04-29-2013, 12:09 PM
Well, I already knew the nomads on the Eurasian steppes did not ride the same horse again for two to three days, and al-Jahiz differentiates between his Tukhari war-horse and the ordinary Turkish riding-horse. In the Middle East, leading the horses while riding on mules, dromedary camels, or - when making forced marches - on special riding horses, seems to have been the normal practise. Before the coming of the dromedary, the ass was the usual strategic mount for the soldiers of the Midle East, the Persian asses and mules are mentioned by Herodotus. If you want to know more and I am allowed to advertise, War in History has declared its intention to publish a series of articles of mine, Studies on Mounted Warfare in Asia. The first will probably come out next year.
I do not know much about medieval Europe, but I found the palfrey's of the medieval knight in The Medieval Sourcebook.
Junkelmann, during his march from the mouth to the origin of the Rhine equipped as a principate period horseman, would only ride his horse for a couple of miles and then walk in front of it for the next couple of miles. For one, riding without stirrups is hard on your hips (that is why the Persians rode their asses side-saddle, to the amusement of the Greeks, effeminate!), but also, to avoid arriving at your next destination on horses too tired to give a demonstration. I saw them at Nijmegen, so they had only just started, and their Camarque ponies were already too tired to do all the excercises, they shirked as much as possible and fell asleep as soon as they were left alone for a few minutes.
I do not know much about medieval Europe, but I found the palfrey's of the medieval knight in The Medieval Sourcebook.
Junkelmann, during his march from the mouth to the origin of the Rhine equipped as a principate period horseman, would only ride his horse for a couple of miles and then walk in front of it for the next couple of miles. For one, riding without stirrups is hard on your hips (that is why the Persians rode their asses side-saddle, to the amusement of the Greeks, effeminate!), but also, to avoid arriving at your next destination on horses too tired to give a demonstration. I saw them at Nijmegen, so they had only just started, and their Camarque ponies were already too tired to do all the excercises, they shirked as much as possible and fell asleep as soon as they were left alone for a few minutes.
