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In Game of Thrones s01e05 "The Wolf and the Lion", Ser Gregor Clegane (The Mountain) slaughtered his horse just after being defeated by Ser Loras in a jousting competition.

My question is why did The Mountain do that?

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Little finger explains it right after it happens, with Sansa saying that Loras would never resort to cheating like that.

Littlefinger: "Loras knew his mare was in heat. Quite crafty, really."
Sansa Stark: "Ser Loras would never do that. There is no honor in tricks."
Littlefinger: "No honor, but quite a bit of gold."

Notice that the Mountain's horse:

  • At first, is jumpy around Loras' horse, unlike the first match where the horse was not.
  • Has to be held back, he's basically jumping the gun, unlike the first match
  • Essentially falls in place, instead of having kept running. He got a whiff of the mare in heat, and stopped in his tracks, causing the Mountain to be hit and fall off. Had it not, then the Mountain and Loras would have gone for a second tilt (run).

His horse's behavior during the first match, and the second match.

Pictured, one horse trying to have a private moment with the other: enter image description here

The second tilt of the day is between the fearsome Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, and the popular 'Knight of the Flowers', Ser Loras Tyrell. Loras gives a beautiful flower to Sansa Stark, while Littlefinger and Lord Renly make a wager on who will win with Renly betting on Loras. Loras is riding a mare that is in-heat, which confuses the Mountain's horse, causing him to throw his rider. Enraged at having lost, Gregor first decapitates his horse and then attacks Ser Loras.
-Wikia

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    You are right, not a native speaker here and I totally thought it was The Mountain horse that was in heat. It was Ser Loras horse that was in heat. He did cheat thought, he knew it would mess up The Mountain's horse. – Alexandre Jun 7 '16 at 21:14
  • @Alexandre - Is it cheating to use a horse in heat while jousting? – Broots Waymb Jun 7 '16 at 21:29
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    @DangerZone it seems that in Westeros it may not be cheating outright, but it's unsportsman like conduct. – cde Jun 7 '16 at 21:33
  • this whole incident seems not very believable. is this based on anything real-world? because knights typically rode geldings so they wouldn't have this problem. – Nathan Hughes Feb 28 '19 at 14:53
  • Because the average viewer has detailed knowledge of the sex of jousting horse breeding practices? – cde Feb 28 '19 at 16:53

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