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I don't think that a hunting animal would get skittish if rode into combat, do you?
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Actually, yes I do. Combat and hunting, though similiar in many respects are quite different in many important ones. Firstly, when hunting, you usually try
not to let your prey hack at you with weapons (natural or otherwise), most prey isn't loosing volleys of arrows at you, you get the idea. secondly, hunting is normally quieter and more organized than the din and chaos of battle, making it easier to relay commands to your mount ( or, more to the point, for your mount to care what you want it to do). Thirdly, hunting is less bloody than combat. Most mounts shy away from the scent of blood. Taking all three of these into account, even the most disciplined, viscious creature would be hard to control properly unless trained specifically for combat. That's why even riders on trained mounts must make skill checks. Heck, even bloodthirsty soldiers get nervous in battle, and occasionally rout.