Everyone knows that the Medieval aristocracy was famed for the way they promoted the military prowess of knights on horseback. Gargantuan sums of money were spent selecting, breeding, and caring for war horses that could show off the status of their aristocratic riders. There is, therefore, a certain amount of glee to be taken by the realization that Medieval war horses were likely about the size of modern ponies.
In a study published in January 2022, about 2,000 horse remains from 171 different Medieval archaeological sites were analyzed. Locations included castles and specific horse cemeteries, dating between the 4th-17th centuries. Five different English Universities brought faculty together to make out what the bones might show us. The scholars conclusion? The average horse stood only 4’10” tall from ground to shoulder blade — about the size of modern ponies.
Today’s larger horse breeds are over six feet, and even in the historical record, the scholars analyzing the horse remains noticed that the height of the horses grew after 1500 CE.
Instead of tallness alone, Medieval knights selected their horses based on a variety of qualities. The right temperament and constitution mattered a great deal, as the two images here show. In the first, knights on horseback duel with each other — horses that wouldn’t scare, but could be guided into confrontation nimbly, would have been what was needed. In the second, the knights of these horses have dismounted, but the horses are actually fighting each other — that is next-level training.
So size was definitely not everything when it came to the Medieval horse.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, @smithsonianmagazine.vom, “The horses of Medieval times weren’t much bigger than modern ponies,” Corryn Wetzel, Jan 12, 2022
