Lore-ish thoughts about chocobo riding.

[Vyrerus]

Much of the lore for chocobos in FFXIV has actually had it's origins in past FF games (dating back to it's very first appearence in FFII) and has been refined throughout the series ever since - the names for different breeds for different races for instance was originally from FFXI.

Considering that the chocobo was very loosely based on the 'horseclaws' from the classic Studio Ghibli anime Nauusica, which in turn was based on the extinct prehistoric bird diatrayma (with elements of modern chickens and ostriches/emus thrown in for good measure), it's perhaps best not to overthink the details of how chocobos can be ridden as mounts and just accept that they are - this is fantasy after all and a willing suspension of disbelief is needed.

Yeah... horseclaws... >_>;


An another note, it's entirely possible to ride modern Ostriches in real life, if you're about 200 pounds or less. Also seems more like both Horseclaws and Chocobos, at least how they look now, is based off the Gastornis.

[Iscah]

Yeah... horseclaws... >_>;

But why.


I guess it's possible they started as inspired by horseclaws, turned into that and someone else said "yeah, no, let's just go with 'horseclaws but yellow'."


Also from a quick Wikipedia search, Diatryma redirects to Gastornis anyway. It used to be a separate genus but has now been merged.

[Enkidoh]

Yeah... horseclaws... >_>;


An another note, it's entirely possible to ride modern Ostriches in real life, if you're about 200 pounds or less. Also seems more like both Horseclaws and Chocobos, at least how they look now, is based off the Gastornis.

Haha, yeah, but then, that's Amano's art for you. (Interesting tidbit, is that 'pink featherless flamingo' design ended up being used in the FFV sequel anime Legend of the Crystals, so take from that what you will. ).

And yes, is is definetely possible to ride ostriches and emus, they're strong enough to bear a light rider... the main issue is their lack of easy domestication which is usually the requirement for a mount animal.

As for the gastornis and the chocobo's design, may I now also present to you Bullockornis, aka the 'demon duck of doom' which is an example of extinct Australian megafauna, of which modern artists' imrpessions seem to scarily depict something very similar to the chocobo... but that's just coincidence (and proof that Australia really is a FF world in reality... but I digress ).

[Vyrerus]

Haha, yeah, but then, that's Amano's art for you. (Interesting tidbit, is that 'pink featherless flamingo' design ended up being used in the FFV sequel anime Legend of the Crystals, so take from that what you will. ).

And yes, is is definetely possible to ride ostriches and emus, they're strong enough to bear a light rider... the main issue is their lack of easy domestication which is usually the requirement for a mount animal.

As for the gastornis and the chocobo's design, may I now also present to you Bullockornis, aka the 'demon duck of doom' which is an example of extinct Australian megafauna, of which modern artists' imrpessions seem to scarily depict something very similar to the chocobo... but that's just coincidence (and proof that Australia really is a FF world in reality... but I digress ).

All we gotta do is try to breed them, and then they'll fall in love with the human rancher instead... err, that might not make them easier to ride, never mind!

[Severaux_Vilauclaire]

Given that Griffons exist in this world, I'm surprised that Griffons aren't the predominant mount in Eorzea. They're far, far strong than Chocobos so they can carry heavier burdens and are less fragile, and they have four legs so getting a leg broken isn't a total death sentence. And Griffons can fly. Maybe Chocobos can be bred faster and in larger numbers so they are cheaper, but you'd think that the Griffon breeding industry would be way bigger.

It could be a supply and logistics issue: Griffons are carnivores. That means you can't cut-and-carry food for them like you can with chocobos, and maintaining a supply line to feed a bunch of them is going to be tricky without easily portable refrigeration. Also, while chocobos can be temperamental and kick you to death, griffons can kick you to death, claw you to death, and eat you ... plus in the hardship of a long siege you can put down the pack chocobos and put them in the cookpot to feed the soldiers. Griffons may not be as palatable.

[ICountFrom0]

Caveat, I am no horse enby, so folks, come in and poke me if I'm being grossly inaccurate.
3: The back feathers of a chocobo may be softer and downier, and therefore able to take the pressure of a saddle and pad without having their quill structure crushed. Nevertheless sores might be more problematic on a chocobo with a badly distributed load than on a horse because feathers are more easily ripped out than smooth horse hair.

4: Because chocobos only have two legs, laming one is a Very Big Problem. I don't imagine they live too long without swift healing magic and possible splinting and other care.

I think this explains why even domesticated chocobos tend to have the ability to cure.

[Fenral]

But why.

I guess it's possible they started as inspired by horseclaws, turned into that and someone else said "yeah, no, let's just go with 'horseclaws but yellow'."

The Final Fantasy wikia suggests they were originally modeled after this monstrosity. A snack food mascot whose catchphrase was "Kuue!" ("Eat it!")

Despite his "character design" credit, Amano was mainly a concept artist for the early games. The only actual art of his that made it into the games was the monster graphics. The actual character designs were more-or-less done by Kazuko Shibuya when she dotted out the sprites. (I'm sure at the time she had no idea of the magnitude of the service she was doing for our feathered friends. I think we're all grateful.)

[Rannie]

Yeah... horseclaws... >_>;


An another note, it's entirely possible to ride modern Ostriches in real life, if you're about 200 pounds or less. Also seems more like both Horseclaws and Chocobos, at least how they look now, is based off the Gastornis.

that picture almost (and I say almost) reminds me of the poster used for the cartoon move Wizards

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_(film)

[Genisay]

7: HOW DO YOU GUIDE THE DANG BIRD. Horses are guided with the pressure of the bit in the mouth. Chocobo tack does not have a bit. One imagines that most riding chocobos are actually trained to obey dressage-like cues and can be guided almost exclusively with the knees.

Also to this: Basically, you don't. Chocobos are considered actually 'semi-intelligent', and so are considered strong-willed. This is why in the Chocobo Races (based directly on Chocobo Racing in FFVII) you can't actually directly control the chocobo but merely guide it and hope it follows your commands, the more likely it is to do this determined by stats.

Of course, as a mount this is quietly ignored for the sake of gameplay, but given we're also riding the likes of Midgardsormr who is fully sentinent and free-willed, I think it's more of a case of 'the chocobo has such a strong bond with you they know to instinctively go where you want them to.' Or, putting it another way, you could simply say it's another aspect of the Echo.

Actually, it's not that hard and doesn't even need to require some kind of special connection or something like the Echo so long as the creature you are working with is willing. Most Chocobo barding (at least in FFXIV) comes with reigns. Even without a bit, the fabric on either side of the head can still be used to indicate direction by laying it across either side of the neck, or the cheek of the animal. Bits are generally used for greater control with animals that may be stubborn and are less intuitive method. Smarter horses that are cooperative can actually be ridden without a bit if they are trained for it.
And, much like in bareback horse riding, the rider can give signals to the mount using light to strong pressures from their thighs, knees, lower legs, feet and even the lean of their body on the animal's back. A horse that is well bonded to a person learns to 'read' the will of their rider from these signals and will go where their rider suggests.

Considering how close of a bond we likely form with our chocobo, especially the ones we train to be our battle companions in FFXIV, I doubt our chocobo would have any trouble reading our posture and body language on it's back. Not to mention they can likely be trained to follow not only vocal commands, but clicks, whistles and other sounds, as well as hand signs.

I was always under the impression that the chocobos used in racing were not the same ones being trained to be battle mounts. Yes, a chocobo might be surely due to it's intelligence and strong will, but that is why you make a mutual bond with the animal rather than 'break' it.
Even many stubborn horses can be worked with if the person doing the training understands how to get them to respond. Breaking a horse was a quick, but harsh and rough way to get the animal to submit. Most horses treated well and raised by people can be willing companions as much as a dog can be.

[MikkoAkure]

I ignore a lot of chocobo-riding weirdness since they're just fantasy games, but there have been some things that would not work out realistically or be difficult to overcome.

People can ride ostriches in real life, but I can't imagine they're ridden for very long outside of races/entertainment and even though chocobos are bigger I can't imagine they would be very comfortable carrying a person, especially since they only have 2 legs to distribute the weight and as birds, they have hollow bones.

Should the rider disturb the chocobo, they have long necks and very big beaks that I can imagine would do serious harm to the rider.

Riding a chocobo would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Since they only have 2 legs, the ride would be very bouncy and I can't imagine many Ishgardian/Gridanian men are very fertile.