I did not care for flying on a Hippogriff. I could feel the animal's muscles moving underneath me, which I found very unsettling and made me feel a bit guilty for using a creature to fly. While I did not like that, I did like how easy it was to ride and, while it wasn't as comfortable as a carpet, it was much more comfortable than a broom. It's feathers and fur were very soft.

While in this scenerio the hippogriff was easy to ride, I'm not sure it would be easy to actually have to steer a hippogriff. Also, caring for the creature on long journies would be difficult. Therefore, I would not like to have a hippogriff as my main way of flying. I wouldn't mind riding a hippogriff again, but it isn't my favorite way to travel.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about riding a thestral. I wouldn't be able to see it, so it would be hard to mount and be terrifying to fly without seeing anything beneath me. However, if it is like riding a hippogriff, it wouldn't be the worse way to travel. Plus, its sense of direction is a great addition and I wouldn't need to steer it.