There’s no question from a strategic point of view. A horse-sized duck would be a monster. That’s basically what Gastornis was, a giant prehistoric fowl, and most paleontologists seemed pretty confident it could take on lots of miniature horses (although now they argue that it didn’t).
But consider, in fighting a hundred duck-sized horses, you become the monster. Sure, you’ll live, but will you be able to live with yourself? After straight out murdering dozens upon dozens of adorable miniature ponies?
