This book explores the role of horses across the medieval world, from the Kievan Rus and Scandinavia to Central Europe, Byzantium, the Arab world and Asia, including China and India. Covering the early medieval period to the late Middle Ages, it examines how horses shaped societies, warfare and culture and how their legacy persists in traditional equestrian sports today.
Drawing on little-known primary sources, artefacts, and the author's hands-on experience with historical horsemanship, the book offers a vivid account of the deep connection between people and horses. Combining scholarly insight with practical knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study of medieval horses in Europe and Asia to date.
Introduction
1 Real and Imagined Equines in the Medieval East and West
2 The Less Glamorous Horse: Breeding, Working and ‘Wild’ Equines
3 Horses and Horsemanship of Military Elites
4 Horses in War and Equestrian Equipment
5 The Horse and the Supernatural
6 Illustrious Riders and Famous Horses
Conclusion: The Legacy of the Medieval Horse
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Anastasija Ropa lectures at the Latvian Academy of Sport Education and has owned and trained horses for many years. Her books include Practical Horsemanship in Medieval Arthurian Romance (2019).
"The Medieval Horse is a comprehensive and readable exploration of the many meanings of horses in the Middle Ages. The book is a feast not just for history and literature scholars but for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the period without getting lost in buzzwords and theory."
– Susanna Forrest, author of The Age of the Horse: An Equine Journey through Human History
"In The Medieval Horse, Anastasija Ropa takes the reader on an exhilarating journey into relatively unexplored territory as well as revisiting some familiar historical spaces. This book successfully contends with much of the mythology surrounding the subject without losing any of its magic."
– Miriam A. Bibby, co-editor-in-chief of Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History