Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
...the 2000 numbers would be very applicable to the original game...
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ONLY in those few areas not impacted by the war. Most of Europe (excluding perhaps France), much of the US, USSR and China would be decimated with horses (and other animals) likely having suffered even even more than humans. Disease would have ripped through herds, radiation killed, many, many more (they can't take shelter from fallout anywhere near as easily as humans), and famine/lack of fodder not just starves them, but turns them into a very attractive food source.
Then we add in those killed in the actual war zones, and horses are very likely to be in very short supply.
Even well away from war zones horse populations would take a hit - no fuel prevents large scale fodder production and transport, medicines become scarce or not available at all, etc.
Yes, some breeding would continue, but to be successful you need a fairly decent supply of food, and you won't have a (barely) usable horse anyway for about 3 years (gestation alone is 11 months, plus time for them to mature, then training).
So even if large scale breeding was begun at around the same time as strategic nukes were used (latter months of 1997), you're only just starting to see a result at the time the game is set. Given it takes time for the need to be recognised, I'd be inclined to add at least six more months to that, probably even more for the northern hemisphere as you really don't want new foals born while there's snow on the ground.