Sauron and his possible horse fetish.

Alzenrider · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2011 3:34 am

So after bothering to read the books I came to a part where Eomer is explaining that orcs have stolen almost all the black horses in Rohan, now that I think about it, why does Sauron need them, the only one that apear are the Wraith"s horses but that was only 9 of them. So can anyone give a theory about what Sauron wants with them, mabye he just likes the company. :shock:

(I have not read ROTK, busy reading on how Faramir laughs in PJ face :wink:

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ForgottenLore · **Joined:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 10:47 pm **Posts:** 491

Well, for starters, I imagine that it takes dozens of black horses to find one that can be broken properly to accept a nazgul rider without either being driven berzerk or abused into total passiveness. Then I also imagine that there are several, perhaps dozens, such horses for each Nazgul so that the death of one horse does not stop one of the 9 from riding for the months that it probably takes to train the horses.

Then there are all the humans in his service, notably Black Numenoreans, who have cavalry formations that need mounts.

What has always kinda bugged me is just HOW did he manage to steal all those horses and smuggle them across big chunks of Rohan and Gondor, somehow get them across the river and to the Black Gate without anyone managing to find and ambush the rustlers who were probably busy trying to wrangle uncooperative and possibly terrified horses.

WayUnderTheMountain · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2011 4:02 am

I assumed that he sent numerous bands to raid Rohan for horses (the books make no mention of stealing the lesser-breeds of Gondor) and that the Marshals of Rohan had sent men to find and destroy them but they still lost several horses. Several of the raiding bands would have likely been destroyed and a single raid might retrieve maybe a dozen horses at most.

They also don't mention how long its been going on for, just that it has earned the anger of the Rohirrim many times over. As for the number stolen, many would have been for his Black Numenorian cavalry and commanders, especially the Nazgul. Gandalf stated in the Fellowship of the Ring that though the enemy was unhorsed at the Fords of Bruinen they would be mounted again almost as soon as they returned to Mordor so evidently there are several there.

Sticky Fingersss · **Joined:** Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:20 am **Posts:** 1776

Maybe they did it to give it to the Dunlendings as a sort of payment or just felt a bit peckish. Or they did it to deprive Rohan of their horses.

Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:41 am

Probably just keeps them as spares for when meddling elves and wizards drown the poor blighters in rivers!!!

GothmogtheWerewolf · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:59 am

Very few of the stolen horse were for the Nazgul,a s stated above many were for Black Numenoreans. Note that the vanguard of the host that marched from Minas Morgul were mounted Black Numenoreans. Also, when the Mouth of Sauron 'greeted' the heroes at the Black Gtae, he and his dozen or so accompanying riders were all mounted on black horses.

Draugluin · **Posted:** Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:00 pm

Horses being riden by a Nazgul would most likely not live that long, whether from being killed by water horses or from the sheer terror of their riders. So Sauron would need quite a few to make sure that the 9 always had horses. In addition, the men under his command would need horses, and I bet orcs find horse meat to be a delicacy.

Sauron and his possible horse fetish.

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