Kessira was a Shin'a'in chestnut saddle-mare bred and trained by Tarma shena Tale'sedrin. Though the trailbred horses are usually a little hardier than the saddlebreds, Kessira was an exception to this rule. She was being courted by the king stallion of the Tale'sedrin horse herd the spring before the attack that nearly wiped out the clan. She carried Tarma forth on her quest to destroy the bandits who had slaughtered her clan. When Tarma and Kethry set out to make their name as mercenaries, Kessira stayed behind, becoming the queen mare of the Tale'sedrin herds.