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A variety of work horses were used throughout the Middle Ages. The pack horse (or "sumpter horse") carried equipment and belongings. [15] Common riding horses, often called "hackneys", could be used as pack horses. [59] Cart horses pulled wagons for trading and freight haulage, on farms, or as part of a military campaign.
The destrier is the best-known war horse of the Middle Ages. It carried knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. It was described by contemporary sources as the Great Horse, due to its significance. While highly prized by knights and men-at-arms, the destrier was not very common. [1]
Some breeds (draft horses) are naturally heavier than others , and differ in size and bone structure, so the weight range of horses is highly variable. Ponies can weigh less than 200 kg and heavy horses more than a ton, [3] while the average weight of a saddle horse is estimated at around 500 kg.
During the 17th century, horses from Perche, ancestors of the current Percheron, were smaller, standing between 15 and 16 hands (60 and 64 inches, 152 and 163 cm) high, and more agile. [11] These horses were almost uniformly gray; paintings and drawings from the Middle Ages generally show French
Pitched battles were avoided if possible, with most offensive warfare in the early Middle Ages taking the form of sieges, [138] and in the later Middle Ages as mounted raids called chevauchées, with lightly armed warriors on swift horses. [note 3] Jousting is a sport that evolved out of heavy cavalry practice.
A palfrey usually was the most expensive and highly bred type of riding horse during the Middle Ages, [1] 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. [2]
For comparison, the researchers also sequenced the genomes of a 43,000-year-old Pleistocene horse, a Przewalski's horse, five modern horse breeds, and a donkey. [41] Analysis of differences between these genomes indicated that the last common ancestor of modern horses, donkeys, and zebras existed 4 to 4.5 million years ago. [ 40 ]
Weight to be carried is the first factor to consider. The average horse can carry up to approximately 30% of its body weight. [19] Thus a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) horse cannot carry more than 300 pounds (140 kg). A load carried by a packhorse also has to be balanced, with weight even on both sides to the greatest degree possible.