came upon them for the first time.

Rochallor
The mighty horse of Fingolfin, High King of the Elves. Rochallor bore the King to the gates of Angband, where a desperate and fearless Fingolfin challenged Morgoth to single combat.

Roheryn
The name means 'horse of the lady' in Tolkien's invented Elven language, Sindarin; this stems from the horse being gifted to Aragorn by his lady-love, Arwen.

Roheryn was brought to Aragorn in the South by his kinsman Halbarad during the War of the Ring, prior to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

Shadowfax
Shadowfax is a mighty horse of Rohan, the chief of the Mearas, tamed by Gandalf and reluctantly granted as a gift to him (after Gandalf had borrowed him for some time) by King Théoden of the Rohirrim. No Man could tame Shadowfax. He would not tolerate a bridle or saddle, and only carried Gandalf by choice. The great horse also bore a hobbit, Pippin, for a short time during the War of the Ring.

Like the other Mearas, Shadowfax was a grey/silver stallion, and could understand the speech of Men. He was also seemingly fearless, and could run faster than any other horse in Middle-Earth. In an unpublished epilogue and letters Tolkien stated that Shadowfax passed West over the Sea with Gandalf, but in The Lord of the Rings itself this is only hinted at by mention of Gandalf standing near a "great grey horse" on the quay just before departing. In the film adaptations of The Two Towers and The Return of the King, Shadowfax is portrayed by two white horses of the Andalusian breed.

Snowmane
Snowmane, foal of Lightfoot, was the mount of King Théoden, on which he rode into the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. He was certainly weaker than Shadowfax, who was claimed by Gandalf; however, since his master was the King of Rohan he was most likely one of the Mearas himself.

Snowmane accompanied Théoden to the Battle of the Hornburg, and was ridden on the final charge out of the fortress. At the battle of the Pelennor, however, Snowmane was pierced by a black dart, causing him to fall and crush Théoden beneath him. He was buried with honour on the field of battle; his grave, known as Snowmane's Howe, bore the inscription:
 * Faithful servant yet master's bane
 * Lightfoot's foal, swift Snowmane. 
 * -- The Return of the King: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields," p. 120

Stybba
Stybba is the pony given by Théoden to Merry Brandybuck. He is described as small, shaggy, and grey. Theoden's reason for leaving Merry in Edoras while he rides to Gondor to do battle is that Stybba cannot keep up with the horses of the Rohirrim, and none of the riders can carry Merry. The name is from Old English styb "stub, stump". Icelandic stubbur is a common name for sheep.

Stybba makes a brief appearnce in the film version of The Return of the King.

Windfola
Éowyn's Meara grey horse. Whilst disguised as Dernhelm, Éowyn (with Merry) rode to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields on Windfola.