My favorite part about 5e centaurs is that the monsters are large sized which makes all their mounting rules function the way you’d expect. However they generally try to avoid having PCs get to a point where they’re large by default. So PC centaurs are medium creatures with an increased carrying capacity meaning they can ride horses by default and function for all the rules of intelligent mounts. As long as you fit in the weight limits you can just keep stacking centaurs on top of each other in the same 5ft square, RAW

You’ll still max out the carrying capacity of the bottom centaur after stacking only 3, maybe 4 with max STR or a Belt of Giant Strength. Now if you throw some castings of Levitate into the mix…

For some reason any time I have ever brought up playing a centaur, every DM always shoots it down either saying its a serious campaign or it doesn’t fit the vibe.

I’m not sure what everyone has against them so I’ve assumed they’re either broken somehow or that someone will attempt the centaur stacking shenanigans.

By asking to play a centaur, you’re either declaring that your character will be constantly naked from the waist down, or opening the can of worms that is “what would centaur pants even look like?”

if centaurs are common i’d have to think about centaur compatible cities, houses, baths and what not, and tbh my cities, houses baths and whatnots are barely human compatible.

if they are super rare you’d constantly be left behind outsides of buildings because you dont fit on a spiral staircase or you’ve got thrown out of the tavern because your clopping annoyed the other guests, hell evey npc interaction would probably involve explaining the strange horse dude to someone. nope no centaurs, we can compromise on satyrs, teacup minotaurs or inverted merefolk. two legs maximum, sorry.

And the DM immediately shuts that down by telling you that a horse or other creature doesn’t have the appropriate anatomy to be a mount for a centaur

Well yes, that’s what the RAW (rules as written) part was addressing. Common sense will generally stop that

FFS, quit horsing around!

They’re worried you’ll constantly make puns about women riding you.

I’m not an adventurer I’m a equestrian