Rough Rider - Notable Rough Rider Mounts: The following are just a small selection of some of the varied and exotic steeds that have found their place upon the battlefields of the 41st Millennium with the Imperial Guard's Rough Riders:Aethexe - The Aethexe is a large and aggressive reptilian predator with a foul temper and an impressive capacity to devour raw flesh at startling speeds. Its large body is supported by massive, muscular forelegs that allow it to power forward through its native jungles on the world of Werslaug and seize prey before tearing it apart with its vicious jaws. By contrast, its hind legs are short and stubby, keeping its mighty frame stable and low to the ground. Several regiments on the Spinward Front in the Calixis Sector have been assigned to master the riding of this creature, including the Kharak 21st Heavy Lancers. The Kharak are renowned for both their effectiveness on the battlefield and the incredibly low rate of injuries their riders suffer from the insatiable Aethexe; after generations of training the beasts, less than one in four soldiers suffer mount-related incidents that require the implantation of bionic limbs during their active duty careers. The 83rd Luggnum Sewer Rats were also assigned Aethexe as cavalry mounts in a move by the Departmento Munitorum that surprised all involved, most especially the members of the 83rd, who had been expecting equipment for the closequarters tunnel clearing for which their regiment is renowned. Pressed into service as Rough Riders, however, the Luggnum adapted to their circumstances and the 83rd became a capable if not exceptional Rough Rider regiment that earned several minor distinctions on Hervara. The Aethexe proved capable of surviving the ash-wastes at least as well as their riders, and so the Luggnum 83rd was instrumental in securing portions of the Drury-Cobhan line exposed to the volcanic surface of the planet.Giant Reptile - Utilised by the fearsome Catachan Jungle Fighters, who field Rough Riders mounted atop the mighty reptiles native to their deadly jungles, giant reptiles are a relatively common lifeform throughout the galaxy, especially on Death Worlds and feral worlds where they are often the main predator type. A giant reptile typically ranges in size from that of a Space Marine Assault Bike to that of a Land Raider, is possessed of considerable strength and ferocity, and has vicious natural weapons ranging from sharp bony protrusions and claws to jaws capable of ripping open the hull of a Rhino APC. It is quite common for the worlds from which the Space Marines recruit to have such lethal predators stalking the inhospitable terrain, and for young Aspirants to prove themselves by slaying one of these immense beasts and taking a trophy to prove his ascent to manhood. Needless to say, few make it back alive. Carnosaurs prowl the blasted wastes of the Triath Sector, and the infamous Arcanadonts, top of the evolutionary ladder on the honeycombed Mining World of Mordant, are sold across the Segmentum as vicious pets and status symbols at a great cost in both life and raw meat.Grox - Easily one of the most common and well-known creatures within the Imperium, a Grox is an enormous reptilian beast used for everything from farming to food. Given their role as livestock, the creatures are overly aggressive and excessively territorial. However, it is these very traits that mean that, when properly motivated, Grox make for adequate -- if dangerous and difficult to control -- steeds. Groxwhips are said to have been named for herding these creatures, but few are willing to attempt using such an instrument on a Grox lest they provoke its considerable ire. When enraged, the creatures become nigh-impossible to control. However, they also have a tendency of running rampant across anything in the proximity -- including one's foes -- causing considerable havoc and devastation as their riders desperate cling to their backs and wait for the storm to subside. As such, certain regiments on the Spinward Front have been known to use these creatures as pack-beasts and occasional mounts. The presence of Grox on a battlefront can have a positive impact on morale despite the creatures’ nature, however, as their cooked flesh is, if nothing else, better than field rations. Further, given their massive stature, only a few Grox need to fall in any each engagement to keep their meat in steady supply. Of course, eating one’s steed might seem a bit macabre to some Guardsmen, while others take to it with considerable gusto.Horse - The mainstay of most Rough Rider regiments throughout the Imperium, Terran horses are the result of countless generations of selective breeding to make them powerful runners that are highly responsive to their riders. Rugged and reliable, these trusty steeds have carried the Imperial Guard to victory across innumerable battlefields on thousands of worlds.Kashann Hunting Lizards - In the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium, however, the demands of constant war have led some to consider whether there are xenos species that could do the job better as Rough Rider mounts than the Terran horse and its various genetic derivatives. One of several species that have been experimented with is the hunting lizard of Kashann. Kashann is a young world, mountainous and volcanic with thick, fast-growing jungles and oceans of primordial swamp. The hunting lizards were one of the most successful local predators, functioning in packs they posed a very real threat to the early Human colonists until they were successfully domesticated and bred in captivity. Over time the hunting lizards became a much-valued means of patrolling the wild expanses of Kashann and when the world was populous enough to be tithed it was inevitable that the Astra Militarum regiments raised there would be cavalry mounted on hunting lizards.Krieg Death Rider Horse (Krieg Steed) - The Death Korps of Krieg have their own unique Rough Rider formation known as the Death Riders. Like the individual Krieg soldiers, their mounts, called Krieg Steeds, are faceless creatures, clad in heavy rebreathers and devoid of any hair. These creatures were once standard Terran horses, but years of genetic manipulation has created a superior breed, one that willingly charges into the thickest of fighting without a single thought for its own safety or survival.Marru - Discovered by the Brygun Dynasty of Rogue Traders on a world deep within the Koronus Expanse, the majestic winged feline creatures known as Marru were brought to the Calixis Sector where they became an instant marvel within many noble circles. Their pelts and exquisite wings sat within grand banquet halls, and living specimens were paraded to entertain and fascinate the aristocrats. Marru breed at a tremendous and almost uncontrollable rate, and what had once been a rare beauty was fast becoming an innumerable pest. It was Krynus Brygun, one scion of that Rogue Trader dynasty, who first determined that the creatures could be used as passable if capricious mounts and began selling the creatures to certain elements of Imperial Guard regiments in the Spinward Front.Mukaali - The Mukaali is a creature perfectly adapted to a life of stifling heat and shifting sands. Tall and long-necked, a Mukaali have wide padded feet that help them move across soft sand drifts and other perilous desert terrain. Mukaali tend to be passive creatures and extremely slow to anger. This makes them unsuited to combat, yet they are still used by numerous Rough Rider regiments, especially those that hail from the sands of Tallarn. Mukaali are particularly useful as mounts because of their sheer stamina, which allows them to cross vast swaths of inhospitable environments without rest. These hardy beasts can go for long periods of time without food or water. This makes them an attractive proposition for long campaigns where re-supply is difficult. In fact, Mukaali are usually much more resilient than their riders, and so their ability to endure is rarely put to anything resembling a true test. Those Tallarn Desert Raiders Rough Rider regiments that employ Mukaali use the beasts to strategically outmanoeuvre their foes, using the tireless creatures to ride for days so that they can strike from angles unexpected.Venumex - No records exist of when the Venumex was introduced to the Calixis Sector, although small colonies of this peculiar carnivorous lizard are found on jungle-heavy worlds across the sector and even within a few worlds of the Koronus Expanse. The Venumex is gangly, lean, walks on two legs and is perfectly adept at hunting smaller animals for food. It also produces a mild toxin that it can spit from its mouth to slow larger prey. The Venumex has been used on several worlds that other mounts cannot tolerate, and the Rough Rider regiments that have been assigned these creatures as mounts speak highly of their durability, if not their friendliness or pleasant smell.Ursir - Large, six-legged omnivores from the frozen world of Modrubeo IV in the Koronus Expanse, Ursir are the favoured mounts of the Martreb 99th "Ragers." Known on their homeworld for attacking their prey with their slashing claws and crushing jaws, these muscular predators are covered in a thick fur that slowly adapts to the colour of their current surroundings as they shed. Despite their size, Ursir move with a loping gait that allows them to cover vast amounts of terrain much faster than expected. Ursir are independent creatures, but can be ridden by those patient or wilful enough to try. They are particularly deadly fighters when enraged, capable of rearing on to their hind legs to smash their prey with their front legs, though this manoeuvre often proves equally dangerous to first-time riders—especially when the Ursir decides on its own to strike. On the Spinward Front in the Calixis Sector, many a squad of Severan Dominate troopers has broken and fled in the face of the ferocity of Ursir cavalry.Ucernox - The Ucernox is a massive, moderately territorial herbivore that hails from a forgotten world in the Koronus Expanse, characterised by its bulky quadrupedal frame, thick and segmented hide, and imposing horns, one of which sprouts from its nose and another pair of which form an imposing crest on its head. The Beleroph Rogue Trader dynasty brought this creature to variousAgri-worlds across the Calixis Sector in the hopes that it could be harvested for food and used as a plowbeast. However, the Ucernox's seemingly placid nature belied a stubborn cunning and a tendency to erupt into occasional, extreme violence that caused most farming populations to simply release the creatures into the wild. When the war began on the Spinward Front in the Calixis Sector's Periphery Sub-sector and resources on certain worlds grew scarce due to heavy tithes, several Agri-worlds gathered the wild creatures and sent them as part of their requisite contributions. Though the Ucernox were initially slaughtered for food, certain regiments such as the Rinon 3rd Rough Riders, who had recently lost their horses to a plague, discovered that it was easier to ride the creatures than eat them. Besides their thunderous charges, Ucernox are notable for being one of the few mounts capable of carrying an Ogryn into battle without cybernetic augmentation.