How Daenerys Could Control Three Dragons By Herself in Game of Thrones (& Why She Didn’t Use a Saddle)

House of the Dragon Season 3 kicks off with the Battle of the Gullet, and the Game of Thrones spinoff changes the reason things go so awry for Prince Jacaerys Targaryen and the Velaryon fleet. SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 1. In the HBO show, a decent number of losses stem from the arrival of Rhaena Targaryen and her new dragon. Rhaena flies Sheepstealer into battle without much thought, and the dragon doesn’t obey her commands. He attacks Black and Green forces indiscriminately, and he goes after Baela and Jace, pushing the latter toward enemy forces and his death.

Sheepstealer’s out-of-control behavior isn’t something viewers are used to, as most of the characters in House of the Dragon have reliable bonds with their dragons. We’ve never seen one act out like this, not even in Game of Thrones. Daenerys’ dragons aren’t formally trained, either, which may leave fans wondering how she’s able to control all three of them. The answer stems from her unique relationship with them, which even House of the Dragon‘s best dragon riders don’t have.

How Daenerys Was Able to Control 3 Dragons in Game of Thrones

Despite Daenerys having no dragon riders to learn from, she forms a bond with Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion fairly seamlessly in Game of Thrones — and the trio seems to listen to her the majority of the time. They understand “Dracarys” and obey the command, and Daenerys is capable of flying Drogon where she wants to go. The other dragons also fight for her on multiple occasions, and they don’t have issues locating the enemy or acting as she commands. It’s a far cry from Sheepstealer, and really, her ability to communicate with them isn’t something any of the dragon-rider duos in House of the Dragon demonstrate.

That’s because none of the prequel’s dragon riders actually “birth” their dragons into existence. By contrast, Daenerys hatches three dragon eggs using blood magic in Game of Thrones Season 1. This gives her a motherly bond with Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion from the beginning. She’s connected to the eggs even before the three dragons are “born,” and she raises them from infancy into adulthood. It’s no wonder they view her with such respect, or that they’re capable of reading her without much trouble. The relationships between House of the Dragon‘s riders and their bonded dragons may be close, but none of them take on the parental nature of Daenerys and her trio.

Even as the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys’ Control Wasn’t Perfect

Daenerys’ influence over her dragons may seem impressive, especially looking at House of the Dragon‘s younger riders. However, it’s worth remembering that even Daenerys doesn’t have complete control over her “children.” They just never act quite as erratically as Sheepstealer. But Game of Thrones dedicates an entire storyline to Daenerys chaining her dragons beneath the Great Pyramid, since they have a habit of killing farmers’ livestock — and eventually that leads to the dragons killing a small child. That’s not something Dany can control, as they’re acting on their instincts. Drogon also snaps at Daenerys after being injured on more than one occasion, even if he’s not actually trying to harm her. When the two fly off from the attack at the Great Pit of Daznak, he also refuses to fly again or listen to her until he’s better, as his wounds takes precedence.

Why Daenerys Didn’t Use a Saddle When Riding Drogon

Despite Daenerys’ control over her dragons being imperfect, they offer the most impressive example of dragon-riding we see in the Game of Thrones universe. And the fact that Daenerys never uses a saddle when riding Drogon adds to that. Seeing how House of the Dragon‘s characters approach riding, it’s wild to realize that Daenerys is just holding on for her life. It’s possible she doesn’t realize that she could use a saddle, but it seems like an obvious conclusion to jump to. And there are likely records of Targaryens using them in the past somewhere in the Seven Kingdoms.

Daenerys certainly has funds and knowledgeable enough advisors to build one, so there’s likely another reason she never bothers. This could also stem from Daenerys’ bond with her dragons, as riding Drogon without a saddle is more intimate. It highlights that Dany thinks of the dragons as children rather than steeds. She’s willing to use them to her advantage still, but it’s a more personal and mutual trade-off.

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