View source for Cavalry

'''Cavalry''' refers to units of [[horse|mounted]] [[fighter|warriors]] who fight from [[horseback]].  This allows them to use the speed and strength of the horse to greatly enhance their fighting capabilities.

==Cavalry in Period==
Before the [[10th century]], mounted cavalry were unusual on the [[battlefield]], as the [[stirrup]] had not been invented, and mounted combat less effective. Pitched battles would largely have been fought by [[infantry]] who may have ridden to the field, then dismounted on fought on foot.  After the [[stirrup]] gained widespread use, however, cavalry became dominant on the battlefield.

In the latter part of the [[medieval]] period, most [[noble]] warriors would have fought as cavalry whenever possible.  The word ''cavalry'' shares the same root as ''[[chivalry]]'', and implies a better social standing than a common [[infantry|foot soldier]].  

Cavalrymen were expensive, difficult to train, and hard to [[logistics|supply]].  They were also the primary form of full-time [[medieval]] soldier, as anyone who could afford a the accoutrements of the cavalry also had the time and income to train in their use.

A warrior who owned his own horse, [[armour]] and [[weapon|weapons]] and possessed the skill to use them was a very rich man, and could support himself for life.  [[Knighthood]] in period was less about nobility and chivalry than about possessing the skills to fight from horseback.

[[Joust|Jousting]] and [[tourney|tourneys]] developed largely as a way for young [[knight|knights]] to practice the difficult skills of fighting from horseback during times of peace.

==Cavalry in the SCA==
The serious risk to life and limb involved in learning medieval mounted [[combat]] means that mounted combat in the [[SCA]] is forbidden.  While some [[SCA]] [[event|events]] do have horses present, only rarely will they be used to demonstrate even the least dangerous skills involved in being a cavalryman (such as ''tilting for rings'') and ''never'' used during combat.

[[category:combat]]