tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post3241287865509736447..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: The Warhorse in the 12th and Early 13th Centuries by Elizabeth Chadwick.Mary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-77095294536097125252018-06-19T20:04:07.467+01:002018-06-19T20:04:07.467+01:00Oops, sorry, so many typos.
I meant to say I havn...Oops, sorry, so many typos.<br /><br />I meant to say I havn t found draft horses hard to do work with under saddleAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17732734986490586926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-34885961554969610922018-06-19T19:27:41.027+01:002018-06-19T19:27:41.027+01:00Was the historian familiar with horses? Because I ...Was the historian familiar with horses? Because I havn t found draft horses do work under,saddle but it is obvious you have to have some horse riding skills Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17732734986490586926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-8340022954783429452017-09-30T22:27:10.528+01:002017-09-30T22:27:10.528+01:00Thank you for comment David Schade,
I have checked...Thank you for comment David Schade,<br />I have checked my sources thoroughly and as you can see from comments above too, several people do remark that they have found modern draft horses difficult rides. I am glad that your own experience has been different and it is a nuance to add to the matter.<br />Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-91183027491805002172017-05-16T02:41:54.463+01:002017-05-16T02:41:54.463+01:00Your post is informative to a degree.
As it is hi...Your post is informative to a degree.<br /> As it is history the correctness will always be debated to on degree or another. <br />The only point I find that I feel the need to correct is the statement about draft horses. <br />It is correct that the draft in its current form was not the horse that knights were riding. But the notion that modern drafts are somehow "unridable" is grossly incorrect. <br />I have been training draft horses to work under saddle for almost 20yrs. <br />I have competed on them in armored jousts and have shown them in western reining. <br />I have worked Clydesdales, shires, percherons, and others. And all of them do really well under saddle. <br />It's unfortunate that "historians" make statements about things they have never actually researched. <br />This is why "facts" are always being debated. <br />It was a nice article but make sure to check sources. David Schadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13153985565132345302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-90538068774321004842015-10-10T08:58:47.688+01:002015-10-10T08:58:47.688+01:00Great post! Glad to see you cited Goodall and Hyla...Great post! Glad to see you cited Goodall and Hyland. As for modern breeds, Hyland suggests the British Hunter. When I talk to my fellow Yanks, I just point to the American Quarterhorse I grew up riding.Deucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00240457596421236288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-13418372431530600412015-03-01T03:20:03.247+00:002015-03-01T03:20:03.247+00:00Thank you so much. So, would a palfrey be gained ...Thank you so much. So, would a palfrey be gained like. Tennessee walker or a Morgan horse?Goatberryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16460176304171539425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-12918293905908889062014-04-28T16:26:53.490+01:002014-04-28T16:26:53.490+01:00Whoah! HORSES!!! (My secret passion, as those of y...Whoah! HORSES!!! (My secret passion, as those of you who read my books will have probably guessed.) I've ridden Andalucian horses and they are really strong and tough as well as being quite lively, so would seem to be a good candidate for a warhorse. <br /><br />Great pictures, and I love the way there seems to be a big cross over that first heavy horse...Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-42888145902468796162014-04-27T17:39:45.255+01:002014-04-27T17:39:45.255+01:00This is the type of detail that makes me smile for...This is the type of detail that makes me smile for the rest of the day. Thank you.DL NELSONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12740409132697546671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-34050703836458185412014-04-25T13:51:48.047+01:002014-04-25T13:51:48.047+01:00Having had a half shire to ride as a teen I would ...Having had a half shire to ride as a teen I would agree that they make pretty horses to pull but long distance is not fun, and getting the right tack is a challenge in itself. I love the idea of big medieval horses, but I know the costs and practicalities would mean a smaller more useful mount. Thank you for laying it all out so clearly.Ruan Peathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17999492027801288004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-78724022419244944152014-04-25T10:37:04.566+01:002014-04-25T10:37:04.566+01:00Fascinating post - and comments. Thank you, all.
M...Fascinating post - and comments. Thank you, all.<br />My grandfather's first job was as an ostler where he looked after Percherons and Clydesdales - this would have been around 1912-16.<br />Sometimes he rode them, bareback about the yard or other short distances.<br />He said it was like trying to sit astride a kitchen-table! I always think of that when people suggest that knight's horses were like cart-horses. Imagine trying to sit astride a kitchen table in full armour!<br />Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-91651866803578669382014-04-24T23:02:22.469+01:002014-04-24T23:02:22.469+01:00Great post, Elizabeth! And if anyone wants to get ...Great post, Elizabeth! And if anyone wants to get more ideas on what the body type might have looked like, they should youtube the battle moves these horses were trained to, most notably the levade, where the horse must rise on his hindquarters to shield a rider. The move requires powerful haunches and short, stocky build. I can't imagine a modern Percheron assuming and holding that position.<br /><br />And some of the fancy side-to-side legwork standard in modern dressage competitions no doubt originated with horses who had to keep theri feet moving any which way over unexpected obstacles (like spear-shafts and other downed men and horses) on the battlefield. <br /><br />Another dressage standard is the direction of the horse entirely through seat and balance, which would be necessary if both the rider's hands were busy with weaponry.<br /><br />And I can see why Arabian blood would have been valued. Desert-hardy genes produce a horse that can thrive on scrubby brush. Many campaigns succeeded or failed not because of the skill or weaponry of the army, but because of the food that was--or in some cases, was not--available for man and beast. <br /><br />lauren sylvanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11321750220826079651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-34538125075557301852014-04-24T21:56:40.073+01:002014-04-24T21:56:40.073+01:00Now there's a coincidence - I went to Chepstow...Now there's a coincidence - I went to Chepstow Castle today, and bought a copy of your novel about William Marshall - came home and looked at the History Girls, and here you are!Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-43081568478254669642014-04-24T21:20:00.801+01:002014-04-24T21:20:00.801+01:00I must admit, much as I love the image of a great ...I must admit, much as I love the image of a great king astride a powerful horse, anyone with half a brain could look at that horse at the top and see it's just not feasible! That's the sort of horse that would look impressive but as you say be utterly ludicrous to consider for riding into battle at any sort of speed!<br /><br />Interesting post, although I must admit my first reaction was an awed 'WOOOOOAH. ENORMOUS horse'. I think I just realised how much of a city girl I am :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-64926999679318532112014-04-24T19:16:35.239+01:002014-04-24T19:16:35.239+01:00Really interesting and informative. I was lucky en...Really interesting and informative. I was lucky enough to see the Spanish Riding School of Vienna on their Andalusian stallions showing alongside modern dressage horses and that was an eye-opener! They are much more stocky with barrel-like bodies, far closer to the Medieval images than the modern riding horse. I think for anyone wanting a good idea of what horses used to be like should have a look.Little Angelic Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13636466826438530446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-69882031007839850312014-04-24T17:32:00.658+01:002014-04-24T17:32:00.658+01:00Brilliant post, Elizabeth. So informative.Brilliant post, Elizabeth. So informative.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08045143377722829797noreply@blogger.com