The two Vegetii

[Nathan Ross]

at various times it seems that family connections and nepotism was prevalent when filling these positions.

Yes, good point! Aso, it seems sometimes unclear what the division between military and civilian was at the imperial court - the Master of Offices was a civilian, but carried a sword, apparently, and commanded the Scholae - who in turn seem to have losing their elite military status anyway around this time... So who knows?

Lenski goes on to add that... They were charged with the collection of horses... so the comes stabuli had to know something about horses... laws to pay horse ranch farners  a fixed rate of 23 solidi for a good horse

Interesting details! Without wanting to sound madly picky, though, what evidence does Lenski put forward that the trib stabuli was 'charged with the collection of horses'? It seems from his preceding paragraph that other scholars have not believed this to be the case... (I'm just looking at the preview available on Google Books, so I can't see the footnotes!). Does the Theodoret anecdote he mentions in that same section specifically name the tribunus stabuli, or is this Lenski's gloss on a more vague reference?

I would think if Vegetius really did have intimate knowledge of the the emperor's cavalry forces, he might have said a bit more about cavalry in his book!...