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Worldbuilding

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    $\begingroup$ I'm referring to bovines in general, mostly looking at wild ones like bison, aurochs, and gaur for inspiration. I reworded my question to be a bit less cow-specific, and hopefully less confusing. $\endgroup$
    – ckersch
    Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 19:59
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    $\begingroup$ I think your Bison would make pretty good shock troops...kinda like a less domesticated elephant would, and just like an elephant they would be difficult to maintain and train. $\endgroup$
    – Twelfth
    Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 20:04
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    $\begingroup$ @oldcat - Buffalo weren't slow...American Bison are comparable to horses at full speed, they can easily reach over 40mph, possibly more if trained (not sure how a rider would hold on at top speed)...it's more a matter of how long they can maintain it. $\endgroup$
    – Twelfth
    Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 20:11
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    $\begingroup$ @Oldcat Even if bison or buffalo are slower or less manuverable than horses, you're basically just looking at the difference between light and heavy cavalry. If properly bred, domesticated, and trained, bison-riders could make great heavy cavalry. $\endgroup$
    – KSmarts
    Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 20:39
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    $\begingroup$ Bison: They can move at speeds up to 35 mph (56 km/h) and cover long distances at a lumbering gallop. Horse: The gallop averages 40 to 48 kilometres per hour (25 to 30 mph), but the world record for a horse galloping over a short, sprint distance is 88 kilometres per hour (55 mph). // Doesn't seem like there would be much difference in practice for animals specifically bred as war mounts. No difference we can presume anyway. $\endgroup$
    – Ville Niemi
    Commented Dec 18, 2014 at 22:37