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Ok so years and years ago I read the second book in a series that was sci-fi/fantasy where there where people that had either landed on a planet that was populated with horse aliens that were telepathic, eat meat, had cloven hooves (like a goat or cow) and were all black in colour. The Humans settled and I am not sure what happened in the first book but the alien horses sort of came over to the peoples side (I got the impression that this was not always so and that at one point when they saw people they thought "Food!") and had now linked with a few chosen few who became like special warriors or something (again my memory is hazy).

The book started with one of these riders and his horse (I think it was called cloud or something weather related) taking a group of refugees up a mountain pass in a blizzard to a fortified town.

The only other thing I can remember is that the weather was always cold and harsh and that living on the planet was not very easy.

Thank you for any help! I just suddenly had the urge to find the series again and maybe read it in full as the book rather ended on a cliffhanger and although it was years ago I do like completing series and this one I was enjoying.

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    So, are they meat-eating horses that are aliens or horses that eat alien meat? Punctuation is magical :P
    – Catija ♦
    Aug 20, 2016 at 16:30
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    Meat-eating horses who are aliens. :)
    – Rincewind
    Aug 20, 2016 at 19:27
  • Believe you are talking about Hercules and Diomedes
    – bleh
    Aug 20, 2016 at 21:18
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    And as a slightly tongue-in-cheek complaint: "Thanks a freakin' lot. I'm likely going to need to read those two books again which will cause me to need to read many other of Cherryh's books." It was suggested I read her 'Foreigner' book about a decade ago and descended into binge-reading at least 30 of her books (including these two).
    – Michael Richardson
    Aug 21, 2016 at 18:10
  • Meanwhile on Planet Earth: Deadly Equines: The Shocking True Story of Meat-Eating and Murderous Horses by CuChullaine O'Reilly FRGS. SHOCKING!
    – David Tonhofer
    Mar 4, 2020 at 23:31

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I believe the book you are looking for is "Cloud's Rider". The first book is "Rider at the Gate".

These books are written by C. J. Cherryh, written in her "Finisterre universe" (these two books are currently the only two in this universe).

Nighthorses (so-called because of their jet-black coats) are the largest and most intelligent animals the colonists discovered. They are similar in stature to Earth horses, but are omnivorous, have three-toed hooves, are more intelligent than their Earth counterparts and are telepathic. Nighthorses will eat most things they can catch and kill, but failing that, grass and other vegetation.

Wiki entry for Finisterre universe

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  • Thanks this is exactly the series I was looking for!
    – Rincewind
    Aug 22, 2016 at 11:02

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