Well I'd like to know what the hell this is:

I thought we all knew this.
'Tis the legendary and ill-fated Hodgepogdythymessycus (hodge-podgy-fee-messy-cus).
In ancient times it was a simple mixture between a horse, a halla and an eagle -- but, because of its laughably large antlers, and its tendency to stuff its greedy face for days on end, it couldn't fly for more than a minute without developing a painful stitch, becoming exhausted, and crashing into a wall. (Always a wall -- even if it attempted to fly in the middle of an empty field or desert with no man-made constructions for miles around. Most bizarre.)
Therefore, to turn his own pet beast into a suitable battle-mount, a Tevinter magister named Idiotus Ifokup used a rare nature spell to give the creature a pair of extra legs, which would -- according to the mage's comically optimistic calculations -- allow it to run at supersonic take-off speeds and remain airborne for up to fifteen weeks without resting, eating or taking a poo.
Needless to say, Messer Ifokup lived up to his name and, instead of becoming the most feared flying beast since the dearly departed Griffon, the Hodgepogdythymessycuss used its powerful new legs to ensnare and mount females of its species with greater frequency and vigour, thereby polluting said species' bloodline with dangerous (and stoopid) magic that led to its eventual demise.
Wait ... you're telling me this crucial lore isn't in the Dragon Age Wiki? C'mon, BioWare, sort your act out, please. 