Horses in the Middle Ages| What were medieval horses like?| knight's horse

[@donnarichardson7214]

Probably the closest thing you'll see to a destrier is the Lipizzans, who were bred for warfare and haven't changed in hundreds of years. Around fifteen hands, powerfully built, easy temperamentally to train, and very agile at moves such as the capriole (a flying backward kick meant to destroy anyone trying to hamstring them!). And, of course, beautiful.

[@alliedavidson4175]

That's an excellent observation. Their built and height is about right.

[@aion1752]

Lipizzans have an elongated back which is the very opposite of the short-backed medieval warhorses. Look up Spanish Norman/ Warlander or even iberian horses like smaller Lusitanos or Andalusians of today to get a rough image of what a medieval warhorse approximately looked like.

[@barrybarlowe5640]

Being someone personally familiar with horses, all horses will kick and bite other horses. A destrier was a horse trained to fight, partly by being desensitized to the smell of blood and sudden loud noises. Any horse so trained (a process that could take five years) and large enough to carry an armored knight in battle was termed "a destrier". Horses that did not meet this standard of size and strength often became "palfries", were neutered and served to carry knights and men in travel outside of combat, saving the destrier's strength for times of conflict. Breeds, generally, were named for locations or families that specialized in breeding large aggressive horses, that could be trained for combat. Such as horses were valued at the yearly revenue of a fair sized property.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Wow I get it, so cool! 🤩Thanks for your message!

[@oldageisdumb]

Horses are not “neutered” they are gelded

[@beautyforashes2022]

I've worked with horses on and off since 93 and been in love with them all my life. I remember when I was little, I read every book about horses that I could get my hands on. And the history of horses throughout the ages has always thoroughly fascinated me. I'm so glad I found your channel today and thank you so much for interesting and insightful video, I loved all the beautiful medieval artwork. And there's just so much history on horses and horsemanship to study and learn about, so I'm looking forward to checking out your other videos. Thanks again.

[@cw4608]

So tired of seeing Friesians shown in every medieval film. They are beautiful but likely not correct for the time.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

You're right, the Friesian is a fascinating breed of horse, and they are likely to appear in medieval movies because their appearance is more in line with modern people's imagination of medieval horses. After all, it is impossible to find a horse that is actually from the Middle Ages these days. Thank you so much for your comments, it helps to improve my videos.

[@moonshadowmagic7116]

Ever since Ladyhawke... which was far more artsy than historical. Looked wonderful though, of course

[@rhaenyratargaryen1stofhern55]

They’d definitely be more of a horse that plows the field.

[@lizziesangi1602]

Friesans are very calm and easy to work with. Their form is naturally - gorgeous. They're stunning. That's why they use Friesans. In American movies of the Old West, teams of six Friesans are frequently seen drawing stagecoaches and because they're easy to work with. However, those Friesans have nothing of the stock we see today. They were very slender.

[@harleyraybon9794]

@@horsehistoryponycycle They are also just such a standard looking horse. Andalusian’s and Friesians have stricter breed standards so they all can look very similar. It’s not hard to find a set of five to play the same horse on set.

[@nosillalaluna7078]

Both informative and amusing! The CGV had me laughing in it's interpretation of word's etc. Some of this was wrong but then again it's all in the interpretation of usage or purpose of these animals. Good job and thanks for the chuckles ! 👍🙉🙈🙊✌️

[@sandramorey2529]

This was marvelous. Thank you. I have a book of Russian Fairy Tales and one of them is "The Firebird and the Princess". The almost magical horse, known as "The Horse of Power" was a beautiful woodcut of a very powerful looking horse that enables the knight to achieve his goal of a feather from the Firebird and later, the bird itself. Then there is the Appaloosa bred to fight the settlers by the Nez Perce tribe. The Americans went after these horses to wipe them out thereby defeating the Indians who fled to Canada.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Wow, that sounds like a fascinating story,🤩 I'm going to search it out. Thanks for your message.

[@moonshadowmagic7116]

I have read a few interpretations of that Firebird story... One was beautifully illustrated while being a fanfic-- the author/ illustrator inserted her daughter's palomino mare into the story, taking the role of the Little Humpbacked Horse (which seems to have morphed into the Horse of Power in the version you have.) And in fact I knew a dwarfed miniature horse who could have played The Little Humpbacked Horse to perfection. I can't say how many variations of the horse in the story exist, but an examination of the horses in Russian legend and folklore might be a modest commercial success. I am pleased to report that the Appaloosa throve despite the US Army's sporadic policy of wiping out the Native American Indian herds whenever possible; it wasn't just the Nez Perce.

[@sandramorey2529]

Oh, I forgot to mention the wonderful medieval art in this video. I have the Book of Hours of the Duke Duberry( in Chantilly, France, and one of these plates, maybe more are in it.

[@dianebrady6784]

Lucky you.

[@Shredx1]

Fascinating. I hadn't given horses much thought until I saw this

[@chrisstone8210]

Especially fascinating to see a horse supported by a hoist while a leg being treated. I find myself wondering if there is, anywhere, a museum of the horse...... I googled it, and there is indeed at Tuxford in Notts. UK. If ever I'm up that way....

[@larryjones-emery807]

Thank you for the video. I learned more about horses from this video than I ever have before

[@davemexico260]

Mix a shire with a thoughbred and you get a great horse. Vadar was his name.

[@hannahskipper2764]

Cool episode!

[@-.-4]

Very interesting. Subscribed. I’ve thought of heavy horses used by the Romans and war horses. I’ve got a lot to learn 😊

[@rhaenyratargaryen1stofhern55]

Horses are still measured in hands. Destriers were Andalusian type horses. Palfreys were gaited like Icelandic horses.

[@wesmaass4669]

Great video.

[@larryc835]

Awesome.💯

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

[@petertoney8963]

Interesting video. I had to turn off the computer voice and read the monologue, but the subject is interesting, so thank you for making the video.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Thanks for your support I'm also thinking about replacing this voiceover🤣

[@Groundedsquirrel]

@@horsehistoryponycycle that would be great! I'm sure it's a lot of work but would most likely make it a much better video.

[@remilenoir1271]

The average man height in Europe in the Middle Ages was 173 cm (as opposed to 178 cm today), I don't think they would look that small to us. That people were small during the Middle Ages is one of the common myths about the era. There was a time when people were significantly smaller in Europe from the 17th to 18th century (the average height then being 167 cm) but this is unrelated to the Middle Ages.

[@joannathesinger770]

Charlemagne was 6'5". Edward I was 6'2". There were others who also were tall, but you wouldn't know Ramon Berenguer IV nor the others.

[@bethwilliams4903]

Edward IV was a hair under 6’4” - still the tallest king of England. The French king, Francois I was even taller (he was the opposite number to Henry VIII and quite literally outdid him in every category, well, except exterminating his own family) I suspect the height issues had more to do with nutrition as well as DNA, and likely any illness or injuries during the birth process. The Neville’s, like many of the Norman and Danish stock, tended to be tall, but that didn’t preclude an early death and inability time to produce another generation

[@joannathesinger770]

@@bethwilliams4903 Ehhhh...consider that nutrition today is better than in all of human history, so if thar were true, everyone would be taller, and that just isn't the case. The genetic component HAS to be there, as well. Without revealing too much about myself, the lines discussed are in my direct family tree...particularly my maternal grandmother's line. I have a 3rd great-grandfather that was 6'5", my maternal grandmother was 5'10", her brothers were between 6'2" and 6'4", my dad was 6'5", I'm 5'11", my daughter is 6'2", and I have nephews who are 6'5, 6'6", and 6'7". My granddaughter is 10, and she is already 5'4", so we anticipate her being as tall as me...and my almost 5 year old grandson is projected to be 6'9". My father was born in 1926 and was a child through the Great Depression...and going hand-to-mouth didn't affect him at all.

[@bethwilliams4903]

DNA can’t be discounted, on my mom’s side her grandfather, both uncles and all her male cousins were 6’6” or more, the grandfather came here from Bavaria at 16, with the clothes he was wearing, unwilling to fight the wars in Prussia. He married a woman who stood maybe 5’ tops, their youngest, my grandma followed suit and married a slender man no more than 130 pounds his whole adult life, and maybe 5’4” - they had one daughter, my mom, who topped out at 5’2” … I’m 5’, my sister 5’2” and my brother a lofty 5’8” … we know that in that DNA somewhere there is 6’ + lurking, somewhere 😂 my paternal grandfather had a heart defect which until recently usually translated to an early death (often in childhood), I inherited it but so far none of my 4 grandness a have shown the symptoms I had - but it affected his height to a degree as it did mine (among other biological issues), so DNA is complex as is genealogy and the many strains we inherit - all I know is there WAS great height in the family, before, during and after the worldwide Depression!

[@stephanmenzel9457]

Destriers where stallions only. As an professional horseman I can tell you, that stallions are not easy to ride or handle. In my long life I've seen a lot of badly injuries of humans, other stallions or horses too. Espacially if the stallions had the chance for mating. If not, may be easier to handle. They can became very dangerous. The Friesians of today not existed in medievals. They look nice for amateurs, black coat, long hair and so on. But I never saw a Friesian in front of coaching, pulling or riding competition. They are nice, very expensive, in feeding and grooming too. Thats it.

[@aileen694]

Stephan, you may want to check out the channel "Follow the Herd" for Friesians that do pull coaches and compete in dressage competitions.

[@margauxnodvin7478]

@Grace Jaye I’ve worked with TB’s and Warmbloods for over 30 years, and wouldn’t trade them for the world! I don’t breed, so I’ve only worked with a few stallions, but the ones I have worked with were Warmbloods. Several of them acted nothing like a typical stallion, and were quite tractable. What do you think they ride in Olympic show jumping (probably Dressage and other horse sports as well, but I’m not in those worlds)? Yes, there are many mares and geldings, but there are also many stallions competing at the highest levels. They are kept as stallions bc breedings from a highly successful competition horse are MUCH sought after! Yes, they are more difficult to handle, but not particularly more so than any other breed. Much easier than some!

[@stephanmenzel9457]

This accidents I've seen where by stallions from WB, Haflinger, Belgians and Schwarzwälder. The last one was in 2014, the culprits are two Schwarzwälder at coaching, the culprits in truth were their owner and their coachman. My friends in Moritzburg for example drive big teams of breeding stallions without any problems, the PB of mine where a six-horse-team. It's only a question of education and obedience. In my youth where the natural jump the only way of mating, and it begans, - the handling. If he has to mate, we wearing him an special coloured halter, everytime the same. So it's the same smell, of course. If we wanna work with him/them , we use other halters, everytime the same, too. So WE switched them ON or OFF. Just today a breeding stallion never see a mare alive, he jumps on Phantom, ,,sharpenend" before by a nymphomatic mare or an low ranged gelding. An old trick to smeer ,,Wick blue" in his nostrils, he cannot smell mares in their five days ready to mate. And other modern measure means hormon-chip or -injection. But we talked about medieval stallions.

[@stephanmenzel9457]

​@@aileen694 We told about medieval horses, where Frieseans not existed. Of course they are able to pull coaches, baroque riding dressages and others. But in daily grooming, logging, plowing, long distances and really alldays work I made my only bad experiences with nearly 200 modern Friesians. Horses for petting and show, okay If YOU like. My ancestors came from East Prussia, and a lot of my educations I got in Moritzburg thankfully. Nearly 60 years I'm worked mostly with Haflinger and Belgians in the woods, WB, Trakehners, Moritzburger SW and others under saddle. Thats why I personally prefare this pretty working horses. I rode and drove Friesians too, may be 20-40. Mares, Geldings, Stallions. It's another view. ,,My cat like mice,- I don't!"

[@aloneandannoyed]

.... and Sir Bowen - a knight of the Old code. ( I am not ashamed of this reference)

[@worldtraveler930]

The Clydesdale is known as the Scottish war horse the animal is bred to carry weight more than pull it making it exactly what it is a war horse from the middle ages also resent Archeology is showing that the stirrup is a scandinavian invention! 🤠👍

[@moonshadowmagic7116]

I am going to go very carefully when I think of medieval warhorses as any breed of drafter by today's standards. Do not forget that there was the Agricultural Revolution of the 18th century, when draft animals were bred up to modern sizes so as to provide power and transport for the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. Of course, the foundation stock for this was, in fact, heavy war horses.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

And the stirrup is attributed to Scythians as well. Vikings traveled and traded across Europe and Asia, had a long term gig as mercenaries in Constantinople, we find Islamic artifacts in Scandinavia from them. This muddies up that story. They could have simple brought it back. There’s also the question - which Chinese is the video reffering to? It’s not simple, and good ideas sprout up in different places independently.

[@oldharpydisguised709]

I am expecting that you are from the U S. The Clydesdale was developed in the late 18th century / early 19th c as a draft/ plough horse. They were originally much smaller but were bred up, predominantly by the Victorians as a big active dray horse for town use. They were much interbred with Shire horses before the stud books closed. The french (as against the American) Percheron, was truly descended from the medieval Destria, though one must not forget the French taste for horsemeat, which has had a most unfortunate effect on the development of their heavy horses, resulting in many of their beautiful, active working horse breeds, now being valued by the kilo!

[@worldtraveler930]

@@oldharpydisguised709 My Actual information is coming from my Robertson side of the family in Scotland Proper and from what I understand from some Acquaintances of mine who work for a company here in Texas known as "Bell-Tex" that it's is the Belgians that have the true Love of horse Stakes and Roast!!! 🤠👍

[@lizziesangi1602]

The stirrup wasn't "invented" until King Arthurs' time.

[@leejay3204]

You forgot a Legendary knight--William Marshal

[@B00Radl33]

I'm down for more horse facts

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Thank you very much for your message! I also enjoy horses a lot. I plan to make more horse videos in the future. The content will cover a variety of horse-related topics. I hope you enjoy watching my video!😄

[@suzannecooke2055]

Very well done!

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

[@leilamorgan8008]

Fun information ❤

[@stephanmenzel9457]

For ploughing you need a powerful, slow and constant pull, like oxen does. Oxen are very stronger and quieter like horses with much more obedience and quicker to learn. Not the plough, the harrow only create the ,,Heavy horse in harness". If you ever done this hard work, ploughing and harrowing with both powerful comrades, you never throw away a piece of holy bread.

[@dianebrady6784]

That's nice that you take up for the lowly ox.

[@stephanmenzel9457]

​@@dianebrady6784 In my youth I saw any teams and their masters at work. One of them, he came from East Prussia, mastered three bulls in a team for ploughing, harrowing and timber logging. Their skills where unbelievable. Hat off.... Our local breed ,,Rotes Höhenvieh Harzer Schlag" means a historical ,,Three-use-bovine", their die out and reincarnation is a heartbreaking story ....

[@ayhanfedai5013]

stirrup found in china ? i thoght it was in centrall asia by nomads and that time china didnt have much horses and even made costly campaign just to capture some horse fore breed

[@cliffowens3629]

I believe the horses of knights were stallions and during the Crusades Muslims rode mares and if in season all the better. The stallion's mind wouldn't be focused on battle but on the scent of the mare in breeding condition making the knight in a huge disadvantage often fatal being unable to control or direct his mount.

[@Miki8587]

That was interesting. What is the music ?

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Bleu by Komiku🥰

[@timmyturner327]

Horses are majestic animals.

[@SandraOrtmann1976]

Some aspects were not quite correct in this video. Giant drafters were also an invention more towards the very end of the Middle Ages. But also some other details were wrong.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Thank you for your feedbackI will improve my next videos.

[@SandraOrtmann1976]

@@horsehistoryponycycle If you want further advice, I can highly recommend Dr. Tobias Capwell, Zac Evans and Arne Koets for anything regarding knights and armour/jousting.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

@@SandraOrtmann1976 Got it! Thank you so much!🤩

[@Bridgemere92]

you know what i love....a vidoe with AI voiceover....beep boop beep boop

[@RussMassey]

Well, apparently my horse is a Destrier, both the size and personality fit... lol

[@RussMassey]

Though he is the wrong breed, being that he is a Quarterhorse, which hadn't been developed at the time...

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

@@RussMassey Anyway your horse is cute and graceful! love him!

[@Groundedsquirrel]

This seems so interesting but I can't continue due to the automated narration. Curious if this was a choice to save money. Even if the creator had narrated themselves it would be easier to understand and follow I would guess. Otherwise seems like a very good video.

[@margauxgensler1817]

1:17 egg horse lol

[@jasperpuddingface]

The age Lord of The Rings was set in cannot be compared to the time line of our history. The characters span different time lines in clothing and life style. By comparing anything to do with LOR and Medieval history puts the content in question.

[@JelMain]

Oh dear, it seems the Renaissance never happened.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

The Renaissance is indeed a very important stage in the Middle Ages. This video focuses on the different types of horses and equine equipment, as well as the horse profession. In subsequent videos, I will discuss some horses in Renaissance art works. Thank you for coming up with such a brilliant idea!🤩

[@JelMain]

@@horsehistoryponycycle It's part of a different thread, as horses start as a possible equine cult, with surviving versions in the 'obby 'oss and it's kin, chalk horses in Wiltshire. There may be a link in the folksong Widecombe Fair to Bayard, on the Continent - with a hidden link to hobbit lore, for jest. Then there's the effect of road design on equine physiology, as better roads are harder on hooves. It's interesting that horseshoes are co-aeval with the rise of a warrior caste in the Crusades: I cannot imagine how the Romans handled their horses with leather shoes wearing out every hundred miles! From there comes the farrier skill. When roads were unmade, larger horses were needed for traction through the swamps of mud, although that pretty much ended at Passendael.

[@peg4x449]

Did any of these "artists" ever see a horse?

[@adreabrooks11]

Bear in mind that most artists in these days weren't doing it as a profession. They were scriveners (often monks) who were writing information and, occasionally, prettying it up with "illuminations" (pictures) on the manuscript. To draw a parallel, your typical backyard mechanic *could* restore the upholstery in your car, but you'd probably get something similar to the art of Medieval scriveners - serviceable rather than elegant. Professional Medieval artists, like professional auto upholsters of today, were pretty few and far between, and works by laymen are far more common.

[@normafollet7156]

There is no such thing as an meany evil horse or any meany evil animal. As for meany evil people, its in their head that is the problem. Really they need their head or brains seen too 👍

[@arnekoets3085]

Medieval evidence for 18hh draft horses? Where did you get that from? Smaller draft types perhaps, but i know of no archeological, historical or even iconographical evidence of such a large horse. The largest examples of archeological horse remains top out at 15hh2"... and only very few are over 15hh

[@vickilindberg6336]

FYI- Lord of the Rings & Game of Thrones are fantasies not Medieval history. Your efforts are better than that. Good piece.

[@jackthunderbolt4307]

This looks like an interesting video but it's immediately ruined by the lazy Reddit vid bot voice

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Thank you for your supportbut hiring a voice actor is too expensive🤣

[@tarotbypamelasteele]

FYI horses are still measured in "hands."

[@mhnaji7310]

💚👍💚👍👍💚👍👍👍💚

[@lindamclean8809]

Please use real people to talk on videos........those robot voices are horrible !!! If it wasn’t for the horses I’d turn it off. !! The words aren’t pronounced properly and the inflection in the tone is all wrong. ❤❤❤

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Thanks for your support🥰I'm thinking about replacing this voiceover🤣

[@William-Marshall]

Hooves --- not -- feet.

[@mikamichan1842]

Maybe Spanish horse

[@RhumRunner41]

Can’t stand computer-generated narration. You can have the most interesting story to tell but this CG narration just destroys it.

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

Haha Thanks for your suggestion, I have received many similar messages. I have used a more attractive professional voice-over in the latest few videos, welcome to watch!

[@AdventuresofVindalf]

Downvote for the robot voice. 🙄

[@Shinzon23]

Next time speak in your own voice instead of using a generic robot voice

[@dougreimer2912]

When I hear this voice, I'm gone... Delete.

[@justinjeffries1554]

Ugh ai voice

[@siggyvdz8213]

The google voice is soooo annoying. Your content seems cool but sorry, i cant watch it 🥲

[@horsehistoryponycycle]

I will change voice actors in future videos🤣 so stay tuned

[@arnekoets3085]

Medieval evidence for 18hh draft horses? Where did you get that from? Smaller draft types perhaps, but i know of no archeological, historical or even iconographical evidence of such a large horse. The largest examples of archeological horse remains top out at 15hh2"... and only very few are over 15hh