Even the nomads most favored by circumstances, those whom regular availability of summer and winter grazing at fixed locations allows to practice transhumance, are tougher by far then the settled farmer. The ancient nomads of the arid steepe, where tribe had to compete against tribe for what scraps of grazing there were, must have been among the toughest people in all creation.
— John Keegan, A History of Warfare
To be Takeda is to be born in the saddle. We are master horsemen! Let others fight, we ride, we fly! Like storms in the mountain we thunder in battle!
Despite rumours to the contrary, Couronnians are not born in the saddle. A few women have tried, but it is apparently physically impossible. They are, however, introduced to riding before they can walk and continue to practice their whole lives. Couronnians are without question the finest horsemen in Bretonnia.
— Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Knights of the Grail: A Guide to Bretonnia
Many people find it difficult to believe that Roman cavalrymen and their horses would have lived in such close proximity. But this archaeological discovery shows that we should overcome our modern preconceptions, and remember that these soldiers were the descendants of the barbarian horsemen from whom the Roman auxiliary cavalry had originally been raised. There was a natural bond between these mounted warriors and their steeds. The trooper and his mount rode together and lived together in a tight-knit community, realising that, as the ancient writer Xenophon advised, ‘It is plain that in danger the master entrusts his life to his horse.’
— Nick Hodgson
, explaining why Roman soldiers camped in the same building as their mounts
, explaining why Roman soldiers camped in the same building as their mountsThey give special attention to training in archery on horseback. A vast herd of male and female horses follows them, both to provide nourishment and to give the impression of a huge army. They do not encamp within entrenchments, as do the Persians and the Romans [Byzantines], but until the day of battle, spread about according to tribes and clans, they continuously graze their horses both summer and winter... Also in the event of battle, when opposed by an infantry force in close formation they stay on their horses and do not dismount, for they do not last long fighting on foot. They have been brought up on horseback, and owing to their lack of exercise they simply cannot walk about on their own feet...
— Byzantine Emperor Maurice, writing on the Pannonian Avars in the Strategikon'
in the Strategikon'ANGLO-SAXON COSSACKS live in the STEPPES and breed HORSES. They try to look like Horses themselves by wearing their hair in ponytails. They ride often, expertly and acrobatically. In fact, they show off rather. Regardless of the fact that winds continually sweep the Steppes, they wear little but sleeveless VESTS and scanty TROUSERS. These people are tough. But, despite riding since early infancy, not one Anglo-Saxon Cossack ever has bandy thighs. Something in their genes prevents this. They are organized normally in CLANS under a supreme chieftain but do not seem to fight among themselves. Nor do they fight other PEOPLES much. Everyone knows better than to mess with them. If called on to fight for GOOD, they muster eventually, but it takes time. Then they are formidable cavalry. Oddly, since their way of life is nomadic, they live in stone fastnesses and rarely use TENTS. On most Tours they are a dreadfully masculine society. Their women wear long SKIRTS and are trained to be wimps.
