Steed of the Kingstead

Supergirl rides the Steed of the Kingstead

Ah-ha! You might think I would be more cleverer in my prose but... it's late donchaknow so that may not happen tonight. I have been having a mahvelous time finished up questing and deeding and crafting toward Helm's Deep and am now in a more stable place to coast a bit. Work and family are doing well and I still aim to actually write more than horse posts once a month; mebbe this is the month. ;) 

I didn't want another day to pass without showing off the Steed of the month for March, 2014 from the lotro store! He is called the Steed of the Kingstead. He is an aptly named horse out of Kingstead given the current focus on Rohan and the Helm's Deep area.

Purchase comes with the horse, plus 3 warsteed cosmetics: caparison, halter, and saddle.
On to the pictures!

Steed of the Kingstead - Horse:
Here is the horse. His outfit is chainmail and tan leather. The horse is a shaggy two-tone horse (I'm sure that has a proper hide name), where its legs are dark colored and its body is greyish.

Steed of the Kingstead

Steed of the Kingstead - Warsteed, Default colors:
Here is the Warsteed in Kingstead outfit. Yep; it is pretty darn close to the look of the horse. As you will see in a moment, the trim dyes very well. The default trim is white.

Warsteed of the Kingstead - Default

For interest, I dyed the horses hide white in this next picture to give perspective on how nice the default outfit looks without any modification. Both the grey hide and white hide fit the outfit. All of the colors look good as dye on the outfit trim and give the Steed of the Kingstead a sharp look.

Warsteed of the Kingstead - White and White

Steed of the Kingstead - Warsteed, Gold and Brown:
I recently obtained Brown hide dye on one of the sale days and was surprised how golden the brown actually is. I think it complemented the Gold trim well.

Steed of the Kingstead - Gold and Brown

Steed of the Kingstead - Warsteed, Ered Luin and Charcoal:

Steed of the Kingstead - Ered Luin and Charcoal

Steed of the Kingstead - Warsteed, Red and Flaxen Chestnut:
Wow! Flaxen Chestnut was another one of my recent hide color purchases. It is a strawberry red, much redder than the deeper darker Red Roan.

Steed of the Kingstead - Red and Flaxen Chestnut

Steed of the Kingstead - Warsteed, Burgundy and Blonde:
Ok, during the last sale, I did actually obtain the rest of the hide colors that I didn't have. :) Blonde was another new one for me. It is a paler blonde than my hair but I was excited by how pretty it looked. It is less "in your face" than the bold colors I often choose, but it compliments some of these bold outfit trims oh so well.

Steed of the Kingstead - Burgundy and Blonde

I hope you you enjoy the horse pictures and I will be back again soon!

Update August 22, 2014 - mix breed: 
By request of friend Erisdes of Withywindle, here is the Kingstead caparison (gold), Captain halter (gold), white hide and hair. The shot is a bit darker as I was out for a moonlit ride through Ered Luin toward the Treasure Fields, but hopefully, you get the idea. It is an interesting mix; the Captain set is plate mail and the Kingstead set in chain mail. However, the open halter look of the Captain halter gives it a more defined look. Does it blend well gang?

Mix set - Kingstead caparison and Captain halter

Ok, I ended up staying in Ered Luin to watch the sunrise over the hills. here is the same horse mix in daylight.

Sunrise: Mix set - Kingstead caparison and Captain halter

Westfold Steed

Supergirl rides the Westfold Steed

Alright! We are off to a good start in 2014 with two very solid and distinct looking steeds. After the Snow-Beast Steed got my vote for "Most Unique" last month, February does not disappoint with a very beautiful steed of the month called the Westfold Steed! The steed comes with 5 matching warsteed pieces: leggings, saddle, halter, caparison, and the accessory (saddle bags), so you can customize the way you like.

The Westfold Steed has many elements that might make it your favorite. 
Two things I like most about this steed: 
(1) The warsteed dyes really well! Every color I tested looked great on this steed; I show you a few here but whatever your favorite color, you will probably be pleased with how the outfit holds the color. As always, if you have a special request, just ask and I will try to assist with pictures.

(2) The warsteed is distinct looking. Some of the cloth warsteed outfits tend to run together, but this one stands out with its fur-lined halter and caparison. Everything is just right and not overdone. With the right color and rider outfit, you could butch it up, or make it really feminine (see below).

Westfold Steed: 
Here is the basic Westfold Steed. He has a typical base speed of +68%, same as other steeds. The outfit is a melon color, not in the normal dye palette, which matches well with the horse's pinkish brown hide. The outfit is subtly fur-lined. 

Westfold Steed

Westfold Warsteed - Default colors: 
The default colors and outfit for the warsteed appear to me to be exactly as expected. The warsteed grey hide gives the melon color a more subdued look (which is reaccentuated by different color hides, as expected).

All of the color dyes look great; here are a few after the default colors.

Westfold Warsteed - Default colors

Westfold Warsteed - Crimson and White: 

Westfold Warsteed - Crimson and White

Westfold Warsteed - Rose and Bay: 

Westfold Warsteed - Rose and Bay

Westfold Warsteed - Forest Green and Black Chestnut: 

Westfold Warsteed - Forest Green and Black Chestnut

Westfold Warsteed - EredLuin Blue and Black: 

Westfold Warsteed - Ered Luin and Black

Ride Well Free People of Middle Earth! 
Always thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!