"In search of the great horse" 14.2hh max for medieval warhorses

[Cortez]

Isn't the stirrup related to archery ..? the Parthian shot .. invented by the Sarmatians.

The Sarmation civilisation was well before the stirrup., Iron Age.

 

[GreyMane]

https://deremilitari.org/2013/11/caballus-et-caballarius-in-medieval-warfare/

Medievalists.net / horse search

Wallace Collection / horse armour

 

[clinkerbuilt]

https://deremilitari.org/2013/11/caballus-et-caballarius-in-medieval-warfare/

I get the impression the piece at this first url is the kind of thing the current research project is trying to revise and update.

 

[Keith_Beef]

The thing I find puzzling is the images for the Celestial horses all seem to have quite high set on necks.. whereas all the horses / ponies I've seen from central asia seem to have quite different conformation .. also the tail appears to be much higher set on

Representations of lions and dragons in old Chinese art very often do not look much like their real-life counterparts,

 

[stangs]

Representations of lions and dragons in old Chinese art very often do not look much like their real-life counterparts

The real-life counterparts of dragons being..?

 

[SEL]

The real-life counterparts of dragons being..?

My mare on a bad day.

 

[scruffyponies]

The Sarmation civilisation was well before the stirrup., Iron Age.

The Scythians had stirrups, and were closely related to the Samaritans. They were a nomadic martial civilisation, using mounted archery (men and women) in battle. They are thought to have spread from Siberia to Scandinavia, so I would suggest that was where the Vikings got their stirrups from.

 

[Cortez]

The Scythians had stirrups, and were closely related to the Samaritans. They were a nomadic martial civilisation, using mounted archery (men and women) in battle. They are thought to have spread from Siberia to Scandinavia, so I would suggest that was where the Vikings got their stirrups from.

Current thinking is the Vikings took up stirrups through trade with the east, which could have been....well, anywhere/anyone in that direction, really.

 

[Cortez]

The real-life counterparts of dragons being..?

Dinosaurs.

 

[suestowford]

If you're interested in horses in medieval times you might enjoy this book.

 

[Cortez]

If you're interested in horses in medieval times you might enjoy this book.
View attachment 85694

Ah Tim, he was our neighbour in West Cork in the 70's - 80's and I remember him setting off on that trip. The horse didn't last long, and he ended up on an arab, I think? There are better, more scholarly books if you're really interested, but Tim always writes a good adventure.

 

[suestowford]

You are right Cortez, the Ardennes got as far as Istanbul (I think) and had to be sent back to cooler climes.

 

[SEL]

If you're interested in horses in medieval times you might enjoy this book.
View attachment 85694

Was that the guy who tried to do it on an Ardennes? Then realised a horse built for pulling didn't make the best horse for riding.

 

[SEL]

You are right Cortez, the Ardennes got as far as Istanbul (I think) and had to be sent back to cooler climes.

Ah just cross posted - I remember the story on a heavy horse site

 

[Keith_Beef]

Was that the guy who tried to do it on an Ardennes? Then realised a horse built for pulling didn't make the best horse for riding.

I wonder if he chose that breed because at the time it was assumed that the crusaders rode big, heavy horses into battle.

 

[J&S]

Another good "adventure" - I enjoyed The Byerly Turk by Jeremy James. Possible wanderings into the realms of fantasy but none the less fascinating reading about the archery and battle training, and of course, as it says in the intro, this horse lives on in his progeny.

 

[AandK]

Fascinating thread, thanks to those who have contributed and shared the info! I read a lot of fiction based in ancient times, Vikings, knights of old etc, which have a lot of horses in. I had no idea that they were so much smaller back then! I particularly enjoyed reading the article on Celestial Horses.

 

[Cortez]

I wonder if he chose that breed because at the time it was assumed that the crusaders rode big, heavy horses into battle.

He did indeed, and my dad tried to talk him out of it.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

If you're interested in horses in medieval times you might enjoy this book.
View attachment 85694

Thats a blast from the past, grew up reading his adventures!

 

[SEL]

He did indeed, and my dad tried to talk him out of it.

I think the horse started to struggle quite early on from what I remember reading.

I'm very fond of mine but none of my joints would want to contemplate a long distance ride on him!

 

[Cortez]

Another good "adventure" - I enjoyed The Byerly Turk by Jeremy James. Possible wanderings into the realms of fantasy but none the less fascinating reading about the archery and battle training, and of course, as it says in the intro, this horse lives on in his progeny.

I'm so glad you liked this book, I know the author (indeed, my OH and I are included in the dedication) and had many a long talk with him about the history and his adventures in Turkey.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Horses and Saddlery by Major G.Tylden (one of my very favourite books in my collection).

Thanks for posting that. I've managed to track down and order a copy of that book.

 

[clinkerbuilt]

An additional treat for the history nerds, especially the hybrid-breeding history nerds: 4-and-a-half-thousand-year data on how handy a donkey-wild ass cross (kunga) might be in front of a chariot - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/kunga-donkey-wild-ass-hybrid-biology
The skeletons came from northern Syria. Horses got easier/more accessible to breed a few hundred years later, at the end of the third millennium (BC!).

 

[clinkerbuilt]

Adding a quote from the New York Times take on this, for the furious onager ?. Furious Onager show-name anyone?