Elves turn humans into horses and ride them in the great hunt to catch more humans. The elf king dies and son assumes throne, sister sympathetic to human/horse. Humans live in university town and plot to stop elves.

[Narelle]

Hi - I've had this book on my mind, read maybe 25 years ago, so maybe printed around late 85-95.
It's a high fantasy. The elves are oppressors and live high in sky (possibly mountain or in clouds). They go on a great hunt riding horses - when riding in the great hunt a big cloud surrounds them and humans caught in the cloud get disoriented, the elves then capture the humans and turn them into horses, which the elves stable and look after. The elf king dies and his son assumes the throne - the son is horrible and wants to catch all the humans. His sister is sympathetic to humans and talks to one of the human/horse in her stable a lot - I think she tries to free him.
There are other species. I recall a university town with mix of species and they plot to do something about the elves. A human goes on a journey (maybe with others), en route he is in a forest/woods and talks to other species (cant remember, dwarves maybe, think they mix breeds). Then he gets caught up in a great hunt - can't remember what happens next or if he is turned. That might be the end of the novel or maybe I didn't read through to the end. I'm sure this was the first to a series though.
Please any help. This came to mind around 5 years ago and it's been playing on my mind since then. I'm hoping it wasn't just a dream!
Thanks for any help you can give.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

The Simbul's Gift came up in a search....

[Narelle]

Lobstergirl wrote: "The Simbul's Gift came up in a search...."

Thanks for the suggestion but that is not it.

[Sarah]

Is it possible that parts of this are conflated with other books?

* University and elves makes me think of Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
* parts remind me of Mercedes Lackey - This Scepter'd Isle, or some of the other ones of her elves books
* humans being turned into horses reminds me of An Artificial Night, by Seanan McGuire (which it really can't be, given the time period, but is a great read)
* there's a bard being caught in a hunt in Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light, some forests and talking with other species in it...

None of these are exactly what you've specified, but maybe it can help point the way?

[Narelle]

Sarah wrote: "Is it possible that parts of this are conflated with other books?

* University and elves makes me think of Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
* parts remind me of Mercedes Lackey - [book:This Sce..."

Thanks for your suggestions. None of those fit the bill. I'll have a look at Lackey's other works see if I can find anything there.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Narelle, are you still looking for this or did you find it?