Mounts being damaged

[DxGrief]

The last time I played a character in the south was when kanks where available...  Having said that, I am trying to figure out for the life of me why just walking around through the various terrains damn near killed my beetle.  Two tests seem to prove that weather actually damages beetles and movement through rough terrain does as well.  I compared previous logs with kanks (neat changes by the way) and the kank moving over the same terrain, though more fatigued, was not damaged.  Is this depressingly normal?

[Lizzie]

The last time I played a character in the south was when kanks where available...  Having said that, I am trying to figure out for the life of me why just walking around through the various terrains damn near killed my beetle.  Two tests seem to prove that weather actually damages beetles and movement through rough terrain does as well.  I compared previous logs with kanks (neat changes by the way) and the kank moving over the same terrain, though more fatigued, was not damaged.  Is this depressingly normal?

When you take a mount out of a stable, it loads up with random stats appropriate for its race. What it looks like numerically (hypothetically - since I don't have access to mount stats, I'm giving you a mount's-eye view of what it MIGHT look like):

stat
You're a war beetle. You're being returned to the stable by its owner.
Your strength is EG, your agility is EG, your wisdom is craptastic, your endurance is EG.
200/200 HP, 400/400 Stamina, 400/400 Stun, 27 mana (hey it could happen).

You're a war beetle, being taken out of the stable by its owner.
Your strength is Exceptional, your agility is Exceptional, your wisdom is below average,
your endurance is Exceptional.
200/250 HP, 400/450 Stamina, 400/450 Stun, 32 mana.

So now - your mount has the same amount of HP, Stamina, and Stun as it did when you returned it to the stable BUT - it is now capable of having more than that. So when you take it out, it looks damaged. It isn't really. It just has better stats than the one you turned in.

Meanwhile - as you ride it around the wastes, it continues losing stamina points. That's why you're supposed to rest them once in awhile, and "assess -v" them to make sure they're not exhausted.

[manonfire]

It's also possible you're riding your mount through terrain that is hostile to life.