Horses In The Middle Ages

As John Trotwood Moore said, "Wherever man has left his footprints in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we find the hoofprint of a horse beside it." Horses were used for a number of things during the Middle Ages including transportation, farming, recreation, and warfare. Every horse at the time had a certain purpose and was used until they had nothing left to offer. They were one of the most highly prized possessions in English society as they played a substantial role in many people’s lives. For some, highly specialized and costlier horses played well on their stature. For others, horses were needed or wanted for sport, transport, and fighting; furthermore, horses were also needed for jobs because in that time many a job was
built off of horses. Overall, horses in the Middle Ages played an important role in the daily life of the lower and upper class, they were major keys in warfare, and their bloodline carried many traits into the horses we have today.
In the Middle Ages horses played a role in more than just a knight’s life; they were the source of many jobs in all classes.
In the upper class, Marshals and Constables were in charge of the stables and the horses within. Constables were in charge of arranging tournaments and, in times of war, preparing the horses for the military (Horses in the Middle Ages 1). Then, there were vets, farriers, breeders, grooms, even stable boys who found that their jobs centered on horses. Past those who cared for the horses were those who depended on them for their living such as farmers. The horses made farming far easier as one horse could plow fields faster than a pair of oxen. The increase in speed of crop production, harvest, and transportation of crops made it so that farmers had longer, more profitable seasons (Horses in History). Besides there use for work and entertainment, horses were incredibly important for transportation. During the Middle Ages, everyone traveled regardless of class. Without horses, trips that could be completed in a day would take weeks, and people needed them for more than just transport of themselves, they needed them for transport of products supplies. Horses were one of the greatest tools to any individual with access and “regardless of their purpose, people valued their horses as if they were gold” (Horses in the Middle Ages
2).
There were several different types of horses with different purposes, and due to this, horses in the middle ages were classified a little differently than how they are in today’s society. Compared to being divided into a class based on their breed such as Paints, Quarters, Arabians, etc., horses were divided in name by their purpose (Horses in the Middle Ages 1). First, Palfrey horses which are related to today’s gaited horses. Palfrey horses were among the more expensive equines and were commonly bought by only the upper class. They were useful for long trips because their smooth gait made them comfortable, and they were prized in war for being sure-footed on uneven terrain. Another, even higher prized warhorse, was the destrier which can be compared to Andalusians or Friesians. Destriers were used by knights primarily for war, but they also found heavy use in tournaments and jousts as they were “larger, hot-blooded horses bred to be fearless.” They would not only carry their knight, but they would fight other horses in battle (Horses in the Middle Ages). Without destiers, many a knight may not have come out of battle. They were hot-blooded war horses which wouldn’t back down. They were highly useful in battles, and if they hadn’t existed many can only imagine what battles would have been like. It would’ve been like taking a dozen steps back in the art of war. Soldiers wouldn’t be able to carry as many supplies on them or have the same level of protective armor. This lack of protection and supply would leave them open to harsher attacks that would likely have left far more dead. Overall, battle would’ve been bloodier and losses higher. Otherwise, there were other important breeds in the time such as coursers which were all speed, drays and ponies for carting things around and pulling equipment or wagons, and rounceys which were the all around horses used for just about anything. They all played a part in English society, but the greatest showcase of the greatness of horses came in their use during wars.
1095 to1291, the Crusades, one of the most intense periods of fighting that England engaged in.
Horses proved their worth a great deal at this time. The horse and rider became one, they became a true team. Every knight had a horse that would respond to leg commands, they would ride into battle hands filled with weapons and steeds completely under control. In response to flashing swords and shooting arrows, the horses found themselves with more than an armored knight on their back. The horses themselves were tasked with carrying their own armor (Horse Armor in Europe). In true form, the destiers were the most reliable carriers as they had the physical strength needed to carry the extra 250-300 pounds (Horses Were Specifically…). Although, in certain battle knights would need coursers because of their swiftness compared to the destiers strength. In fact, it’s even said that when a knight was called to war by royalty he might have been asked to bring a certain type of horse depending on the need (Horses in the Middle Ages 2). If not asked for anything specific, this is where the choice would be made by a knight (A Tank on Legs). On average, it was believed that knight’s would bring a total of five horses with them. They would have one destier, two palfreys, and two coursers. Knights would have the greatest options this way, and depending on how they had to travel they would always have the best mount. (Horses in the Middle Ages
1)
Today, very few of the crusade horses have modern counterparts. There are certain breeds that share similar traits to those known to be found in certain breeds, but not the actual horse itself. For example, the destier was known to have died out around the 17th century, and there is no known reason for it. Some have found links between Percherons or Belgians, but the link implies that the hot-blooded destiers were bred out to the “cold-blooded” workhorses thus creating the warm-blooded descendant (Horses in the Middle Ages 3). Also, there was the idea that with the shift towards Spanish horses and Islamic culture that the switch to smaller, quicker, and lighter horses such as Arabians played a part in the dying out of some of the more common types. It’s also linked to the creation of over 90% of thoroughbreds to the three sires The Byerley Turk, The Darley Arabian, and The Godolphin Arabian. This means that the creation of other breeds we have today descended from Thoroughbreds would link directly back to Islam and their Arabians. The crusades played a hand in the transport of the Arabians across seas and to new lands, and that is how that ties in. At the same time, there is also the consideration of all the unrecorded horses and how they tied into the Middle Ages before disappearing or being relocated and renamed. A truly interesting cycle should one ever take into consideration the lost links and chains in these aging creatures.
To tie it all up let one see that even in the lowest circles horses were more than pretty pasture ornaments during the Middle Ages. Even before they were born there was something for almost every single one of these majestic, powerful, and trusting creatures. Every horse had a job, a purpose, and many did more than go to war. They were used for sport in tournament or hunting, they were the farm equipment, they were the carriers, and they were fearless because just as every knight rode into battle it was his horse that carried him. Horses were the original cars, tractors, trucks, and tanks. Without them, the world be very different. It would lose a little bit of its magic. It would lose a little bit of light. They carried the darkest of souls during the Middle Ages and they did so proudly. Such a feat is one that no other creature can lay claim to. In my opinion, Peter Gray said it best, "We have almost forgotten how strange a thing it is that so huge and powerful and intelligent an animal as a horse should allow another, and far more feeble animal to ride upon its back."