I think some people are blowing this slightly out of proportion. Yes, this mount is 30.00USD, but that is hardly indicative of a trend or general rule; most things in the Mog Station are between 2.00USD~12.00USD. This mount--which caters to a pretty specific aesthetic sensibility to begin with--has no effect on one's ability to "win." Furthermore, for those who consider the accumulation of mounts to be an achievement, this one shouldn't bother you because the people who have it didn't "earn it" in the same way that you earned your ponies or your lanners. If you've collected all the in-game mounts through toil and dedication, you still have all the mounts that "matter" with regard to your strut n' swagger.

As follow up, does everyone feel this strongly about: the fat chocobo(s), the griffon, the Couerl? How about the draught chocobo? Ceremony Chocobo? Should none of them exist either? They all require effort/cost outside the standard sub.