Rider at the Gate and its sequel, Cloud's Rider. Totally unsentimental novels about humans bonded with animals. On a creepy planet where the fauna is all telepathic and drives unprotected humans insane, people cope with the protection of humans bonded to a carnivorous horse-like native animal. Vivid, intense, and very very weird. The emotional/telepathic imagescape of the horses and riders is really well done.

I also like Rimrunner, Merchant's Luck, the Kif books, and more that I'm sure I'm forgetting.