"Horses in the Middle Ages" Topic
8 Posts
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Tango01 | 28 Jun 2019 9:02 p.m. PST |
"As much as cars and the internal combustion engine defines our age, the horse defined the middle ages in Europe. Horses, along with mules and donkeys were relied on for transportation, agriculture, war, and recreation. A large segment of the population was dedicated to occupations that used or cared for horses. The language used to describe the animals and their handlers can be confusing to the modern reader. Many of the terms are used differently now, so if you want to read historical fiction or do research on the middle ages it is important to understand what they were talking about. Horses were not referred to by their breed but by their purpose. Therefore, many of the modern breed names had broader, less specific meanings in the middle ages. Horses were measured in hands, not in inches--with each hand being 4 inches high (three hands to the foot). The average horse in the middle ages was 13 to 14 hands high at the withers (shoulders) and would look like a pony or small horse to us today. But then, the men and women of the middle ages would look small to us as well…" Main page link Amicalement Armand
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MajorB | 29 Jun 2019 6:42 a.m. PST |
Horses were measured in hands, not in inches They still are. |
Codsticker | 01 Jul 2019 5:40 p.m. PST |
I am not convinced that draft horses of the time were that large but I am prepared to be convinced if there is archaeological evidence. I imagined the draft horse of the middle ages and renaissance to be more like the Suffolk Punch draft horse: shorter than the common draft breeds today but still stocky. |
Gunfreak | 04 Sep 2019 9:31 a.m. PST |
They still are Not in civilized places, there it's metric all the way. |
dapeters | 05 Sep 2019 9:34 a.m. PST |
I am not convince that any horses where large until 16th-17th centuries. |
Swampster | 06 Sep 2019 1:46 p.m. PST |
"But then, the men and women of the middle ages would look small to us as well" Not massively. Average male height in Northern Europe in the early Middle Ages has been calculated at 5'8". UK average height in 2018 is 5' 9". There was a dip around the time of the Black Death (due to the poor weather conditions in the decades before hand) but the average rose again afterwards. Conditions in the Industrial Revolution caused a dip. link I've helped excavate some 13th century skeletons and out of about half a dozen men, 2 had thighs indicating a likely height close to 6'. |
Mithmee | 06 Sep 2019 4:50 p.m. PST |
It was not uncommon for many individuals to be 6 feet or taller back 700-900 years ago. |
Tango01 | 07 Sep 2019 8:58 p.m. PST |
Thanks!. Amicalement Armand
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