Roxolani, Cataphracts? Or imposters?

[Michael Kerr]

To carry that amount of weight with an armoured rider and weapons and without being noted by any Roman historian as being larger than Roman horses, the mounts of the Roxolani would have been tough horses which would have had strength and stamina, coming from long and extensive breeding practices and as both Tacitus and Cassius Dio both pointed out, once a Sarmatian was knocked off his horse then he was as good as dead. Even Vegetius noted that steppe horses outperformed other breeds in war and did not require stabling like their Roman counterparts and could survive when left to their own devices in quite extreme conditions although I think he was referring to Hunnic horses which he much admired but he had extensive knowledge of all the horses of his day, including Sarmatian horses, their weaknesses and their strengths. No wonder all the various Sarmatian groups loved their horses. 

Regards

Michael Kerr