Horse

Horses are a means of travel in Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Upon starting your first real assassination quest, the assassination of Tamir, you receive the option to travel across the Kingdom by horseback. Three horses wait outside the gates of Masyaf, and the player can choose to ride whichever horse they prefer.

All of the horses gallop the same speed, but they are all different colors. The horses waiting outside a city all keep the same color when passing through different regions, however, the non-purebred horses change color when passing through different regions. It's unclear why, but the speed and other stats of the horse remain the same when you pass through one region to the next, even if the color does not. Horses outside cities will always be black, white or ginger.

Assassin's Creed
To control a horse, walk up to it and the player should mount it automatically, if not, press the feet button. Use the feet button to blend when on a horse. While blending only Knights Templars will attack you, and Altaïr can pass regular guards without attracting attention. Pressing only the forward button will make the horse trot, holding the high profile button and forward will make the horse canter. Holding forward, high profile and feet button makes the horse speed up into a gallop. Pressing the attack button while standing still causes the horse to rear, startling nearby civilians. Pressing it while holding high profile draws Altaïr's sword, after which he can attempt to fight NPC's on horseback (feet button sheaths the sword). To jump, simply trot, canter or gallop up to an applicable object and the horse will jump, there is no need to press the feet button.

Assassin's Creed II
Horse gameplay stays exactly the same as in Assassin's Creed, besides the fact that the 'blend' feature is removed. Instead a new 'walk' feature is enabled, allowing the player to pass through crowds without knocking over any civilians.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, for the first time in any Assassin's Creed game, you can ride a horse inside the city and perform assassinations from horseback. Horseback combat mechanics have been improved, and Ezio will face mounted opponents. Ezio will also be able to use most weapons, both long and short ranged, while on horseback. Ezio can also assassinate Guards while they are on their horses and steal their mounts. Unlike the other games, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood will include many different types of horse, one of these being the heavily-armoured warhorse. Pressing the head button will call Ezio's horse to him.

Moves
Some possible moves are:
 * Jump forward off your horse into a haystack or acrobatic/free running sequence
 * Do a 180 degree turn while rearing
 * Kick out at guards behind you
 * Jump off your horse and attack someone with the hidden blade

Beware, if knocked off the horse, it may crush and instantly kill you. After dismounting in battle, the horse may potentially run away, forcing the player to find it again or mount another one. In Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II, only the sword and Eagle Vision can be used while on a horse.

A horse will sometimes follow you if you dismount and are not fighting. Sometimes, if you jump off a horse and fight a group of guards nearby, the horse will rear and kick the guards, and causes them to stumble, though this isn't a fully reliable way to defeat the opponents.