Photo courtesy Jeri Westerson/Shutterstock
With renaissance faire season in full flower, we have a guest post from medieval mystery author Jeri Westerson.
Jeri's latest - Now a finalist for the 2010 Macavity for the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award to be presented in October.
Now, it’s time to, well, get medieval. Take it away, Jeri.
Man and horse was a formidable force in the Middle Ages, galloping across Europe and beyond to conquer, to destroy, to impose their will on their neighbors. And a mounted knight still cuts a romantic figure in our imaginations today, regardless of whether that knight upheld the chivalric ideals that legends like King Arthur have told us they do.
First, they were chevalier, horsemen (a horse is a cheval in French). These ancient horsemen evolved into the ruling class. Being a knight was an expensive proposition.
Not only were you to supply yourself with your armor but a few horses: your warhorse, a horse for the luggage, and a horse for your squire. From about five to twenty-four horses, some sources say, enough for your full retinue.
What kind of horses were these? It varied according to the use they would be put to. In the Middle Ages, the breed of the horse wasn’t as important as to what job these horses would perform. Special emphasis was put on warhorses.
Jousting
Number one was the knight’s horse, important for battle and for jousting which served as both peace-time training and entertainment.
In the late Middle Ages, knights traveled a circuit of tournaments and jousted in many different European cities in order to make a living from the prize money and the stuff the other knight had to forfeit to you.
For instance, if you fell from your horse, you forfeited it to the knight who unhorsed you. Certain points were awarded for hits to the shield attached to your breastplate. It’s all very exciting. I have had several opportunities to watch these modern-day knights on the circuit and it is just as exciting now as it surely was then. Large horses running full tilt (a jousting term, by the way. To “tilt” is to joust.) and lances splintering off the other guy. It’s a real wow moment.
(Ed. note: Remember the movie “A Knight’s Tale?” Heath Ledger’s character followed this circuit, although he jousted to hard rock music in the background.)
A knight had a few kinds of horses. There were chargers or coursers and the stockier destriers. And they had to be stallions. No knight wanted to be on a mare. It wasn’t manly and you wanted the horse to be fierce and aggressive.
The war horses, plus the skinny on armor
The charger was a more agile horse but the destrier, the warhorse, was a big bruiser, although it must be noted that all the horses of this period were smaller than the horses of today.
According to some remaining horse armor from the period and more detailed investigation of tapestries and illustrations, these horses were probably no more than fifteen hands tall (60-65 inches), though stockier like draught horses, a smaller version of a Clydesdale or Belgian.
Tournament riders today often use Belgians and Clydesdales in the heavier classes in an attempt to recreate what a medieval knight might have ridden, but this might be an exaggeration brought about by the belief that armor was improbably heavy.
In fact, it wasn’t. Full harness, that is, helm, full plate armor on the entire body, weighed anywhere from 60 to 120 pounds. You could fight, jump, do cartwheels, get on your horse, jump off him—anything. Except for swimming, which wasn’t recommended. 
A courser or charger was a good strong horse for war. Agile, strong, big-hearted, the horse was strenuously trained to do all the knight commanded, including galloping into battle, which a horse is disinclined to do.
A good war horse needed to be trained well enough to follow commands by heel or leg as the knight’s arms were sometimes both occupied by sword and shield. The horse could back up, stop on a dime, move sideways. This was the knight’s all around companion. A knight’s horse might often be treated better than his servants.
The transportation horses
The Prioress from "The Canterbury Tales" riding sidesaddle, drawing circa 1532/Illustration courtesy Jeri Westerson/Shutterstock
A palfrey was a riding horse getting the knight to and from, well, anywhere he wished to go. It was also considered a woman’s horse (the origins of the word are a mixture of Latin, Anglo-Norman French, and Occitan basically meaning an “extra traveling horse”).
A jennet is a small Spanish horse of a gentle nature fit for women riders. Women also rode mares or gelded horses.
A hobby was a light horse native to Ireland and is now extinct as a breed though it is said to have provided foundation bloodlines for some modern breeds. It was an agile horse used in guerilla type warfare in quick skirmishes, easy to get in and get out.
A rouncey was a horse simply for riding. An all around everyday kind of horse. A knight’s squire might ride a rouncey or a poor knight might find himself forced to ride one. These were not as well trained or valued as were the coursers.
A sumpter was a packhorse, usually a little long in the tooth. Originally, the sumpter was the driver of the packhorses and then came to mean the horse itself.
Ambling, a four-beat intermediate gait, was highly prized for such horses as palfreys and rounceys. Faster than a walk but slower than a canter, they could travel over long distances using this gait without tiring the rider (and think of the women riding sidesaddle over long distances. Ouch.)
There were other horses for the plough and other for wagons, but the work of carrying the lord’s and lady’s bottoms across battlefields or along the roads of the kingdoms were of the greatest interest to chroniclers.
—
Thanks, Jeri!
Jeri Westerson doesn’t horse around when it comes to writing her medieval noir series. You can read an excerpt of her latest, SERPENT IN THE THORNS, by ambling over to www.JeriWesterson.com. And don’t miss her blog “Getting Medieval” (check out her heroic pose in this post on Getting Medieval.)
Also, feel free to order a copy of VEIL OF LIES or, her very latest, SERPENT IN THE THORNS through either the Indie Bound link or the Amazon link, both to the right which happen to be affliate links where – disclaimer ahead – I could get a little commission on what you buy.
But please absolutely feel free to pick up your cop(ies) of Crispin’s adventures at whichever book purveyor you prefer.
And, if you’re in the mood to attend a renaissance faire, click on Ye Olde Favorite Web Search Engine (translation: Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) to seek a RenFaire near you.
Tags: charger, Crispin Guest, Crispin Guest mysteries, destrier, Jeri Westerson, jousting, knight, medieval history, medieval horsemen, palfrey
June 15th, 2010 at 10:39 am
What woman doesn’t love a man on horseback, especially one in armor, with sword, coming to save her? Is it any wonder I went through high school without a single date? I was waiting for Russell Crowe in Robin Hood! I’ll definitely check out your book, Jeri. I love dark medievals!
June 15th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Thanks, Kristan. I’m a sucker for a man in armor!
June 15th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I keep meaning to make a trip into NYC to see the Arms and Armor Hall in The Met. The last time I was there, I saw at least two full suits – for both horse and rider – set up to appear as if they were in combat. Way, way cool.
Kristan – One of my fave movies from Back in the Day is the John Boorman “Excalibur.” Wouldja believe I have yet to see Robin Hood?? =:-o
June 15th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Jeri:
Thanks for this blog. As a matter of fact, I knew a lot of this stuff you blogged about before I ever read your blog, but it was still extremely informative. For example, I didn’t know that, in the later Middle Ages, at least, there wee such things as “chargers”, though I knew that later, “chrgers” became warhorses of the kind you would sometimes see in later, non-medieval battles. I’ve heard of “hobbies”, but had no idea they were an “extinct” breed that might be at least partly the foundation of certain “moern” breeds.
Also, I’d like to add that, despite their apparently rather small size(fow what we think of as a “warhorse” nowadays, “destriers” even some “better” palfreys, might have looked quite impressive to ordinary, non-horse riding kinds of people in their time. Most horses wee pretty much “pony” sized by today’s standards; a “destrier” of 15 hh is about the same size as many police horces today(though I’ve seen some that are quite obviously bigger).
Anne G
June 15th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
That is some really cool information. Never really gave it much thought before, but it sure is a conversation. Thanks Jerri for taking the time to share with us. What I really have trouble with is how they even got on the horse once they had all that armor on?
Thanks again and say happy,
Debbie
June 15th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Hi Debbie,
They actually just mounted normally. As I said, the armor was not necessarily cumbersome or heavy. I know we all picture Henry VIII being hoisted onto a horse, but I rather think this was more a fat Herny issue than a heavy armor issue.
June 19th, 2010 at 10:06 am
To Anne and Debbie – Thanks for stopping by and chiming in. Sorry I’m late in replying. Online connectivity issues. Fun, fun, fun. Anyway …
Anne – In olden days of yore, a rider on a horse – any horse – towered over a person on foot. To primitive cultures, the horse&rider combo simply looked like one single giant imposing being. And, as people grew more hip to what this big moving creature really was, a rider on a horse still meant that they got to ride while peasants with feet on the ground had to walk.
Debbie and Jeri – I was thinking about the John Lithgow character in “Shrek,” who needed assistance – even more than a mounting block – with climbing aboard his horse.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
rhooond7 and all:
Well, sure. anyone would look pretty imposing on a horse, especially at ground level, even on a relatively small horse. And in the Middle Ages, horses wee an expensive commodity, so anybody riding one would be assumed to have been of at least fairly high rank.
Anne G
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 am
Wonderful information. I have been making a living working Renaissance Festivals around the country for nearly 25 years, now I am trying to retire and just live with my ponies and draw. Been sorta thinking of opening up a new booth at the renaissance faire named “The Steed and Palfrey” and offering just horse art. Dunno, it’s not in the top 5 on my list yet. Enjoyed the history lesson very much. I saw a show on History Channel not long ago mentioning the palfreys and riding horses vs the chargers, and was amazed that not only were they often small (like a cob or welsh size) but that they were gaited! WarHorse Farms out of Sarasota Florida uses large draft horses in thier jousting at renaissance festivals, while Hanlon-Lees use quarter horses and medium size in thier performances.
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:53 am
Thanks for stopping by, Kerry. I’m so psyched to hear of someone who’s made a living with Renaissance Festivals. That makes you a real “traveling player!” Cool! Years ago, I remember reading in the International Museum of the Horse in the Kentucky Horse Park that palfreys were “smooth-riding” and wondered if they weren’t the early gaited horses? Most of the jousting demos I’ve seen have been done on quarter horses, but also, the field of competition was small. Still, I imagine it’s spectacular on drafts. Anyway, good luck with your possible “Steed and Palfrey” booth.
October 2nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
Kerry and Rhonda,
I’ve seen jousting on draft horses. Very, very exciting! I used to work Renaissance Faires in the spring of my college days, when I was young and thin and could beg for beer with a kiss. Now it would just be pathetic. I admire you ability to work them. I investigated taking my books on the circuit but there were too many hoops and too much money between me and them.
May 4th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Please who can tell me if the destrier must gallop right or left when in combat?
Thank you for the answer
João Gorjão Clara
May 4th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I’ve asked some people, and we – the folks I’ve asked, that is — seem to be leaning toward the right, so that the knight aims left?
Thanks for asking. That’s a great question.