heavy cavalry engaging heavy cavalry

[Sean Manning]

I believe Vegetius recognised four types of cavalry, the Clibanarii/Catafractarii who both rider and horse were armoured, the 'normal' cavalry who wore body armour, light cavalry and horse archers.

Thanks for the reference! Vegetius, Epitoma rei militaris 3.17 does contrast cavalry who wear armour and carry the contos and cavalry archers who do not wear armour. The first are described as “stronger” (fortiores) and the second as “quicker and unencumbered” (velociores et expediti). It sounds like he is trying to describe Maurice's division of cavalry into cursores who ride apart and shoot arrows, and defensores who ride in close formation and fight with lances and bows. At 3.23 he talks about cataphracts. I don't know of any other types of cavalry in Vegetius, except for the cavalry of the legion.