Osprey - General Military - Knight - The Warrior and ... - Brego-weard

acehorses or prize-winning livestock, the artist can be seen to emphasize and
exaggerate those aspects thought virtuous: in the case of the warhorse his height
and powerful frame. Even the fittest and least encumbered of knights would have had
difficulty in vaulting onto the back of a horse 19 hands (6 feet 4 inches) high.
The majority of illustrations indicate that the medieval warhorse — the 'great horse ',
'dextrariiu' or 'destrier - stood around 15 to 16 hands (5 feet to 5 feet 4 inches) high,
which is supported by the evidence of surviving horseshoes, saddlery and other
furniture. Height only offers one aspect of the horse's size, however. It is also appears
that he (the European warhorse was invariably a stallion) was short-backed and broad
chested, a solid mount with a good combination of strength, stamina and speed.
Like the modern thoroughbred racehorse, or a high performance racing car, he was
kept for a specific purpose. He was the vehicle for the charge, the platform from which
the knight fought. He would no more be used tor travelling or the hunt than a modern
racehorse would be used for trekking or the racing car for nipping to the shops.
ARMS AND ARMOUR •*}*•
Battle image from the
13th-century Pierpont-
Morgan picture bible.
There is perhaps a touch
of Hollywood in the
goriness of these images.
The weapon the central
figure wields is known
only from manuscript
illustrations. (Bridgeman
Art Library)
61