A salute to the WarHorse

Subject: A salute to the WarHorse Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:30 pm

Destrier is an historical term for a knight's war horse. When not fighting they were used to carry war gear. William Penn brought them into his Pennsylvania colony in the early 1700s for use as draft horses. Due to cross breeding, they are now extinct.

A destrier is an historical term for a knight's war horse. The term destrier is derived from the Vulgar Latin 'dextrarius,' meaning right-hand. The Destrier was usually an ungelded stallion, raised from foal specifically for the needs of war, and would not shy at loud noises or in the presence of armed men. The most famous depictions of destriers is on the Bayeux Tapestry, where horses of roughly 14-16 hands high can be seen being used as Norman mounts. The destrier was specifically for war use- when not fighting the Norman would utilize a sumpter horse to carry his spare war gear and a palfrey to ride long distances on- the destrier, despite being powerful, lacked endurance.

There are many theories as to what "type" and size destriers attained, though it now seems clear they were not enormous draft types. Equestrian statues in Italy suggest a "Spanish" style of horse that today would be referred to as Baroque. Modern attempts to reproduce destriers usually involve crossing a lighter, more athletic horse with something heavier. One example is the "Spanish Norman," bred by crossing a Percheron with an Andalusian. Modern estimates put the heights at no more than 16 hands, though with a strong and heavy physique.

Northern European depictions seem to suggest a heavy version of the modern quarter horse (actual quarter horses were not bred in the middle ages). The Friesian horse, 14.2 to 17 hands high, is said to have been used as destrier in medieval times in Northern Europe. Due to its heavy, muscular physique today's Friesian is not suited to aerobic sports like all-out racing, but it is an excellent dressage and student horse famous for its imposing presence and spectacular trot. When harnesses (plate armor) fell out of use, Andalusian blood was added to the Friesian lighten its weight.

The destrier was bred to not only hold an armored knight along with its own armor, it was bred for shock combat. Shock combat was the idea during the Middle Ages to literally mow down the enemy. When used with the couched lance, the destrier-mounted knight could inflict extreme damage. It was often said that destriers would die for their owners. They were able to bear incredible pain from arrow, sword, spear wounds and other types of wounds. Even though they had on very heavy armor, destriers were sometimes trained to rear up and fight like
"boxers".

Subject: Re: A salute to the WarHorse Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:22 pm

((::grins having been doing some of the same research::: Okay, now ya gotta post for the coursers and palfreys. Good info Vicki))

Guest

(ummm how about Tag..Your it Vickie" Evil Grin)

Subject: Re: A salute to the WarHorse Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:08 pm

As you wish Miss Vicki. Thank you. ::bows her head to her and posts:::

PALFREYS

Palfrey is a type of horse highly valued as a riding horse in the Middle Ages. It is not a breed.

The word "palfrey" is cognate with the German word for horse (of any type), "Pferd". Both descend from Latin "paraveredus", meaning a post horse or courier horse. The German term for a palfrey, meanwhile, is Zelter, which literally means "ambler" and is cognate with the Icelandic tölt.

Breeding
The term 'palfrey' usually referred to the most expensive and highly-bred types of riding horse during the Middle Ages, sometimes equalling the knight's destrier in price. Consequently, it was popular with nobles, ladies and highly-ranked knights for riding, hunting and ceremonial use.

Gait
The significant characteristic of the palfrey was that, rather than trotting, it usually possessed a smooth, ambling gait. The amble was the name given to a group of smooth, four-beat gaits faster than a walk, but slower than a canter or gallop. The trot is a two-beat gait, about 8 mph, suitable for covering a lot of ground relatively fast. However, the horse also has a bit of a spring in its motion as it switches diagonal pairs of legs with each beat, and thus can be rough for a rider, and jostles about packs or weaponry to a considerable degree. The amble is about as fast as the trot, not tiring for a horse that performs it naturally, and much smoother for the rider. Thus, because much ground transportation in the Middle Ages was on horseback, with long distances to be covered, a smooth-gaited horse was much desired.

An amble is achieved by the horse when it moves with a four-step rhythm, either derived from the two-beat lateral gait known as the pace or from the diagonal trot, with the two beats broken up so there are four. There are several variations, but most either have a lateral sequence of footfalls (left hind, left front, right hind, right front), or a diagonal sequence (left hind, right front, right hind, left front). In either case, only one foot is all the way off the ground at a time. Such a gait can be maintained for long distances, and sometimes at considerable speed.

Ambling horses are now uncommon in Europe. They were effectively replaced by trotting horses for several reasons. The first was that travel by carriage became more common, and trotting horse breeds were generally larger and stronger, more suited to the job at hand. Another reason was the rise of the Thoroughbred and other breeds developed for horse racing and for light cavalry, both of which required horses able to gallop for substantial periods of time. Breeds swift at the gallop also tend to trot rather than pace or amble.

The smooth ambling gaits today have many names, including the single-foot, the stepping pace, the tolt, the rack, the paso corto, and the fox trot (see ambling). Though ambling horses are less common today than in the Middle Ages, there are still many ambling breeds, particularly in North America where today they are referred to as gaited horses. Some of these breeds include the Missouri Fox Trotter, Tennessee Walking Horse, Icelandic horse and a sub-group within the American Saddlebred. The Paso Fino and the Peruvian Paso, breeds developed in Latin America, perform two or three different ambling gaits of varying speed, and are probably the closest modern descendants of the medieval Palfrey.

Subject: Re: A salute to the WarHorse Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:24 am

(grins. "Bravo ..excellent work".)

Subject: Re: A salute to the WarHorse Sat Mar 07, 2009 8:06 pm

VERY informative, ladies!!

Subject: Re: A salute to the WarHorse Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:03 pm

Nice job!! Thank you!