01-17-2013, 01:46 PM
Hi, I have just finished a book "The Endurance Horse" by Ann Hyland who also wrote "Equus The Horse in the Roman World". In this book she stated that the (I presume she is talking about the Roxolani as she keeps referring to the Sarmatian Cavalry on Trajan's Column" that Sarmatian horses were not mere steppe ponies but had the tough blood of Ferghana thoroughbreds running in their veins. The Chinese called these horses the "Blood Sweating Horses of Ferghana." apparently because parasites gorge on the horses blood to such an extent that it appears as if the horse is sweating blood. Legend has it that they were descended from the horses left behind by Alexander the Great. They were noted for their speed and endurance. Also one other query I have is how would a fully armoured Roxolani heavy cavalryman mount his horse? Not my quotes but Ann Hyland's. According to Wikipedia there is another theory about the "sweating blood" that small subcutaneous blood vessels burst as the horses sustained a long hard gallop. Just after other opinions.
Michael Kerr
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
"You can conquer an empire from the back of a horse but you can't rule it from one"
