Mounted combat question

[Jack Lynn]

I recently had a conversation that fundamentally changed my view of mounted combat. I was talking with a University of Glasgow grad student who mentioned a theory that has been gaining popularity recently in academic circles. The theory is that knights rode ponies into battle and that the large chargers that have always been portrayed as knights’ steeds were only tournament mounts. This didn’t seem right to me but when I check some of the source material I did find that, in many cases, the knights’ feet seem almost to touch the ground on either side of their horses. Has anyone else heard this theory? It seems like the logistical concerns of bringing a pony into battle would be very different from that of a tall horse.

[Jack Lynn]

I haven’t ridden in a long time and I have never attempted to do drills from the back of a horse or to practice mounted combat in any way, so my understanding of mounted combat may be grotesquely flawed, but as I see it the advantages of riding a tall horse into battle seem to be:
a. Speed. It seems like a larger horse with longer legs would move faster.
b. Intimidation. Bigger is scarier and ponies aren’t scary. This is only the perspective of a man who has never had to deal with an enraged pony, but they seem distinctly non-threatening.
c. Power. This I’m really not sure about because I’ve heard that ponies have pretty amazing power to mass ratios but I still feel that a larger horse would give more power.
d. Angle. It seems like being positioned above the fray and looking down would give a knight an advantage. Things would be a bit less confusing and he could see farther.

The advantages of riding a pony might be
a. Less vulnerable. I have always wondered how knights protected the necks and legs of their horses. It always seemed that these regions of a normal horse are at a bit to convenient an angle to strike at. A pony would seem to solve this problem.
b. Perspective?. A pony would put a knight much closer to face to face with his unmounted opponents. Never having fought from the back of any horse I find it hard to imagine what angle would be more effective. All I know is there would be a difference.

[Jeffrey Hull]

JL:

Well, I do not think that is really an original idea that the academics are buzzing about. <img src="/forum/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" />

It would seem to me that it has been well known and established by period literature, artifacts, and imagery that a knight probably rode around over long distances upon his riding-horse, called his rouncy or palfrey. His henchmen -- sergeant, squire and/or page -- would bring along and care for his other war-horse, which said knight would then mount once arrived for battle or tourney, this called the destrier or courser. Of course, the henchmen were all mounted probably upon rouncys or palfreys.

Thanks for raising that issue.