Horse attacks! can you do stampede or trample?

[Irmo]

On what they looked like: You can still see several breeds who are almost unchanged since then, my favorite being the Friesian.  Friesians now are typically much more streamlined and elegant (because of interbreeding with Arabians along the way) but there are some farms who still breed them the way they looked in the middle ages.

Here is an example of what is known now as a "Baroque styled" Friesian.

http://www.jokarsfriesians.com/images/thor-gallop.jpg

Now THIS is a horse.  I told my wife she can have one if it looks this cool!

Then there is the mighty Shire, which was bred out of the famed English warhorses.  Here is an example, just imagine him charging at you in full harness!

http://www.warhorsefarm.com/images/Image5.jpg

Shires now are used as draught horses, but they make superp hunters when crossed with a lighter build, faster horse such as a Throughbred or an Arabian.  The line between a draught horse and war horse is not as large as you might think.  Essentially the same qualities are needed by both: durability, strength, intelligence and a solid, reliable nature.  They are probably bigger than their medival ancestors were, but not by a whole lot according to what I am being told as I type this (my wife is a horse nut, incidently she found all these links for me).  A war horse needs to be only a bit smaller and more hot blooded in temperment to give it the speed and agility needed in battle.  [/b]

Actually, scholars believe that the medieval warhose was more akin to a large hunter, which seems to be supported by the breeding experiments which led to the Spanish Norman, an attempt to recreate the medieval warhorse by interbreeding french percherons with Andalusian stock. The resulting animal is tall, but nowhere near as bulky as draft horses.  Andalusians (Arabs) were already in the Middle Ages considered to be supreme horses, and whenever affordable, interbred with the local stock. It was only when horses were more and more used in agriculture, replacing oxen, that sheer power was a desirable breeding goal.

Actually that's possibly the only thing you don't need to train a horse for, besides eating.

Actually, this is quite arrogant a tone, and false to boot.

They are herd animals and will basically follow the dominant stallion or mare (more likely the later as the dominant male will usually attack anything that threatens his herd).  Keeping close formation is something horses do very naturally.

When they are THREATENED (and cornered), which is hardly a situation in which they are receptive for outside orders. They will usually not do so while running at full speed, since that would mean the weaker animals would either drop out of the formation or be trampled. They will also not run straight ahead at an enemy while doing so, since that would defeat the purpose of being so close to begin with.

Totally aside from the fact that a military unit is something entirely different than a herd.

Anyway, for a somewhat dated, but professional assessment of the issues at hand, cf. http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/ARTICLES/bachrach3.htm

[bergh]

This is a war horse!!!:
http://members.aol.com/kittenbe/images/HUGE_c.jpg

damn fine horse also:
http://www.shire-horse.org.uk/images/breed_standards2.jpg

anyway, im being totaly fasinated by warhorses...so im glad for the links people have posted!

[Irmo]

http://www.spanish-norman.com/